GUIDE: Specifics of Modding Alexander - TW

[Bardo]

EDITED with new information and tests

having got BI based campaign (and campaign battles) loading under Alex.exe.... any idea what stops custom battles based on same map loading under Alex? have tried most permutations I can think of for either copying BI mod campaign map files and naming Alexander / imperial_campaign which didn't work, and also tried importing original Alexander base map / campaign files... anything I try is giving KTM without error message

I have been making some tests to try to understand the correct folder structure so Custom and Historical Battles can work under Alexander TW:

The related files are placed at these folders:

1) \data\world\maps\campaign\Battlefields\
2) \data\world\maps\base\
3) and the file: \data\text\Battlefields_regions_and_settlement_names.txt

1) \data\world\maps\campaign\Battlefields\
You need to copy a descr_strat.txt (DS) file into this folder for the Custom Battles (CB) to work. It seems you can copy any DS from any campaign. I have tested with the DS from our mod, the DS of vanilla Alex and also from vanilla RTW. It seems they all work.
You do not need any other file into this folder.

2) \data\world\maps\base\
You need to copy some files into this folder.The list used by the vanilla Alex and also our lotr-tw mod is:

descr_disasters.txt
descr_regions.txt
descr_terrain.txt
map_climates.tga
map_FE.tga
map_features.tga
map_ground_types.tga
map_heights.tga
map_regions.tga
map_roughness.tga
map_trade_routes.tga
water_surface.tga

You do not need the .tgas once the map.rwm has been generated. But I suggest to keep them all.

3) \data\text\Battlefields_regions_and_settlement_names.txt
Finally, the most recent discovery is that you need this file to fit with the region names of \data\world\maps\base\descr_regions.txt

My problem was that I though Battlefields_regions_and_settlement_names.txt should fit with
\data\world\maps\campaign\Battlefields\descr_strat.txt (something more logic, but incorrect)


I have verified that:
1) Juts changing the file Battlefields_regions_and_settlement_names.txt, you can make the Historical and Custom Battles to ctd while loading.
2) Juts removing the file descr_regions.txt from \data\world\maps\base\, the Historical battles stop working too, while Custom battles run normally.
(our case in lotr-tw all these years)
3) Just removing the file \data\world\maps\campaign\Battlefields\descr_strat.txt, the Custom battles stop working, while Historical battles run normally.
(opposite than previous test)

Why do you put -noalexander in your path to your mod folder? Does this stop the Alex.exe from loading the Alexander campaign files or is this part of your mod folder name?

It is not part of the mod name, it is a line command to force Alx.exe to search the standard campaign names ("imperial_campaign_") in stead of the alexander ones ("alexander_"), so you do not need to change any folder or file name when you port your mod from BI or RTW.

You can find more here: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...&postcount=105