For anyone interested in learning how to use photoshop, 3Dstudio Max, Maya, and all the popular graphics progams, as well as mod design for games like Unreal, Quake etc.

This site http://www.3dbuzz.com/ offers free downloadable tutorials, and message boards, as well as online classes.

Also if u cant afford 3D Studio Max, there is gmax (which is a free version of 3D Studio Max) for the non-professional users. http://www.discreet.com/products/gmax/ Not sure how compatible or what functions are missing from this with the BHG exporter (that will also be needed and eventually released).

[This message has been edited by One_Dead_Angel (edited 06-28-2003 @ 04:32 AM).]

additional info on sounds:
soundfiles.xml is used to hold the names of event sound files and the event type they are associated with,
ie)

SOUNDFILE priority="25" tag="antitankriflefire" file=".\sounds\antitankriflefire.wav"

associated the anti tank rifle firing wav file with the anti tank rifles firing event.

The event is associated with a unit in the soundtypes.xml file, find the ANTITANKFILE entries:
Now under ATTACK you can see an entry like this:

FILE file="AntiTankRifleFire"

Notice the ATTACK entry matches the previous file event type. We can associate a different file to the event by changing the file it is associated with or by changing the event to another event, or both if we wanted to add a completely new file AND event type.

[This message has been edited by One_Dead_Angel (edited 11-05-2003 @ 02:22 PM).]

http://www.bighugegames.com/riseofnations/downloads/multiplayer_mod_doc.
Documentation on how to install mods in RON patch3 so that it shows up in the drop down menu's. Includes a Uber_javelineer mod.

[This message has been edited by One_Dead_Angel (edited 05-12-2004 @ 01:30 PM).]

http://ron.heavengames.com/library/articles/modelingtutorial/tutorial0.shtml

You can tweak it in rules.xml - either in data folder or mods/yourmod/data/rules.xml.

Just look for 200. There are 2 locations in rules.xml you will need to change.

Warning: Setting the popcap higher will result in spamming armies and HUGE armies in use by computer players. A) not for the faint of heart and b) not for wimpy computers (get at least 512 ram and 1.2 proc w/ 64mb graphics)

Thanks to Tilla the Hun for the info

How to install skin mods.

some skin mods alsreayd have everything set up and all u need to do is put it in the mods directory (under its own subdirectory)

other which is only the skin files. u have several options.
1) make a backup of the originals and copy the mod skins into the art directory, and restore the originals when u want the originals
2) create your own mod from the skin by adding a modded unit_graphics.xml and info.xml
3) use my mod util (only compatible with the original RoN so far) to help u create the modded unit_graphics.xml and associated mod info.xml file.

Typical Mod installed. Your directory structure should look something like the following.

Different mods will go under different directories under your mods directory. The example shows the Norman Knights mod. If its another mod the files/folders (also notice how these mirror the data or art directory or whatever like the game folder, the only difference is the info.xml file which is what the game uses to create an entry in the mods options in game) shown will be under another directory.

Your mods directory will look something like the following:

Notice all the folders for each mod under the master mods directory.

[This message has been edited by One_Dead_Angel (edited 06-26-2004 @ 03:35 PM).]

TRIBE MASKS

100000000000000000000000 Persians
010000000000000000000000 Dutch
001000000000000000000000 Indians
000100000000000000000000 American
000010000000000000000000 Lakota
000001000000000000000000 Iroquois
000000100000000000000000 Mongols
000000010000000000000000 Koreans
000000001000000000000000 Japanesse
000000000100000000000000 Chinese
000000000010000000000000 Russians
000000000001000000000000 Germans
000000000000100000000000 British
000000000000010000000000 French
000000000000001000000000 Spanish
000000000000000100000000 Turks
000000000000000010000000 Egyptians
000000000000000001000000 Romans
000000000000000000100000 Greeks
000000000000000000010000 Nubians
000000000000000000001000 Bantu
000000000000000000000100 Inca
000000000000000000000010 Maya
000000000000000000000001 Aztecs

Thanks to jesus123 for posting the expack tribe mask.
To get the original game's tribe mask just drop the 1st 6 digits.

