Can you mod the appearance of Generals?

[The Errant]

Some of the ingame generals are great looking. But some have only placeholders. Sometimes the placeholders don't look even remotely like a general of a certain faction should.
Is it possible to switch the placeholder for a general to any unit that has it's model ingame?
For example if I want to switch the Lusotannan general with the model for the Casse champion, can that be done.
If it's possible how do you do it in practice. What files and which parts need to be edited?

[Watchman]

descr_model_battle.txt. In this case you'd mainly just want to copy-paste the appropriate lines (texture and model_flexi) from the "officer_celtic_officer" entry (the Celtic unit officer one, if that's what you were talking about) into the "celt_general" entry (which the Lusotannan general is set to use in descr_character.txt), and comment out the originals with ";"s.

So basically what you have to begin with is

;PLACEHOLDER - LUSTIANIA
type celt_general
skeleton fs_dagger
skeleton_horse fs_hc_swordsman
skeleton_elephant fs_forest_elephant_rider
skeleton_chariot fs_chariot_sword
skeleton_camel fs_hc_swordsman
indiv_range 40
texture spain, data/models_unit/textures/officer_barb_general_briton.tga
texture slave, data/models_unit/textures/officer_barb_general_briton.tga
model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_high.CAS, 8
model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_med.CAS, 15
model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_low.CAS, 30
model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_lowest.CAS, max
model_sprite 60.0, eb/data/sprites/officers/ebsprite_officer_all.spr
model_tri 400, 0.5f, 0.5f, 0.5

and

type officer_celtic_officer
skeleton fs_swordsman_barb_big
skeleton_horse fs_hc_swordsman_big
skeleton_elephant fs_forest_elephant_rider_big
skeleton_chariot fs_chariot_sword_big
skeleton_camel fs_hc_swordsman_big
indiv_range 40
texture britons, eb/data/models_unit/textures/officers/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_britons.tga
texture slave, eb/data/models_unit/textures/officers/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_slave.tga
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, 15
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, 30
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, 40
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, max
model_sprite 60.0, eb/data/sprites/officers/ebsprite_officer_all.spr
model_tri 400, 0.5f, 0.5f, 0.5

(which actually has way more faction-specific texture entries but...). Copy-paste the aforementioned lines from the latter to the former so you end up with

type celt_general
skeleton fs_dagger
skeleton_horse fs_hc_swordsman
skeleton_elephant fs_forest_elephant_rider
skeleton_chariot fs_chariot_sword
skeleton_camel fs_hc_swordsman
indiv_range 40
texture spain, data/models_unit/textures/officer_barb_general_briton.tga
texture slave, data/models_unit/textures/officer_barb_general_briton.tga
texture britons, eb/data/models_unit/textures/officers/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_britons.tga
texture slave, eb/data/models_unit/textures/officers/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_slave.tga
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, 15
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, 30
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, 40
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, max
model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_high.CAS, 8
model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_med.CAS, 15
model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_low.CAS, 30
model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_lowest.CAS, max
model_sprite 60.0, eb/data/sprites/officers/ebsprite_officer_all.spr
model_tri 400, 0.5f, 0.5f, 0.5

Edit out the original celt_general lines with ; and change make the appropriate faction ownership changes, so you should end up with something like

type celt_general
skeleton fs_dagger
skeleton_horse fs_hc_swordsman
skeleton_elephant fs_forest_elephant_rider
skeleton_chariot fs_chariot_sword
skeleton_camel fs_hc_swordsman
indiv_range 40
;texture spain, data/models_unit/textures/officer_barb_general_briton.tga
;texture slave, data/models_unit/textures/officer_barb_general_briton.tga
texture spain, eb/data/models_unit/textures/officers/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_britons.tga
texture slave, eb/data/models_unit/textures/officers/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_slave.tga
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, 15
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, 30
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, 40
model_flexi eb/data/models_unit/ebofficer_officer_celtic_officer_psycho_high.cas, max
;model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_high.CAS, 8
;model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_med.CAS, 15
;model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_low.CAS, 30
;model_flexi data/models_unit/officer_barb_general_lowest.CAS, max
model_sprite 60.0, eb/data/sprites/officers/ebsprite_officer_all.spr
model_tri 400, 0.5f, 0.5f, 0.5

and, unless I've suddenly completely forgotten how editing this thing works, your Lusotannan generals should now look like British unit officers in battle. Although IIRC they don't have a distinct "lesser_general" entry around, so captains will look the same since they use the same model (which goes for a fair few factions still stuck with placeholder officers, incidentally).
You can of course also delete the original celt_general lines as well, but I prefer to keep the originals around just in case.

Oh, right. The Celtic officer model uses the "_big" skeletons, so copy-paste those to the appropriate place as well and comment out the originals with ;. Else they're going to end up looking a bit odd.

[The Errant]

Thanks for the reply Watchman. I'll be sure to try this in my game.

Eventually the team will get around to making new models and skins for all the faction generals but the old default with the Catapracht armored general is not, in my opinion, even remotely plausible for an infantry general of any faction.

Or even a cavalry general outside Asia.

It's even worse playing the Sabyn. Whenever I see my catapracht armored general running around in the desert I get this nagging feeling he just woke up and is running around in the sand, waving a toy sword with a toy shield, and wearing a pyjama.

Somehow he looks completely ridiculous on foot but mounted the same general looks seriously badass. Weird.

[Watchman]

That just shows you have enough baseline common sense and such to realize just how silly and implausible it looks like. I've modded the Saba gens in my game to use Webbird's alternative Numidian general skin from one of his texture packs - it's not perfect, but passable enough.

Although I've been thinking of making them use one of the various Numidian Legionaires instead. A shield would really seem appropriate for a potentate on foot...

[The Errant]

Personally I would like to use the model of that new Lusotannan superunit Dosidataskeli or the Thorakitai Argyraspidai as the Sabyn general. The spear would have to be switched for a sword though.
The former looks seriously badass and as I understand it the eastern factions were more inclined to use scale armor for added protection than mail.
Also the Dosidataskeli are armoured in bronze rather than iron scale which due to the heat of the desert would appear a sound choise.
If I can't use that model I'll try to use any eastern unit model that uses scale armor and decent sized shield and a straight sword.
One of the Hayasdan units look promising in that regard. Mardig Sooseramartik. The Heavy Babylonian Spearman is also an option. That mace is AP after all.
There just something primeval in bashing somebodys head in with a mace. One of Artaserse's characters on his Wasteland AAR did it with such poetic grace I fell of my chair laughing while reading about it. BOING!

[Watchman]

I'm pretty certain the climate of Southern Arabia doesn't really encourage much too heavy armour. Nevermind in layers. And AFAIK bronze heats up in direct sunlight quite as cheerfully as iron.
Anyway, I know of one Seleucid Legionary design which has a neat big hexagonal shield, greaves, a kopis sword, a crested bronze helmet and several different texture versions for body armour - mail, silvered scales and bronze scales. Some javelins too, which I think would fit neatly in with the way the King's Elites use them even if you can't actually make the officer itself to.

I can try digging up the link.