watchtower texture

[Keyser Soze]

I need to change "sand" texture of model "me_watchtower.cas" to "stone". I recoloured "me_watchtower" texture in data/models_strat/residences/textures but it is still "sand". I found much files and folders with watchtowers, but do not know which texture is valid for this model.
so could you help me somebody?

[Augustus Lucifer]

There's the files in */data/terrain/aerial_map/bases/watchtowers/. I assume you're referring to the tile that appears under the watchtower when it's built.

There should be three files in that folder in vanilla. They're referenced by the file descr_aerial_map_bases.txt which gives their filenames at the bottom in the watchtowers section. You might be able to define a new entry there, "watchtower_myfaction" or whatever, I've never tried since I don't do art. It's also possible the file is deprecated though I doubt it.

As for how it ties back in, in the descr_cultures.txt after watchtower on the culture entry it says "watchtower_roman", I presume this is referncing the aerial_map_bases file on the type line and should also be changeable.

Please report back if you get new entries in the first file to work and get referenced properly in the second file. I've looked at a few mods (TA, BC, DLV, Rusichi, PI) and none of them seem to make changes to the file, so it wouldn't necessarily be a breakthrough if it works but it would add another thing to the list of easily modifiable. If it works it should be applicable to settlements and ports as well, whose lines after the model in the second file also match up with type lines in the first file.

[Keyser Soze]

There's the files in */data/terrain/aerial_map/bases/watchtowers/. I assume you're referring to the tile that appears under the watchtower when it's built.

There should be three files in that folder in vanilla. They're referenced by the file descr_aerial_map_bases.txt which gives their filenames at the bottom in the watchtowers section. You might be able to define a new entry there, "watchtower_myfaction" or whatever, I've never tried since I don't do art. It's also possible the file is deprecated though I doubt it.

as I said, those "underlays" are all the same.

Please report back if you get new entries in the first file to work and get referenced properly in the second file. I've looked at a few mods (TA, BC, DLV, Rusichi, PI) and none of them seem to make changes to the file, so it wouldn't necessarily be a breakthrough if it works but it would add another thing to the list of easily modifiable. If it works it should be applicable to settlements and ports as well, whose lines after the model in the second file also match up with type lines in the first file.

I change the colour of valid "underlay" for watchtower which I need to change to blue, but the watchtower was still sandy.

[DAVIDE]

I need to change "sand" texture of model "me_watchtower.cas" to "stone". I recoloured "me_watchtower" texture in data/models_strat/residences/textures but it is still "sand". I found much files and folders with watchtowers, but do not know which texture is valid for this model.
so could you help me somebody?

i edited strat map watchtowers. Did you run game via io_first then?

[Keyser Soze]

thanks for yours help guys.

to Augustus Lucifer. hm, seems a little bit complicated for me, I´m noob in these things. and it is important that no one change texture. but I´ve tried to rename "me_watchtower.cas" and I was surprised that Middel Eastern faction build the same tower as before I rename it...
btw, in folder/data/terrain/aerial_map/bases/watchtowers/ all three seems the same...


davide.cool. no I did not.

sorry, but I did not say you everything . I need add this model to mod based on RTW/BI. and here things works a little another way. so I need change texture in M2TW and than put it to RTW/BI engine.

[makanyane]

thanks for yours help guys.

to Augustus Lucifer. hm, seems a little bit complicated for me, I´m noob in these things. and it is important that no one change texture. but I´ve tried to rename "me_watchtower.cas" and I was surprised that Middel Eastern faction build the same tower as before I rename it...

if text file is still telling it to look for an original texture and you removed it, the game will look in the pack files and find it there instead.... put your log file on trace and you should be able to see that happening...


the texture file that the .cas files look for is whatever was used as texture name when the cas was saved (its not listed separately anywhere) if you haven't got 3dsMax to open .cas try putting the watchtower .cas as only alteration into RTW map and hope that the -show_err system says something helpful like "can't find blah_blah_watchtower.tga" when it crashes!

if that doesn't work yell and I'll try and see if I can find it for you.....

[Augustus Lucifer]

if text file is still telling it to look for an original texture and you removed it, the game will look in the pack files and find it there instead.... put your log file on trace and you should be able to see that happening...


the texture file that the .cas files look for is whatever was used as texture name when the cas was saved (its not listed separately anywhere) if you haven't got 3dsMax to open .cas try putting the watchtower .cas as only alteration into RTW map and hope that the -show_err system says something helpful like "can't find blah_blah_watchtower.tga" when it crashes!

if that doesn't work yell and I'll try and see if I can find it for you.....

There's actually an easier way to see which texture it wants that doesn't require a modeling program. I'm not sure if it can be effectively edited this way, but at the least it can be viewed. Just right-click the .CAS file and open it with a program like Notepad++. On the very last line it will have a bunch of NUL and then it will list the texture path it wants. If I do it for assassin.cas in M2 I see this on the last line:

textures\mtw_northen_european_assassin_denmark.tga

If I do it for me_watchtower.cas it's not quite as simple since it isn't at the bottom(I think these CAS files are different from the agent CAS files). But I just CTRL+F for .tga without case-sensitive search, and sure enough I get(on Line 35):

ME_watchtower.TGA

It's easier to read in a hex editor like HxD, but the principle is the same, that somewhere in the CAS file the texture will be listed as a string.

[Keyser Soze]

to makanyane, unfortunately i have not 3dsMax, I´m not modeler...
I´ve transferred me_watchtower.CAS from M2 to RTW, renamed it to name which is in .txt file. than I deleted textures of watchtowers, start game and ops I can build watchtower and it is stil sandy...
it could be nice if you can do something with this

to davide.cool, as I wrote thereinbefore I have not 3dsMax and I never work with it...

to Audustus Lucifer, yes watchtower CAS file is not so easy codded as character CAS. but I change me_watchtower.tga and it did not works.

ones more thank you all . it seems I must find modeler...
good luck guys.

[DAVIDE]

davide.cool. no I did not.

sorry, but I did not say you everything . I need add this model to mod based on RTW/BI. and here things works a little another way. so I need change texture in M2TW and than put it to RTW/BI engine.

i did that too, i mean a med2 tower transferred to Rtw

1) If you rename the med2 .cas tower (just thru right click on file) as the rtw one, the game crashes because cant recognize the original skin and path

2) if you rename just the texture (thru right click on file), in game the model crashes because texture isnt recognized by model and path

If you wanna transfer the tower from med2 to rtw you have to:

1) after edited the texture via cs2, you have to save it in the folder of Rtw of your mod or vanilla one. u can save it as the vanilla file (it will ask you to overwrite) or change name. if you change name than you have to edit txts.
2) open 3dsmax and load the med2 watchtower. Now enter the materials and give tower the skin you edited. If skin and model doenst match (watching the 4 views in 3dmax), you have to edit the unwrap mappings.
3) Delete the "custom attribute" part (i dont remember the full correct name of it) from model (Rtw isnt able to read this thing).
4) Export the model in Rtw folder you want the model (usually is "residence")


if you have changed model name or skin name or both, you have to edit txts. if you just overwrote the vanilla files, you just have to enter the game not thru the original vanilla .exe