Moving and modding a faction in RTW 1.5, Mundus Magnus

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

Hy to everybody.
I have currently installed RTW version 1.5 . I have put in it the Mundus Magnus mod, which enables me to have at my disposal a huge map, from Scandinavia to Socotra to the south of Yemen, and in east, streatching to the Takla-Makan desert. Is practically the same map like in EB, but whith romanised settlement and province names.

Howewer, there is something i like not at this map. The fact that the Seleucids have no real adversaries in the farr east, making them become a true superpower trough the entire game. The parthians having only 2 provinces, cannot make much against them, and the Scytho-Sarmatians seem more willingly to start a war whith Armenia than heading eastwards and grabbing those rebel lands.

SO, i want to move a faction to the east, and transform it into the Bactrians.I think either Numidia, either Britton, as both perform badly on the campaign map, restricted to one, maybe 2 provinces.I am yet undecided.

I am not restricted to things such as historicall accuracy, etc, despite the fact that i am member of a historicall group.I would want my Bactrians to be able to recrout:

eastern peasants
eastern infantry
hillmen
eastern peltast
eastern slinger
eastern archers
phalanx pikeman
levy pikeman
parthian elephant
greek cavalry
horse archers
scythe chariots

As a culture, i would like them to be hellenic, such as the Seleucids, same gods, same buildings, etc.

Until now, i never modded at such a scale. The single things which i modded was to add a certain rebel city to a faction, or added more buildings to a certain city, etc. Please help me, please, please... guide me step by step

whith friendship and respect,
Rex_pelasgorum

[Makanyane]

I think this thread should actually be in modding questions, but anyway.

Break down the changes you need to make into separate testable chunks so you can check things work and track down bugs. (also as always make sure you have -show_err on your shortcut to give error messages and delete map.rwm each time you test a revision). You'll need to look up scriptorium / search forums for details instructions, reply if you can't find anything specific.

I would approach this as:
1. Move faction (assuming you're using numidia - and not internally re-naming it which is loads more work); Decide which provinces are changing ownership and use `(rome shell) show_cursorstat in game to find co-ordinates of city garrisons. Move old Numidian provinces in descr_strat to rebel or carthage section etc. Select provinces to be occupied by Bactrians and cut and paste into Numidian section. Move garrison armies that are now in the wrong factions city to new co-ordinates (or delete if they don't contain family member) and add Numidian armies to co-ordinates of 'Bactrian' cities. TEST.

2. Edit data/text/expanded.txt to:

{EMT_NUMIDIA_SPY} Bactrian Spy

etc. so that Numidians text messages appear as Bactrian in game. TEST.

3. Change units in export_descr_unit, so that Numidia is on ownership line of the units you listed. Change export_descr_buildings so those units in an appropriate buiding have

recruit "xxx" 0 requires factions { xxx, numidia, }

TEST

4. Change culture mainly by simply changing culture line in descr_sm_factions,
(in the end though you also may want to change the strat map models -descr_model_strat.txt - so they appear as the relevant culture type etc.). TEST

5.Change buildings, temples etc. that are available to Numidians in export_descr_buildings.txt to the same ones as the faction /culture you're copying. (that will also link to where your units are built so adjust if neccessary) TEST

That lot should have got everything working from the AI / balancing point of view in campaign game: To sort the graphical stuff you still need to;

6. Re-design and replace all the logo's and banners.

7. Provide new skins and sprites for the Bactrians and give them numidia reference lines in descr_model_battle.txt, or at least duplicate selucid line.

texture seleucid, data/models_unit/textures/mount_indian_elephant_seleucid.tga
texture numidia, data/models_unit/textures/mount_indian_elephant_seleucid.tga

renamed for numidia......

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

Thank you very much for your answer. Currently, i managed to do step number 1 whith succes, i moved the entire faction in Bactria, Ariana and Sogdiana, put the Numidian spy close to the seleucid town from Margiana, to be sure that a war starts over there very soon.

