How To: Change Faction Religion and Church

[irakuna]

I changed the ai_label to default and used a fresh unmodified .txt file of descr_strat to make sure i didnt mess up any alignments with extra deletes or spaces.

on descr_sm_factions I again, grabbed an unmodified fresh .txt file of it and re-did the edits so that the alignments weren't modified with spaces.

in export_descr_buildings i changed the levels to shrine hermitage covenant sanctum grand_sanctum for cities, and for castles shrine_of_war and sanctum_of_war so that the term temple is no longer used by my modifications.

in my export_buildings i originally had it as
{temple_s_pagan_castle_name}Temples
{temple_s_pagan_name}Temples
So i changed that to Circles.

however, after these corrections, I load the game and scotland/poland/hungary/denmark are still catholic, they can build catholic churches and their priests still convert to catholicism and they show up in the popes menu. Even if we are both missing something I did wrong in the export_buildings and export_descr_buildings, shouldn't the factions have been changed to pagan by the corrected modifications in descr_sm_factions and descr_strat?

I don't understand where we are going wrong, why the game isn't recognizing the changes....

[Gigantus]

I just double checked to make sure that you removed the factions from the catholic churches and you have. If you can still build them then I think you have become a victim of the virtual store. Please follow this tutorial from step 3 onward and then delete the medieval 2 total war folder in the virtual store if it exists.

But first let me ask the question that I should have asked in the beginning: are you modifying the main game or are using a mod set up? If you are using the main game then I recommend to install my mod set up and copy your edited files in there. It is designed to make modding easier by removing the known pitfalls, simply start it by using the provided desktop shortcut.

[irakuna]

Turns out you are correct, I am a victim of the virtual store, better yet, I'm on a version of windows 10 without gpedit.msc or secpol.msc so I can't disable it, I'm looking for workarounds and I'm going to give the geomod you linked a try, and hope that works. So, after installing your geomod, would i just copy my edited files into mods\bare_geomod\data ? and by launching the geomod have success?

[irakuna]

Sorry for the double post, but I've made some progress. By using the bare geomod for kingdoms, I've successfully made scotland/denmark/poland/hungary/byzantium into pagan factions, by adding my descr_sm_factions.txt to your geomod, however, after adding my export_descr_buildings, and export_buildings to geomod it refuses to launch, you've already seen my files and said there isnt anything wrong with them. should I just give up start from scratch and go with simple more boring names and the original post did? like (small_church_p) instead of unique names? or do you have any other reccommendations.

[Gigantus]

I ran your EDB through the EDB validator and found these two formatting errors.

Error parsing line 5478: Missing a comma after a faction/culture name: byzantium
Error parsing line 5499: Missing a comma after a faction/culture name: byzantium

Correct these two errors and try again. To find a line press Ctrl+F in Notepad and then enter the number.

If you still get errors then check the log in the logs folder for a [error] entries. Most of them are self explanatory, but if you still have a problem then compress the log (7Zip is freeware) and attach it to your post.

Please delete the old text\export_buildings.STRING.BIN file to make sure a proper new one is generated (there could be a time stamp\date issue). After a new one is generated it isn't necessary anymore to delete it after you edit the export_building.TXT again.

[irakuna]

Success at last! by using your bare geomod and checking the log after every small change I was able to squash the errrors and get everything working. that log file is a godsend, at least if I know whats wrong I can fix it.

[Gigantus]

Glad to hear you got going. Keep in mind to frequently test and to keep backups of files that you are editing.

[Chemlock]

Hi there, I'm currently about 40 turns into a SS6.4 campaign with the Byzantines... is it possible to affect this religious change (orthodox -> pagan, a la Julian, all of a sudden as if by Basilien decree -- i am seeking to invoke massive unrest in fact) without destroying my saves??...

[Gigantus]

There is a scripting command that changes a faction's religion - but it requires to be in the script from the start, aka not save game compatible.

[Vomar]

Hello.

I apologize in advance for my failure in finding this out myself. All my attempts on succeeding in this have failed.
All the guides I've found only explained half of what I needed it seems or I am unable to understand them right.

