Modding units?

[The Spartan (Returns)]

oh! quite easy! ill even make a short and easy tutorial for you! open expeort_descr_unit in Data the data folder in your Rome- Total War folder and go to any unit you want to edit:

type roman hastati
dictionary roman_hastati ; Hastati
category infantry
class light
voice_type Light_1
soldier roman_hastati, 40, 0, 1
officer roman_early_standard
attributes sea_faring, hide_forest, can_sap
formation 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, square
stat_health 1, 0
stat_pri 12, 2, pilum, 35, 2, thrown, blade, piercing, spear, 25 ,1
stat_pri_attr prec, thrown ap
stat_sec 7, 2, no, 0, 0, melee, simple, piercing, sword, 25 ,1
stat_sec_attr no
stat_pri_armour 5, 4, 5, metal
stat_sec_armour 0, 1, flesh
stat_heat 3
stat_ground 2, 0, 0, 0
stat_mental 6, normal, trained
stat_charge_dist 30
stat_fire_delay 0
stat_food 60, 300
stat_cost 1, 440, 170, 50, 70, 440
ownership roman

now where you see stat_pri, thats the hastati's pila the first number is attack. making the number higher will make it stronger.
where it says stat_pri_attr thats his attributes for the primary weapons such as a spear weapon would have a bonus against cavalry. but you must put the right code there such as: (for triarii) stat_pri_attr spear, spear_bonus_8
there are much more codes such as giving a phalanx longer spears or giving a unit the scare attribute. i unfortunately will not include this here.

now where it says stat_sec is his second weapon. here its the hastati gladius.
sometimes its says none and that unit wont have a second weapon. you can even give them a second weapon (or a different primary weapon) but i wont include that here. again change the first number to make it stronger.

now where it says stat_health is the hitpoints. change the first number higher for a higher hitpoint.

now where it says stat_pri_armour is the primary armor. change any of the numbers to raise defense. theres is a more in depth in what each number repersent which (such as the first for example is the defense skill rating) but i wont include that here as i forgot.

now where it says stat_mental is his morale. make it higher for a better morale.
3 or less=poor morale
7 to 11 (i think) =good morale
12 or higher= excellent morale.

and thats all! a simple beginner's guide to modding! there are more features, but i wont include it here. (there are a very few i dont know of)
hope all of you who read this have fun modding!

[gmjapan]

Thats some good info Spartan, I like your angle too - keeping it simple to get someone started.

I think I might use it on Iberian Infantry myself. For their upkeep they are too weak, they should have a better weapon stats since even the Romans actually used the Iberian Gladius for their legions. It might even help Spain AI in the campaigns...

[Seasoned Alcoholic]

Apparently (from the unit description), the Iberian Infantry supposedly use falcatas. I'd originally revamped the stats for Iberian infantry, basically bringing them in line with Hastati in an earlier version of my mod. After all (again, according to the unit description - whether descriptions are accurate or not), the Iberians are supposedly the 'backbone' of Carthaginian & Iberian forces, and should have the stats to reflect this statement.

Although why Iberians should be recruitable on the African continent is questionable, perhaps a new hidden resource restricting Iberian Infantry to Iberia and perhaps the Balearics?

You could always use the older mount_effect bonuses, rather than the addition in stat_pri_attr line. For example:

mount_effect     camel +4, horse +4, elephant +4

rather than:

stat_pri_attr    light_spear, spear_bonus_4

The older ones are quite distinctive when you tweak the stats, although I'm not sure of the latest ones since I've never used them

[wisefather]

Thank you sooooooooo much! that guide was extremly helpful, do you know of any other guides for modding?

[Seasoned Alcoholic]

Now you've picked up the basics of the EDU text file, I'd recommend ER's new unit tutorial. It explains how all the text files interlink together, and illustrates how to add new units to the game. Here's the link:

Adding new units for beginners

Once you've done a few of these units, you should be up and running, but as with all modding aspects, you can choose how far you want to go.

[The Spartan (Returns)]

Thank you sooooooooo much! that guide was extremly helpful, do you know of any other guides for modding?

thanks! i hope more people read this and find out modding (in some areas) are quite easy. i may add more things to this quide.