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**child of Thor** · November 19, 2004, 06:01

welcome wubbie, it sounds like you'll be wanting to make a scenario,rather than a full Mod.

So have a look in some of the topped threads for info on scenario making, also within the CTP2 game is a game/scenario editor for doing such things.

Doing a Mod is a much more involved and complex task - and for what you described a scenario would suit you better i would think.

Thats all i can tell you about it as i've never tried it, but i'm sure one of the creative guys here will pop in sometime to give you a few pointers, and if i find any threads that might help you i'll post the links here for you.

here you go to start with, in the scenario making bit:resource for mod-makers

I guess you could use the cyber-ninja for those anime ninja

**Immortal Wombat** · November 19, 2004, 12:03

Hi Wubbie, welcome to the fun and ~~frustrating~~ exciting world of CtP scenarios...

The best way to start I find is to write down a list of exactly what you want it to look and play like, then translate that into game terms: what has to be done to the files to make them work as you want. This has the added advantage that if you don't know and can't figure out how to do something you want to do, you can post it here easily and clearly and we'll be able to help more easily.

So then you should have broadly four categories of changes:
1/ Adding new "things" to the game (new units, buildings, wonders, advances, etc) to the text files.
2/ Adding new graphics (maybe new sprites to correspond with the new units, or for the cities, as well as the images for anything new that are needed in the main panel and the great library)
3/ Changing the rules. This will often involve SLIC coding, but lots can be done in Const.txt and DiffDB.txt regarding more general things.
4/ Altering the AI to allow for the changes in (1) and as far as possible (4).

Then the best place to start is still the Modder's Guide to CtP2 (by hexagonian). And also the Activision Modding guide which outlines how to set up a scenario file structure in your Scenarios/ directory.

Once you've copied the files you need to change across to the scenario directories, then you can start editing them.

Adding units but keeping the existing graphics is quite simple, you can yes, simply copy and paste an existing entry in units.txt, change the name and the values, and have a new unit.

To finish it off, you'll also need to change it's ingame name in gl_str.txt, and add it to the AI's unitbuildlists.txt, and then alter uniticon.txt if you want different library entries and pictures (regardless of the sprite used) It sounds pretty complex just for one added unit, but in fact the last three files are not essential to get the game running, they just add the detail (like the AI being able to use it. A large detail, perhaps, but not strictly essential). How to change these files is detailed in the Modders Guide.

For making a standard new-map, same-rules scenario, you shouldn't need SLIC, so shouldn't really consider it programming. All you need to do is read the existing text files, figure out what each bit does, and change them how you like. There's plenty of information floating around to help you, and if you have any specific questions, someone here will be able to answer them too.

**wubbie** · November 25, 2004, 17:37

Oic ic...

Well.. I'm going to start off easy and go with making the map first.

Well... What are the sizes of each map, tilewise? like... 100 x 100? 500 x 500?

I normally play at ctp2's default regular size.

**Maquiladora** · November 25, 2004, 18:04

You can find the default map sizes in const.txt in ...\ctp2_data\default\gamedata

Code:

#
# These map size settings must all be defined,
# and in this order
#
MAP_SIZE_SMALL		26	52	2
MAP_SIZE_MEDIUM		48	96	2
MAP_SIZE_LARGE		64	128	2
MAP_SIZE_GIGANTIC	70	140	2

**wubbie** · December 2, 2004, 17:49

How does the BMP to CTP2 map program thingy work?

**wubbie** · February 3, 2005, 22:45

anybody know how to use it?

**J Bytheway** · February 4, 2005, 10:00

I know that, in broad terms, in changes BMP images into a format that CTP2 understands as maps (I believe the '/importmap' format), but I don't know anything more detailed than that.

**Ekmek** · February 5, 2005, 01:01

I've messed with CtP2 a lot and played with games a bit. But I've never tried to make a scenario. I wanted to make a scenario using cradle so I made a Cradle folder in Scenario folder. But I can't load it and it does not show up in my choices of scenarios. I thought it was that easy when I tried a long time ago but it isn't happening now. Also when I save games it won't let me save in different directories. Anyone have any tips?

**Maquiladora** · February 5, 2005, 01:10

If you make a scenario it has to have the unmodded names for files (all the cradle files have a prefix CRA_*.*) so it knows to replace the original files, just look at the Activision scenarios.

For the BMP 2 CtP isnt there a readme file with it? Ive used it 5 or 6 times, didnt have any problem following the readme.

**Ekmek** · February 5, 2005, 02:08

ok, I renamed the files, but then it said that theycan stay the same which is nice. It loads ok, but how come I'm limitedto only 3 civs to choose from? Also I went to the editor and saved the scenario in the scenario file, but it still has me start with a settler and I'm sure I start with a nomad in Cradle. Also it does not use the Cradle sprites even though I had them in the directory.

