Help with the 'Silver Surfer' issue:

**Æthelstan Half-King** · July 11, 2010, 03:28 AM

Well I've been looking around and not been able to find a 'for dummies' version of how to solve this issue so I am just going to ask for help.

Basically I'm tinkering with Stainless Steel, trying to take the 'Norse Swordsman' model/skin and use it to make a 'new' unit with a different name.(for my own personal use only of course).

The unit did appear on the custom battle selector fine but as you can gather from the title, it appeared as a silver unit except for the captains/banner bearers. In my attempts to solve this, I then somehow went and made it worse so that the game now crashes on start up, probably due to one of the number of characters in a line not being correct although I have had no luck in tracking that particular one down, to me it all seems okay. So I would appreciate any advice you might have.

12 saxon_thegns
1 4
63 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod0.mesh 121
63 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod1.mesh 900
63 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod2.mesh 2500
63 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod3.mesh 6400
2
16 knights_templar
73 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_denmarz.texture
72 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_normaz.texture
50 unit_sprites/denmark_Viking_Raiders_ug3_sprite.spr
5 slave
72 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_rebels.texture
72 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_normal.texture
48 unit_sprites/slave_Viking_Raiders_ug3_sprite.spr
2
16 knights_templar
60 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_denmark_diff.texture
59 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_norway_norm.texture 0
5 slave
58 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_slave_diff.texture
58 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_slave_norm.texture 0
1
4 None
14 MTW2_Swordsman 0
2
18 MTW2_Sword_Primary
14 fs_test_shield 0
16 -0.090000004 0 0 -0.34999999 0.80000001 0.60000002
16 saxon_thegns_ug1
1 1
45 unit_models/_Units/Ferrum/landsmenn_lod0.mesh 6400
3
16 knights_templar
52 unit_models/_Units/Ferrum/textures/Landsmenn.texture
54 unit_models/_Units/Ferrum/textures/Landsmenn_n.texture
50 unit_sprites/denmark_Viking_Raiders_ug2_sprite.spr
5 slave
52 unit_models/_Units/Ferrum/textures/Landsmenn.texture
54 unit_models/_Units/Ferrum/textures/Landsmenn_n.texture
48 unit_sprites/slave_Viking_Raiders_ug2_sprite.spr
2
16 knights_templar
60 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_denmark_diff.texture
59 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_norway_norm.texture 0
5 slave
58 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_slave_diff.texture
58 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_slave_norm.texture 0
1
4 None
14 MTW2_Swordsman 0
2
18 MTW2_Sword_Primary
14 fs_test_shield 0
16 -0.090000004 0 0 -0.34999999 0.80000001 0.60000002
19 saxon_thegns_ug2
1 3
69 unit_models/_Units/LN_3QPlate_HalfPlate/norse_swordsmen_ug2_lod0.mesh 121
69 unit_models/_Units/LN_3QPlate_HalfPlate/norse_swordsmen_ug2_lod1.mesh 1225
69 unit_models/_Units/LN_3QPlate_HalfPlate/norse_swordsmen_ug2_lod2.mesh 6400
2
16 knights_templar
73 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_denmarz.texture
72 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_normaz.texture
51 unit_sprites/denmark_Norse_Swordsmen_ug2_sprite.spr
5 slave
72 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_rebels.texture
72 unit_models/_Units/EN_Lmail_Hmail/textures/EN_Lmail_Hmail_normal.texture
49 unit_sprites/slave_Norse_Swordsmen_ug2_sprite.spr
2
16 knights_templar
60 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_denmark_diff.texture
59 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_norway_norm.texture 0
5 slave
58 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_slave_diff.texture
58 unit_models/AttachmentSets/Final Danish_slave_norm.texture 0
1
4 None
14 MTW2_Swordsman 0
2
18 MTW2_Sword_Primary
14 fs_test_shield 0
16 -0.090000004 0 0 -0.34999999 0.80000001 0.60000002

**Ishan** · July 11, 2010, 04:03 AM

The unit appears Black when something is wrong with the textures and silver when a faction having the unit doesn't have the ownership of the unit in BMDB model.
Crashes occur mainly due to mistakes in BMDB model most of the times missing files.

Also u are using 3 model types 1 normal and 2 it's upgrade. I recommend a load of one by one each unit in the custom battle in order to narrow down the problem.

Whereas the crash may be due to this entry shown below in red. Change it from 3 to 2 'coz there are only 2 factions mentioned in the entry.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Ishan** · July 11, 2010, 04:05 AM

We also need to see your EDU entry of the unit.

**Æthelstan Half-King** · July 11, 2010, 06:55 AM

Thank you for the reply, it was indeed the 3 instead of 2 that was causing the crashes, no idea how I missed that.

All 3 in custom battle load, but normal and ug1 are silver, ug2 is invisible.

