32 Factions In Custom Battles - ALL factions covered!

[Demokritos]

Update on 22 March 2016: ALL MODS IN THE SERIES NOW ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE DOWNLOAD SECTION OF THE SITE HERE!

Update on 7 December 2009: New option including the Colonies available in post #5!

Update on 12 December 2009: New options covering the rest of the world available in post #11!

Final update on 20 December 2009: Region-based options available in post #12!

Hi everybody,
I originally posted this little mod of mine as a response (helped by info from RO Citizen, thank you very much) to a question tucked away in the Workshop forum, but since Julius Isidrus is not updating his "Custom Battle - All Faction Unlocker" mod anymore, and other dedicated solutions seem rather hard to find, I thought that maybe I should make my solution that works with the 1.5 patch more available. If you use the attached file, you can play any of the following factions in custom battles:

Austria
Bavaria
Britain
Cherokee
Courland
Denmark
France
Genoa
Georgia
Hannover
Huron Confederacy
Iroquois
Maratha
Morocco
Mughal
Mysore
Netherlands
Ottomans
Piedmont-Savoy
Plains Nations
Poland-Lithuania
Portugal
Prussia
Russia
Safavid Persia
Saxony
Spain
Sweden
United States
Venice
Westphalia
Württemberg

These factions represent perhaps the most important nations which you can enter into diplomatic negotiations with at the start of the campaign, with the notable exception of the Colonies (Thirteen Colonies, Louisiana and New Spain). There is room for only 32 factions on the selection screen for custom battles, so if one wants an other faction than the 32 listed here, one of these 32 has to be removed. I made my choice ruling out rebel factions, emergent factions, factions with few units available in custom battles (Barbary States, Crimean Khanate, and Pirates), fringe factions (Chechenya-Dagestan, Inuit, Knights St. John, etc), and factions that might unite with their mother nations soon enough during the campaign (those colonies of Britain, France and Spain). Anyone satisfied with this choice can do the following:

1. Download the attached file
2. Extract the downloaded file to your desktop (for example)
3. Put the extracted "32_factions_in_custom_battles.pack" file in, if on a XP computer, the C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\empire total war\data folder (or wherever you have ETW installed)
4. Then enable the little mod by either:
a) Open or create the "user.empire_script" text file in the C:\Documents and Settings\[Your Account On the Computer]\Application Data\The Creative Assembly\Empire\scripts folder (visible only if the setting for showing hidden folders and files on your computer is enabled), and write...
mod "32_factions_in_custom_battles.pack";
...on a line there, save, and exit the text file, and then start up ETW; or...
b) Use the Mod Manager to tick the box for enabling this mod in that program, and start ETW from there.

You can find the Mod Manager available for download here:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=240335

If you want to edit the above list of playable factions you need the DB Editor found here:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=280329

There may be different and simpler ways of how to edit the above list, but the following method worked for me:
1. Place the DB Editor and accompanying files in a separate folder created for the job together with the "32_factions_in_custom_battles.pack" file.
2. Open the DB Editor, and tick the box for said file there
3. Scroll down to the line named "Factions Tables" in bold text on the list that appears, and select "Factions"
4. Edit the columns named "early availability" and "late availability" for the appropriate factions to "True" or "False" depending on whether you want to see them in custom battles or not - max 32 set to "True"
5. Save the changes, and exit the DB Editor
6. Put the edited pack file back in the data folder of ETW
7. Start up ETW to see your changes applied in game - Voilà!

Edit note - COMPATIBILITY with other mods: so far, I've discovered that these custom battles tweaks of mine interfere with at least one other mod out there and that's the Ottoman Realism Mod. Using my tweaks in combination with ORM may cause the new faction colour for the Ottomans which ORM introduces to revert back to the vanilla green colour. if you get this problem, try husserlTW's solution of changing ORM to movie format, so that it always loads last. There's another way around this problem, but I'd need the ORM-developpers permission to use one of their files before I can post it here. If someone is in need of such a workaround, I'll contact the ORM team to request the permission.

