Hey Jack, did you guys add a limit to this as of patch 7? is it a bug or for something else because I can't get more than 5 different armors to show up on units.
Miles
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
Hey Jack, did you guys add a limit to this as of patch 7? is it a bug or for something else because I can't get more than 5 different armors to show up on units.
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
Can anyone help me out?
My code looks like this
<VARIANT_MESH>
<SLOT name="base" >
<VARIANT_MESH>
<SLOT name="skin" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/skin/egyptian_skin.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="facial_hair" />
<SLOT name="props" />
<SLOT name="helmets" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/helmets/egyptian_headresses.VariantMeshDefinition" />
<SLOT name="clothing" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/tunics/african_tunic_skirts.VariantMeshDefinition" />
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/armour/african_skirts.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="cloaks" />
<SLOT name="greaves" />
<SLOT name="shield" attach_point="weapon_03" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/shield/egyptian_shields.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="weapon_1" attach_point="weapon_01" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/weapons/short_spears.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="weapon_2" />
<SLOT name="weapon_3" />
<SLOT name="weapon_4" />
</VARIANT_MESH>
</SLOT>
</VARIANT_MESH>
Halp :'(
Empire Realism
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
Jack: I was trying to adjust some weapons, and i found out that certain weapons cannot be assigned to some units. For example i wanted to create early Principes unit, armed with spear and light Pilum, yet, no matter what i did, Pilum didnt show.. Seems like there is some other files that defines which weapons are suitable to which unit class. Can you please let us know how this works?
So far i found that melee class cannot have Spears, Spearmen class cannot have swords or Pilum javelins (Light javelins works fine)
Foederatus
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
How come when I add a "rigid" wooden tower shield to my eastern spearmen their spears dissappear?
Empire Realism
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
same issue... certain weapons and armors are only usable by certain unit classes... yet, CA didnt told us where are these definitions, so we could add our own..
Foederatus
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
I've seen some modders use them, the wooden tower shields, I just can't figure it out.Originally Posted by JaM
Comes Rei Militaris
Empire Realism
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
yes, i know about that table. Thing is, there must be a table where certain textures are defined for certain class. If you give swords to spear infantry, those swords wont show on model..
Senator
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
I've highlighted in bold the error, you've got a / too many. Remove it there and it should be fine.
The only thing that controls what weapon slots a unit will display is the animation set. If you want Principes to have spears you need to give them the spear shield animation set and make sure the weapons are in the right slots and assigned to the right bones.
There are also no restrictions on what units cna use what armour, there are no restrictions on that in the code.
Senior Designer
Disclaimer: Any views or opinions expressed here are those of the poster and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Creative Assembly or SEGA.
Empire Realism
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
Thank you Jack!
Biarchus
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
Hi Jack,
Can you explain the nature of the limitation we've been seeing in the variant system since patch7?
It seems that the game (when set to the highest level of detail) will only read the first 5 entries in any variant_mesh slot. Due to the way the data structure is currently set up (it's 'bottom heavy' with long parts lists and many duplicate entries) we're often seeing only 1 or 2 model variants and limited effect of the color mask switches. Alternates are buried too deeply in many definitions to make the apparent cut. This is especially true for clothing... tunics, trousers, cloaks etc.
We can work around this limitation, of course, by implementing smaller, more numerous parts definitions and fixing the references in the unit definitions appropriately. That moves the variation aspect higher up in the data structure. I'm wondering though, what your intention is with this change (bug, WIP or other). Will we see a change in this behavior or is it intentional?
Fixing the vanilla definitions to provide greater variation ourselves, while straightforward, is a lot of work that could be for not if you guys are simply making a procedural change and plan to re-structure the definitions (or lift the restriction).
Thanks
Foederatus
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
How come the cloaks on my custom unit aren't showing up?
