Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 3:20 pm Post subject: Making mods
Seeing, and playing some of these fantastic mods I am quite excited about the idea of having a go myself. Can anyone point me at what I need to do to get started.
Many Thanks
Marty
Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 4:09 am Post subject: p.s
plus a tonne of patience.
Forget words,actions will show your true ambitions!The Battlefield,In many cases, the terrain of a battlefield can be the best resource a commander has. A clump of trees, an abandoned house, or a drainage ditch can all be powerful tools in the right hands
Any chance of someone posting a comprehensive list of what files get modded with which tool? and maybe even info on what the file is for in relation to the game?
And maybe making that post into some sort of sticky?
Any chance of someone posting a comprehensive list of what files get modded with which tool? and maybe even info on what the file is for in relation to the game?
Sounds great Michael, unfortunately I do not mod so I wouldn't have a clue on how and where to start.
Hopefully some modders read this In they start up a new thread (which we then would make a sticky one )
Well I geuss I could start with what little I know.
Make sure you read the readme file for any tool you download first.
My only experiance is with both CCIV and CCV so I dont know if the same applies to the other CC series.Hopefully when this gets completed it can get converted into some sort of PDF with graphics and step by step instructions.I will also add a good size list of names from all those who have helped both past and present as god knows I have had several people be very patient with me in learning how to mod CC.
Graphics folder:
In here you will find 15 files that make up the bulk of the game for graphics,You can use GadgetMunger to both view and extract the files named CCImages,GameGadg.gdg,ScrnGadg.gdg
Extracting them will convert them into 16 bit. TGA's so that they can be edited with Photoshop or some other editing program (I do not have a list of other such programs).
When GadgetMunger extracts them it puts the 16 bit. TGA's into the Close Combat Graphics folder.It would be easier for you to use the viewer in GadgetMunger to see what images are in these three files than for me to list them all.GadgetMunger will allow you to view the .azp files but wont recompile them.
The three .azp files (Guns.azp,,Tanks.azp and Wrecks.azp) are best opened with XTank.(I dont get any 16 bit TGA for the shadows when using XTank then again I could be doing something wrong)
XTank does not have a viewer like GadgetMunger so you will only be able to see the files after you extract them.It will place these extracted files into the graphics folder that you see next to the XTank icon.
After extracting Xtank will have given you two files,one is the TGA and I do not know what the other is (maybe someone else can help out on answering that by leaving a post)
I also dont know how to explain the what the Offset and the Size numbers Xtank displays after extracting.(Again I hope someone will leave a post clearing that up)
I have no idea what the ACredits,MCredits,unitcons and the unitcons2 are for or what the relation to the game is if edited.
And im sorry to say that I have no idea what the Soldier and SolderB files represent or how they are edited
Well I mentioned I didnt know much and it shows, hopefully someone else with a little bit more knowledge will come along and help pick up the pieces.
Last edited by platoon_michael on Sun Nov 28, 2004 3:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
While searching around at another site I found this post by Firefox.
This is the list of files and their tools on graphics folder:
-CCimages.pix, GameGadg.gdg, ScrnGadg.gdg must be open with gadgetmunger, the first has all screen images, main strategy map image and some more, the second all tactical images, and the third all strategy images. They are on tga format and you must use a photoshop to edit them.
-Guns.azp, Tanks.azp, Shadows.azp, Wrecks.azp must be open wih Xtank, the first has all graphics from guns, the second has all graphics from all vehicles on game, the third all shadows from all vehicles and guns and the fourth are all wrecks graphics from vehicles.
-Terrain must be open with SprTool, it has many small graphics from maps as trench, artillery and airattack cursors, victory position flags and more.
-Terraina.stm must be open with Stm, it has more many small graphics from maps, as explosion damages, and many more.
-ACredits.bmp, MCredits.bmp, uniticons.bmp must be open with photoshop, the two first have the credits from Atomic and SSI, the third has the game editor battlegroup icons.
-There are some bmp images more but they have not used on game.
Soldier and SoldierB have all Soldier images but there are only a tool to open it, I do not know zip all files again on it.
-Effects.azp on localfx folder, it has all graphics from explosions, smokes and more, you must open first it with Xtank, next you must open it with CCFx.
