How-to: make battle_models.MODELDB more readable

[Soulghast]

I found the issue I had. -0.090000004 0 0 -0.34999999 0.80000001 0.60000002 was not the end of the passage but rather the start. When I used it as an end I crashed, but when I started with it it works.

What weapon are your knights carrying?

[galadhril]

I was trying to change faction ownership the noble pikemen from scotland to turks..I just edit the scotland line to the turks.. 18 turks ...It make my medieval got ctd..Please help how to i change the noble pike ownership to tukrs..Sorry for my bad english..Thanx

[kleemann]

I found the issue I had. -0.090000004 0 0 -0.34999999 0.80000001 0.60000002 was not the end of the passage but rather the start. When I used it as an end I crashed, but when I started with it it works.

Yes, you are right. It is in the beginning. My mistake.

[Hans Kloss]

I got two questions in regards to battle_models file :

1.How safe would it be to delete certain model entries? I'm currently working on adding units to newly created faction.I started off with adding new units/ replacing Norman's entries with new ones but I feel at one point I might go over some hardcoded limits.I have absolutly no need to variaty of units, specialy peasants so I would like get rid of them

2.Teutonic Knights are using maces as secondary weapons but I rather have them with swords.Models of Templars and Hospitallers look almost identical so do you think it would be possible to switch models

[Hans Kloss]

I have tried to switch model of Teutonic with that of Templars - game will not even start.

16:48:38.953 [system.rpt] [error] Medieval 2: Total War encountered an unspecified error and will now exit -right on the start up

[KnightErrant]

@Hans Kloss
Regards hard-coded limits, don't know what this would
be in the executable, but the number of units in the
vanilla modeldb is 701. (Found by tornnight)
If you add to the end it won't see them unless you
change the entry. This is the first line

22 serialization::archive 3 0 0 0 0 701 0 0

As an experiment change 701 to 401 and run the game.
It will get to the splash screen (meaning it read the modeldb
file fine) but will CTD after that with a missing dictionary entry
error meaning it didn't process all of your modeldb file.

Just guessing but if there is a hard coded limit, maybe its a factor
of 2 that's bigger than 701. Smallest one would be 1024 so
MAYBE you are safe up to this limit? Just a guess.

[kleemann]

Well as i have made experiments realised that weapon animations are hardcoded. The weapon section is the animation how the weapon is used. If i make Hospitallers to dismounted, then they have lances as swords and use these as swords..

22 serialization::archive 3 0 0 0 0 701 0 0 i never changed this 701 number and i could add new units without any problems. I made new units like Templar crossbowmen, Dismounted Templars, Dismounted Hospitallers.

[Adorno]

Important Question:

Which is to do thereby changes in the battle_models.modeldb becomes at all effective? In my test runs everything I changed was ignored. All was the same whether incorrect or correct entries. Finally I wrote "********" in the battle_models.modeldb to see whether the program accesses at all. Nothing happend - the game runs without any error.

So what is to do, that the program use the battle_models.modeldb?

[Hans Kloss]

Apart from changes in battle_models, relevent entries in export_descr_unit need to be edited too.It is very easy to forget but formatted_battle_models needs to renamed battle_models that's speaking from my own personal experience

[Miraj]

Simple question:

We over at Broken Crescent are making a new mod. Can we create our own "battlemodels.db" file from the ground up, of course following the same format as the original file? Is this ridiculously hard or impossible? Or is it just difficult but feasible?

Another question is can this file and texture files be placed in the mod folder and accessed from there by the game?

I ask cuz I would prefer to not have to edit existing factions and sift through the hundreds of things in this file.

Thanks

MIRAGE

[Ordensritter]

Well as i have made experiments realised that weapon animations are hardcoded. The weapon section is the animation how the weapon is used. If i make Hospitallers to dismounted, then they have lances as swords and use these as swords..

22 serialization::archive 3 0 0 0 0 701 0 0 i never changed this 701 number and i could add new units without any problems. I made new units like Templar crossbowmen, Dismounted Templars, Dismounted Hospitallers.

It is very important to chance the number 701!
This number displays the number of units at the game (including the numbers of new models for armour upgrade, like spearmen, spearmen_ug1, ...).
If one add a new unit or armour upgrade you have to increase the number by the amount of new units/upgrades.
E.g. you add the 2. armour upgrade for the templars and you don't increase the number by 1, you'll lost the textures of the last unit written at the modeldb. You get no CTD but these unit type is invisible.

[Condottiere SOG]

Will someone make this understandable to someone who speaks English with good spelling, please?