<VARIANT_MESH>
<SLOT name="base" >
<VARIANT_MESH>
<SLOT name="skin" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/skin/eastern_headhands_skin.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="facial_hair" probability ="0.8" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/hair_beards/eastern_beards.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="props" />
<SLOT name="helmets" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/helmets/eastern_spangenhelms_crest.VariantMeshDefinition" />
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/helmets/eastern_bow_helmets_crests.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="clothing" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/armour/eastern_iron_scale_elite.VariantMeshDefinition" />
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/armour/eastern_chainmail_elite.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="cloaks" />
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/cloak/celtic_chieftan_cloaks.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="greaves" />
<SLOT name="shield" attach_point="weapon_03" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/shield/eastern_round_shields.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="weapon_1" attach_point="weapon_01" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/weapons/short_spears.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="weapon_2" />
<SLOT name="weapon_3" />
<SLOT name="weapon_4" />
</VARIANT_MESH>
<VARIANT_MESH>
<SLOT name="skin" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/skin/eastern_headhands_skin.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="facial_hair" probability ="0.8" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/hair_beards/eastern_beards.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="props" />
<SLOT name="helmets" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/helmets/eastern_spangenhelms_crest.VariantMeshDefinition" />
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/helmets/eastern_bow_helmets_crests.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="clothing" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/armour/eastern_iron_scale_elite.VariantMeshDefinition" />
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/armour/eastern_chainmail_elite.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="cloaks" />
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/cloak/celtic_chieftan_cloaks.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="greaves" />
<SLOT name="shield" attach_point="weapon_03" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/shield/eastern_round_shields.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="weapon_1" attach_point="weapon_01" >
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/weapons/short_spears.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
<SLOT name="weapon_2" />
<SLOT name="weapon_3" />
<SLOT name="weapon_4" />
</VARIANT_MESH>
</SLOT>
</VARIANT_MESH>
Senator
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
Same issue as many others are having, you've got too many /.
see here:
That first back slash closes the slot so it never reads the next part.<SLOT name="cloaks" />
<VARIANT_MESH_REFERENCE definition="VariantMeshes/_VariantModels/man/cloak/celtic_chieftan_cloaks.VariantMeshDefinition" />
</SLOT>
Simple rule to keep in mind. If a slot is empty it looks like this:
<SLOT name="cloaks" />
If it has an entry in it it looks like this:
<SLOT name="cloaks" >
< mesh/mesh reference entry />
</SLOT>
Senior Designer
Disclaimer: Any views or opinions expressed here are those of the poster and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Creative Assembly or SEGA.
Decanus
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
you need to change the unit's animation set in land_units_tables (its either in there or main_units_tables), my mod has camillan principes, you just have to change the animation from rome_man_sword_shield_javelin to rome_man_spear_shield, the pilae still appear when he throws it and the principes carry the spears by default
Empire Realism
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
I did it differently. I added the Javelin animation definition to both sword and spear units, adjusted their variantmesh file, yet, i cannot make them to actually show as holding pilum, only normal leaf javelin.. Seems like Pilum is somehow linked with the swordsman animation, while only normal javelins are added to spearmen..
btw Jack, in game files, you have Gladiator swordsman with Pilum but their variantmesh doesn't contain it, so they are throwing invisible javelin. it is not visible with the current setup as they throw it only at charge, yet when you change it to same behavior as skirmishers have, they don't hold any javelin but have bare hands.
Ordinarius
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
Great thread.I'm new to modding and this guide has been very helpful.Thanks Jack.
Last edited by perifanosEllinas; December 18, 2013 at 03:44 PM.
Empire Realism
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
Jack, things you said about animations are not making sense.. I made some changes to Pikemen, removing Kopis, replacing them with Xiphos, yet even while i had rome_man_sword_shield_fragment, xiphos sword had not show with soldiers..
rome_man_sword_shield_fragment also use others units that have xiphos, so i dont think it is anyhow linked with animations.. as i said before, it seems there is some other file that controls which weapon can be used with certain unit types.
i wanted to replace xiphos for kopis, to adjust the pike formation to behave as it should... right now, even if they have swords in hands, they use damage assigned with pikes, not the damage given to kopis. so i wanted to adjust that by giving them thrusting sword (they should have anyway during game period), then just give the unit some damage bonus with pike formation activated.. but, this is not possible as Xiphos is invisible if I replace it for Kopis...
Last edited by JaM; December 14, 2013 at 12:14 PM.
Foederatus
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
For some reason I can't seem to figure out how to change the color of steppe caps with masks in the definition file. Can anybody help me? I saw somebody do it, but I don't know how.
