Guide: customize general's portraits and general's bodyguards // RELEASED PORTRAITS: 101 ELVEN - 51 DWARVEN - 101 NORTHMEN - 101 GONDOR - 76 WICKED MEN

[Jake Armitage]

all credits and thanks goes to TATW team, Louis Lux for editing vanilla portraits, finix and AdolphbinStalin for implementations


- NOTES -

Since one of MOS guys asked me to implement the edited portraits i have to say something:

1 - as already said anyone have permission to use the underlined portraits (others are Louis Lux's)

2 - the whole mean of my work is PERSONAL CUSTOMIZATION. if you follow the tutorial instructions you are able to assign the picture you want to any of your generals, this is easy. If you do not do this and have the REALESED FACTION PORTRAITS in your tatw campaign, the risk is to have other faction specific generals in your own family (portraits follows culture: you may have a "mongolian" style general in your haradrim army, or a dalesman in Bree)

4 - some "old" portraits are not much detailed

5 - the background of "dead" portraits is still coloured, not b/w like before, only the face itself is desaturated. this for personal lack of work will

6 - do not smoke pipeweed while playing, it lower troops morale




- RELEASED FACTION PORTRAITS -

I'm editing new portraits for every faction - for now ELVES, DWARVES, NORTHMEN, GONDOR, WICKED MEN
The aim is to delete some vanilla ones and add new ones, till reaching multiple of 50.
This will make easier to customize them and (hope) do a nice addition

most of them were edited from finix http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=500208
and AdolphbinStalin http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=424641
the added ones have the numbers underlined, others are Louis Lux - vanilla

COMPATIBLE WITH EVERYTHING (if you merge them during a game in play almost all general's portraits will change)

if you want to use the GUIDE: CUSTOMIZE GENERAL'S PORTRAIT:

make a backup of vanilla data/ui/greek/portraits (for elves)
make a backup of vanilla data/ui/southern_european/portraits (for dwarves)
make a backup of vanilla data/ui/northern_european/portraits (for northmen)
make a backup of vanilla data/ui/gondor/portraits (for gondor)
make a backup of vanilla data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits (for wicked men)

download the attached file, MAKE A COPY of my folders from where you'll take your chosen portrait, merge with your game's folder


Everyone feel free to use the underlined portraits
note: i asked finix months ago to use his uploaded jpg but he never answered me. I used them, rep him. Anyway most of these images could be easily finded on the web.


- 101 ELVEN PORTRAITS -

DOWNLOAD

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?bveci882h9ikv3c

fair haired

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

dark haired

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

gold helms

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

silver helms

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Cirdan

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- 51 DWARVEN PORTRAITS -

DOWNLOAD

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?rlv8v7tl9btan99

brown bearded

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

grey/white bearded - hooded

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Gimli - Thorin

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- 101 NORTHMEN PORTRAITS -

DOWNLOAD

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?fcqfhjz8mx7fa9v

fair haired

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

dark haired

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

helmed/mailed

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

rohirrim

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

dalesmen/dunedain

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- 101 GONDOR PORTRAITS -

DOWNLOAD

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?hdniw871x99cuw8

dark haired

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

fair haired/breastplated

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

silver helms

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

blue helms/hooded

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- 76 WICKED MEN PORTRAITS -

DOWNLOAD

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?d4qh0u5xew8g7or

easterling

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

haradrim

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

turbants

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- GUIDE: CUSTOMIZE GENERAL'S PORTRAIT -

Why do this?
If you're tired of having some horrible general's portrait as Aragorn's son or other generals, you can easily change it.
I think this is well known by forum modders and experts, so i'll quick explain how to do for newcomers and add for download some files with the list of generals' portraits for all faction, and the corresponding numbers of the tga.