All these tools have readme.txt, you must read all to know them.
-As important things you must know it.
All vehicles and guns need a shadow (many mod have crashed because they have not a shadow to all vehicles and guns).
Wrecks are important but they are not neccesary on all vehicles. Guns have not wreck graphics.
If you edit Terraina.stm and you do not edit it well, game can crash on the start.
All images open with gadgetmunger must be flipped when you save them.
Here you will find eight files that can be opened with QClone,Most people seem to agree that exporting the file to Tab Delimited and then using Microsoft Excel to do all your changes is much easier.If im not mistaken these eight files correspond with each other so be sure to double and triple check all your changes.(If possible print out all the files for regular CC and then do a print out from a mod you are most familier with,this way you can see the changes the modmaker did and have an idea on how editing these files work)
The two files that are USNames and GENames can be easily edited with Notepad just be sure that the amout of names is the same as the number that is displayed at the top of the file when opened.( I do not know if their is a limit on the amount of names you can have)
SolActn file:
SolActn file is basically a list of positions and states that soldiers take up during the game,(I do not know how or if anyone edits this file)
LocalFX folder:
Here you will find seven files,the five .sfx files can be opened with the SFX tools package and it will save them as Wave files in a new folder (called Wave) in the LocalFX folder of CC.
You will also use this list to get the correct weapon sound to be used with QClone for the Weapon sounds.(I.E. you open the Weapons.adb with QClone and the weapon "Gernade" will have a weapon sound # in the list.This number needs to correspond with the # of the wave file.)
The other two files (.azp) can be opened in the following manner
1st Open the program XTank then open the Effects.azp ( I do not belive that XTank will open the FT.azp as it locks up my PC I have only ever opened the Effects.azp file)
You will then need the CCFX tool to open extract the files needed to be edited. Be sure that you have both the file you want to edit lets say it's baz135 and the fxdata.fx are in the same directory as well as the CCFX program.
So it will go just like this............
1) Open the Effects.azp file with XTank
2) copy the file baz135 "AND" the fxdata.fx file that is in the graphics folder(the default folder where XTank puts all files it opens).
3)paste those two files "PLUS" the CCFX program into the folder you plan on using.*
* I used my unzipped folder so my command lines read like this.....
4) Open a command prompt window ( or DOS) and type the following
cd\
cd c:\unzipped\
ccfx baz135.fx
The program will then extract all the TGA"s needed to be edited into a new folder (In my case it is in the unzipped folder)
These files have one Alpha channel so you will need to be familier with that.
The only program that I know of that supports Alpha Channels is Photoshop.
Since most of us try to learn from our mistakes in our daily lives what could be better than learning from someone elses mistakes eh?!
In the spirit of that...
Have a plan from the beginning before doing ANYTHING. If we were writing a book about modding you could devote an entire chapter to this phase of modding. You say "How can I have a plan when I don't even know how to use the tools or know what needs to be done?". Well that's partially true but I can tell you from experience that you'll save yourself a LOT of time if you only have to do this stuff once rather than re-doing it because you have to update your info because you didn't have a plan.
Start from a broad, general viewpoint and work toward the minute, most specific details. You must be able to answer these questions with 100% specificity if you are doing a FULL BLOWN mod:
What war will your mod be about?
What theater of that war will your mod be about?
What area of that theater will your mod be about?
Time period?
What areas were most important to understanding the battles that took place there?
Are there aerial photographs you can use for map making? If not collect tourist photos or ground level photos of towns and areas, contemporary or period.
What nations were involved in that theater?
What armies of those nations served in those theaters?
Brigades?
Battalions?
Regiments?
Companies?
Divisons?
Platoons?
What identification did they use? Shoulder patches? Badges? You'll need pictures of all of them.
What ranks did they use?
What did those rank insignia look like?
How did they organize their armies?
Squads?
Men?
What type of equiment did they use? You must know down to the last detail.
Quantity of ammunition?
Number of grenades?
Number and type of weapons each man carried?
Vehicles?
Number and type of weapons each vehicle had?
What were the armor ratings of those vehicles?
Vehicle speed?