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
Hello , i want to ask , when i tryed to add some helmet(corinthian_helmet with hoplite_crest) into helmet area ,the pfm disallowed to do it. How can add it? Sorry fo my bed eng.
Biarchus
Re: VariantMeshDefinitions files
The corresponding definition for Steppe caps is ..\variantmeshes\_variantmodels\man\helmets\steppe_caps.variantmeshdefinition. Extract that from models_rome2.pack with PFM and open it in a text editor. You'll see the following...
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
I've highlighted the model part and mask switches. The shading represents a variant's relative weighting by how often it appears. As you can see, there are 2 distinct models for Steppe caps. The first model (steppe_cap_1) has 4 unique variations in color, while steppe_cap_2 has only 3. The duplicate entries increase the frequency with which each variant will appear. In this case (12 total entries), a variant with 2 identical variant_mesh entries has a 2:12 ratio, or 16.6% frequency (grey). Other variants, with only a single unique entry have a 1:12 or 8.3% frequency (light grey). Steppe_cap_2 with mask0="1" mask1="0" is heavily weighted and will appear about 1/3 of the time (black).
The color mask switches work by specifying alternate arrangements for the faction colors defined in faction_uniform_colours. If no switch is present, the default mapping is used. In the color mask dds below, the primary color (mask0) is the red channel, secondary (mask1) is green and tertiary (mask2) is blue. This cap model is interesting in that it utilizes a blend for some details... magenta = (primary + tertiary) and cyan = (secondary + tertiary). The pure tertiary color is absent (no data strictly in the blue channel)... so mask2 will only affect the blended areas in this example.
Here's the texture for the cap(s), overlayed with the color mask...
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
This particular model part utiilizes one texture file (and corresponding color mask) for both variants. With the default arrangement (no mask switch), for steppe_cap_1 (presuming it's the top texture) , the primary color is dominant while the secondary is dominant for steppe_cap_2. If you wanted instead for the tertiary color to be dominant, you'd use mask0="2" for the top texture or mask1="2" for the bottom. Then you'd pick something complementary for the other mask switch in the same entry. In general, you'll lose color detail if two or more mask channels are rendered equivalent through the use of switches. If, for example, the magenta area in this color mask was blue (instead of a blend) and you set mask0="2", you'd likely want to set mask2 to 0 or 1. Otherwise, it may wash out if the underlying diffuse texture doesn't have corresponding detail in that area. With this Steppe cap it may not, but some other model parts have details that rely strictly on the color mask (no contrast in the greyscale diffuse).
If you aren't seeing the expected results, you may be encountering the circumstance I described in post #111... that is, only the first 5 variants per slot are being utilized by the game since patch7 (at maximum unit detail setting). So by the vanilla definition for Steppe caps, you'll only see steppe_cap_1 in 3 color combinations... heavily weighted towards the first 2 unique variants. The 4th alternate, along with steppe_cap_2 is too far down the list to appear. You can work around this by only using the top 5 slot entries (i.e. don't use duplicates and squeeze everything you want into 5 entries). That leaves a lot of potential variation on the table, however. A better solution, in this case, would be to create smaller versions of steppe_caps.variantmeshdefinition (steppe_caps1.variantmeshdefinition, steppe_caps2.variantmeshdefinition, ...etc) limited to 5 entries per slot. Then, in the unit variant definition, you'd reference these new parts definitions instead of the old, large file. If there are no more than 5 such references, you're ok. If there are more, you're up against the same limitation as in the parts definitions. That can be solved by creating another whole unit variant in the unit definition. So you can still get more than enough variation, but you have to structure the definitions appropriately. That's particularly important if you want to accommodate maximum variation as well as control the frequency with duplicate entries.
Although, if you're happy with 5 variants per part, then you can just edit the top 5 entries in the existing part definition to include additional models and color switches. I believe that number gets successively lower as you lower unit detail... not sure specifically. I would expect that the requirements may change in the near future if that behavior is either a bug, or, if they're mid-process in altering the procedure and the definition structure.
Needless to say, when you are finished with your edits, pack up the file as type 'mod' and drop it in the data folder. You won't need anything but the part definition file in this case, or alternatively, your new multiple parts definitions along with corrected unit definitions pointing to those.
Last edited by Kurisu Paifuaa; December 16, 2013 at 11:26 AM.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