---TUTORIAL---

So, let's do an example with high elves:
Sometimes happens, during a campaign, that a horny Elrond decides to do another son; the child grows up and when he reaches maturity you obtain a new general, and possibly also heir.
Pity, his portrait is this one, and we are not satisfied at all:




As we open the “elves” file attached, we notice that the corresponding numbers of this general are the tga: 056-106-156. This means that cpu casually assigned him one of these numbers, which will be constant. All we have to do is go to:
data/ui/greek/portraits/portraits/young/generals, where we find 201 numbered tga files (from 000 to 200).
Imagine that we want Elrond's third son more silvan style, like he inherited some Celeborn's blood, and we find a good portrait for him as 014:




So we copy on our desktop the 014 tga, make three copies and rename each with: 056, 106 and 156. Overwrite the files in the previous folder and we'll have his portrait changed (note: this can be done also when game is in play, just exit with alt+tab and do the manual change)

It could happens that the next general still has the silver haired picture. This mean that the cpu assigned to this new general a number between 014-056-106-156. You'll have to do some trials till you reach what you wants.

Remember that when you change a portrait you change the portrait, if previously assigned, also to other faction's general (i.e. if you have High Elves, the change will apply to Silvan elves too).

Remeber that you can choose also a picture from another culture; so, usually, i give to aragorn's son the number 085 of the gondor list, who resembles to me a young half elf. This gives you also the possibility to have arnorian generals with you're chosen gondor portrait, instead of having a rohirrim one; the same for isengard. Note that the culture background of the image will be different, but who cares.

Remember that you'll have to do the same with data/ui/greek/portraits/portraits/old/generals or when they'll be 50 years old cpu will assign the old picture (also data/ui/greek/portraits/portraits/dead/generals but this is optional)

OBVIOUS: MAKE A BACK UP OF THE VANILLA FOLDER AND KEEP A RECORD OF THE CHANGES YOU DO, OR YOU'LL BECOME MAD.
(just make a notepad file and write 056-106-156 = 014).


---END TUTORIAL---


- GUIDE: CUSTOMIZE GENERAL'S BODYGUARD -

Find the guide at the end of the post. Let you assign a different bodyguard unit to your next general.
This should be well known, but unexperienced will find useful.

- WHY DO THIS? -

What these changes gives you?
This is the first step to begin with customizing generals and play a little more rpg style, as you can build up a story and better relationships within generals.

The combination of the two, i mean customization of portraits and bodyguards, gives you an interesting depth to your campaign, and is easy and quick. So, for example, after you conquer ost in edhil, you may assign a noble noldor picture to your next general and even the eregion smiths as bodyguards (as far as i know, there's no way for changing the name), and put him in charge in the reforged capital.

In the end i hope you'll find the attached lists useful, as i never found them in the forums.
In every campaign i strongly customize my generals, both in portraits and bodyguard, and find the game really more funny.

- MORE PORTRAITS: LINKS -

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=501351 eomer, lurtz, gothmog, gandalf the white - dibo94
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=500208 all factions - finix
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=511582 eriador - bunnypoopcereal
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/album.php?albumid=1592 vanilla album - louislux
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=494315 cirdan - araval
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=414963 arnor portraits - araval post #13
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=424641 Portrait Mod for SS6.4 v2.0 - AdolphbinStalin
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=519840 Northern portraits - IHV
this thread post #9 Rhun portraits - Greatness7

- ATTACHMENT'S DESCRIPTION -

VANILLA TATW PORTRAIT LIST:
- listed correspondence between picture and portrait tga number
- notepad file with folders path

p.s. The files are both in pdf and doc, cause for some strange reasons my open office have difficulties to keep the character's dimension, making a mess of it. (have a look to evil men.doc)

customize upcoming general's BG
- step to step guide: assign a different bodyguard unit to your next general



all credits and thanks goes to TATW team, Louis Lux for editing vanilla portraits, finix and AdolphbinStalin for implementations

Have fun (and sometimes a real life...)

[Amaranth]

Hmm. When I try to change the portraits like this, strangely the game assigned a portrait from Dwarves faction to my Elven General. Now what ?