D

[hitokiri2486]

awesome work, thanks

[ACMilan88]

Awsome! Been waiting for something like this

[Demokritos]

You're welcome, guys

[Demokritos]

Well, since the selection menu in custom battles are limited to 32 factions and some people may want to play other factions than those I first listed, I thought I could make life easier for them by giving them a ready solution for a change. So here's an alternative list of playable factions in custom battles, this time including the colonies, hence the name. But I kept the major nations which are playable in the grand campaign in this one, too. So, apart from...

Austria
Britain
France
Maratha Empire
Mughal Empire
Netherlands
Ottoman Empire
Poland-Lithuania
Prussia
Russia
Spain
Sweden

...the new attached file includes:

Chechenya-Dagestan
Gran Colombia
Greece
Hessen
Hungary
Ireland
Knights of St. John
Louisiana
Mamelukes
Naples & Sicily
New Spain
Norway
Papal (Italian) States
Powhatan Confederacy
Pueblo
Punjab
Scotland
Swiss Confederation
Thirteen Colonies
United States

You can keep this file alongside the first in the data folder of ETW. To activate, just tick the box for it (while unticking the box for the other) in the Mod Manager, and launch ETW from there, or add...

_colonies

...between the words "battles" and ".pack" on the command line for the first version of "32 Factions In Custom Battles" in your user.empire_script file, save in unicode, exit, and start up ETW the normal way through Steam. When you want to go back to the first version in custom battles, then all you have to do is the reverse of the above procedure.

Enjoy!
D

[The Holy Pilgrim]

How do you change the max custom battle faction limit to 32? I only see about 17 nations in my custom battle list.

[Demokritos]

How do you change the max custom battle faction limit to 32? I only see about 17 nations in my custom battle list.

You've done a custom battles list of your own? If so, then the reason why you only see 17 factions in the selection menu for custom battles is simply, as far as I can tell, that you have only set 17 factions' early and late availability in the appropriate DB entry to "True", the rest all being left at "False". Set more to "True" here (see the last part of my OP for detailed instructions) and you'll see more of them in the selection menu of custom battles, up to the max of 32.

Edit: I just realized that the 17 factions you speak of, Pilgrim, may be the vanilla selection in custom battles. In that case, you need to mod the appropriate files in order to get more. That's what I have done with the attached files in this thread. Use those edited files in your data folder of ETW like I have described and you have 32 factions to choose from in said menu.

But I've discovered that there's seems to be at least one problem connected with a mod of this sort and that is that the new types of Native American units that were released with the Warpath expansion disappear from the selection in the modded menu for custom battles. There's probably a way around this but I don't know how at the moment.

Edit: I've found the solution to the Warpath problem. It's fixed in the tweaks released in post #12 below and in the alternative posted in husserlTW's Startpos Mods forum.

[Norman Bum]

Awesome man, this mod is working perfectly.

Thanks a bunch.

[Demokritos]

Awesome man, this mod is working perfectly.

Thanks a bunch.

Well, with Julius Isidrus taking a rest from his pre-patch 1.5 version of this mod idea, I thought a post-patch 1.5 version might be of use to somebody else beside myself, hence this thread. Thanks for the feedback

BTW, I'm planning to release other versions of this little mod, in effect covering virtually all factions in the game by simple command line switches in the user.empire_script file. I like the title of the thread to reflect such a change in the content, but I don't know how to edit the name there. Unless - it just hit me while writing this - unless it's done by changing the Reply to Thread Title as given above the writing area for new posts. OK, I'll see if I can post some new content and change the thread title without messing things up shortly.

[husserlTW]

Hey Demos, I didn't know that you are modding mate, nice job, +rep !

[Demokritos]

Hey Demos, I didn't know that you are modding mate, nice job, +rep !

In my own small way, amigo, in my own small way . Thanks!

May I present two new selections for custom battles which together with the first two effectively cover ALL FACTIONS IN THE GAME - except for Barbary Rebels, poor sods. The first of the new attached files is dedicated to the rebels in the game. So, apart from the regular dozen playable major factions plus United States, we can now face...