[This message has been edited by One_Dead_Angel (edited 06-30-2004 @ 10:00 PM).]

AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO KNOWS HOW TO RELOCATE NATIONS ON CTW???? Dear god...

Likewise, you better listen. I've already told everyone at RON Oracle, so they should know. First of all...

1) Get an XML Editor.
2) Enter the program.
3) Go on 'File' then 'Open'
4) On the 'Open' window, navigate yourself to the RON Thrones and Patriots directory.
5) Click on 'conquest' folder, try your best to focus your eyes on some file named 'CTW_World_Map_01'
6) Click on it.
7) It shall now come up, edit at your own bewilderment!!!
8) Find 'Korea'
9) Along the 'Korea' line, it says: 'owner="Koreans"'
10) Delete that. Its stupid.
11) Now, this is what I like. Place it wherever you like!!! How do you do it, you ask?
12) Find any place at all. (Southeast Asia, if you're changing your little Vietnam mod)
13) Type in 'owner="Koreans"'
14) Save it and you're done. No one ask me again, ok?

to one dead angel

i downloaded ur old gaurd and cant figure out what 2 do. the only modding experience i have is with NHL 2004 witch is a very different experience. Can u give me a step by step instruction 4 what 2 do. Thanx in advance.

what do u mean? do u mean u dont know how to install the mod? or are u trying to change the mod? the latest version of my mod u dont need to do anything special. just put it in the mods directory as instructed. and this thread contains example of how it should be setup.

To enable cheat keys in the scenario editor, you need to start up a quick battle (it doesn't really matter what settings) and when the game starts, hit enter to open the chat interface, type 'cheat keys on' and then press enter.
Then exit the quick battle, open up scenario editor, and they should be activated.

(This information can be found in the "Scenario Editor Walk" document included with BHG's Scenario Editor Documention files.)

Thanks to DontheDime for posting

http://ron.heavengames.com/library/articles/modding.shtml

library of articles and links on modding or 3dmodeling/texturing

i havent tried brazil mod but it should be the same.

if u have the norman axe its almost the same as the example i showed before except the directory name will be slightly different. further more the full instructions were in the vietnam mod (and i assumed the brazil) so if u followed it u should have it working. the civilian buildings one has instructions included, but that one is not setup as a menu selection, so u have to follow it VERY carefully, and undo all the changes manually if u want to restore the game or use another mod. u should have enough examples to deduce when things need to be different slightly. but like i said, some mods u need to basically know how to mod to make them work and some are fully usable and just needs to be installed (these usually are the newer ones).

[This message has been edited by One_Dead_Angel (edited 08-03-2004 @ 04:37 PM).]

Quoted from "SeraphLeviathan":

thanks to SL for posting the original thread

[This message has been edited by One_Dead_Angel (edited 08-19-2004 @ 03:07 AM).]

how manage to restrict the ages in the enitre world map for ctw

Quoted from LethalAmbition:

How to install a downloaded Mod

Quote:

Montero explains how to install mods (extra useful if you have the spanish version) http://ron.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=10,5001,0,30

This is something I did once to explain how to install a mod for a friend in RoNO, it uses Uthum876's World War 3 mod as the example, I figured this will help new people with mod installing. (I took the liberty to put some advertisements...)

-Download the desired mod

-After it downloads, it'll be a zip file, unzip it.

-After unziping, it'll present a folder named "ww3", simple as that. Copy that folder.

-Now go to your Rise of Nations folder, note, not Thrones and Patriots, RoN.

-There, create a new folder named "mods".

-Now paste "ww3" inside "mods".

-Enter "ww3" and find the folder "art".

-Copy/paste it's entire contents in your RoN or T&P art
folder.

-Now start RoN.

