Adding units.(or trying)

[Andy1909]

For the fun of it and to see if I could, I was messing round with the game, trying to add units into the 1756-63 scenario. Using Primasprits post and some others as reference.

I ended up trying to add two brigades of British Infantry to Stadt at the start of the campaign along with two brigadiers and a major general.

I was changing the supplied scenario 56-63 not creating a new one. Somewhere along the line I am missing something (probably obvious, but can't see the trees at the moment) as the units are not appearing in the game.

Method.

Files changed : mdl files and alias, uni files and alias and the script ini file. NO changes made to event or city files, or any of the other game files. (backups made btw)

mdl and uni files: add 3 generals to spare brigadier slots in GBR and HAN sections. Save as CSV, then convert using splitter to get the model/unit and alias files. Copy to relevant folders. These appear to be acceptable to the game as the main log showed warnings when I had made stupid mistakes, typos etc. no errors in log file now.

Script file: make changes on the excel database. Two brigades of British infantry with commanders and a major General to Stadt. Save as CSV file(correct output setting for csv file) Run it through the splitter to get the Script file. Then rename as Script56 and then use it to replace the original script56 file in scripts folder.

Viewing the new script56 file in note pad actually shows the units as part of set up, but they do not appear in the game.

What I still appear to be getting is the original 56-63 Camapign with no changes.

After a few thoughts I tried something else to see if I could make a change in the game. So, edited leader PRU Kieth so he had an extra attribute, infantryman, created and saved the files. no log warnings, loaded ok, Fired up scenario again, and no addition to Kieths attributes. Checked the CSV file and the changes to Kieths attributes had been saved from the spreadsheet. I would have thought changes to mdl/uni files were common across all scenarios not just the one i was attempting to change.

Have tried figuring this out, I like a challenge, but at pulling hair out stage.

So Q. Does the script56 file refer to the full campaign game and if it does what am I missing here on getting this to work?

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[lodilefty]

You can find a lot of (hopefully) good stuff at the AGE Wiki:

http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/Main_Page

Specifically, for the compiling of a scenario, see:
http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/Articles_and_Tutorials_on_Modding

Section: http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/Modding_Campaigns_and_Scenarios

[Andy1909]

I figured there was some link I was missing. Hadn't realised the game generated the new scenario fron the script that way.

Got to the main game screen in edit mode. box says loc scenario can't be completed, 5 errors. then fails.

Looking into the script report it doesn't show any errors or warnings though. So back to investigations

thanks.

ADD* Yeah Iodilefty, those were some of the other pages I had been looking at. Wasn't too sure about the latter steps in some of that stuff, because it assumes you are generating a new scenario, not overwriting an old one. Went the old route because could see at which point to insert the the new file name into the local strings file.

ADD 2* Ok four of the errors were me thinking I had done something wrong, but made it wrong by correcting it.

3 Hannoverian grenadier btns are listed as uni_HAN_Gre, and the Buckeberg Carabiniers are uni_HAN_Car. being me I thought I had managed to deleted the number that normally comes after the units. So I put the 0 in afterwards after checking what it should be. NO NO NO. for some reason these units don't have that number. My bad. Off to try figuring my last mistake now.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Andy1909]

Main log file shows 1 error, showing check script report txt file.

Here's the main log file. Script report can't be loaded due to size.

When you look in the script report it still doesn't give an indication.

thx

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Andy1909]

Here's the script report file.

Currently doing a side by side comparison of the backup setup file with the updated one. Just to see what I missed or got wrong.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Andy1909]

I don't get the choice to continue, yes or no.

What happens is, F9 as loading, edit on. The game then goes throught to the game screen and flashes up a message saying loc, scenario can't be completed 1 error. then the box disapears after 2 seconds or so and the game sits on the main window doing nothing. no, yes/no options given

Thx hadn't noticed the dates on the file creation before.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Andy1909]

PLEASE SOMEONE STICKY A COMMENT: If you're going to try modding this game. Turn on error logging in the options system menu. That way you will get an idea of what s going wrong. This will help muppets like me when trying to do things they probably shouldn't do

Still not generating a scriptreport text, but the error is something to do with

parsing line 11691 UNI_BRU_GRE0

Off to look for a Brunswick Gren unit. Because I know I didn't add one of those or change one.

