[Modding] M2TW : Creating a World, a series of tools and tutorials by Gigantus

[Vaðarholmr]

Author: Gigantus
Original: [Resource] Creating a World - Reduced City Textures

[Resource] Creating a World - Reduced City Textures

Some might be familiar with this. Unfortunately the link to the download doesn't exist anymore so I added the files as an attachment.

How it works:

Reduced city textures from original 2048x2048 to 512x512 resolution, it helps to reduce lag at high texture setting (less HD access, faster loading

Installation:
-unpack in MTW2 directory preserving directory structure.
-run main game with --io.file_first switch (mods have this in their CFG file)

Uninstalling:
-delete data\blockset\ directory.

The original is from ziher

Download Link
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[Maximus IV]

Author: Gigantus
Original Thread: Creating a World - Starting Steam Mods the easy Way

Creating a World - Starting Steam Mods the easy Way

This tutorial is available as PDF

Introduction

It would appear that three rather cumbersome methods are widely used to make mods Steam compatible:

1. Renaming the mod's folder to one of the original kingdom campaigns, eg crusades
2. Creating new desktop short cuts via the launcher
3. Using the Steam launcher option the old RTW command line style way

Implementation

All of the above aren't really necessary unless the method described below doesn't work at all (it's a long story why that may happen and cannot be fixed), in fact a one time copy\rename action will make nearly every mod playable from it's desktop shortcut. Here is the step by step way how to do it:

Manual Method

The tried and tested method for a long time now:

1. Locate the steam folder containing the game's executable: in your Steam game library right click Medieval II: Total War and select 'Properties' in the drop down menu. In the new window click the 'Local Files' tab and then click 'Browse Local files'.
2. Make a copy of the medieval2 application file: select\highlight the file, press Ctlr+C and then press Ctlr+V. This will create a file named 'medieval2 - Copy' - now select\highlight this file and press F2, this will allow you to change the name of the file. Proceed and rename it to kingdoms, press return once you are finished.

Installer Method

For some reason a code by Meloo182 that automates the above procedure has been lingering in the depth of the Stainless Steel forum. I have now put it into installer which you can download here.
After downloading simply run the installer from your download directory and make sure it points to your Steam directory - unless your registry is messed up it should do so automatically.

You will now be able to start mods directly from their desktop shortcut. There is however the usual exception: mods that are created for the base version of the game will not work as they will need extensive modification, only mods created for the kingdoms version will work.

Error Solving

Underneath a list of possible reasons why the short cut method will not work after creating the kingdoms application file:

• The mod has been installed into the wrong folder: to check, simply right click the mod's original desktop shortcut and choose 'open file location'. Make sure the path to this folder looks similar to this: ...\Medieval II Total War\mods\MyFavoriteMod. If it is somewhere else then the easiest way is to delete the folder and it's desktop short cut and install again. More experienced users can try their hand at moving the folder into the right directory - a new desktop shortcut for the BAT file will need to created then.
• You misspelled the name of the executable when you copied it: it has to kingdoms.exe, to check in your Steam game library right click Medieval II: Total War and select 'Properties' in the drop down menu. In the new window click the 'Local Files' tab and then click 'Browse Local files'.
• There are some entries in the Steam launcher options: in your Steam game library right click Medieval II: Total War and select 'Properties' in the drop down menu. In the new window click the 'General' tab if not open already and click on 'Set launch option' - delete any content and click 'OK'.
• The mod is not created for kingdoms: to check, simply right click the mod's original desktop shortcut and choose 'open file location'. Now right click the highlighted BAT file and select 'Edit' from the drop down menu. Check if it says medieval2.exe somewhere in the command line, example: start medieval2.exe @mods\MyNewMod\Configuration.cfg If that is the case then the mod is not playable in Steam regardless of the method used, it needs to list kingdoms.exe in the original BAT file.
• There is no desktop short cut: Locate the Steam folder containing your mod's BAT file: in your Steam game library right click Medieval II: Total War and select 'Properties' in the drop down menu. In the new window click the 'Local Files' tab and then click 'Browse Local files'. Now open the 'mods' directory and then locate and open the folder of your mod. Rightclick the BAT file, it is listed as 'Windows Batch File' in the type column and then choose 'Send to\desktop (create shortcut). You can now rename the short cut (F2, remember?) and give it it's own icon by right clicking it and choosing 'Properties' and then 'Change Icon' - browse to the mod's folder which usually contains an icon and select it.

Note: If all of these checks have failed then you will have most likely installed one of the 'faulty' game versions that do not accept this method, unfortunately there is so far nothing to fix this. You can however use the 'Alternative Launch Option' method underneath to start your mod.

Alternative Launch Option

The drawback of using the default Steam 'Launch Option' function to start a mod is that it restricts you to playing that very mod when starting the game. The alternative is fairly easy and uses the very same entry of the launch option, example:

--features.mod=mods\name_of_mod

This will create a custom desktop shortcut for your mod:

1. Right click the game in your Steam library and choose 'Properties'
2. Click on the 'Local Files' tab and then on 'Browse Local Files'
3. In the browser right click the medieval2 file and click 'Send To\Desktop'
4. Close the browser and right click the new short cut on your desktop and choose 'Properties'
5. In the 'Target' box go to the end of the entry, add a space and then copy the code from above, change the 'name_of_mod' part to the folder name of your mod
6. Click OK and then change the name of the desktop shortcut by selecting it and pressing F2

While this method allows you to have unlimited mods installed and run them at your leisure it shares the same short fall as the direct launch option - it ignores the mod's configuration file and uses the default CFG file (medieval2.preference.cfg). If you transfer settings from the mod's CFG file into it then you have to make the default file read-only, else your custom entries will be overwritten the next time you start the game.
To make medieval2.preference.cfg read-only repeat steps 1 and 2 above, right-click the file and choose 'Properties', then check the 'Read-only' box, click 'Apply' and 'OK'
Note: any changes you make via the ingame options will now not be saved, you will have to do them manually in the medieval2.preference.cfg or reverse the read-only procedure and loose your custom settings.

A note to mod developers

All the above can be totally avoided by using the universal bat file principle. You only need to adjust your CFG file's name to the name used in the BAT file, the BAT file itself needs no adjustment. The code for the most recent version of the BAT file is underneath:

@echo off
cd ..\..
IF EXIST kingdoms.exe (start kingdoms.exe @%0\..\Configuration.cfg) ELSE (IF EXIST medieval2.exe (start medieval2.exe @%0\..\Configuration.cfg) ELSE (    echo ERROR: Cannot find the M2TW executable.    echo You probably installed the mod into the wrong folder.    pause  ))

It works by first calling the kingdoms executable (CD version) and if it isn't present then the medieval2 executable (Steam version) is used. If neither file is present (a sure sign of wrong installation) then an error message is displayed in the DOS window.

This tutorial is available as PDF