American Rebels
Austrian Rebels
British Rebels
British Settler Rebels
Cossack Rebels
Dutch Rebels
French Rebels
French Settler Rebels
India Settler Rebels
Maratha Rebels
Middle East Settler Rebels
Mughal Rebels
Ottoman Rebels
Prussian Rebels
Scandinavian Rebels
Sikh Rebels
Slavic Rebels
Spanish Rebels
Spanish Settler Rebels

...in custom battles. But, to be honest, these rebels are quite boring. There's no info where they originate from except as given away by their types of units and style of dress, and, with few exceptions, they all appear in dark green colour, unless modded otherwise. Modders may want to do something about that. If you want to play this selection in custom battles, follow the instructions stated in post #5, but use the variable...

_rebels

...for the user.empire_script option instead.

The fourth and final part of the series features the rest of the world (with the regular thirteen factions present here, too), which is to say...

Afghanistan
Amerind Rebels
Barbary States
Crimean Khanate
European Settler Rebels
Greek Rebels
Holstein-Gottorp
Inuit
Italian Rebels
Khanate Khiva
Mecklenburg
Mexico
Persian Rebels
Pirates
Portuguese Rebels
Quebec
Tuscany
Virginia
Virginia Colonists

A couple of the factions listed above have few or no units available in custom battles, but there may already be mods around or soon will be to fill the holes. To activate, use the variable...

_final

...for the script alternative.

If you keep all four versions of the 32 Factions In Custom Battles mod in the data folder of ETW, you can exit the game and start up again with a new selection in custom battles in a matter of seconds. Reskinners wanting to see how their work appear compared to other factions, for example, might find this useful, and players wanting to compare released retextures or other changes to the battlefield, too.

I have one more idea for fast switches between selections in custom battles and that is to dedicate some to special scenarios, like testing the European front, the American front or the Oriental front. I hope to return with this idea next week.

D

[Demokritos]

As promised, here's my last selections for custom battles, concentrating on the different regions of the ETW world. The first covers the European front with the following factions:

1. Austria
2. Bavaria
3. Britain
4. Courland
5. Denmark
6. France
7. Genoa
8. Greece
9. Hannover
10. Hessen
11. Holstein-Gottorp
12. Hungary
13. Ireland
14. Mecklenburg
15. Naples & Sicily
16. Netherlands
17. Norway
18. Papal (Italian) States
19. Piedmont-Savoy
20. Poland-Lithuania
21. Portugal
22. Prussia
23. Russia
24. Saxony
25. Scotland
26. Spain
27. Sweden
28. Swiss Confederation
29. Tuscany
30. Venice
31. Westphalia
32. Württemberg

A handful of units not seen in vanilla custom battles has been enabled here, like Armed Citizenry, Conscript Infantry, Expatriate Infantry, Highlanders, Norwegian Ski Troops, and Pandours, among others. To activate this selection, follow again the instructions in post #5, but write the variable...

_euro_w

...for the script alternative.

The Knights of St. John were left out from the European scene due to lack of space, but they appear in the next selection instead. This is dedicated to the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, which includes:

1. Afghanistan
2. Barbary States
3. Britain
4. Chechenya-Dagestan
5. Crimean Khanate
6. Denmark – established Danish East India in the historic India in the 17th and 18th centuries.
7. France
8. Genoa
9. Georgia
10. Greece
11. India Settler Rebels
12. Khanate of Khiva
13. Knights of St. John
14. Mamelukes
15. Maratha Confederacy
16. Middle East Settler Rebels
17. Morocco
18. Mughal Empire
19. Mysore
20. Naples & Sicily
21. Netherlands
22. Ottoman Rebels
23. Ottoman Empire
24. Papal States
25. Pirates
26. Portugal
27. Punjab
28. Russia
29. Safavid Persia
30. Sikh Rebels
31. Spain
32. Venice

A whole bunch of units not seen in vanilla custom battles has been brought into play here, including Barbary Pirates, Hillmen Musketeers, Fellahin Swordsmen, East India Company Infantry, Euro-African Infantry, Native (East) Lancers, Sekban Janissaries, Sepoys, Sikh Musketeers, Steppe Cavalry, Dhows, and Xebecs, among others. All factions, including the Pirates, have two types of land units or more available here. Launch in the same manner as before, using the variable...

_orient_w

...for the script option.

For those of you interested in a similar alternative for the Americas, with Colonial troops, some Native American Auxiliary etc, see husserlTW's forum for his excellent Startpos Mods HERE. That version gives access to the American Indian units released with the Warpath Expansion, if you got that installed.

