[TUTORIAL] How to create Mods

[MrThib]

Updated the first post
For all people who don't like the text editing stuff... you can now forgget it thanks to LTChambers.

@moisesjns
yes that's ok. as long that's not the default one.

[Zorgrath]

Here's my step by step how I did it with pictures:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

How I understood what Jerome said is that using the default is okay it only reads whatever is edited.

[MrThib]

Originally Posted by JeromeGrasdyke
Ok. If you were to make a mod which supplies a new file called "db/unit_stats_land_table/unit_stats_land" it would override the one from the CA packs. Yours would be used, the CA one would not. That's file-level overriding, and it's not something that you normally would want to do to the database files (although I imagine it'll be pretty common with data files like tga's and so on).

So, no, your file is overwriting the native one, try deleting a row and you will see your game crash .
this is definitely not the way to go, read the mod standar thread too, and read the first page, I've updated it and now with the mod manager you don't need to edit your text file.
What is difficult about changing a name in windows anyway .

[moisesjns]

lol zograth thanks for the help men i figured it out earlier took me 2 hours though and now it's great i wont be on much 2day or posting ill be watching band of brothers it's on all day 2day and is rarely shown on history channel so.

[Rorarii]

i'll try the ADD new unit thread, see what happens.

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thanks all, that makes more sense although I'm still a little vague about ADDing a new unit - see my picture, I've changed the tables i think will need to be altered ? (correct me if i'm wrong) but do i need to change the "Unit ID" or "unit IDRef" ? or is that self generated?

I want to create a NEW african spearman unit, for time being I'll use the current mesh /animations etc but might just change the unit size and availability. Later I'll do more aggressive changes.

R

[Jams79]

To add new entries (not just replace old ones) you need to change the ID's.

edit: You also need to add entries in the building_units_allowed and possibly unit_to_exclusive_faction or units_to_groupings.

[Rorarii]

To add new entries (not just replace old ones) you need to change the ID's.

edit: You also need to add entries in the building_units_allowed and possibly unit_to_exclusive_faction or units_to_groupings.

Ok, but I assume I need to add a new ID's to "gd_units" and "gd_units_stat_land" tables only .. btw, these 2 tables, is that a 1 to 1 relationship or 1 to many?

Thanks

R

[LordN00KE]

I got a question. How do u guys rename the files in db\unit_stats_land_tables? Do u rename it in win explorer or in the PFM?

[l33tl4m3r]

I extract the file I want to rename or modify, usually extracting it for the first time from patch.mod.

Then I use windows explorer to browse to the file's location, and change the name there.

Then I open a new pack file in FPM, and then add a directory (assuming you have correclty extracted the files with the proper directory structure.)

When you add the directory, if your renamed file is the only file in the proper direcctory, it will add the file in the proper directory structure.

Save it as a mod, use the mod loader and voila!

[Rorarii]

I got a question. How do u guys rename the files in db\unit_stats_land_tables? Do u rename it in win explorer or in the PFM?

When you extracted it in the first place, it actually created those directories with the files in them. just rename the file through windows explorer then reload the file back "Add files" into the pack.

R

[LordN00KE]

Guys, I made a mod on for another mod on a different .pack, but I can only run one of them. I can't run them together. Any idea why?

[MrThib]

Guys, I made a mod on for another mod on a different .pack, but I can only run one of them. I can't run them together. Any idea why?

Are you sure you don't put all of the db files in your mods?
I mean you just should have the modded rows in your db (like in my exemple in the first page or the screens from Rorarii).
And that's why renaming the db files is important because you can't delete rows in files with the default names.
There're already a lot of people that had this sort of problems because most of them are assuming that the renaming is optional, please read the tutorial and the other post again.
But if even doing that way don't work for you, just post more details informations here, I'll be happy to help you .

[LordN00KE]

Solved the problem, don't know why it crashed the first time, maybe coz I haven't saved all my changes yet.

[Grimstoned]

Here's my step by step how I did it with pictures:

Thank you! Thats a great step by step guide! I was editing the patch.pack and just saving over it.

[falcone79]

I know a thing or two about modding, but modding ETW is very confusing to me at the moment. Zorgrath, could you perhaps edit your step-by-step tutorial post and add some dialogue as to exactly what your doing along with the pictured step by step approach? Even worse for me is that there's conflicting post about what to do or what to change to prevent override especially in post #83-85. I'm also confused, Zorgrath, particularly between when you name the file "whatever" then suddenly the next frame you have patch.pack highlighted. What are you doing next? Opening it with packfile manager? And at which step do you actually start editing the files? Sorry to be so noobish, but not everyone understands this stuff so easily...
Thank you very much in advance for any help.

Edit: Okay, I believe I finally figured out what I was doing wrong...
Thank you much, MrThib!

.

[Methoz]

hmm,i make mod,but nothing works - flags,skins..none..

[MrThib]

@Methoz:
Could you be a little more specific on how you make mods so I can help you?

[Endomatic]

How do I copy the file structure for units_stats_land (so I have the unit count, horse count, artillery count etc) cells without copying the entire file? I don't want to have all that redundant info there.

Do I have to export the TSV, delete all the crap and then reimport it?

For instance. I want to create a unit. When I import the unit_stats_land file, I have every unit in the game there.

I like that the unit count of 160 for my men and all that space for info is there for me. I don't like that every unit in the game is also there. How do I get the structure of the file without every unit in the game being there?

[EgyptianNecrophiliac]

TO MAKE YOUR user.empire_script.txt WORK:

When you save your text file, go to SAVE AS and select UNICODE under encoding. The reason it wasn't working before is that Windows defaults text files to ANSI, which empire doesn't like.


Mr. Thib, you might want to add this to your tutorial.

That explains a few things... thank you waronmars.

[Endomatic]

When I try and remove tables I get big errors. What's the secret in keeping the table structure? I guess keeping all the default unit info there doesn't make it TOO large... it's still under 1 meg, but just for convenience I'd like to remove all the units that I'm not editing.

You mentioned earlier that you just deleted unwanted tables. I can't do that. I get errors when I try to do that. So how is it that you are doing it?

EDIT: Whoops, I had to make sure that "First column as row header" was ON so that I could delete rows. This should make things much easier.