Mod help?

[paradoxharbinger]

a unit editor would be really sweet, even if it lacked a database of the in-game units and just allowed for creating new ones.

[BandarLover]

Very nice.

It's nice to know I just need stuff that's already on my comp. I'll prolly toy around with some of the things Sombre first posted. And I will check out the other programs as well.

I know it has been suggested that I not worry about custom graphics at first, but eventually I would like to. How do most of you modders go about this? Do you import graphics into your paint program or make them from scratch? Can you simply edit and add to some units already in game?

Thank you guys very much for the help. Who knows, I may just see this through and (hopefully) have something up here for others to check out.

[Sombre]

I often use graphics from the game as a template,.. but I don't use a time consuming and precise method to extract them, so I only get one sprite (from the unit recruitment screen, enlarged by about 120% width, 140% height) and it's blurry due to enlargement, has some other graphical glitches etc. I then go about a process of chopping bits off, sharpening it up, changing colours and adding bits. I sometimes use graphics from other sources too, but recently (with Ulm Reborn for instance) it's been my own work on top of a Dom3 recruitment screenshot template.

[Psientist]

Bandarlover:
Here's my suggestion. Don't even start with a nation - start even simpler by just modding a couple of items, monsters, or spells. I started with a new pretender!

Don't restrict your modded monsters/items/spells by nation. Don't worry about graphics - use the #copyspr to copy graphics from an existing unit (check out the various Units View maps to get the numbers).

Play and tweak.

That way, you can have a simple mod up and running in a few minutes. Then you can start building around a theme and get more ambitious.

[BandarLover]

I certainly plan on starting slow to get my feet wet. The last thing I want to do is jump right in and drown (which looks easy to do after attempting to read the mod file in the Dom 3 CD). As for ambitous, well the idea I have is certainly that. In fact, I'm not even sure it feasible but I wanna try at least.

If more questions or problems pop up I'll certainly post here again. You guys are fast and willing with the advise and I appreciate it.

[Foodstamp]

I have another suggestion for modding entire nations. When I first started working on my nation (Haida Gwaii), I opened a Dominions 2 nation mod called Ashikaga Shogunate and basically copied the structure of this mod by Potatoman while making my mod.

The way Potatoman formatted that mod is similar to what order the modding command sections are listed in the Dom3 modding pdf. So I was able to just follow along with his mod opened side by side with mine and know exactly what commands I needed to use to make units, weapons and the nation specific functions.

Without using an existing mod as a reference, it would have been a nightmare to try to structure the mod with any semblance of order. The modding commands for Dom3 are alot more varied and complex, so once I was finished with the core part of the mod which is similar to dom2, I just plugged in areas for starting magic sites, spells and other new features where I felt appropriate.

So my final format looks like this:

1. Mod Info
2. Weapons/Armor
3. Units
4. Commanders
5. Summons
6. National Heroes
7. Pretenders
8. Existing Pretenders
9. Spells
10. Magic Sites
11. Nation

I hope maybe some of this information is help with your ambitious project.

[paradoxharbinger]

i've decided to create that unit editor. it's actually pretty far along already, thanks to the wonders of visual c#. i'll start a separate thread for those who are interested