How to add mercenaries.

[Taiji]

EDB event_counters need to be set before SettlementTurnStart.

Because characters recruit mercs I'd anticipate that with mercs the event_counter probably needs setting anywhere before the current faction's CharacterTurnStart and after the previous faction's.

Suggest avoiding PreFactionTurnStart if you can.

[bitterhowl]

Got strange and unexpected problem with adding mercenaries. I add new units from another mods and make some of them mercs, then I test added unit in custom battle, I set this current new unit for battle and test animation and others. So, when I test mercenary units I have invisible captain model with this unit in battle. When I remove attribute mercenary_unit in EDB - everything is ok, captain is visible in battle. How to fix this?

[KEA]

The captain model needs a merc entry as well (in models.db)

[bitterhowl]

Thanks! What a stupid mistake of my.

[Gigantus]

Edit: ninja'ed by not reading to the end of the thread before responding

Allocate a merc entry for the captain model (check descr_characters for the model's name) in the modelDB file, although I would have expected a regular faction captain. The mercenary_unit attribute of the captain's unit might be messing with that captain allocation.

[Nihilem]

Sorry for necroing this thread again, but I have a question to the replenishment for the mercenaries.

So when i put this line into the descr_mercenaries:

unit Swordsmen Recruits exp 0 cost 300 replenish 0.36 - 0.5 max 100 initial 5

I can buy 5 swordsmen recruits - but regardless how long I wait there do not come new mercs into that region. So when I buy this 5 mercs with General A, send him into an adventure and want to buy mercs with General B - i can wait until oblivion. Only when I disband one swordsmen unit it comes back the next round.

Is that intended? And if yes, how can I make sure that multiple general general can by a few mercs (without setting the initial value higher)?

EDIT: Problem solved - it seems to get buggy when you have the same region in different pools.

[Xagamon]

What about if the mod is a total conversion? Are there any extra steps? For my mod, I followed the steps as best as I can. Now, when I added the unit to the roster, it loaded fine and looks ok in custom battles. I started with the descr_mercenaries file cleaned and empty to start from scratch. I added the entry like this:

pool Crab
regions Kyoukan_Province
unit Yari Ronin exp 2 cost 670 replenish 0.36 - 1.0 max 6 initial 3

This is the only entry in the mercenaries file. The game runs fine, but when I try to run the campaign it returns to the single player menu. I checked the log and found this line:

19:24:32.389 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Bare_Geomod/data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/descr_mercenaries.txt, at line 9, column 11
Unrecognised unit name found: 'Yari Ronin exp 2 cost 470 replenish 0.36 - 1.0 max 6 initial 3'

What exactly could cause this?

For details, here is what the entries for the desired unit look like:

type Yari Ronin
dictionary Yari_Ronin
category infantry
class spearmen
voice_type Light
banner faction main_infantry
banner holy crusade
soldier yari_ronin, 43, 0, 1.3125
attributes sea_faring, hide_forest, can_withdraw, hardy, mercenary_unit
formation 1.2, 1.2, 2.4, 2.4, 5, square
stat_health 1, 0
stat_pri 7, 3, no, 0, 0, melee, melee_blade, piercing, spear, 25, 1
;stat_pri_ex 0, 0, 0
stat_pri_attr light_spear, spear_bonus_6
stat_sec 0, 0, no, 0, 0, no, melee_simple, blunt, none, 25, 1
;stat_sec_ex 0, 0, 0
stat_sec_attr no
stat_pri_armour 5, 5, 0, metal
;stat_armour_ex 0, 4, 0, 0, 1, 3, 3, flesh
stat_sec_armour 0, 0, flesh
stat_heat 2
stat_ground 1, -2, 3, 2
stat_mental 11, impetuous, trained
stat_charge_dist 30
stat_fire_delay 0
stat_food 60, 300
stat_cost 1, 670, 300, 100, 75, 670, 4, 160
armour_ug_levels 0
armour_ug_models yari_ronin
ownership slave
;unit_info 5, 0, 4

10 yari_ronin
1 1
47 unit_models/_Units/samurai/ronin_yari_lod0.mesh 10000
2
5 slave
65 unit_models/_Units/samurai/textures/samurai_infantry_body.texture
70 unit_models/_Units/samurai/textures/samurai_infantry_body_norm.texture
36 unit_sprites/merc_Samurai_sprite.spr
4 merc
65 unit_models/_Units/samurai/textures/samurai_infantry_body.texture
70 unit_models/_Units/samurai/textures/samurai_infantry_body_norm.texture
36 unit_sprites/merc_Samurai_sprite.spr
2
5 slave
76 unit_models/_Units/samurai/attachments/samurai_infantry_weapons_diff.texture
76 unit_models/_Units/samurai/attachments/samurai_infantry_weapons_norm.texture 0
4 merc
76 unit_models/_Units/samurai/attachments/samurai_infantry_weapons_diff.texture
76 unit_models/_Units/samurai/attachments/samurai_infantry_weapons_norm.texture 0
1
4 None
10 MTW2_Spear 0
2
18 MTW2_Spear_primary
14 fs_test_shield 0
16 -0.090000004 0 0 -0.34999999 0.80000001 0.60000002

Any ideas? I'm out of 'em.

[makanyane]

It seems to be reading the whole
'Yari Ronin exp 2 cost 670 replenish 0.36 - 1.0 max 6 initial 3'
thing as the unit name - so I'm guessing you need a tab and not just a space between Ronin & exp (or vice versa)

anyway some sort of text formatting issue...

[Withwnar]

A tab is needed after the unit type, that's right. Just like for "unit" lines in descr_strat and campaign_script. It's how the game knows that it has reached the end of the unit type, because the type can contain spaces.

[Xagamon]

Yup, that's exactly what it was. Thanks you two.

