[Guide]Stainless Steel General Modding Topic

[Gorrrrrn]

Perhaps i was being ambiguous regarding "changing" - could refer to editing existing buildings or changing them them , ie making new ones?
probably because I was in a rush and haven't even read the tutorial yet and wanted to let people know the tutorial was available.

(I have, however, played around with earlier versions of the IWTE prog - which is how the RozMod has the ambient buildings as forts option -
something I still haven't worked out the best way to utilise.)

[RollingWave]

a question:

did SS change the animations for pikemens? I remember in vanilla pikemens would switch to a secondary weapon when the enemies got close, but that was no longer the case in SS, I had thought at first that it was simply because that the secondary weapons for pikemens were disabled in the EDU , but after testing to add one back they still didn't switch to secondary weapons (well they do extremely occasionally, and I mean extremely occasional)

[Ishan]

a question:

did SS change the animations for pikemens?

Yes SS uses new animations for the pikemens.

[Jaujon]

Does someone know how to modify the way a unit's experience increase attack/defense stats? I mean, in which file and which value? Thanks.

[newt]

It's hardcoded

[Jaujon]

It's hardcoded

Then how is it possible that it's different from one mod to another?

[Meneth]

It isn't.
But when a mod has higher attack values, the difference per level will be relatively smaller, while still being just as many points.

[Jaujon]

It isn't.
But when a mod has higher attack values, the difference per level will be relatively smaller, while still being just as many points.

Ok, let's make it simple. I'm importing DarthMod battle AI/physics/unit stats into SS 6.3.
I've got a problem with unit's experience. In DarthMod, when an unit gains experience, it gets both attack & defense stats increased. In SS 6.3, only attack increases, for two strictly identical units in export_descr_units.txt for both mods. I'd like to change that, there must be a way since it behaves differently with each mod for the same stats and description.

EDIT: I found out why. This is due to M2TW/Kingdoms differences. In M2TW 1.3, experience increases attack, defense and morale. In Kingdoms, experience only increases attack and morale. DarthMod works with original 1.3, SS 6.3 with Kingdoms. Logical. Kingdoms = pain in my ass.

[Meneth]

Darth Mod is for vanilla AFAIK, while SS is for Kingdoms.
Defense increasing was disabled by CA in Kingdoms AFAIK.

[Ishan]

EDIT: I found out why. This is due to M2TW/Kingdoms differences. In M2TW 1.3, experience increases attack, defense and morale. In Kingdoms, experience only increases attack and morale. DarthMod works with original 1.3, SS 6.3 with Kingdoms. Logical. Kingdoms = pain in my ass.

You have no idea the extra features that kingdoms.exe provides over medieval2.exe.

[Jaujon]

You have no idea the extra features that kingdoms.exe provides over medieval2.exe.

An uncleverly designed software remains an uncleverly designed software, no matter what kind of content it brings. In the meantime, I think I know why they did that. It's because when the unit gets experience and increase, by this way, its defense, the engine consider it as an armor upgrade (the model changes therefore). I noticed this on Vanilla M2TW and its mods.
Anyway, I compensated by increasing the armor value of all units. The fights look really good; hope I can finish the job soon and release it.

[Ishan]

An uncleverly designed software remains an uncleverly designed software, no matter what kind of content it brings.

Nothing is perfect and all i know is it's better than medieval2.exe. It has a whole set of new scripting commands and a new .pkg command otherwise no one would make mods kingdoms based and we would be still on medieval2.exe based mods. Not to mention that CA released mod tools to the community making the game far more flexible & modding user friendly.

In the meantime, I think I know why they did that. It's because when the unit gets experience and increase, by this way, its defense, the engine consider it as an armor upgrade (the model changes therefore). I noticed this on Vanilla M2TW and its mods.

Yes that happens i agree.

Anyway, I compensated by increasing the armor value of all units. The fights look really good; hope I can finish the job soon and release it.

You should try DLV with Taiji's battle balance submod he has done some intense work in it.

[Jaujon]

You should try DLV with Taiji's battle balance submod he has done some intense work in it.

Yeah... but no. I like too much the work done on SS 6.3 map and units. I don't mind about spending some time modding it. And it has Aragon.

[Stario]

Sorry in advance if I posted this in wrong place. However, I have a question regarding Portraits...

I want to use background from "stock" MTW portraits as I plan to make some portraits and I want to have the same backgrounds for my new portraits instead of making new/different ones. The problem is I cannot find the portrait folder. I've looked in data/ui folder and they don't seem to be there. I am using 6.3 with Meneth's compilation which still uses stock portraits.

[Meneth]

I recommend you look in the Mod Workshop. There's several threads on portraits in there.
Since SS uses few non-standard portraits, most of the portraits folder aren't there as the portraits are drawn from Medieval 2 itself.

[Stario]

I recommend you look in the Mod Workshop. There's several threads on portraits in there.
Since SS uses few non-standard portraits, most of the portraits folder aren't there as the portraits are drawn from Medieval 2 itself.

Thanx for the quick reply Meneth. Unfortunately I looked in data/ui in original MTW but nothing. I did however, find the captains banners folder in SS with the right backgrounds; for each specific faction. Unfortunately the background have captains portrait which will make things a little tricky, but i reckon i could just delete the captains image and draw in the middle to make a background template. So with some lengthy editing it can be done; though I don't know how images will turn out in the end because I am forcing the transparent background image being seen saving it in .dds so I'm hoping it wont affect things once i revert back to .tga (but in theory it shouldn't).

As I enjoy playing Spain I want to start with making more portraits to Spain first and then hopefully move on to other factions.

edit: The generic portrait are so boring particularly when you have two Generals with the same portraits. Some of them are plain ugly as well.

[newt]

The medieval files are packed, that's why you can't see them. Check the mod workshop to learn how to unpack them.

[Stario]

The medieval files are packed, that's why you can't see them. Check the mod workshop to learn how to unpack them.

Thanx. Unpacked, they are all there.

[RollingWave]

A dumb noob question again..

I finally figured out how to do a UI ... but my UI's background is inconsistent with the rest of the units, what's up with that? it also looks darker... it's not completely unusable at this stage but it certainly looks... weird (I guess you could say that it has the dark aura of deatttthhhhh around it or something.. ).... I'm extremely noob at photoshop so if please be a bit more detailed with the answers

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Please put images in spoiler.

[Ishan]

@RollingWave
Make sure your Unit pic has an alpha channel in it like this:-

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Make sure to turn off the eye icon on the alpha channel and select RGB layer before you save it(32-bit).