[Jake Armitage]

you should have deleted a tga in the tatw folder for elven portraits, no more 200 tga but one less, check it. when this happens, the cpu directly assigns the corresponding number from dwarven portrait folder. happend to me once. think the only solution is to manually change the assigned dwarven portrait.
If you did not delete a tga in the elven portrait folder, really don't know. I changed portraits many times but never had problems.

[IHV]

Im glad there is someone else who plays this game more rpg oriented. We think a like.
So this changes only the portraits of current game (campaign) and no effects on bigger plan, for example when i start a new campaign everything will be as vanilla?

[Lord Tuvok]

Great i gonna test it out i hate the rohan appearences so mcuh^^

BUT you didnt wrote where to find the general you want to change... -_-* or are you referring that all you have to do is to rewrite the pcitures with the picture you want?

[Lord Tuvok]

ok did it manually 029-079-129-179 you may want to add it in your tabella^^

I see where this is going the characters are the same everyy 50 paces, you might want to add it in your tutorial^^

[BunnyPoopCereal]

It all depends on the culture. Thus, Data/ui folder

The harderst thing about portraits is making the alpha channel which requires you to meticulously crop out the face from whatever background.

[Jake Armitage]

@ IHV: Im glad there is someone else who plays this game more rpg oriented. We think a like.
So this changes only the portraits of current game (campaign) and no effects on bigger plan, for example when i start a new campaign everything will be as vanilla?

no effects in vanilla (in fact there is no file changing). the only marginal effect is this one:
edit: remember that when you change a portrait, you change the portrait, if previously assigned, also to other faction's general (i.e. if you have High Elves, the change will apply to Silvan elves too).
---

@lord tuvok: Great i gonna test it out. i hate the rohan appearences so mcuh^^
BUT you didnt wrote where to find the general you want to change... -_-* or are you referring that all you have to do is to rewrite the pcitures with the picture you want?

inside the zip folder there is a txt file where you find the paths. I uploaded another txt file where this is better described. All you have to do is overwrite the portraits you dont want with the ones you want. this have to be done in your vanilla folders (make backup for next campaigns)
---

@lord tuvok: ok did it manually 029-079-129-179 you may want to add it in your tabella^^
I see where this is going. the characters are the same everyy 50 paces, you might want to add it in your tutorial^^

you're at the point. this is described in the northmen portrait file (check very first line text)

[Greatness7]

Thanks for the guide. I'm not very good at photoshop, but here are some Rhun "Loke" portraits I added for personal use, perhaps others may enjoy them.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Jake Armitage]

nice portraits.

here are some links for other portraits from tatw community

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=501351 eomer, lurtz, gothmog, gandalf the white - dibo94
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=500208 all factions - finix
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=511582 eriador - bunnypoopcereal
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/album.php?albumid=1592 louislux album
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=494315 cirdan - araval
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=414963 arnor portraits - araval post #13

[Imrazôrs Erbe]

Could you give a link to a tutorial how to assign the bodyguard to a certain characterized general?

[Jake Armitage]

just download the first post guide (this is the same, just non important corrections)

[Jake Armitage]

edited first post

[Jake Armitage]

edited first post

[Jake Armitage]

101 elven portraits uploaded

[Vifarc]

- 101 ELVEN PORTRAITS -
I've edited some new elven portraits.

These edited are far better than you first ones!

[Jake Armitage]

These edited are far better than you first ones!

think you're referring to backgrounds.
anyway "my" portraits are less smooth than LL's ones, which are better refined and "photoshopped".
just a metter of time involved, anyway think mine should go along well.

LL (thanks to him) send me all other backgrounds.
think i'm gonna do implementations for other cultures too.

[Jake Armitage]

101 elven portraits list re-uploaded with correct backgrounds

51 dwarven portraits uploaded

[Jake Armitage]

101 northmen portraits uploaded

[Araval]

Many of them are quite good actually