Generating descr_vegetation.db problem

[Lanjane]

Hi guys!

Working on my mod which uses RSII environment, I found that there's a bugged set of vegetation in RSII descr_climate which causes post-battle CTD when you try to return from battle map to stratmap. The name of the set is rs_sparse_forest_open (temperate_forest_open climate).
I checked the models which are used in this set, and found nothing wrong about them at first glance. Then I decided to repeat generating of descr_vegetation.db on my own, just in case, but I met a problem which I'm not able to resolve.

Following the great tutorial by Eorl posted here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...=1#post6606147 I found that my RTW refuses to generate descr_vegetation.db on launch.

I'm using vanilla unmodded RTW for the task; preferences file is set to 16 bit and AA off.
- deleted old descr_vegetation.db,
- deleted .vege files,
- deleted canopy and edging files from data/vegetation/textures
- deleted sprites from data/vegetation/sprites folder.

- Put RSII vegetation models in my data/models_vegetation,
- Put RSII vegetation textures in data/models_vegetation/textures and the same textures in data/vegetation/textures.
- Put descr_vegetation.txt from RS Environment to my vanilla data replacing old vanilla file

Then I launch the game, but nothing happens. Game launches normally, it allows me to go to menu and even try to start a battle, but then it CTDs. Checking the data I found that descr_vegetation.db was not generated.
I'm also using Windows 10.

I understand that this game is very old, but still. Maybe there's someone who may help me?

[makanyane]

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...for-battlemaps

I think is the original tutorial for this - but it sounds like Eorl has that all covered too.

Questions;
I assume you've noted the bit about this having to be done mainly in RTW/data not in the mod-folder?

can you clarify which bits you've put in RTW/data versus RTW/mod/data?

are you sure you've got all the .cas files and their textures that are mentioned in the descr_vegetation.txt?
If you're not sure it might be worth checking by making a shorter version of the vegetation.txt file that only calls one model

EDIT;
it's not quite that - but on the grounds I remember having some problems on the line of the bolded bit , you could try a quick experiment with base descr_vegetation.rar which I found in the RTW/data folder where I last experimented with RS trees (in 2011!)

[Lanjane]

Hello makanyane, it's nice to see you here after all these years since I first met you in EOD II Lycan Rising forum.
Thank you for really useful links and materials from your post.

This vegetation issue really cuts the ground from under my feet for already about a week or so, I spent many hours localising the source of CTD problems.
Well, as I'm following what Eorl's tutorial said, i use RTW vanilla folder for my experiments with vegetation. So in my vanilla folder before I launch the game, I have the following folders and files ready:

- data/descr_vegetation.txt - unchanged file from RS Environment pack
- data/vegetation/textures - vegetation textures from RS Environment pack (without canopy and edging textures, I deleted them hoping they'll be re-rendered automatically)
- data/vegetation/sprites - empty folder
- data/models_vegetation - filled with .cas files for RSII vegetation
- data/models_vegetation/textures - filled with the same textures which lie inside data/vegetation/textures

No .vege files and no descr_vegetation.db
So I launch the game, in hope that it will regenerate descr_vegetation.db, canopy and edging files and sprites - but nothing special happens for me.
The game loads as quickly as before, no slow loading described in Eorl's and Duke John's tutorials. When I try to start a battle, it CTDs. Checking the content I notice that nothing was rendered.

Preferences.txt settings are the same as I use for rendering unit sprites: 16bit color and AA off.
I use Windows 10, run RomeTW.EXE as admin with compatibility mode WinXP SP3

[makanyane]

Replying would have been quicker if it hadn't taken me all day to get RTW to work (I haven't had M2TW problems on this computer so didn't realise I needed the secure drive fix)


As a test try your re-generation with the RTW vanilla descr_vegetation.txt - I think you'll find it works.

The vegetation.txt RS supplied doesn't regenerate anything for me - and gives no error message - same as is happening for you!
The one I attached above actually doesn't work either (sorry)...
I do have a bodged up vegetation.txt which also works and will generate the RS models and sprites - but it is bodged up it doesn't have their
vegetation rs_fertile_grass_forest
type entries so won't match up with their descr_climates etc.


Assuming that running the vanilla veg.txt works for you - am afraid you need to experiment to try and find the flaw with RS's.
I suspect it might be a mismatch with other stuff in the RTW/data folder, I've tried importing their other files descr_climates, descr_geography.db etc - but that didn't fix it.

[Lanjane]

makanyane
Thank you very much for kind response! I didn't expect such deep troubleshooting, that's awesome!

After more attempts to get this thing to work, I felt myself so desperate that I decided to fix bugged climate by replacing its vegetation sets which cause CTD with other, working vegetation sets from different RSII climates.
I tested the compatibility and finally get the compromise solution which is smooth and looks maximally natural. So in my descr_climates.txt I replaced rs_sparse_forest_open with rs_sparse_fert_grass_forest and rs_sparse_forest_open_win with rs_sparse_fert_grass_forest_win.
Having some investigations which costed me fair amount of sleeping hours, I suspect that the models bush4.cas and bush4_winter.cas are possibly the main cause of CTD problems - they may be found in both bugged vegetation sets and they are actually pretty much the same model. However I'm not sure because they load in 3dsMax fine for me.

Hope this will help somebody who implement RSII environment to his mod and find exact same problems.