A quick guide on using unit skins with the TROM mod.
Compatibility
Most third party skins or skins sets are compatible with TROM, and do not require much work to set up.
In short:
- Skin sets that only change textures are always compatible
- Skin sets that change not only textures, but also data files, will generally not be compatible
Skin sets that change not only textures, but also data files, are usually mods that also change unit stats or add new units to the game. Popular examples include the Additional Units Mod (AUM) by SwissHalberdier and the Stand Alone Unit Packs by Legofingers. Using such mods in combination with TROM may cause problems, such as missing text, graphics corruption, changed unit stats or even game crashes. Since we cannot make separate TROM versions for all the different mods out there, we recommend not using them in combination with TROM.
Installation
It is recommended you use the ModManager tool. It can be downloaded here.
So you found a texture set that you like, you checked that it doesn't change anything other than just the textures (you'll usually find this information in the maker's Readme file).
Putting the mod files where they belong is easy, just follow the instructions provided with the texture set. Then, run ModManager and change the load order of the mods so that your skins mod is loaded AFTER TROM. It should look like this:
Finally, start the game by clicking the Launch button in ModManager. That's all
Note: texture packs in Patch format
If you cannot see the texture pack in ModManager, it means the skin pack uses the Patch format. These files are loaded intpo the game with a lower priority, and therefore may not show up correctly. (This applies not only for TROM but for all mods). Changing the Pack type to Mod resolves this.
- Open the pack with PackFileManager (download HERE) and change the Pack Type to Mod.
- Then enable the skin pack on top of TROM with ModManager
Note about AOR units
The new units in TROM use their own models and textures, and will not be affected by third party texture mods. In the future we may update their textures to something more artistic and historical, so for now you'll have to put up with them
Tutorial: enabling 3rd party skins with TROM
As an example we will use the Dutch retexture pack from Regalia of Nations. You installed this pack into your empire total war\data directory and you run ModManager. It doesn't show up in the list. This is because the texture pack uses the "patch" format. If we want to make it work correctly with TROM, we will have to change it to "mod" format.
Start PackFileManager and open the texture pack (in this case: patch_up_retextures.pack)
Click Choose a Pack Action and select Change Pack Type > Mod from the menu
Now select File > Save from the menu to save your changes, and exit PackFileManager.
When you run ModManager next time, the texture pack will show up in the list.
Now move the texture pack up in the list by clicking the arrow button, until it is on top of the list.
Click the Launch button, and ETW will load all the mods you have selected in ModManager. The mod on top of the list (the texture pack) takes precedence over all the others, and this ensures your new skins will show up correctly.
Tutorial: using separate skin sets for Named, Reserve and Colonial Regiments of Foot
A special feature in TROM is that we are using separate skin sets for the Named, Reserve and Colonial Regiments of Foot in the game. This allows more variety on the battlefield. It also means that you can choose different historical skins for these units.
For this we use the following naming pattern ("nationname" can be "austria", "britain", "netherlands", "wurttemberg" etc)
(Named) Regiment of Foot: euro_line_infantry_nationname
Reserve Regiment of Foot: aor_line_infantry_nationname
If there is no nation name in the texture, the texture is shared by multiple (or even all) nations.
Colonial Regiment of Foot: euro_colonial_infantry_nationname
Let's say we want to use the line infantry skin of the Regalia of Nations Dutch retexture pack for the Dutch Colonial Regiment of Foot in TROM.
Start PackFileManager and open the texture pack (in this case: patch_up_retextures.pack)
Find the line infantry textures: euro_line_infantry_netherlands_diffuse.dds, euro_line_infantry_netherlands_gloss.dds, euro_line_infantry_netherlands_normal.dds
In this case there are 3 textures. In some packs it's possible that there are 2 or only 1. This is not a problem.
Right click on the texture and choose Rename from the context menu.
Rename the textures as follows:
euro_line_infantry_netherlands_diffuse.dds > euro_colonial_infantry_netherlands_diffuse.dds
euro_line_infantry_netherlands_gloss.dds > euro_colonial_infantry_netherlands_gloss.dds
euro_line_infantry_netherlands_normal.dds > euro_colonial_infantry_netherlands_normal.dds
Now select File > Save from the menu to save your changes, and exit PackFileManager. You're done