Modding your excellent mod

**hacon** · March 05, 2007, 03:35 AM

As good as your mod is it will never suit all tastes and for me a little tweaking would satisfy me.

I would like to change certain factions so I can introduce the Spartan, Aetolian League and Achaean League as separate factions.
I would also like to add/replace some cities so I can have Megalopolis and perhaps a Boeotian city.

I would also like to replace the Spartan Royal Guard with ordinary Spartan hoplites, the Hippeis being all but wiped out at Leuctra in 371 and original sources not mentioning them from then on.

I am an absolute novice at modding RTW and although I have found a tutorial to mod units I cannot find one for factions or cities.

Could anybody please point me in the right direction on how to go about this. Thanks

**DimeBagHo** · March 05, 2007, 07:49 AM

You can get all the modding guides you need here:

http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=77

Some advice to start with - Adding cities and changing factions are complicated and would take a lot of work. It might be better to start with something easier.

**RedFox** · March 05, 2007, 05:14 PM

I think you should concentrate on adding the factions and units at first, you should leave the new provinces last, as they often cause a CTD even if a minor detail is off chart...

**Agathon** · March 06, 2007, 01:35 AM

Exactly...

And be sure to keep a master folder for backups of the original folders and files you intend to modify. Since you wish to enter difficult territory, I'd advise you to backup your stuff in benchmark fashion, so when CTD's occur you can always return to that last step that worked.

Personally, i was always underwhelmed that the province that contains Tomi on the Black Sea extends north of the Ister (Danube), but trying to adjust the Northern half of the territory and make it part of Obia's province defeated all my efforts.

Good luck, and keep us posted and perhaps I'll mention some of my modding experiments. Of course, looking over my modest number of posts both here and at the Org, should indicate most of the things I've tried and had problems with. It could be instructive.

**hacon** · March 06, 2007, 02:47 AM

Thanks everyone for the prompt responses

I shall keep you posted concerning my progress

19th March 2007
As promised here is an update of my progress :

I have managed to add a new unit : a Spartan hoplite of the line, not as powerful or expensive as the Royal Guard, recruitable only at Sparta. They can be recruited over 8 turns to simulate the the last 2 years of the agoge training period. They can be recruited by the first 3 levels of barracks and after that are replaced by the phalangites to mirror the rearming of the citizens in 226 BC by Kleomenes III.
They are also added to the starting units at Sparta.

Flushed with confidence I have gone beyond my original plan and added several new characters to the Spartan faction. Historically Areus was King in 280BC not Kleomenes
so have replaced him. Areus being only in his early thirties at this time could not have had a son Antigonus who was 33 there I have also replaced Antigonus (not a very Spartan like name) with Acrotatus.

Before I go on to the more difficult parts of my project I will tinker with taxation, population and maintenance costs of units for my own preference.

The next stage is to make the Spartans into a faction by replacing one of the rebel factions. Also to add the Aetolian and Achaean Leagues and the Epirots.
After that to add some new cities like Megalopolis and Argos.

26th March 2007

I have now managed to make the Spartans into a playable faction.
To do this I replaced the Numidians (carthaginian rebels). My thought was to use the unused Senate faction but this proved to be not the right way. In the end it turned out to be less of a problem than I thought it would be (a few CTD's). There were many files to change and there is still some tweaking to do still, the sparta hidden resource isn't working, the Greek cities haven't got a capital now and some text still relating to Numidia is still appearing.

Flushed with confidence I will now make Epirus a seperate faction before going on to map changes for the new cities.

**Agathon** · April 08, 2007, 02:43 AM

I think the changes you are making are interesting, keep us advised about the progress. I am especially interested in your work relating to the redrawing of new settlements.

I've been absent for most of the last week, largely learning the Gimp tool by the trial and error method of re-skinning old models, and then using screen captures to make new unit cards. The work is both time-consuming and addictive, but the results can be rewarding.

