Tutorial Requests (aka The Dummy's Guide)

[selenius4tsd]

A while back I had an idea to create a set of tutorials meant for new or inexperienced modders - call it a 'dummy's guide", aimed at modding the basics of the game.

Requests so far:
-A basic skinning tutorial
-A M2TW ZoR tutorial
-Changing a faction's voices and character portrait group (so you can have English general's with say Russian character portraits)

-How to..
-lower desertion during a Crusade.
-edit campaign map flags and banners
-make (or keep) tga and dds files transparent after editing.
-scale population growth to different time scales, in a balanced manner.
-add an entirely new faction (the holy grail!) -- not just mod and reintroduce Normans/Saxons.
-add new buildings.
-add a new religion and add buildings/priests to it..
-make Orthodox factions able to crusade (I think this is possible)
-add new units
-DELETE some units from nations
-make factions able to recruit mercenaries

Check the Index of Tutorials, Guides, and Modding Tools as well as the TWC Wiki to see if your answer is already there.

[Hephaistos]

Sounds like a great idea. I allready did read some great tutorials, but the more tutorials, the some informations you get.

So, how whould be the idea to start with the very begings? Some people say it is a great idea to unpack all gamedatas. So you can look in the unpackers readme, how to unpack. Other people say, it is much better to use modswitch, so you can look for a tutorial, how to modswitch correctly. Some people do it via a batch-file, other people via an entry into the preference file. The next one prefers a mod directory, another don't... So you look into a new tutorial. Then there are converters you need and programms helping editing.

How about bringing all this together into one tutorial? Which method has which advantages and which disadvantages? No more looking into seven documents, how to do it, but only in one tutorial. Which programms do really help and how to use it? So, an overview about the very basics. Whould that be an idea to begin with?

(By the way: I have the feeling my english is a little bit clumbsy today. I hope you understand, what I intended to say.)

[killerxguy]

Actually good tutorials would be modding tutorials, like creating new units, changing directories of newly made textures to work in-game...etc.

[Trajan]

I would really like to know how to lower desertion during a Crusade.

[Sher Khan]

One thing I'd like to do is read through a basic skinning tutorial. I'm completely new to the skinning scene, but I'm willing. I'm just not able, since it seems all the current skinners learned their skills during the RTW days, and all the tutorials are back in that place, leaving me a daunting task to look through those pages to find one.


I've managed to unpack the textures and then convert them to a workable .dds format, but once faced with a skin layout on photoshop, I'm somewhat lost on what to do, or even how to go about changing the skin.

[Pnutmaster]

Perhaps we could all pool our resources together and create a M2TW ZoR tutorial ? I am absolutely stumped as far as making universal units go...

[Ticu]

I've had experience with modding rtw, but I was wondering what key points there are in modding m2tw that we didn't need to look out for in Rome.

[vindex246]

Requests:

1) How to edit campaign map flags and banners (just figuring this out myself on my own)

2) How to make (or keep) tga and dds files transparent after editing.

3) How to scale population growth to different time scales, in a balanced manner.

4) How to add an entirely new faction (the holy grail!) -- not just mod and reintroduce Normans/Saxons.

[Time Commander Bob]

Here's my requests:

-Adding new buildings.
-How to add a new religion and add buildings/priests to it.
-Changing a faction's voices and character portrait group (so you can have English general's with say Russian character portraits).
-How to make Orthodox factions able to crusade (I think this is possible)

[vikrant]

shall sticky it

[killerxguy]

Some one PM me how to add new units I'm desperate to make a new mod! (new factions is simpler at least ). Arab Gunners on horses anyone? Maybe I'll even make an Islamic sword/axe and shield unit (medium/heavy) and yes I know how to skin and model (models can't be edited though ).
Even better, post it here .

[AliAS]

I will be very happy if somebody tell me how to DELETE some units from nations (I want delete Italian militia from Milan.)

[selenius4tsd]

As well as what as been mentioned before, I think we should do a file by file analysis, going through what happens if you change a certain figure/number etc.
I know ER did this when he went to Oz, but maybe we could now elaborate on that? Maybe put it on the wiki?

[Vollendung]

Does anyone know how to make factions able to recruit mercenaries in their cities? Like the HRE being able to recruit Landsknechts.

P.S I have posted this in a thread before but didn't get a response.

[selenius4tsd]

@ Sabre657: Well, it should work if you add the unit to the recruitment list in edb and add the faction in edu.

[selenius4tsd]

Okay, so now I think its time we organise all the stuff a bit.

Requests so far:
-How to lower desertion during a Crusade.
-A basic skinning tutorial
-A M2TW ZoR tutorial
-How to edit campaign map flags and banners (just figuring this out myself on my own)
-How to make (or keep) tga and dds files transparent after editing.
-How to scale population growth to different time scales, in a balanced manner.
-How to add an entirely new faction (the holy grail!) -- not just mod and reintroduce Normans/Saxons.
-How to add new buildings.
-How to add a new religion and add buildings/priests to it.
-Changing a faction's voices and character portrait group (so you can have English general's with say Russian character portraits).
-How to make Orthodox factions able to crusade (I think this is possible)
-How to add new units
-How to DELETE some units from nations
-How to make factions able to recruit mercenaries

I think by now we should change this thread to the "Modding Questions" thread. Does everyone agree?

[selenius4tsd]

I think that a ZoR mod is the important issue to tackle first. How should we go about doing this??

[Soulghast]

Can you do all these tutorials? I mean, how do you find time?

[selenius4tsd]

Some of the requests are basic enough, some already exist in this forum, so I dont have to do all of them. For the rest, I can figure it out.

How do I find time? Well, I work fast. That comes from debating experience - 1 hour before the debate begins, you get your topic/motion given. So yeah, 55 +/- minutes to prepare for it. Its excillerating.

600 posts!

[funky_kiwi]

I got a problem, I crerance, but when I play on camaign map, I can't recruit any more infantry units, even though I checked the export_descr_unit file which is perfectly right, so if anybody knows tell me plz

little problem, that's weird, I meant : "I created new units 4 france"