How To: Port a RTW mod to ATW - guidelines(WIP)

[Gen.jamesWolfe]

Well, according to Aradan the empty files can be named "however you want". Also, I`ve edited the chart because there was a mix up between the historical battles and the custom battles. See the first post.

I did-no dice

is it perhaps because its a minimodding of N2TW?

[CPT Worsham]

I believe that the bi.exe has more to offer than the alexander.exe does, but I would like to implement a lot of the alexander features, such as unique generals & do not attack certain ai factions, into my BI.exe mod. Is the only limitation in this regard the extra units available to DMB.txt via alexander.exe?

[Squid]

From various peoples testing the AI using the alexander exe is the best of three exes. That being said you will not be able to convert a BI mod to using alex if you use hording, or any of the other BI specific attributes (swimming, shield_wall, schithom) as alexander does not support them. In exchange for losing those, you get a significant number of benefits listed in the OP none of which will work if you aren't using the alex exe.

[CPT Worsham]

Squid, Good observation. Thanks for talking sense into me.

[florin80]

I`m gonna try to make a detailed list of files that would need to be edited or renamed because of paths or name differences between rtw and atw. People are welcomed to contribute to this.

This list is put here for discussion. It is not to be considered final until it makes it to the first post.

I`ll start with the files regarding the main campaign. As I`ve said before, the campaign folder of ATW is called Alexander while in RTW it was imperial_campaign. Now, imo the following changes would need to be done:

1. the campaign folder needs to be renamed from imperial_campaign to Alexander and its path changed if the rtw mod you`re porting is not mod-foldered:
from this(vanilla path)
Rome - Total War\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign
to this
Rome - Total War\alexander\data\world\maps\campaign\Alexander

2. imperial_campaign_regions_and_settlement_names (in vanilla rtw it is located in Rome - Total War\data\text) of a regular rtw mod would needs to be renamed to alexander_regions_and_settlement_names. Its content can stay the same.

3. descr_strat (in vanilla rtw it is located in Rome - Total War\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign) the tag at the beginning:

campaign		imperial_campaign

needs to be changed to:

campaign		Alexander

4. in descr_strat in atw there is also a command at the beginning that was not there in rtw or bi:

options +defeat_movie_bi_style

If anyone has any experience with this please tell me what it does. I mean it might seem obvious, but you never know.

5. campaign_descriptions (in vanilla rtw it is located in Rome - Total War\data\text) - the internal names of the descriptions need to be changed to reflect the atw campaign name. For example:
from

{IMPERIAL_CAMPAIGN_MACEDON_TITLE}Macedonians
{IMPERIAL_CAMPAIGN_MACEDON_DESCR}After the death of Alexander the Great (...)

to

{ALEXANDER_MACEDON_TITLE}Macedonians
{ALEXANDER_MACEDON_DESCR}After the death of Alexander the Great (...)

Again, if you have anything to add or contradict please do so.

[florin80]

I believe that the bi.exe has more to offer than the alexander.exe does

Well, for a rtw mod it makes more sense imo to port it to atw than bi. There are only a few bi features that you can`t have in atw and atw also adds others that I think are a significant improvement or freedom of modding. Plus, the bi only features are not very relevant for the rtw timeframe historical mods. Unless you really need hording there`s not much point in bi imo. But, again imo, a historical mod for the vanilla rtw timeframe appears to be better of based on atw than rtw. I mean you have all the rtw features afaik plus a few more and the port doesn`t appear to be complicated. It makes sense imo much like porting rtw v1.2 based mods to the rtw v1.5 platform. This all, of course, is besides the fact that fewer people own atw.

[CAPTAIN LOKI]

hi florin i was making a conversion of my own RTW to ALX, in order for the custom battles to work you need the battlefield folder beside the Alexander folder and files inside it copied to battlefield folder, both inside the campaign folder of Alx

[florin80]

Could you rephrase that please?

[CAPTAIN LOKI]

Could you rephrase that please?

hehe ok, i converted a mymod for RTW to ATW and in order for the custom battles to work with Alexander.exe you need to copy the contents of the renamed folder of imperial_campaign to "alexander" and paste it to a new folder beside alexander folder and name it "Battlefield" i think thats about it hehe

[florin80]

Ah, thanks! The guide, based on Aradan`s advice, already mentioned pasting the descr_strat in there. Are you sure that`s not enough though? Have you tried copying just the descr_strat in there and it didn`t work until you`ve copied the descr_mercenaries, descr_win_conditions, descr_events etc. too?

And since you`ve already done this, have you tried the marian reforms in atw yet?

[CAPTAIN LOKI]

Ah, thanks! The guide, based on Aradan`s advice, already mentioned pasting the descr_strat in there. Are you sure that`s not enough though? Have you tried copying just the descr_strat in there and it didn`t work until you`ve copied the descr_mercenaries, descr_win_conditions, descr_events etc. too?

And since you`ve already done this, have you tried the marian reforms in atw yet?

hmm calls for some experiment then, ill test this first

[AqD]

I confirmed the max DMB limit is 512! Just add fake DMB slots and you'll see

[florin80]

Thank you! First post updated. 512 is alot of space. Have you tried to see if the EDU limit is the same? I haven`t seen anyone confirming this so far.

[AqD]

trying....


500!

[florin80]

Gee, you`re fast! If you get more for the EDU I guess we should try adding the 22 faction next.

[CPT Worsham]

It's too bad that more people don't own Alex.exe. This is the way to go when making a mod. Great discovery Aqd!

[florin80]

trying....


500!

That`s too bad. I wonder why they`ve raised the DMB limit and left the others the same. Thank you for your help!
I`ll have to install atw when I`ll have more time and check the hidden resources too. But I sorta doubt I`ll be pleasantly surprised.

[Kylan271]

I own ATW so this is very amazing to me,geeez I did not know about the DMB slot increase,but still only 32 recruitable per faction,can anyone confirm???? I don't have game installed as no space...lol. And porting MM maps to Alex...???? Only grief I see is not many people don't have Alex over BI,so you will lose a sizable fan base for your Mod if solely Alex. But barring RTW2 I think Alex is the way to go going by the revelation to me here. And doing a unit add on for TE Mod..lol the DMB new limits are darn inviting...

Good work gang!!!!!

[AqD]

32 is for the limit for one city I think.

[florin80]

32 is for the limit for one city I think.

In RTW and BI yes. Presumably in ATW too, but I haven`t heard of anyone testing it on atw. Anyway, to resume, that limit means those units are available in the same settlement and presumably at one time(post or prior reform). If you make hidden resources for some units(aor units) then having 32 units recruitable by the same faction in the same settlement at the same time is not very likely. And in any case would be too much for the gameplay imo. What purpose could 32+ units have in the same region?