ca please produce a modding disk

**highlanddave** · 09-04-2006, 22:31

dear ca, please produce a disk which teaches modding your new game and includes some tools. the less intelligent and resourceful of us would like to learn how to make our game more our own.

modibility is a big selling point on your games.

**Caius** · 09-05-2006, 23:39

Good idea!and other idea:
Make a competition of mods

**Ludens** · 09-09-2006, 19:06

There are already many good modding guides available. Have a look in the Scriptorium for example. However, if you are looking for a step-by-step guide, I am afraid I have to disappoint you. There is no such thing, and I doubt there ever will be. There isn't a set way to create a mod. There is just various things you can change. If you want to know how to change them, go to the Scriptorium or Modding questions.

**AntiochusIII** · 09-09-2006, 20:05

If you're looking for something along the lines of Bethesda's program then I'm afraid that isn't possible. Modding in the Total War games have always been done from the text files itself (and external programs for the graphics thing), and MTW2 isn't likely to deviate from this.

It takes a lot of time and extra programming to make a game file suitable for an editor, you know...

**Mount Suribachi** · 09-09-2006, 20:10

Yep, but look what The Elder Scrolls Construction Set did for Morrowind.

I remember reading an interview with the guys at Bethesda, and the head guy said he was dead against including the CS, but his programmers convinced him it was a good idea. Boy were they ever right....

**Ciaran** · 09-10-2006, 13:25

Silent Storm is another example, the game already includes a modding manual and the necessary Maya 4 plugins. Not that that led to tons of mods being published (at least to the best of my knowledge), but it certainly is a nice treat.
I don´t see it happening for the TW series, though, as something like that is down to company policy.

**Marius Dynamite** · 09-10-2006, 14:42

I like it the way it is. It's a challenge to work out how to Mod everything. If it was easy or if we had a idiot-proof step by step guide, then many of us here wouldn't have much of a purpose here.

**naut** · 09-11-2006, 11:57

Originally Posted by Marius Dynamite

I like it the way it is. It's a challenge to work out how to Mod everything. If it was easy or if we had a idiot-proof step by step guide, then many of us here wouldn't have much of a purpose here.

Good point.

**Stig** · 09-11-2006, 14:22

If you look in the text files you'll even see that CA has explained them, so they already did what you want ... sort of

**caravel** · 09-11-2006, 15:20

What I would prefer to see is the support for mods as extensions, e.g. a mods menu where you can enable/disable mods. Instead of installing alot of files that overwrite your installation or having to install (copy) your TW several times onto your hard disk.

**Stig** · 09-11-2006, 15:32

Originally Posted by Caravel

What I would prefer to see is the support for mods as extensions, e.g. a mods menu where you can enable/disable mods. Instead of installing alot of files that overwrite your installation or having to install (copy) your TW several times onto your hard disk.

In my experience that doesn't really work.
See it as this EB and RTR don't work together.

Loads of mods edit the same files and this would cause a problem. It means the modders would have to take care of everything (and I doubt they like it)

**highlanddave** · 09-11-2006, 15:47

just wanted to let everyone know i have successfully done modding in medieval one and rome.

i just want better access to the files with tools such as a battlefield tool or a map tool. i have never succesfully added a new map yet. the map tool might not only help with drawing the map, but on completion, might generate the text files necessary for it to function correctly. another tool might be a faction generator that at least warns you of all the necessary files that need editing. i had an especial difficult time with rome, and expect medieval two to be the same way as files are sort of connected and all must change together in a concrete way.

i wish i could convey my wishes more concretely, but hopefully everybody knows what i am refering to.

**caravel** · 09-12-2006, 08:28

Originally Posted by Stig

In my experience that doesn't really work.
See it as this EB and RTR don't work together.

Loads of mods edit the same files and this would cause a problem. It means the modders would have to take care of everything (and I doubt they like it)

I wasn't referring to 'combining' mods. Moreso switching mods easily.

**Brother Mark** · 09-15-2006, 12:53

The game could be altered so that certain files are copied specifically per mod under the same installation. That way, when Rome is started, it would load the relevant files for that particular modification. This would be a simple change that would make the modders life much easier - because he would know what files there is a point to editting. It would make the mod-players life easier because it wouldn't require a new install every time he installs a new modification.

Think about the way Half-Life did things. They also released an SDK to let us have far more control over the actual game mechanics.