add faction for custom battles?

[Halie Satanus]

ive made my own skin set and need to know how to add a faction so i can view them in game(custom battles)

unit list for satanae (army of darkness)

prevatories=light infantry=legion satanae
druids=light infantry=satanae pugnus(satans fist)
spartans=heavy infantry=aureus pugnus(golden fist)
nightraiders=heavy infantry=legion etrigan
forester war band=archers=bows of memnoch
arcarni=elite infantry=prima juda(first juda)
horse archers=infusco ymber(dark rain)
arcani cavalry=aureus diluculo=light cavalry(golden dawn)
sacred band cataphracts=aureus ymber=heavy cavalry (golden rain)
sacred band= serpentarius= heavy cavalry(the snake)

[shadowarmy75]

The easiest way would be to rename another faction and add these units to them. I don't know how to change the names though.

[Lusted]

You cannot add in new factions. You would have to add these units in to an existing faction.

[Halie Satanus]

and how do i do that ive tried searching twc and the guild and seem to be going round in circles

what ive done so far is redesigned existing skins (new textures,colours)and replacing
the originals keeping the same names and deleating the old textures, but when i start the game in custom battle the old ones are still there ,am i going mad

any help much appreciated

liking your terrae expugnandae by the way

[shadowarmy75]

Do you mean unit cards or do you see the old units when you start the battle. If it is the second one then did you change the references to the new textures you made? I would suggest naming them the same as the original ones, backup the originals, and replace them.

[Halie Satanus]

done that it still comes up with the old skin
also tried creating a new folder in textures
data/packs/data/models_unit/textures/texture/UNIT_ROMAN_ARCANI_JULII.TGA



if any nice skiners out there would allow me to e-mail them a couple of skins
to see if thier done right it would be much appreciated

im pretty sure every things correct but these are my first

[shadowarmy75]

How can it display the old ones if you deleted it.

[Halie Satanus]

ive got different versions of the game in my rome total war folder it must be searching for them

[PatWest]

Are you using the same name for the new textures as the old ones? Did you remove the old textures from the packs file? If it has the same name and you didn't delete the old skin it defaults to the skin in the packs file. If it has a different name maybe they're in the wrong place.

[Halie Satanus]

yeh using the same name and replacing the original all textures are in the packs files, should they be somewhere else?

data/packs/data/models_unit/textures/texture/UNIT_ROMAN_ARCANI_JULII.TGA this is the path to the texture im testing with my texture

[PatWest]

I've done alot of skin changing recently and I don't use the same name. The only problem I've ever had was putting the wrong skin on a model and gettin wierd effects. If the name is unique you don't have to worry about pak files. The comp always looks in the pak files first and if it see's it there it loads that skin. If you want a new unit/info card then you might want to unpack them. As for textures, any you add should be in data\models_unit\textures folder.

You have one extra texture in your path that doesn't need to be there either. Don't know if that has anything to do with it. I test all my skin changes on an old unused mod.

[Halie Satanus]

im confused and maybe a bit stupid all my textures including ones ive altered are in my data/packs... ect file
do i need to delete the still packed packs so the only textures are the unpaked ones (a light just came on over my head)
does that sound right

coding gives me a head-ache

[PatWest]

I'll try to answer that. The only real reason I know of to un-pack the pak files is if you want to use something contained within. Like when I wanted to use a unit card or add some building graphics to another culture. For skin changes you only need to drop the tga in the texture folder contained within the data\models_unit folder. With any vanilla version there won't be a texture folder you'll have to make it yourself. Then change the entry in descr_model_battle txt Thats all their is to it. If the name is different ofcourse.


Here's an example of a skin change entry in DMB

type greek_elephant_crew_merc
skeleton fs_forest_elephant_rider
indiv_range 40
texture merc, data/models_unit/textures/wspite_greek_archer_elephant_merc.tga
model_flexi data/models_unit/unit_greek_archer_high.cas, 15
model_flexi data/models_unit/unit_greek_archer_med.cas, 30
model_flexi data/models_unit/unit_greek_archer_low.cas, 40
model_flexi data/models_unit/unit_greek_archer_lowest.cas, max
model_sprite 60.0, data/sprites/greek_elephant_crew_merc_sprite.spr
model_tri 400, 0.5f, 0.5f, 0.5f

I changed the merc skin to one of Warspites. All I did was drop the tga in the textures folder and that one line, your done. Anything else is unnecessary. The name for the unit will still be the same because it's defined by other files.

[PatWest]

im confused and maybe a bit stupid all my textures including ones ive altered are in my data/packs... ect file
do i need to delete the still packed packs so the only textures are the unpaked ones (a light just came on over my head)
does that sound right

coding gives me a head-ache

If you unpack the pak files it creates a new folder within the packs folder thats essentially inert. Any changes made to that file are irrelevant unless you first move the folders within to your main data folder and make a blank pak file. Then when the comp looks for a, unit card say, it looks first to the apropriate pak folder if it doesn't see what its looking there, it looks in the main data folder and see's, in this example, the UI folder there. It will crash if it doesn't see the packed UI folder, you have to make a blank pak file of the same name to fool it.

Again thats totally unnecessary just to use skins.

[PatWest]

One last thing halie satanus, you can keep the unpacked folders there or store them somewhere else so later you can use things contained within. I've made use of the UI folder to change the unit cards for the mercenary's and to add building graphics to other cultures. Thats when you'll need to move the UI folder out into your main data folder and make a blank copy to sit in your packs folder. Otherwise it just defaults to the packed pak file instead, though thats not the entire story.

You can make these extra folders in your main data folder and leave the pak files alone if you're adding new items that are not already in your pak files. Because the mercenary's were well defined across many files it was quicker to change the unit cards even with all that crap than go around and rename them.

[Halie Satanus]

i......think......i.........get it thanks for the help i'll be sure to mention you if i get a mod out of my spare room

[Halie Satanus]

the files are unpaked as i used them as templates for my reskins so do i now need to move all textures in to data/models_units, will the comp search there,if thats correct how do i create a blank pak file

would you belive this is kind of what i do for a living

[PatWest]

the files are unpaked as i used them as templates for my reskins so do i now need to move all textures in to data/models_units, will the comp search there,if thats correct how do i create a blank pak file

would you belive this is kind of what i do for a living

That last post was before I saw this but contains most of the info you need.

No you don't have to move them to your main data folder. If you put your new and renamed skins in the added texture file within your models_unit folder.

To make a blank pak file just grab the file you want and move it, or flush it. Then, I just confirmed this again, you right click, pick new, text document and give it the exact name as the file you stored, ui_1.pak in my case and it will ask if you're sure you want to rename it, say yes and you have a blank pak file.

You want to know something that will really chap your hide. I learned what cutting and pasting was a year ago and I'm freaking 42. I've never modded a thing before in my life. I hated dos never wanted to learn it.

[Halie Satanus]

sweet

[HopliteGlory]

Thanks for the simple walkthrough PatWest!! You are the first to make it so easy.