Now I must once again bang my head against the wall.

[Gigantus]

number stuff in modeldb - the number in front of the line must be equal to the number of characters following it. Examples:

6 england
8 big_dude

The way textures work:
the 'merc' texture will be used if the unit has the mercenary_unit attribute entry in EDU
the 'faction name' texture will be used otherwise
the 'silver surfer' appears if there is no texture for that faction and the unit does not have the mercenary attribute above

Seeing that mercenaries can be recruited by every faction unless restricted in descr_mercenaries any faction that has no texture allocated will recruit silver surfers. The mercenary attribute is there to reduce the requirements to one texture for all.
Following that: if you want to use a regular unit as mercenary as well (normal recruiting PLUS mercenary recruiting) will mean that you have to create texture entries for all factions in the modeldb - unless you add the mercenary attribute to the EDU entry and make sure a merc texture entry exists in the modeldb file.

[selv]

The way textures work:
the 'merc' texture will be used if the unit has the mercenary_unit attribute entry in EDU
the 'faction name' texture will be used otherwise
the 'silver surfer' appears if there is no texture for that faction and the unit does not have the mercenary attribute above

Seeing that mercenaries can be recruited by every faction unless restricted in descr_mercenaries any faction that has no texture allocated will recruit silver surfers. The mercenary attribute is there to reduce the requirements to one texture for all.
Following that: if you want to use a regular unit as mercenary as well (normal recruiting PLUS mercenary recruiting) will mean that you have to create texture entries for all factions in the modeldb - unless you add the mercenary attribute to the EDU entry and make sure a merc texture entry exists in the modeldb file.

Let me check that I got this right. Instead of having for example:

7 denmark 
38 unit_models/Armenian/Armenian1.texture 
45 unit_models/Armenian/Armenian1_normal.texture 
47 unit_sprites/Armenian/Armenian_Horse_Archer.spr 
5 egypt 
38 unit_models/Armenian/Armenian1.texture 
45 unit_models/Armenian/Armenian1_normal.texture 
47 unit_sprites/Armenian/Armenian_Horse_Archer.spr

And ect for all factions, I could just have one merc entry for every single units textures, then the mercenary attribube for all units in EDU regardless if they are true mercenary or not, and that would be that? But this is incredibly relieving, why bother having textures entries for factions then? If I ever need to reopen this cursed battlemodel file, I will be much less weary... Thanks both for the tip.

Ps, I got it right? This is the big secret tip that might save my sanity some day?

[DeltaBGhost]

Sorry for the late necro.

I Gigantus, or anyone else, I am having some issues with your instructions or the game itself. I am playing Stainless Steel and had a mercenary unit causing a CTD because its textures did not exist. following your instructions I added a replacements for any missing files.

7 macemen
1 4
56 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/baltest_mace_lod0.mesh 121
56 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/baltest_mace_lod1.mesh 900
56 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/baltest_mace_lod2.mesh 2500
56 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/baltest_mace_lod3.mesh 6400
1
4 merc
80 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_teutonic_order.texture
87 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_teutonic_order_normal.texture
57 unit_sprites/merc_Dismounted_Mercenary_Knights_sprite.spr
1
4 merc
57 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Heater_merc_diff.texture
57 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Heater_merc_norm.texture 0
1
4 None
9 MTW2_Mace 0

As far as I can tell it should work, but the problem is in battle the units are loaded with a silver surfer sheen over top of the textures. I can see the body textures, but the silver surfer is coating it. I am unsure why that is and want to fix it ASAP. Thank you!

[rafmc1989]

Yes, the merc attribute values as "merc" entry in the .db, and for all factions...

But having entries for all factions for each unit is never wasted, you do not risk unwilling "silver surfers" (especially for unit officers, bannermen, other aside men in a unit, etc.)..

[Knightforger]

I'm encountering a problem I know I've had trouble with before; but I'm not seeing the solution here (and have no clue where to look for it).

Anyway, I've successfully added a Merc Longboat (I think); but I'm having trouble with my Mercenary Norse Swordsmen and Mercenary Norse Archers. The situation is this: I only use the (Turn Based) Campaign Map; but I did follow all the procedures listed above; however the pictures that appear in the mercenary recruitment window are of generic units (except for the longboat).

I've even searched directories to compare where I placed the various Merc Longboat TGA's etc. and have ensured that the tga's for the other two units are there as well. They are showing up in the Army window and the Info Pop Ups work too; but the recruitment window is just not right.

So, I'm stumped.

SK.

[Withwnar]

If they have the mercenary_unit attribute in EDU then...

data\ui\unit_info\merc
data\ui\units\mercs

[Knightforger]

If they have the mercenary_unit attribute in EDU...

That was the issue: somehow I forgot to add ", mercenary_unit" to the end of the attributes after copying and renaming the entries.

Now (that it all works) I have to decide whether I actually want separate "Mercenary" units or to go back and just add the "mercenary_unit" attribute to the original units.

Decisions, decisions.

SK

PS. Thanks! I think the file may have been opened twice and while I made the change in the one I did not save it and then ended up making other changes in the other...

[Gigantus]

If it's a total silver surfer then it means that the unit's faction is not represented in the texture section. That should however not be the case if the unit has the 'mercenary_unit' ability in it's EDU entry.

If it's like an ice coating with some texture still visible then it's a bad 'normal' texture.

[Gigantus]

Check in the 3D section (workshop as well as tutorials) on how to get a proper normal map texture.

[Kovac_Milovan]

Greetings!

After reading this thread i started to wonder if it's possible to make some mercenaries available only to a specific general (with a specific custom trait/ancillary for example).
This could be used to create lots of subfactions in mods if necessary.

Best regards.

Milovan

P.S. It is amazing that many threads related to MTW2 modding are still alive.