-Go to "Solo game/Quick Battle". There, select the nation you want to play and the nations of other players. (mods replace nations, for instance, in this Mod, if you want to play as the Iranians, you must select the Persians at the Quick Battle menu, most mods come with a list of new nations, NOTE! THIS DOES NOT REPLACE YOUR NATION FILES, nothing in this mod replaces anything)

-Now select "World War 3" from your "mods" tab.

-Then play.

That should do it, most mods are like that, including my own.

[This message has been edited by One_Dead_Angel (edited 08-26-2005 @ 06:54 PM).]

Montero Explains how to Mod:
http://ron.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=st&fn=10&tn=5022&f=10,,0,30&st=0

HOW TO MOD UNITS:
Well first off, I''ll start using the Inca as an example:
I modded the Inca and made them the Venezuelan, they get various brand
new UUs, so I'll just explain what I did to acheive this:

First off, you need to backup four files in case you mess up:
-unitrules.xml
-unit_graphics.xml
-help.xml
-soundtypes.xml.
All of them are located in your T&P "data" folder. Or, if you have RoN only, the data folder in side Rise of Nations. C:\Rise of Nations\Data.

Now first you should think of what you want to do, for the Inca, I first made Info Age L. Infantry called "Guardia Nacional". After you got your ideas set up, you should open up the unitrules.xml file with a text editor (I use Notepad), find a unit that's not used in the game or you don't care about, I replaced the
Inca Inti Macemen. Now, find the entry for that unit (simply hit search and type the
unit's name) and replace it's stats with the ones you want it to have, for instance, I changed the Inti's attack to 27 from around 14, specify the requirements
for the unit (they are pretty obvious, in a field named "PREQ" and "PREQ1").
I recommend you find another unit from the same age and copy it's specs, but DON'T
change the "GRAPH" field, it'll just use the other unit's art, portrait and sound, and that's not what you want, aye?
After your done tinkering with the stats (make
sure you type the correct age name in "PREQ", in my case Information Age) save up the new file.
Also, if you want to make your new unit "Unique", just type in a "y" in the "FLAGS" field.

Now you need to go to unit_graphics.xml, specifying the art and animation for all units, find the unit you changed (ex. search=INTIMACEMEN) and change the destination
from which it reads the art files, so, the Inti Macemen's original was
"model=".\art\Macemen.bh3" texture=".\art\Macemen.tga", BH3 is the 3D model and TGA
is the skin for the unit, I replaced those to "model=".\art\modern_shockinfantry.bh3" texture=".\art\modern_shockinfantry.tga"
Make sure you put in the correct name in, this should give your unit that art. Now for the animations, just find a same type of unit (Info Age L. Inf.) and copy/paste it's info in place of the existing ones, they're just below the unit name, after this your unit will look and move correctly, you will also want to change the unit's portrait or asign another unit's one to it,
to do this find 'tex_id="TEX_UNITS_2" tex_col="0" tex_row="4" tex_x="-1" tex_y="-1" tex_clip="0"> or something like that, it depends on the unit. Now if you're gonna asign another unit's portrait, find that unit's tex_id="TEX_UNITS" entry and paste
it over your unit's if you're gonna edit the existing portrait...well that's a bit more comlpicated, leave the current TEX_UNITS,
and go to your art folder, find the Iface_units 01, 02 and 03, open them ALL up with an image editing program (not sure if Paint works, I don't think so, I use Photoshop) there you will find ALL unit's in-game portrait, now find the replaced unit's one, and paste in the one you made, downloaded or whatever, save the file as Targa, and that's it, now save up unit_graphics and on to step 3.

Now, go to soundtypes.xml, the document which specifies the sounds of: attack, selection, creation, etc.
Pretty simple here, just find (again) a unit from the same type and age and paste in their info (for instance, I looked up
the Shock Infantry, on which I had based my entire unit, and pasted it's sounds on top of the former Inti sounds) after that...
you're done with soundtypes.xml! That's it for the complex part, now we go to aesthetics.

