Ghosts instead of added units.

[tsubame]

Hi all.

Sorry for the (likely) dumb question but I can't find a reply in the MTW2
already posted threads (apparently...).

I've modded the Venice faction to have Reiters, modifing the EDU, EDB,
and adding the files to have correct description and icon.
I've replaced the heavy horse with armoured horse.

Now happen that in the battles horses shows correctly (because they probably belongs to a venice unit too...) but the horseriders (Reiters) doesn't. They appears as ghosts. I can see the handgun, helmet, armor, face etc.etc. but they have no colors at all.
The same for the Forlorn Hope, to which I've changed nothing.
Which other file I've to amend to give a face to my ghosts ?

Thanks for replies if any.

[billiam_maillib]

You got farther than me, i can even get my unit to show up when creating a custom battle >.<

[alpaca]

Moved to modding questions.

Read this: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=75706

[tsubame]

Thanks for the reply Alpaca. I've already read that but still no way..
Maybe I make a mistake in creating the .bat file to enable unpacked files...

[Aegis]

Sounds like you're missing textures for your model. If it works like in RTW, you could simply assign a texture from another faction for use by the faction you want to add the unit to. However, since CA decided to make things a lot more complicated by changing the format of the file that contains this ("battle_models.modeldb", unless I'm mistaken), it's not quite as simple in practice. You'll have to ask someone else about how to get that working, or experiment on your own.

[tsubame]

I've read the way to mod the unit_modelsdb file. With the Reiters should be very easy, just to change hre into venice and 3 into 6. But still ghosts
instead of units. This is what make me to think is something about my way to creat the .bat file...

[Musashi]

You're probably right. Can you show me exactly what is in your batch file?

[tsubame]

I'm re-installing the whole game (almost finished). Now I'm copy ui into the main folder. Back in a few minutes. Thanks for reply Musashi.

[tsubame]

Hi Musashi.

I bet that is my inability to create proper .bat files with the needed lines
--io.file_first. Can anybody out there to post the lines needed in the .bat file
for enabling unpacked files and how to name it ?

Would be great to have a refresh about lines to put into the .bat for execute
the mod and how to name it.

I'm convinced there is something that I mess up during this passage.

[Aegis]

--io.file_first as a command-line parameter should work. Or, if you'd prefer, you can add the following to your preferences .cfg file:
[io]
file_first = 1

However, it doesn't matter. If you can get the unit into the game by editing the files, I'm quite sure that means you got it right. Any files found unpacked will be used instead, so there's something wrong with your editing.
That is, of course, unless you're using a separate mod folder (I am), in which case the problem might be related to inherent limitations. I haven't really read up on that though, I only know there are some problems with it.

[tsubame]

Hi Aegis.

Indeed, I'm using a separate mod folder with medmanager.

I'll try to add the lines to my .cfg file...

[Aegis]

Okay, try modifying the files in the default data folders (make backups of the files you edit) and running the game without activating a mod. I seem to recall there being something about textures not working for separate mod folders, but I don't know if that's your problem. Worth a shot if you're sure you edited the soldier correctly.

[Musashi]

Textures work when you're using a mod folder... BUT... Your modeldb file and all your texture files have to be in the base data folder...

[Dave1984]

Textures work when you're using a mod folder... BUT... Your modeldb file and all your texture files have to be in the base data folder...

As an aside, have you found anyway to allow mymod style folders to run new texture files without affecting the vanilla installation, Musashi? It seems fairly pointless otherwise to be able to have several "mymod" folders if each cannot run their own textures and TGAs...

[Aegis]

Is there a limit for the number of soldiers you can define? If not, or if it's rather large, any mod you install could just add all soldiers to the database, then merely define which ones they use for their units in the .txts in the mod folder(s).

[Musashi]

Aegis: Yeah, but that would require every mod team cooperating to make sure that the modeldb file had EVERY unit, and nobody was using the same name twice...

Either that or trusting the user to install the lines into their DB file manually... and hell... us modders can barely handle that... are you going to trust a user to do it?

[Sir Robin the Brave]

You mean ghost's like this?:



I don't know where its gone wrong, I edited some sword and bucklar men to look like some highland clansmen. The game loads up fine, so theres no unit_model.modeldb error, the textures are all there, but somethings amiss, even sprites dont show!

[Aegis]

Aegis: Yeah, but that would require every mod team cooperating to make sure that the modeldb file had EVERY unit, and nobody was using the same name twice...

Either that or trusting the user to install the lines into their DB file manually... and hell... us modders can barely handle that... are you going to trust a user to do it?

On the first, that shouldn't be hard. Use of prefixes/IDs eliminate the duplicate name issue, and keeping an up-to-date version available for download for modders should work pretty well.

Nonetheless, my prefered solution would still be having the installer automatically modify the file, or at least offering good instructions for how to modify the file with copy/paste of whatever lines are needed (though just including a new database file and tell people to manually switch between them if they want another mod is perfectly fine with me). I have little patience for people who can't read and follow instructions, so I'm not overly concerned about any problems with the latter method.

I don't know where its gone wrong, I edited some sword and bucklar men to look like some highland clansmen. The game loads up fine, so theres no unit_model.modeldb error, the textures are all there, but somethings amiss, even sprites dont show!

Missing textures in the database won't generate errors to my knowledge, it'll simply not apply textures to your models. I'm not sure, but I would guess the reason you're seeing the models at all is because of gloss maps being applied regardless of factions.

Why no texture is being applied in your case depends on how and what you "edited". If you create a new unit, and use a standard soldier, only textures for the default ownership are defined. An armoured swordsman, for example, belongs to only England and slaves. Making a French armoured swordsman would produce a unit like what you're seeing, because no French texture exist (and thus isn't applied) for a French version of that soldier (assuming that the French doesn't use the armoured swordsman soldier for some other unit). I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the same goes for sprites, so you'll see none of those either.

[Sir Robin the Brave]

Well here's the code I've put in all the correct directorys for the textures:

8 clansmen 1 4 65 unit_models/_Units/RN_Light_Lmail/sword_and_buckler_men_lod0.mesh 121 65 unit_models/_Units/RN_Light_Lmail/sword_and_buckler_men_lod1.mesh 900 65 unit_models/_Units/RN_Light_Lmail/sword_and_buckler_men_lod2.mesh 2500 65 unit_models/_Units/RN_Light_Lmail/sword_and_buckler_men_lod3.mesh 6400 1 8 scotland 70 unit_models/_Units/RN_Light_Lmail/textures/RN_Light_Lmail_scot.texture 72 unit_models/_Units/RN_Light_Lmail/textures/RN_Light_Lmail_normal.texture 52 unit_sprites/sicily_Sword_and_Buckler_Men_sprite.spr 1 8 scotland 59 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Iberian_spain_diff.texture 59 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Iberian_spain_norm.texture 0  1 4 None 14 MTW2_Swordsman 0  2 18 MTW2_Sword_Primary 14 fs_test_shield 0 16 -0.090000004 0 0 -0.34999999 0.80000001 0.60000002

[tsubame]

Fixed. It was a matter .cgf file. I strongly recommend to put all the available additions to the .cfg file well explained in the devoted thread.

Now I've added 19 different units to Venice, some with amended mounts.

I'll try to make some interely new units in the next days.

Those bizantine mounted arquebusiers are definitively cool for Venice too.