Howewer, when moving to point number 2, i was unable to figure out how the export_descr_unit and export_descr_buildings work... About the descr_buildings it says that they where made on a spreadsheet and should not be modified by hand, it is an immposible format and i cannot figure out the way it works, or its logic...

[Makanyane]

Don't worry about the don't modify by hand bit - just make sure you're doing it in a plain text editor like Notepad - not something likely to try and change formatting like Word.

You need to follow format of what is there quite exactly, curly brackets, tabs, spaces and commas all have specific meaning to game and will cause CTD's if not placed correctly.

In export_descr_units, you just need to change ownership lines, you don't need to worry about removing existing numdian units unless you want to play custom battles. Find the units you want Bactrians to recruit ie.

type east infantry
dictionary east_infantry ; Eastern Infantry
category infantry
class spearmen
voice_type Light_1
soldier persian_sparabara, 60, 0, 1
attributes sea_faring, hide_forest, can_sap
formation 1, 1, 2, 2, 5, square
stat_health 1, 0
stat_pri 3, 1, no, 0, 0, melee, simple, piercing, spear, 25 ,0.73
stat_pri_attr spear, spear_bonus_8
stat_sec 0, 0, no, 0, 0, no, no, no, none, 25 ,1
stat_sec_attr no
stat_pri_armour 3, 2, 5, leather
stat_sec_armour 0, 0, flesh
stat_heat 0
stat_ground 2, 1, 0, -1
stat_mental 2, low, trained
stat_charge_dist 30
stat_fire_delay 0
stat_food 60, 300
stat_cost 1, 330, 150, 40, 50, 330
ownership eastern, slave

And change last line to add Numidia
ie. ownership eastern, numidia, slave

That line can contain either culture or faction - if you were going to use eastern culture you'd just leave it as it is - but I think you said you were using greek, so unless greek is on that line you need to add numidia.

in export_descr_buildings
first search through for any recruitment lines that have numidia in curly brackets i.e.

recruit "numidian desert warriors" 0 requires factions { numidia, }

if they are the only faction in the brackets comment out the entire line by putting ; before recruit ie
;recruit "numidian desert warriors" 0 requires factions { numidia, }
if another faction is in the brackets delete numidia, so its left as requires factions { carthage, }etc.
Then find the units you want them to be able to recruit and add numidia,
ie.

recruit "east infantry" 0 requires factions { eastern, numidia,}

the line used in quotes is the type line from export_descr_units which you should have already found.

Unit recruitment does get tied up with which culture you're using so it might be better to change descr_sm_factions at this stage too.

Changing culture to greek will alter appearance of buildings automatically, but some temple types are listed by faction so you'll need to find Selucid ones and alter ie. add numdia,
temple_of_healing_shrine requires factions { britons, egyptian, seleucid, romans_brutii, numidia, }
I think previously theie temples were just listed under carthaginian culture so when you change culture they will not have them anymore.

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

Thank you very much again

After 15 CTD (caused mostly by the fact that i forgot to put commas... ), i managed to start a campaign whith them.. and it works !!

After much deliberation, i have decided to make them Eastern.

I have included the following units:

eastern infantry,
phalanx pikeman,
plahanx bronze shield
eastern horse archer,
eastern persia cavalry,
eastern cataphract
eastern hillmen,
eastern archer
eastern peltast,
eastern lite persian war elephant

I also added to them "paved roads", such as does of Carthage , Greeks and Egyptians (i`ve read in Scriptorium something like how to add a building, very usefull), because Bactria is landlocked, very farr away from any sea - and no other major faction is near the Indian Ocean (where they will reach probably in the 30-40 turns, lot of strong rebel provinces) to have the posibility to trade whith it - Parthians ally themselves, but they are very poor , and Seleucs have the tendency to attack after 10 turns or so... ... this things whith roads was for balancing.

Howewer, when i entered in to the map, i hade a couple of suprises (not big problems, but bugs...). The units are recruitable, but instead of seeing the unit pictures, i see just many, many grey peasants in the recruitment queue... I never played a battle, but i keep asking myself, even in battle they will be grey peasants or something else ?