**ccllnply** · April 08, 2007, 05:53 AM

If you want some more units for your Sparta faction you should go to

*edit* I removed the link because it looks like they ripped off some of ATGs work without permission or credit. -DBH

**hacon** · April 08, 2007, 06:13 PM

Thanks for the replies,
I do intend to add more units, region specific ones like Thessalian cavalry, Aetolian cavalry and skirmishers. Perioicic hoplites,Athenian hoplites,mercenary pike, Roman skirmishers prior to the intro of velites and to revamp the Ptolemy units which still look like they have just come from a hollywood bible epic. I will also remove/replace the Krypteia unit which never fought as a unit.

Now for an update
I have replaced the Greek Ind with Epirus but have given Pyrrhus only 3 regions, Epirus,Syracuse and Calabria. The other regions i have distributed as historically as possible.
Mysia has gone to the Seleucids (Pergamum was still a Seleucid city at this time)
Lesbos and Caria I have transferred to Ptolemy as he held much of the Ageaen coastline after the assassination of Seleucus.

Propontis,Chersonese and Panticaepeum have gone to the Greek City States.
Ceretania has gone to the Roman Rebels.
Macedonia has been given Thrace, still under Macedonian control until the Galatian invasions. (I will spawn a Galation invasion in 279)
Sparta has gained control of Crete,there was some Spartan influence in this area at the time).

I also did some tinkering with the recruitment/building levels to make some units/buildings appear later.

Also some diplomatic stances and character names have changed to be more historical.

I did attempt to make the Aetolian League a seperate faction replacing the Ptolemy rebels but after testing I got a CTD after 10 years , so I backed it out.

The map changes will have to wait until I get more experience and confidence and more importantly some software.

**Agathon** · April 09, 2007, 12:42 AM

It all sounds like very reasonable progress to me. Hacon, you're to be commended for your efforts and your realism.

I could not agree more about the "Hollywoodland" quality of the Ptolemaic armies (having commented on it more than once myself). I cannot resist laughing every time I see a Ptolemaic officer kitted out like Yul Brenner in his battle gear from "the ten commandments." Those Phalangites are wearing so much loose metal that they must sound like an army of cash machines when they quick step march.

Jingel, jingle, jingle, jingle, ka-ching!

**Sixer19** · April 10, 2007, 10:49 AM

when can we download this new modded greek ext mod?

it sounds awesome, cant wait to try it!

**Agathon** · April 16, 2007, 02:52 AM

I've been changing my Avatar lately to give you a glimpse of what I'm editing to replace the helmet heads in the UI greek faction portrait folders.

I may go after those "Hollywoodland phantasy" Egyptian generals and civilians next. Most of those guys really belong in the 18th Dynasty. I don't remember having seen any coinage of the Ptolemies with the rulers in Egyptian fancy dress. Usually you see the ruler's profile with unruly hair (Hellenic style) and wearing the ubiquitous Greek head ribbon.

**hacon** · April 27, 2007, 12:03 AM

Time for another update

since the last time I reported I have replaced the Romans_Scipii and Thracians with the Massiliots and Syracusans.

I replaced the Thracians because in 280BC it was controlled by Macedonia under Ptolemy Ceraunos and did not really regain its independance until after the 3rd Macedonian Wars besides a counterpoint to Rome and Carhage in that area would make things more interesting.
I gave Syracuse the Mamertine city of Messana as it was controlled by Agothacles of Syracuse just prior to the XGM period.

I also introduced the Massiliots as an ally of Rome as they had much influence in Romes early dealings with Carthage. I also gave them the city of Emporium as it was colonized by them.

The Thracian region went to Macedonia and the other Thracian regions became part of the Slave faction.

To weaken the Greek City States Heraclea and Regnum Bospherum are also part of the Slave faction.

Bruttium has been given to Pyrrhus.

To start me off slowly with graphical changes I have used Gimp to change the Lacedaemonian symbols to have a Lambda.

**ccllnply** · April 27, 2007, 03:20 PM

Can we see a few screenshots of your changes and are you going to upload this mod so we can download it

**Agathon** · May 10, 2007, 09:34 PM

I've been using Gimp alot. It's a great tool!

If only we had something like it to modify models. I think that too many models for hoplites and the like have shields and helmet crests that are unreal simply because they are too large. If bronze shields appear to be as large as café table tops, it's reasonable to suspect that one would be too heavy to march around with in formation.