Go to help.xml, once again search up your unit's ORIGINAL name (INTIMACEMEN) you should find some text saying:
Inca Unique {Heavy Infantry} and a short description which is the one you see in the game
(Inca Unique {Light Infantry}, Medieval Age #ICON29 - fast, cheap melee troops effective against enemy mounted troops.)
Now replace the nation's name to the one you asigned the new unit, and type in a little description about it, it should look like this:
(Venezuelan Unique {Modern Infantry}, Information Age #ICON34 - fast, rapid-firing soldiers used for Patriotic Defense.)
Or whatever you decide to put in, now lastly see the #ICON34 or #ICON29? That's the Age portrait (Enlightenment: the little
buildings with the V symbol) to change it simply find a unit from that Age and put it's "ICON" (INFO: 34, ENLIGHT: 29, etc)
Afer that, save up and enter RoN, select the nation you added or changed the unit for, start a game and check if it worked, if
not, retrace your steps and make sure everything is in order, hope I was able to help all of you.

Ah yes, important, at the top of the unitrules.xml file is a little "glossasy" which explains what does what, it's very handy for starters. (And experts as well, never forget a good manual).
-------------------------
Some interesting things.

You can asign cultural-art-set-related skins to units (think difference between European and Asian units), all you need to do is create another entry in the unit_graphics.xml file, right after the original entry, but replace the "DEFAULT" part of the unit's name to whatever art set you want it to be, like "ASIAN" for example. So, if you want to give China the US Assault Marines, but with a different skin, all you need to do is:
-Copy the ASSAULTMARINES-DEFAULT-AGE0 [...] entry in it's entirity.
-Paste it just below.
-Now, change ...-DEFAULT... to ASIAN, and asign it a new skin and/or model, just like explained above.

The cultural-related entries would be:
-DEFAULT (European)
-ASIAN
-ARAB (African)
-AMERICAN
-NA (Native North Americans)

-------------------------
Nations' tribe masks are:

100000000000000000000000 Persians
010000000000000000000000 Dutch
001000000000000000000000 Indians
000100000000000000000000 American
000010000000000000000000 Lakota
000001000000000000000000 Iroquois
000000100000000000000000 Mongols
000000010000000000000000 Koreans
000000001000000000000000 Japanesse
000000000100000000000000 Chinese
000000000010000000000000 Russians
000000000001000000000000 Germans
000000000000100000000000 British
000000000000010000000000 French
000000000000001000000000 Spanish
000000000000000100000000 Turks
000000000000000010000000 Egyptians
000000000000000001000000 Romans
000000000000000000100000 Greeks
000000000000000000010000 Nubians
000000000000000000001000 Bantu
000000000000000000000100 Inca
000000000000000000000010 Maya
000000000000000000000001 Aztecs

Thanks to jesus123 for posting the expack tribe mask.
And thanks to ODA for posting jesus123's numbers in his "unnoficial modding FAQ" topic. I added this here to save you the trouble of having to go to ODA's topic to find the masks.

Another update, when modding units, you can determine where they show up their building, for instance, you can add a third unit at the fort or even the barracks (before the Industrial Age, remember Machine Guns and Flamethrowers), to do this, simply look for "" in any unit entry in the unitrules.xml file, and change it to the position you want the unit to be in, this allows you to "add" a new unit while still being able to build a similar unit, for example, you could have two kinds of Musketeers at the Barracks, simultaneously, and so on, the count on the "X Grid" starts at zero, with this format:

[MUSKETEERS] [FUSILIERS] [YOUR NEW UNIT] [ANOTHER NEW UNIT]
______0___________1____________2________________3_________

This article was made on Feb. 4th, 2005 and edited on September 19th, October 1st and October 28th 2005 by Luis M. Montero.

You can discuss this post here:
http://ron.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=st&fn=10&tn=5022&f=10,5022,0,30&st=0

[This message has been edited by One_Dead_Angel (edited 04-20-2006 @ 00:22 AM).]