Maybe I'm the crazy one but I think we should try coding it so that people can just put a mod in the scenario folder, pick that mod for the choice of game to play and the game will start a new game and save it in that Mod/scenario folder and use the SLIC and txt etc. That would be a VERY nice addition.

**Immortal Wombat** · February 5, 2005, 06:49

If you make a scenario to use with a mod, it must take the prefixes of the mod (CRA_* etc) so that when you load the game in ModSwapper, the right dataset gets loaded, and then overridden by the scenario tree. It is possible to have gamedata files with more than one prefix in the scenario data tree, so that the scenario can run under more than one mod - but only if you do not have a saved scenario file, since this also has set elements of the rules saved into it.

To do it that way, you'd need two different scenarios inside one scenario named folder (so a scen000 and a scen001 folder) with different datasets (with different prefixes) in each, and a saved scenario file which has been created whilst playing a game (or just building the map) under the dataset (mod) for which it is intended to be played. NB: The 'game' in which you save the scenario file should have the correct entries in userprofile.txt for use in the scenario. This includes the number of players.

If you are content with a random map scenario, then you could just as well make it a ModSwapper style mod, and run it from the default tree.

Of course the AE has/will/should fix the scenario tree bugs, so we can go back to playing everything from there (in theory).

**MikeLynch** · February 20, 2005, 12:34

To finish it off, you'll also need to change it's ingame name in gl_str.txt, and add it to the AI's unitbuildlists.txt, and then alter uniticon.txt if you want different library entries and pictures (regardless of the sprite used)

I am having immeasurable difficulty with the Great Library.

All I want to do is change the name of the Hoplite unit to "Phalanx." Seemingly simple, but in practice, not so much.

I have already succeeded in changing the images for the unit (both the sprite and its TGAs), and the game loads without error messages, and the Phalanx has the right name in the Build list and everything, but its Great Lib entry contains *nothing* and its summary just says UNIT_SUMMARY_PHALANX even though I followed the advice of the "Modder's Guide" and didn't specify the Phalanx description (see code below).

Anybody know what I'm doing wrong?

Code:

## UNIT 30
UNIT_PHALANX {
   Description DESCRIPTION_UNIT_KNIGHT
   DefaultIcon ICON_UNIT_PHALANX
   DefaultSprite SPRITE_HOPLITE
   Category UNIT_CATEGORY_DEFENSE
   Attack 10
   Defense 15
   ZBRangeAttack 0
   Firepower 1
   Armor 1
   MaxHP 10
   ShieldCost 175
   PowerPoints 100
   ShieldHunger 1
   FoodHunger 0
   MaxMovePoints 100
   VisionRange 1
   EnableAdvance ADVANCE_BRONZE_WORKING
   ObsoleteAdvance ADVANCE_GUNPOWDER
   ActiveDefenseRange 0
   LossMoveToDmgNone
   MaxFuel 0
   CanEntrench
   CanExpel
   CanPillage
   CanPirate
   ExertsMartialLaw
   DeathEffectsHappy
   SoundSelect1 SOUND_SELECT1_PHALANX
   SoundSelect2 SOUND_SELECT2_PHALANX
   SoundMove SOUND_MOVE_PHALANX
   SoundAcknowledge SOUND_ACKNOWLEDGE_PHALANX
   SoundCantMove SOUND_CANTMOVE_PHALANX
   SoundAttack SOUND_ATTACK_PHALANX
   SoundWork SOUND_WORK_PHALANX
   SoundVictory SOUND_VICTORY_PHALANX
   SoundDeath SOUND_DEATH_PHALANX

   CanAttack: Land
   CanAttack: Mountain
   CanSee: Standard
   MovementType: Land
   MovementType: Mountain
   Size: Small
   VisionClass: Standard

   CanReform {
      Sound SOUND_ID_REFORM_CITY
      Effect SPECEFFECT_REFORMCITY
   }
}

**J Bytheway** · February 22, 2005, 11:23

What does the relevant entry in uniticon.txt look like?

**MikeLynch** · February 22, 2005, 13:18

Never mind, I determined the source of the problem on my own, quite by accident.

I kept finding these references to a "Catamaran" unit. I began to suspect that this was actually the Coracle, and in doing some digging I confirmed that suspicion. Thus I found the flawless, foolproof way to do it, by imitating what Activision had done.

So, for posterity:
To rename an existing unit but still be able to view the Great Library entries, DO NOT change the name of the unit in any of the actual *code* -- just change the name in quotation marks in gl_str.txt, and change the non-code references in Great_Library.txt -- for example:

Code:

[UNIT_HOPLITE_GAMEPLAY]
The Phalanx is an excellent defender.  One of the few 
units whose defensive capabilities exceed its attack 
strength, the Phalanx ...

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