[zowrath]

It is very important to chance the number 701!
This number displays the number of units at the game (including the numbers of new models for armour upgrade, like spearmen, spearmen_ug1, ...).
If one add a new unit or armour upgrade you have to increase the number by the amount of new units/upgrades.
E.g. you add the 2. armour upgrade for the templars and you don't increase the number by 1, you'll lost the textures of the last unit written at the modeldb. You get no CTD but these unit type is invisible.

Ok, so if I add Scottish Axmen for example, and an ug1 of that. I need to change that number to 703? 1 for each new unit + 1 for each armor upgrade?

[Nesai]

kleemann i have added 1 unit from BC mod

but when I add unit to recruit pool the game goes CTD and also when i Add unit to export_descr_unit also have a ctd

the other things like battle_model and units info there was not a problem only when i add to recruit pool and export_descr_unit

can you help me please


this is how it looks like

BC UNIT
type ayyubid askari infantry
dictionary ayyubid_askari_infantry ; ayyubid askari infantry
category infantry
class heavy
voice_type Heavy
accent Arabic
banner faction main_infantry
banner holy crusade
soldier ayyubid_askari_infantry, 48, 0, 1.2
attributes sea_faring, hide_forest, can_withdraw
formation 1.2, 1.2, 2.4, 2.4, 4, square
stat_health 1, 0
stat_pri 6, 2, no, 0, 0, melee, melee_blade, piercing, sword, 20, 1
stat_pri_attr no
stat_sec 0, 0, no, 0, 0, no, melee_simple, blunt, none, 25, 1
stat_sec_attr no
stat_pri_armour 5, 6, 6, metal
stat_sec_armour 0, 0, flesh
stat_heat 4
stat_ground 1, -2, 3, 2
stat_mental 10, normal, highly_trained
stat_charge_dist 20
stat_fire_delay 0
stat_food 60, 300
stat_cost 1, 570, 250, 85, 65, 570, 4, 130
armour_ug_levels 4
armour_ug_models ayyubid_askari_infantry
ownership egypt

LANDS TO CONQEUR unit
type Dismounted Tuareg
dictionary Dismounted_Tuareg ; Dismounted Tuareg
category infantry
class spearmen
voice_type Light
banner faction main_spear
banner holy crusade
soldier Dismounted_Tuareg, 48, 0, 0.5
attributes sea_faring, hide_forest, very_hardy, can_withdraw
formation 1.2, 1.2, 2.4, 2.4, 3, square
stat_health 1, 0
stat_pri 11, 5, no, 0, 0, melee, melee_blade, piercing, spear, 25, 0.6
;stat_pri_ex 0, 0, 0
stat_pri_attr spear, spear_bonus_8
stat_sec 0, 0, no, 0, 0, no, melee_simple, blunt, none, 25, 1
;stat_sec_ex 0, 0, 0
stat_sec_attr no
stat_pri_armour 0, 6, 8, flesh
;stat_armour_ex 0, 2, 0, 0, 6, 8, 6, flesh
stat_sec_armour 0, 0, flesh
stat_heat 0
stat_ground 1, 2, 0, -4
stat_mental 9, normal, trained
stat_charge_dist 15
stat_fire_delay 0
stat_food 60, 300
stat_cost 1, 460, 150, 60, 140, 460, 4, 130
armour_ug_levels 0, 1
armour_ug_models Dismounted_Tuareg, Dismounted_Tuareg_ug1
ownership moors
era 0 moors
era 1 moors
;unit_info 11, 0, 14
recruit_priority_offset 10

[tornnight]

Take a look at the TLR forums for a new Mod_Tool. It can beautify this file while syntax checking it at the same time.

[Condottiere SOG]

Ok, thanks. Got it!

[Hospitalier Grand Master]

1 thing is ure. People at CA have been so stupid to complicate things. RTW was easier to mod!!!

[Hospitalier Grand Master]

Hey man in the first post there is this line

16 -0.090000004 0 0 -0.34999999 0.80000001 0.60000002 (<- positsion or something, pony has all 0-s entry )

what does it mean? If I add another unit should I change it or not?
And what about horses? I haven't understood this quite well...

[Hospitalier Grand Master]

I have read over at .org and probably start understanding this complicated mechanism..
Where to find the latest model_units.modeldb formatted from MTWII updated to 1.3?
Is there one for Kingdoms 1.5 too?

[Gigantus]

I have read over at .org and probably start understanding this complicated mechanism..
Where to find the latest model_units.modeldb formatted from MTWII updated to 1.3?
Is there one for Kingdoms 1.5 too?

Check the thread next door: it is for Kingdoms 1.3, all campaigns.