CA Modding Summit - Mitch's Perspective

**Steph** · September 28, 2012, 01:05 AM

Originally Posted by swoosh so

Perhaps you will find a way to rework the NTW campaign map with the new mod tools and that will work out best for you!

Hopefully. But I have the impression that instead of trying to put a square piece in a circle hole, and force a Napoleonic mod in S2 engine, it may be wiser to stick to NTW engine, and wait for a game where we'll have already a map of Europe to start with, and perhaps models which are close enough for easier adpating.
I made a quick evaluation, I think I need around one year to finish the textures for the uniforms for my NTW mod. In one year, S2 will start to get obsolete with the coming of RII. So may be it's better to switch directly to next one?

Any we'll see what we can do with import /export of NTW models to S2 engine.

**Mansen** · September 28, 2012, 05:51 AM

*drools-

I was beginning to lose hope that CA was going the ways of Firaxis and locking down their games from modding (See Medieval 2 versus Shogun 2 as of a few months ago) - these news have rekindled my interest in the series.

Or in short - Shut up and take my Rome II preorder money!

**~~weirdoascensor~~** · September 28, 2012, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by Steph

Hopefully. But I have the impression that instead of trying to put a square piece in a circle hole, and force a Napoleonic mod in S2 engine, it may be wiser to stick to NTW engine, and wait for a game where we'll have already a map of Europe to start with, and perhaps models which are close enough for easier adpating.
I made a quick evaluation, I think I need around one year to finish the textures for the uniforms for my NTW mod. In one year, S2 will start to get obsolete with the coming of RII. So may be it's better to switch directly to next one?

Any we'll see what we can do with import /export of NTW models to S2 engine.

Originally Posted by weirdoascensor

Guns, Cannon models...S2TW primarily uses v2 models, but still accepts old ETW-NTW models...actually many of the rigidmodels are reused ETW-NTW rigidmodels. In Fact, for my own Artillery Mod, I use NTW models still in S2TW pack files...no need to port them...added with several ACW enginemodels from ACW mod for ETW.

Some of the reused models are Limber & Caisson, Gabionades, Earthworks, Stakes, Naval Cannons...

Funny thing is, even though i enable Gabionades, Earthworks, Chevaux...Only The AI could use it...since the buttons are missing from Player's UI! Stakes works though, but textures are missing.

Abilities like Square Formation, FBR, fire_volley, mass_fire,light infantry behavior still there. Most Artillery and Ship abilities sadly not...what we could do with it is just replacing existing S2TW abilities.

Ships...S2TW ships are made from more rigidmodels than ETW and NTW ones, so not only masts get replaced by "damaged" models, but also parts of hull, rather than just "damaged" textures. Not sure if portable or not, all we know is old rigidmodels works, but nobody decoded models_naval. The Textures for old ship models still remains deep buried inside S2TW pack files, but not the meshes.

Bayonets...Vanilla FoTS shipped without bayonet combat, but IGdood pointed out there is some soldiers in a cinematic holding Bayoneted rifles...he contacted kungfuserge, who even though cannot edit the models, can easily views them. They Exists.
Its not bayonets like in ETW or NTW, a warscape equipment of its own, but its a bayoneted rifle warscape equipment.
For the animations we simply use modified spear animations.

Strangely, even though we need to make a new entry for the FoTS bayoneted rifles, NTW warscape equipments (the bayonets, muskets, sables, backpacks, flagpole, drumsets, etc) are still in the tables. It just dont show up in-game when we experimented with it. Japanese Nobori are static, unlike the waving European flags.

Drummer and Flutist positions are in the unit_stats_table, but no animation for them. Foreign Troops still play their marching music without them.

I hope adapting CA's new S2TW tools to NTW and ETW would be easy...porting an overhaul campaign takes too much work...In My Humble Opinion

**wangrin** · September 28, 2012, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by .Mitch.

We now discuss with Guy Davidson (Coding Manager) all of the 'extra' formats that are less well known, for the first time I understand the idea behind what a CS2 file is. We talk about LUAC and discuss the scripting aspect of the games.
We talk about BOOB and what it is and does. Oops.. I mean BOB.. (Build On One Click).. They weren't allowed to call one of their tools BOOB, but there is one called Attila, DaVE and one called Terry, basically think of a name, they probably have a tool with that name.

Can you tell more about those cs2 files ?
What are they, at least, what CA staff did explain about them.

How did they create those files ?

**MasterBigAb** · September 29, 2012, 06:37 AM

Very nice read, thanks to you Mitch, thanks to everyone of you, a very great thanks to CA

**Bart07** · September 29, 2012, 04:22 PM

What about moding NTW campaign ?

**kieran12** · September 30, 2012, 12:40 AM

I haven't bought Shogun 2, but might change my mind if an interesting mod was put together. I not really into the Samurai total war era.

**cherryfunk** · September 30, 2012, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by C.I.F

Why not look at what you can do with the Assembly Kit? We have given everyone the ability to do campaign map reprocessing....

But what does this mean, precisely? Will we be able to scrap the vanilla map entirely and create a new map from scratch? This is what a total conversion requires; will you finally allow us to do this again?

**Drtad** · September 30, 2012, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by cherryfunk

But what does this mean, precisely? Will we be able to scrap the vanilla map entirely and create a new map from scratch? This is what a total conversion requires; will you finally allow us to do this again?

Check this out.

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...0#post12057520

From what I understand, it could mean something, but some more info is needed on exporting the file...

**daniu** · October 01, 2012, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by cherryfunk

But what does this mean, precisely? Will we be able to scrap the vanilla map entirely and create a new map from scratch?

Yes.
What this means precisely is that while the tools do not contain editor for the files needed to rework the map, but if you have those tools (I think 3DMax and some image editing are neccessary), the Assembly Kit will be able to process those into the format needed by the game.

**Primergy** · October 01, 2012, 08:49 AM

Btw, it seams that there's only cs2. exporter - is this a new generic format which works for everything and there's no need for another conversion (eg, to rigid_model_v2)

In earlier games (ntw, etw) you had those variant_part files, rigid_models, animatable_rigidmodels etc

**Jack Lusted** · October 01, 2012, 08:51 AM

BOB converts from cs2 into the formats used in the game.

**wangrin** · October 01, 2012, 10:39 AM

So, if I understand, I create a .max model, I use max_exporter scripts to convert it to ? file format (CS2 ?) and then, I use BOB to create all file formats needed (animated_rigid_model, rigid_model_animation, cs2.parsed, etc.) ?

For instance, if I want to create a cannon, I have to create a <cannon_name>.max model and a <cannon_name>_animation.max one to represent the destruction animation.