Number of crew?
Weapons the crew carried?
You must do this until every last detail is accurately understood.
Now it's not completely necessary to reinvent the wheel since a great deal of this information has been painstakenly researched by many of the mod makers before you and already exists. If you're lucky the information you seek will already exist within another mod and you can borrow that information for your mod. Most modders, like myself, are extremely flattered that someone would be interested in using their work and allow use of their mods work for other peoples mods without seeking permission but it's always good to ask before using that work.
When developing your plan you may choose to do a mod about a very specific thing rather than changing the entire game. Perhaps a mod that improves a specific aspect of someone elses work or introduces an element that existed in history but isn't represented in a specific mod or version of the game.
Regardless of your goal just attempt to understand as much as humanly possible about what you'd like to mod and you'll save yourself a great deal of time.
Just want to say... since I mod CC3 pretty wel exclusively.. is that using Gadgetmunger, I have had a hell of a time not being albe to recompile graphics folders I have modified graphics to. Im tallking easy stuff liek splash screen. The recompile file is there.. but I still get an error it cant do it..
I have doen a tone of CC3 graphic changes so I know the TGA is doen correctly.. flipped
I was thinking today that it probably would be easier to do a how to with a specific goal in mind and the first thing that came to mind for me was to either A) Do a new CCIV conversion to CCV B) See if one of the CCIII mods could be incorporated into CCV ( Maybe something like either Real Red or one of my personal favorite Grossdeutschland.
I could use the maps from CCIII just to save time assuming it was ok with the people who made all of that.It might not be to the extent of say a GJS or a Meuse with full blown changes but it could end up being just enough to make one understand how to do it.
My fear is that if I try to compose a how to guide with never modding anything before(other than easy graphic changes) no one would take this guide seriously and I might not have everything covered.
Right now it stands as just a thread but the goal would be to have it all in order and maybe in a MSWord document for download someday with pictures and all.And maybe even with trouble shooting.There is no way I could cover all the other aspects such as how to use PS or how and where to get the info for what war/theater to cover (My specialty is the battle of the buldge as I have read so much but that theater is pretty much locked up with TT's VETBoB) so borrowing might be the way to go.
All these tools have readme.txt, you must read all to know them.
Got that
platoon_michael wrote:
Effects.azp on localfx folder, it has all graphics from explosions, smokes and more, you must open first it with Xtank, next you must open it with CCFx.
Thank you for this but it was this next bit (which I hadn't previously noticed) which cracked it for me:
platoon_michael wrote:
You will then need the CCFX tool to open extract the files needed to be edited. Be sure that you have both the file you want to edit lets say it's baz135 and the fxdata.fx are in the same directory as well as the CCFX program.
So it will go just like this............
1) Open the Effects.azp file with XTank
2) copy the file baz135 "AND" the fxdata.fx file that is in the graphics folder(the default folder where XTank puts all files it opens).
3)paste those two files "PLUS" the CCFX program into the folder you plan on using.*
* I used my unzipped folder so my command lines read like this.....
4) Open a command prompt window ( or DOS) and type the following
cd\
cd c:\unzipped\
ccfx baz135.fx
The program will then extract all the TGA"s needed to be edited into a new folder (In my case it is in the unzipped folder)
These files have one Alpha channel so you will need to be familier with that.
The only program that I know of that supports Alpha Channels is Photoshop.
This should be highlighted.
Mind you, I haven't tried recompiling anything yet.
****
axrael wrote:
Just to add to the TerrainA.stm info:
You can open and edit it. However only the icons for the in game teams are really editable. RTFM for Cpl_Filths tool carefully before using.
I just opened it using Mafi's Spriter. I was trying to change the team info icons (the wee crosses and stars which follow teams around) but hadn't much luck. (This was for CC V.) The shape could *not* be changed. It was unhappy about changing colours. Obliterating the existing icon didn't work either.
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In August of 2004, Zappi, Homba, Bambam887, RedScorpion and MOOXE all pitched
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and found this site to thier liking. I hope you had time to check out some
of the great Close Combat mods and our forums. I'd also like to thank
all the members of our volunteer staff that have helped over
the years, and all our users that contributed to this site!