There you go, if you got all of the above seven versions of tweaks placed in the data folder of ETW (and keep the scripts folder open in the background while playing), then any one selection is available in custom battles within seconds through a minor change in the user.empire_script or Mod Manager.

Enjoy!

[zakilla_the_hun]

Hey everyone, I keep trying to download this file, but it downloads as a .7z file rather than a .pack file, so I am unable to use it. I am pretty ignorant of this stuff, but this would be an awesome mod to use! Can you guys give me any help with this? Thanks and Merry Christmas!

[Demokritos]

Hey everyone, I keep trying to download this file, but it downloads as a .7z file rather than a .pack file, so I am unable to use it. I am pretty ignorant of this stuff, but this would be an awesome mod to use! Can you guys give me any help with this? Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Yes, the attached file is a pack file compressed into 7-zip format to save space and time to download, so all you need to do is to find yourself the 7-zip program (http://www.7-zip.org/download.html), decompress/unpack/extract the downloaded file with it, and then install the extracted file in the ETW data folder etc like described above. It shouldn't be much of a problem, but return if something arises and I'll see what I can do to help.

Merry Christmas to you, too!

[The Holy Pilgrim]

You've done a custom battles list of your own? If so, then the reason why you only see 17 factions in the selection menu for custom battles is simply, as far as I can tell, that you have only set 17 factions' early and late availability in the appropriate DB entry to "True", the rest all being left at "False". Set more to "True" here (see the last part of my OP for detailed instructions) and you'll see more of them in the selection menu of custom battles, up to the max of 32.

Edit: I just realized that the 17 factions you speak of, Pilgrim, may be the vanilla selection in custom battles. In that case, you need to mod the appropriate files in order to get more. That's what I have done with the attached files in this thread. Use those edited files in your data folder of ETW like I have described and you have 32 factions to choose from in said menu.

But I've discovered that there's seems to be at least one problem connected with a mod of this sort and that is that the new types of Native American units that were released with the Warpath expansion disappear from the selection in the modded menu for custom battles. There's probably a way around this but I don't know how at the moment.

Sorry about the late reply, but for some reason it works now. I have no idead what the problem was though. The 17 factions I told you about were the first 17 factions of your list, not the vanilla faction list. Thanks for the help though! I'm glad I can play with more than a mesely 17 factions

+rep for all of your hard work

[Demokritos]

Sorry about the late reply, but for some reason it works now. I have no idead what the problem was though. The 17 factions I told you about were the first 17 factions of your list, not the vanilla faction list. Thanks for the help though! I'm glad I can play with more than a mesely 17 factions

+rep for all of your hard work

Strange that you only saw 17 factions at first But I'm glad that it worked out for you. I hope you've noticed how quickly you can get a new selection of 32 factions in custom battles now (if you keep more than one of these small tweaks in the data folder).

Thanks for the feedback

[eregost]

Thank you so much! I have been waiting ages for a mod like this!

Ok there are some missing units: desert warriors for Morocco + fellahin swordsmen and musketeers for Morocco + Persia + melee camels are missing for Morocco. Also consider making them all available in both Early and Late periods.

[Demokritos]

Thank you so much! I have been waiting ages for a mod like this!

Ok there are some missing units: desert warriors for Morocco + fellahin swordsmen and musketeers for Morocco + Persia + melee camels are missing for Morocco. Also consider making them all available in both Early and Late periods.

You're welcome, mate

The first four selections of custom battles featured in this thread do not have any extra unit made available compared to what you have in vanilla custom battles. Only the last two featured in this thread and the one over at husserlTW's Startpos Mods forum - the region-based ones - have more units enabled in custom battles. The one named "32_factions_in_custom_battles_orient_w" has those units you mention for Morocco and Persia enabled, I think.

If there is some interest for more units enabled in the first type of selections, then I may make another tweak with said changes. But this type of change increases the risk of my tweak interfering with some other mod, so bear that in mind.

[Bonecracker-NL-]

Someone PM me for instructions. i is desperate :-)

[Demokritos]

Someone PM me for instructions. i is desperate :-)

What's the problem? Instructions for installing the little mods featured in this thread are already given.