All i did in the mdl or uni files was add some names of british foot regiments into the Name fields and add some Brit commanders into the spare slots.

in the setup. I inserted 12 lines into Hannoverian section. Copied the Stadt data into location for group then created a command line then two brigade groups into the other 11 lines.

so: example
**************
row 1 stadt (location)data
row 2 commander
row 3-7 brigade 1
row 8-12 brigade 2
***************

[Andy1909]

OK, just in case anyone else has been an idiot out there. This is to let you know you're not alone. Don't assume anything. Total Idiot right here!!

The scen is now loading...why.....

Go back a few posts and find the comment about the hannoverian grenadiers and carabiniers. I should have checked a bit further. I had screwed with a Brunswick grenadier unit, adding the 0 to the end that I thought I had screwed up somehow when I was adding the Br units. Didn't realise till I did the side by side comparison of old and new files with the added info of the error msg that it was one of those units that doesn't have a number at end.

Hopefully someone will get a bit of info from this thread due to my errors

Thanks guys for the help, I wouldn't have got this down without you. Much appreciated.

Script report text still not being generated, but that can so wait.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Gray_Lensman]

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[Andy1909]

Yep, finally got it sorted, see my last post. My own silly fault. Thanks for all the help.

Few issues to work through, when I created the new brigadiers I took away their cavalry ability. But it is still showing up in the game. Name changes came through ok. Earl of Essex, Cromwell and Newcastle (shades of the civil war) but abilities and Essexs rank didn't change (to a 2) star, so a bit of fiddling to do.

and come to that, I added a new highland regt as part of one brigade but their skirmisher ability is missing.

So going to spend a bit of time investigating why

Yeah the script report is def not generating. I thought switching on the error logging might do it but nope.

Again the help was well appreciated. thanks

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Andy1909]

That could way make sense as it's the new commanders abilities that are screwed as I said, so investigation time

Question for you, the one thing I was a bit concerned about when creating the new generals was the seniority option. The defaults have the same seniority, but there again so do a couple of the named game generals. 155.

Thinking somewhere in the mdl file is where my problems lie now

Or thinking here, as a test I added that infantryman ability to Kieth, didn't change it back yet, it's also not showing in game. Do those ablities need to be in a a particular order to work?

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Andy1909]

I was too lazy to go thru and change individual units. So i did a what you did, a csv split into seperate model and uni folders then just moved the whole shebang over.

The game actually see's the new commanders. It just hasn't removed the abilites or promoted Essex from a 1 star to a 2 star. checking thru the mdl database now.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Gray_Lensman]

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[Andy1909]

The comment about referencing an old model was right on the money.

Woke up at 2am this morning (AGEOD IS HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH) having remembered a post in which someone mentioned deleting the model cache file.
Internet connex was down so couldn't check forum. But hey if I break the game I can easily install it again Deleting the file and restarting worked for the abilities. They showed up on Kieth and disappeared from the Brit generals.

Now it's just working out why Essex isn't a two star in the game. Thats the last part of this puzzle to figure out before I move on to try changing something else.

Yeah I am discovering a few things in this process about how things work, or how I presumed they work and don't. Thank gawd I didn't get it right first time.

Case in point re the model files. Start the 56 campaign, take Pirna and you end up with 7 Saxon units. Start the 57 campaign and you end up with 11 Saxon units. Point: The Saxon units you get in the 56 game are all wearing Prussian uniforms. Some of those same units in the 57 Game are wearing Saxon white uniforms. Manstein being an example. If the model/unit files were used as a standard across all games, Manstein would be in Prussian uniform at start of 57 campaign.

Thanks AGEOD for making life easy and turning my hair greyer than it was 2 days ago

[Andy1909]

OK at last. it's done.

Found out that Essex, hadn't bothered going out and buying his stars to show his rank. On his portrait he was a 1 star, but his Title was Major General Earl of Essex on his info page.

Guess who didn't realise they had to change the image ID field in Models database to show his rank.... yep me! (In all honesty I didn't even see that this field was different from the other 2 star Brit generals round, one of those blind spot things)

Quick change from General_1.png to General_2.png.

Compile the new updates from the CSV files, delete model cache, go to edit mode, save and then back in.

We now have Major General Essex commanding two British Brigades in Stadt.

Why would I want that? simple answer Because I can

Hopefully anyone attempting to try something similar will get an answer from the useful pointers from Lensman and my meanderings in this thread.