The second problem, is related to the temples. I have added 3 temples, temple of love (Afrodita , is working), temple of leadership (Zeus, is working), and an temple of trade, but the God of trade seem to be unknown to the "Bactrians" as the temple is named simply "temple of trade", and under it there is a message which sounds something like this : "warning, you shoudlnt see this message".

And finnaly, the last bug is, that even if i changed all references to Numidians to Bactria in data/text/expanded.txt , they still keep showing up as numidians...

And the names of the family members may be good to change, if possible... also the starting units, but i think if i change the starting units there will be no major problem, isnt it ?

[Makanyane]

The units are recruitable, but instead of seeing the unit pictures, i see just many, many grey peasants in the recruitment queue...

Forgot that bit: you can make you own unit cards eventually, but at the moment you can use cards (.tga's) from the factions you've borrowed units from. You need your RTW/data/packs folder unpacked to find them in RTW/data/packs/data/UI/units/faction, then make new folders so you have the path
RTW/data/UI/units/numidia (i.e. without the extra packs/data/ route) and paste a copy of the relevant .tga's into that folder. (I think it works like that without re-packing but have mainly been doing -mods and BI so not 100% sure). You can do same with relevant .tga's from unit_info folder to get the bigger images that come up when you right click on unit.

To sort the 3d graphics in battle you need to do the alterations to descr_model_battle.txt to give the units the most appropriate texture / sprite - if you don't have a line for your faction against the unit in that it will default to another factions texture but it may not be the one you want.

"Bactrians" as the temple is named simply "temple of trade", and under it there is a message which sounds something like this : "warning, you shoudlnt see this message".

Open data/text/export_buildings.txt find temple_of_trade section, look at how temple of trade works for cultures that already build it and change text for eastern culture to similar + add {temple_of_trade_shrine_eastern} line.

And finnaly, the last bug is, that even if i changed all references to Numidians to Bactria in data/text/expanded.txt , they still keep showing up as numidians...

Ahh, oops - apparently from another thread thats going on at the moment you need to change expanded_bi.txt instead if you've got BI installed even though you're playing RTW.

Other thing I should have said is you should look at changing victory conditions to something suitable.

EDIT: if you change starting units in descr_strat to ones you can now recruit, there should be no problem. To change names of faction leaders etc, you can copy another factions names from descr_names.txt to your faction, then ammend names for your faction in descr_strat.txt, making sure you follow through changing each instance of the same name to the same name in the family tree section. If you want to invent new names for your faction in descr_names you need to also add them to descr_names_lookup.txt, and data/text/names.txt making sure you don't duplicate existing names in those files.

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

Thank you again for the support. I think if i manage to learn the basic steps, i will create a mod of my own on that map support.

To sort the 3d graphics in battle you need to do the alterations to descr_model_battle.txt to give the units the most appropriate texture / sprite - if you don't have a line for your faction against the unit in that it will default to another factions texture but it may not be the one you want.

Eastern infantry , archers, peltast, look very good. Normal horse archers, look very good again. Persian cavalry also looks good, and hoplites the same. Howewer, my Bactrian elephants seem to be.... huge, white, no shape, no collour, etc ?! Howewer, there is no CTD or so... just when they appear, they are just white... huge, white, shapless elephants...

Ahh, oops - apparently from another thread thats going on at the moment you need to change expanded_bi.txt instead if you've got BI installed even though you're playing

Now is working :)

Open data/text/export_buildings.txt find temple_of_trade section, look at how temple of trade works for cultures that already build it and change text for eastern culture to similar + add {temple_of_trade_shrine_eastern} line

I have added the bactrian trade temple to the hindu god Vishnu , the "giver and provider" of things.

Howewer, whith the PAK files, i seem to have lots and lots of troubles... and really dont understand very well that sistem... how it works, etc...

Tommorow i`ll try to change the names...

But i`m still puzzled by that whithe elephant :lol: