How do I add and delete units from a nation?

[Epaminondas]

Per title, how do I add and delete units from a nation?

For instance, I am sick of Hinnom giants eating population, so I am planning on getting rid of the giant units and replacing them with the giant units from Ashdod.

Thanks a bunch!

[Edi]

Seriously, RTFM with the modding manual already! The nation modding section.

From all that can be seen on the forums, you do not even try to find out anything for yourself, but expect all answers to be provided ready-made to you on a platter. And it's a new thread for everything, which clutters up the forums. You could post just one thread titled "My questions on modding" or something and then post all the questions there.

Everything that you need for this is in the modding manual and all the answers that you need for this particular question, every single one, are found in the nation modding section and specifically the unit list commands.

[Aezeal]

I think I've helped enough with the last similar (easily found in manual) question you asked. Listen to Edi, the docs files are with the game read them a few times dammit.

[Gandalf Parker]

Or if you are one of those who gets a feel for things from looking at the code examples, then download a bunch of the other mods.

[Aezeal]

Good point Gandalf.. I usually open up the Skaven mod cus loads of commands are used there (I know in otehr too but I'm just using the skaven one) especially the whole nation modding stuff. I just copy so I only have to change numbers and text

[Sombre]

Man there's been a rash of people asking irritating questions lately. I've been acting like a bit of a git to them, but in all fairness, why should I or anyone else do anything to help people who refuse to help themselves?

[Gandalf Parker]

I dont know why you would. Not sure if I could answer for others.

But it is an old subject. At least as old as programming, and possibly older than that. Some people just tend to learn a subject from side angles. There are those who have no idea they WANT to become a ((programmer/modder/hacker/etc) until they get at least one project under their belt that they can be proud of. They have a specific goal in mind and just want to know how to do it rather than "properly learn" how themselves. Along the way to their goal they might actually learn the subject and become a (whatever) and sometimes they just get their project done then are happy with that.

Gandalf Parker

[Ballbarian]

Hang in there Epaminondas. Sometimes half of the battle is figuring out where to find the answers you need. The manual will answer many of your questions (and probably generate new ones that you haven't thought of yet), and the adobe pdf map editing and modding documents can be found in your \dominions3\doc folder.

[Epaminondas]

Mea culpa.

I recognize I've been asking what seems like elementary questions to you experts, but in my defense 1) Dominions III is a vastly complex game and the modding aspects seem equally formidable, and 2) I am a stereotypical tech-illiterate whose only facility with a computer (or anything related to it) is strictly limited to surfing the web, writing word documents, and playing games. So forbear, please!

Ok, so I did try to study the modding manual and have sort of gotten the hang of how to add and delete units.

But some problems and further perplexities have cropped up:

1. Is there a faster way to delete units than clearing the entire roster of a nation's recruitable units as the modding guide implies? That method seems very inefficient.

2. It appears that I cannot clear the sacred units from the roster, even if I delete the entire roster of recruitable units. Am I mistaken?

3. Finally, when I add some units whose unit name belongs to multiple nations, I often end up getting the wrong unit added--even if it's the right #. For instance, I am playing around with Early Era Ermor, and cleared the roster of recruitable units, because the nations has too many useless chaff units that I'd never use (anything below Principe, that is). But when I add the units back, I end up getting the Late Era Ermor units of the same name, even if I put in the correct #s for the Early Era units I want. Any way around this issue?

[Edratman]

Commendable progress. I have found that the best way to learn how to mod is to study the dm files of some mods. Amos and Sombe are two mod masters and I think they have the best and most clever mods, so look at their work.

The answers to your questions are:
1. No. You may think it inefficient, but it takes everyone weeks to make a mod. The five minutes you spent isn't a drop.

2. The sacred units and probably a commander are made available from one or more of the magic sites associated with a nation. Click on the sites in your capital and you will see that they say something like "allows recruitment of Merlin". These are the sacreds you cannot get rid of. (This is the mechanism used to limit recuitables to your capital throughout the game.) The only way around this is to specify new starting magic sites for the nation. Every good mod makes new start sites and it is easy to copy the format. And if you make your own start sites, you can more generous with gold/gems/resources if you want.

3. It sounds like you are using unit names, not unit id#s to get this effect. The game often reuses unit names throughout the eras but uses different ids. If you are using id #'s then you are making a mistake somewhere. Download EDI's database and there is a page with army lists for all nations/all eras. That will resolve this difficulty.