Editing Help

[Agamemnon]

What I would like to do is give the Sardaukar Desert Camo and add a long range las-rifle version of the basic Imperial Sardaukar. How would I go about this?

[Masticore]

Well, i take it that you don't understand much about modding.  You can do that stuff, but it would take a while for me to fully explain.  First download these files and then ask again.

DuneEX

Texture Locations

One of the basic modding tutorials.

It would also save you a little time if you just downloaded the original rules and artini for the game from dune2k.  Just read over the mod tutorial and practice a little and you should be able to fix the range just fine.  Textures are another matter enttirely...

[Masticore]

Oh, wait, you wanted to add a new sardaukar unit?  Download the adding weapons and adding units tutorials too then.

[Inoculator9]

Oh, wait, you wanted to add a new sardaukar unit?  Download the adding weapons and adding units tutorials too then.

I knew those two tutorials of mine would see some use, lol ;) I hope you'll tell me what you think of them Agamemmnon, I've been hoping to get some input for possible revisions.

And good luck with your modding, I'm sure most people would be only to happy to answer any questions you have, myself included.

[Masticore]

The tutorials were good Inoc, but you might want to add some stuff about the limitiations of adding weapons and units, like the fact that after about ten additions without starting to cut other stuff to make room the gae gives you an error report.  I'd also like to see some one release a tutorial on making XBF's and new texture patches, seeing as i have no idea how and I'm actually just borrowing your textures from SH and ICW and some KH Units and textures to work on my smuggler mod...

:-[.  So while I'm at it, do you care if  i use those textures, as long as i give you credit for them (or whoever made them)?

[Agamemnon]

Your tutorials were very helpful, Inoculator. The only problem that I had was my computer telling me that I couldn't copy part of the file because I was using too much memory. Any insight into this problem?

[JulesG]

A possible typical copy problem:

If you were trying to copy parts of either the artini file or the rules file you should open these files with Wordpad rather than Notepad as Notepad takes only small text files and runs out of memory when you try to copy...

[JulesG]

:-[.  So while I'm at it, do you care if  i use those textures, as long as i give you credit for them (or whoever made them)?

Inoc made some of the original ICW textures (that became the Imperial Renegades infantry) but most ICW textures (infantry and units) were done by me. If you mention Inoc and me in the credits thats fine. Same goes usually with the other modders, SH I think was a joint venture between Timenn and Inoc, textures in KH were mainly done by Nema Fakei.

As to how texturing works, I used the texture locations and experimented as they are only a guide to most texture locations not all. Also some units/buildings turn the file sideways, upsidedown etc. An example of this is the AT APC sides that I found I had to put the Imperial Logo on sideways on the texture file. However on the unit one side is correct the other is mirrored (and thus backwards!).

Also tips on the texture files:

Any that start with = generally will see the blue colourations as a guide for EBFD to use the chosen skirmish colour, plus the purple/pink colouration will be applied as not present (ie holes etc). This rule is not absolute though and some texture files starting AT_ or HK_ or OR_ may still read the pink/purple as a hole...(the original will have pink in it that is not shown in-game. This exception is mostly found on building textures)

If you find a file starting ! generally these are transparent, ie files with a black background are often smoke or bullet effect textures, while the Tleilaxu ones allow you a translucent green.

To see this in effect in ICW, I modified the TLINGreenHouse (used for TL Research Dome) models main textures with an = (from an !) so that the building could be built with skirmish colours (the dome is no longer translucent) and the pink/purple would work as damage. When damaged you can then see through the hole the mouth inside the model, which with the original model could be seen through the translucent green dome.

Please note if you re-shade any texture files in PSP (etc) the blue and pinks will not be the correct shade anymore (even if they look right!) and will not work correctly. Always pickup the colour from an original and floodfill those areas of blue or pink you changed.

[Agamemnon]

Ahhhh. Not sure why I didn't see that before...

[Inoculator9]

Go ahead Masticore, you will need Timenn's approval too, since he made most of them. I only made one or two, and even than... just barely ;)

And as JulesG said, the ArtIni files don't allow you to paste all that much into them without removing an equal amount. I hit the same problem, and if you want to get a good bout of pasting in it, go around in it and delete some of the hyphons that are used as dividers. Other than that, do as JulesG said.

And the limitations of the Rules file regarding adding units, and the necessity of eventually removing units is mentioned in there somewhere unless I'm mistaken.