Here is the EDU entry:

type Saxon Thegns
dictionary saxon_thegns ; Saxon Thegns, ep
category infantry
class heavy
voice_type Heavy
banner faction main_infantry
banner holy crusade
soldier Norse_Swordsmen, 48, 0, 1.1
officer Norse_Swordsmen_ug2
officer northern_captain_early_flag
officer northern_captain_early_flag
attributes sea_faring, hide_forest, can_withdraw, hardy
formation 1.2, 0, 2.4, 2.4, 4, square
stat_health 1, 1
stat_pri 6, 4, no, 0, 0, melee, melee_blade, piercing, sword, 15, 1
stat_pri_attr no
stat_sec 0, 0, no, 0, 0, no, melee_simple, blunt, none, 0, 1
stat_sec_attr no
stat_pri_armour 5, 7, 5, metal
stat_sec_armour 0, 0, flesh
stat_heat 8
stat_ground 0, -2, 2, 1
stat_mental 13, normal, trained
stat_charge_dist 6
stat_fire_delay 0
stat_food 60, 300
stat_cost 1, 380, 270, 75, 55, 575, 4, 100
armour_ug_levels 5, 9, 14, 23
armour_ug_models saxon_thegns, saxon_thegns_ug1, saxon_thegns_ug2
ownership knights_templar, slave
era 0 knights_templar
era 1 knights_templar
recruit_priority_offset 20

**Moon** · July 11, 2010, 07:29 AM

Have you increased this part of the BMDB in red as you haven't mentioned it, 22 serialization::archive 3 0 0 0 0 713 0 0, your's will be different to mine so increase it by 3 which would be 716 in my example. If you haven't you will get silver surfers, it won't crash if an upg is beyond the serialisation count and that is when you get completely invisible models.

**Ishan** · July 11, 2010, 01:39 PM

Moon is right.

**Taiji** · July 11, 2010, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by Æthelstan Half-King

16 knights_templar

Doesn't look like 16 to me. Looks like 15.

Anyway, you don't need to make entire new battle_models entries - You just need to add knights_templar texture entries onto the existing ones. New EDU entry, and new unit name and description in export_units are both needed. But just new texture entries for the model, because the model already has an entry.

**Ishan** · July 12, 2010, 03:05 AM

Originally Posted by Taiji

Doesn't look like 16 to me. Looks like 15.

Anyway, you don't need to make entire new battle_models entries - You just need to add knights_templar texture entries onto the existing ones. New EDU entry, and new unit name and description in export_units are both needed. But just new texture entries for the model, because the model already has an entry.

i concur.Like i said earlier

silver when a faction having the unit doesn't have the ownership of the unit in BMDB model.

**Taiji** · July 12, 2010, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by Ishan

i concur.Like i said earlier

No, you didn't say anything of the kind. If you had done so then I wouldn't have bothered.

What do you think I said there that you have said already?

**Ishan** · July 12, 2010, 11:35 AM

I said that the unit appears silver when we add the entry in EDU but not BMDB. that was my point i was not saying similar as of your own point.
Sorry for my poor english u misunderstood me.

**Taiji** · July 12, 2010, 11:50 AM

My point was that we shouldn't be making new model entries in bmdb for no reason.

**Ishan** · July 12, 2010, 12:14 PM

My point was that we shouldn't be making new model entries in bmdb for no reason.

@Taiji
Sorry bro but did he make another entry for the same model.
If so then u are 100% correct.

This model saxon_thegns does it already exists by default?

**Taiji** · July 12, 2010, 01:19 PM

saxon_thegns is just the entry name in battle_models.

The actual model (consisting of 3 levels of detail for different viewing ranges) is norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod0.mesh, norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod1.mesh and norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod2.mesh. So he only needs to add knights_templar texture entries to the existing norse_swordsmen entry.

Making a new model entry with a new name for a model already listed in another entry is totally pointless as far as I can see.

**Ishan** · July 12, 2010, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by Taiji

saxon_thegns is just the entry name in battle_models.

The actual model (consisting of 3 levels of detail for different viewing ranges) is norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod0.mesh, norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod1.mesh and norse_swordsmen_ug1_lod2.mesh. So he only needs to add knights_templar texture entries to the existing norse_swordsmen entry.

Making a new model entry with a new name for a model already listed in another entry is totally pointless as far as I can see.

Yes u are right.
It's easy but he has complicated the matter as far as i can see.

Also he should use the error checker for BMDB.
Here is the link to a post of mine having the link as well as the instructions on how to use it.

**Æthelstan Half-King** · July 12, 2010, 04:28 PM

Well I managed to get it working by just adding the faction under the already existing norse_swordsmen entry as you said. The joys of being clueless when it comes to modding I guess.

Thanks for the help.

**Ishan** · July 12, 2010, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by Æthelstan Half-King

Well I managed to get it working by just adding the faction under the already existing norse_swordsmen entry as you said. The joys of being clueless when it comes to modding I guess.

Thanks for the help.

Glad to help u bro but the real hero for u was Taiji here.

Enjoy bro

.