[Aid] Flag Textures

[Cainrae]

I searched through the data files and by chance fell across a "White Flag" which is used for when unit are retreating. The smart feature about this is that it's very easy to rexture and use for new flags.



I'v used it myself for a mod i'm working on, here are some examples.





Here is a tutorial on how to mod in revolutionary flags to factions that normaly don't have any.

First of all you need an ESF editor, then open the startpos.esf
(Which is in data/campaigns/main if someone should know)

I'm going to use Persia as an example.

To start open "CAMPAIGN_STARTPOS", then open "CAMPAIGN_ENV"

Under "CAMPAIGN_ENV" open the one named "CAMPAIGN_MODEL"

Under "CAMPAIGN_MODEL" open the one called "WORLD"

Under the tab "WORLD" is another tab named Faction Array from here you should see several tabs named "FACTION_ARRAY"

Go down and find the faction that you wish to add the extra flags for, in our case it's Persia which is number 16. Once you reach it expand it.

The 4th and 3rd last tabs under the persian faction array are named FACTION_FLAG_AND_COLORS, They shoud look something like this

data\ui\flags\safavids UTF16 00491D4E
247 Byte 00491D7D

and so on...

In persias case both of the two's first value are named "data\ui\flags\safavids" the first one acts as the flag used for the starting goverment, absolute monarchy and the second one is the revolutionary flag. If you want to add a new flag for the revolutionary all you have to do is change the 2nd of the two to fx.

data\ui\flags\safavids_revolution

Then place your newly made flags in a folder in the directory indicated and once a revolution starts it should use the flags that you have designated.


Image Guide

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hope it can be put to some good use

Regards Cain

[mandead]

Looks awesome.

Can you correct some of the original flags & upload as a mod?

[Cainrae]

I'll leave that to the rest of the community

[Yoda Twin]

Nice

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Nice.

Cainrae, do you know a way to disable to unit flags in battles?

[Zamarn]

Nice.

do you know a way to disable to unit flags in battles?

Have floating flags on "Always" before you start a battle.
During the battle have it on "Never", that made them disappear for me

[Cainrae]

If the Unit flags is the big ones, then it is as Zamarn said

If you want to remove the handheld ones, then you have to remove the faction's flag or remove the flagbearer through coding.

[Sun Devil]

Could you please post real quick instructions on how to change a factions flag please, I would love to change the Italian States Republic flag to the modern one (the one you have up there).

[Cainrae]

If you want to change the flag you do the following:

First of all you need to extract the original files of the Italian States from the "UI.pack"

There should be 19 files. 10 of these are animation flags, that's the flags used when you end a turn and the flags at the top of the screen appear to fly in the wind.

You then have to replace the 19 files with the modded ones and them put them into the games folder; Empire Total War/Data/UI/Flags.

Once you have done this you need to open the "Model.pack" file in the Data folder and extract the following folder from the .pack file

;models/rigidmodels\flags\textures once you have the files extracted you need to open the flags0, flags1, flags2, flags3 and find the original flag where you then put the new flag over the old old one.

Once this is done you need to put the new edited file into Empire total war/data/models/flags/textures, this is where the tricky part comes. You then have to use a packing tool to put the files into a .pack file by finding the location you put the edited files, it's very inportant that the files are in the Empire total war/data folder because it has to use the name of the folders in the pack file.

If you followed the steps above you should be good to go and the flag should appear in the game, both in the UI and in the hands of units on the Strategic Map and on the battlefield.


Note that the files you extract from the .pack files are dds files and cannot be opened by some editing programs, therefor you need to convert the file to TGA. It very inportant that the file you convert to is TGA and not JPEG ect, because then you will get some weird black background on the flags.

Tools i use:
DDS Converter 2
PackFile Manager

[Iaius Statius Laurentius]

Sadly the little flags next to the faction button are harder to edit. Nice find with that white flag, though!

[Cainrae]

Yep, pain in the arse.. wish CA could release some blank editable flags for us to play with ;D

[Relic]

Awesome Work Cainrae.
+Rep.

[daud.fr]

A quick question to clarify things...
Which of those files needed to be changed, to make sure that the flying banners on the campaign map (above cities and armies), are different?
I tried changing just some of those, within the ui folder, like large.tga, flag_132.tga, mini_flag.tga, but that only change the banners the flag_bearers hold in battle.
Thanks for any help!.

[Iaius Statius Laurentius]

models.pack\rigidmodels\flags\textures\flagsX.dds

[daud.fr]

models.pack\rigidmodels\flags\textures\flagsX.dds

Thanks...
One last thing...
What are the appropriate save properties that should be chosen for the file?
I am using the nokia plugin... Or should be some other software used?

By the way, guys, i guess then, there is no way to get an alternative/republican flag for a minor faction? ((

[Cainrae]

there acually is, if you go into the startpos file and change a file that asks "Revolutionary Flag" and change it from ect. Papal_states to papal_states_revo and then make a folder yourself with the new flags named "papal_states_revo" then it should work

[Aykis16]

This helps a lot. Thanks. +rep.

Can you test to see if you make your own Minor Nations Revolution flag?

[daud.fr]

there acually is, if you go into the startpos file and change a file that asks "Revolutionary Flag" and change it from ect. Papal_states to papal_states_revo and then make a folder yourself with the new flags named "papal_states_revo" then it should work

Thanks for the reply!
I tried looking through entire file using the esf editor, and other text editors, but there is no such entry...
Maybe you meant the factions file in db, patch.pak?
There is a specific entry for flags, like you have said.
But the problem is, that creating a folder and etc, only impacts the battle flags, the ones that flag bearers carry, but not the campaign banners...
I mean i can change the flag0.dds, but where to put a rev. flag for a minor faction?

sorry for so many question, a total noob here.
Appreciate your help!

[Cainrae]

i'll give you a detailed version, my previous explaination was a bit thin

First of all you need an ESF editor, then open the startpos.esf
(Which is in data/campaigns/main if someone should know)

I'm going to use Persia as an example.

To start open "CAMPAIGN_STARTPOS", then open "CAMPAIGN_ENV"

Under "CAMPAIGN_ENV" open the one named "CAMPAIGN_MODEL"

Under "CAMPAIGN_MODEL" open the one called "WORLD"

Under the tab "WORLD" is another tab named Faction Array from here you should see several tabs named "FACTION_ARRAY"

Go down and find the faction that you wish to add the extra flags for, in our case it's Persia which is number 16. Once you reach it expand it.

The 4th and 3rd last tabs under the persian faction array are named FACTION_FLAG_AND_COLORS, They shoud look something like this

data\ui\flags\safavids UTF16 00491D4E
247 Byte 00491D7D

and so on...

In persias case both of the two's first value are named "data\ui\flags\safavids" the first one acts as the flag used for the starting goverment, absolute monarchy and the second one is the revolutionary flag. If you want to add a new flag for the revolutionary all you have to do is change the 2nd of the two to fx.

data\ui\flags\safavids_revolution

Then place your newly made flags in a folder in the directory indicated and once a revolution starts it should use the flags that you have designated.


Image Guide

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hope this guide helps a bit

Cain

[daud.fr]

+rep, i wish i could do that like 1 million more times!!!
Cain, you rock man!! This thread should be stickied!!
Thanks for taking the time and doing the detailed guide!!
It helped not just a bit, but a lot!!

I already did make the flags, apart from animation ones! Can't seem to figure that out.
Ok, now i am off to modding and figuring the remaining bits!))

Once again, thanks man!

-->This thread should be stickied or at least added to the tutorial list!