I want to make Norway make use of Lithuania's pagan religion. I tried the usual desc.strat, export.buildings etc. but it seems that making Norway use
Lithuania's paganism is somehow more difficult. Unfortunately my system.log wasn't showing any errors. In fact it always came in blank though the game crashed. So I reinstalled the mod to start fresh. Even though I backed up all the scripts and re-overwrote the ones I changed the game crashed anyway. Must have overlooked something.

So I must ask for help if you have time to both make Norway pagan and also to change Lithuania's paganism to be more broad. Change the names of the temples from for example:
Temple of Dievas to Temple of the Patriarch or something similar. And possibly to make use of the units they provide as well. But that is not a priority.

If anyone has done this before sending me the script would be ideal. I've already spent hours changing this line and that and these ctd's have just defeated me utterly.

Thanks.
Viktor.

[Vomar]

Figured it out after a few more hours work. Sorry for your time.

[Gigantus]

You are missing these lines (you got 'catholic'):
{temple_s_pagan_castle_name}
{temple_s_pagan_name}

I recommend using this checker with the description option switched on.
And for easy creation of export_buildings entries I did create this tool ages ago.

[Pyrocrax]

You are missing these lines (you got 'catholic'):
{temple_s_pagan_castle_name}
{temple_s_pagan_name}

I recommend using this checker with the description option switched on.
And for easy creation of export_buildings entries I did create this tool ages ago.

Thank You giving these tools, will try to use them but is there a tutorial?
Because i downloaded the java 6 it requires me to. then i downloaded and tried to activate "EDB validator" but then it says an error with like "can't find the file C:/windows/syswow64/javaw.exe

Also i tried changing the files little more like you told me but still didn't work. So maybe these "tools" will help.
Don't know why it doesn't work because i have edited this before and saved the files when it worked but then when i downloaded the mod again and replaced the files, it doesn't work. Now I'am trying to redo everything again.

[Gigantus]

You may have to edit the properties of the shortcut:

First check where your javaw.exe file is with a simple file search. Then copy that path into the 'target' field (open by right clicking the x64 shortcut and choose 'properties'). Example from mine:
D:\Programs\java7\bin\javaw.exe -cp classes checkEDB.EDBValidator

Once you have the program running you browse to your mod (the three dots button), tickmark 'check for ..' and then 'validate'. Note that the checker will report only the first error and then exit. Meaning you will need to fix the error and then 'validate' again until you are error free.

[Pyrocrax]

You may have to edit the properties of the shortcut:

First check where your javaw.exe file is with a simple file search. Then copy that path into the 'target' field (open by right clicking the x64 shortcut and choose 'properties'). Example from mine:
D:\Programs\java7\bin\javaw.exe -cp classes checkEDB.EDBValidator

Once you have the program running you browse to your mod (the three dots button), tickmark 'check for ..' and then 'validate'. Note that the checker will report only the first error and then exit. Meaning you will need to fix the error and then 'validate' again until you are error free.

Sorry it doesn't work for some reason. It says
C:\program is not available
access denied.
don't know if have wrong java or something, downloaded the one that was from the link though. or do I need to have something in the path called "start in"?

[Pyrocrax]

You may have to edit the properties of the shortcut:

First check where your javaw.exe file is with a simple file search. Then copy that path into the 'target' field (open by right clicking the x64 shortcut and choose 'properties'). Example from mine:
D:\Programs\java7\bin\javaw.exe -cp classes checkEDB.EDBValidator

Once you have the program running you browse to your mod (the three dots button), tickmark 'check for ..' and then 'validate'. Note that the checker will report only the first error and then exit. Meaning you will need to fix the error and then 'validate' again until you are error free.

It worked now when i didn't use the EDB validator x64. Don't know if that makes a difference but this what I got and have no idea what it means sorry XD

Scanning files in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data ...


Reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\descr_sm_factions.txt
Finished reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\descr_sm_factions.txt
Reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\descr_cultures.txt
Finished reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\descr_cultures.txt
Reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\export_descr_unit.txt
Finished reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\export_descr_unit.txt
Reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\text\export_buildings.txt
Finished reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\text\export_buildings.txt
Reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\descr_religions.txt
catholicorthodoxislampaganhereticFinished reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\descr_religions.txt
MTW2 EDB syntax:
Reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\export_descr_buildings.txt
Finished reading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\SS6.3\data\export_descr_buildings.txt
Parsing EDB...
Hidden resources:
hrs[0]=Constable
hrs[1]=Iqta
hrs[2]=Constantinople
hrs[3]=Khassaki
hrs[4]=river
hrs[5]=silk_road
hrs[6]=crusader
hrs[7]=crusade
hrs[8]=jihad
hrs[9]=horde_target
hrs[10]=no_pirates
hrs[11]=no_brigands
hrs[12]=wonder1
hrs[13]=wonder2
hrs[14]=wonder3
hrs[15]=wonder4
hrs[16]=wonder5
hrs[17]=wonder6
hrs[18]=wonder7
hrs[19]=wonder8
hrs[20]=venice
hrs[21]=scotland
hrs[22]=england
hrs[23]=france
hrs[24]=portugal
hrs[25]=spain
hrs[26]=aragon
hrs[27]=moors
hrs[28]=milan
hrs[29]=papal_states
hrs[30]=sicily
hrs[31]=hre
hrs[32]=norway
hrs[33]=denmark
hrs[34]=poland
hrs[35]=russia
hrs[36]=lithuania
hrs[37]=cumans
hrs[38]=kwarezm
hrs[39]=turks
hrs[40]=jerusalem
hrs[41]=prussia
hrs[42]=egypt
hrs[43]=byzantium
hrs[44]=hungary
hrs[45]=kievan_rus
hrs[46]=ireland
hrs[47]=teutonic_knights_chapter_house
hrs[48]=montesa_chapter_house
hrs[49]=knights_of_santiago_chapter_house
hrs[50]=templars_chapter_house
hrs[51]=st_johns_chapter_house
Error parsing line 84: Referenced unit type does not exist in EDU: Baltic Spearmen
checkEDB.ExportDescrBuilding.readAndParseMtw2EDB(ExportDescrBuilding.java:1514)
checkEDB.ExportDescrBuilding.run(ExportDescrBuilding.java:74)




Note: Only the first detected error is reported. Fix, then try validating again.

[Gigantus]

This is the error (remove the tick mark from the 'debugging' option to make life easier) :

Error parsing line 84: Referenced unit type does not exist in EDU: Baltic Spearmen

It means that in line 84 of the EDB there is a recruit pool line for a unit that does not exist in your EDU (export_descr_units) file. Simply putting a semi-colon in front of that line will disable it. Then run the checker again.

[Pyrocrax]

This is the error (remove the tick mark from the 'debugging' option to make life easier) :

Error parsing line 84: Referenced unit type does not exist in EDU: Baltic Spearmen

It means that in line 84 of the EDB there is a recruit pool line for a unit that does not exist in your EDU (export_descr_units) file. Simply putting a semi-colon in front of that line will disable it. Then run the checker again.

Well that's wierd i have never edited the units file.
Also that can't be right because the line 84 is this ;Details of secondary weapons. If the unit rides on, or has attached animals or vehicles

[Gigantus]

Line 84 in the EDB (buildings) file, not the EDU (units) file.

[Pyrocrax]

But that makes even less sense since as I have not even touched that area, I only added stuff to the bottom of the textfile never touched abything above.

Do you think it is messing up because I'am using EDB Validator and not the x64 version. Couldn't use the X64 though cuz I only got and error message saying access denied.
Yet i used the exact same path for the not x64 one, and that worked.

Otherwise I think there is something wrong with this program because when I put back the original files before I edited. The EDB Validator it still says the same error of line 84 baltic spearmen, yet i can still play the game perfectly fine.

This is the line by the way recruit_pool "Baltic Spearmen" 0 0.000001 0.1 0 requires factions { lithuania, }