Modding Question

[Atrocities]

Please forgive this obviously dumb question, but what files are moddable in Dominions 2, and how do I open them, mod them, and save them so that they work?

Thanks

The basic modding manual is in the dominions2/doc directory of on your HD (where dominions2 can be wherever you sent Dominions 2 to).

Mods are enabled/disabled from the start screen of the Dom2 interface. For other modding instances (like Ben Sones Skins) it is an actual editting of the Targas in the game file directory.

[Arralen]

You'll need to edit the .map (Maps) and the .dm (DominionsMod) files in the /map and /mod directories.

Those are plain ASCII files with UNIX line feeds. If you're using Win32 you'll need an editor which can do those.

You may wannt to check out this one.

For info on modding search the forum, there are some really helpful postings somewhere.

One word of warning: The build-in map editor just kills most entries in the map file header, so do not save any map with it unless you're shure what you're doing

[Gandalf Parker]

Those are plain ASCII files with UNIX line feeds. If you're using Win32 you'll need an editor which can do those.

Actually the game doesnt seem to care. The files originally come as unix feeds of course but Ive often used Wordpad to resave them as ascii text, then used notepad from then on.

[Gandalf Parker]

Please forgive this obviously dumb question, but what files are moddable in Dominions 2, and how do I open them, mod them, and save them so that they work?

Already?
Maps can be full scenarios. MODs can do units, pretenders, and nations.

Feel free to make a copy of any .dm (mod file) or .map (map file) and start messing with them. They are basic ascii files. The images for both are .tga graphics. There are also some background screens that can be changed to do a theme/skins thing.

New mod commands show up with every patch so far. And patches show up every couple of months

[Atrocities]

I do not see any .DM files, and when I try to open any file with a text editor like NOTE, or WordPad, I get errors or garbled information.

Where are the in game images stored? Unit images, god images, other?

What file do I need to open to be able to edit units? How do I open it? Where is it located?

Thanks.

[Thilock_Dominus]

I do not see any .DM files, and when I try to open any file with a text editor like NOTE, or WordPad, I get errors or garbled information.

Where are the in game images stored? Unit images, god images, other?

What file do I need to open to be able to edit units? How do I open it? Where is it located?

Thanks.

You have to make a note-file into .dm-file. Then put the .dm-file into the mods folder.

In the .dm file you write the distination of the image(s) eg: #spr1 "./Bananas/units/B1.tga"

You edit the unit through the .dm file. There is a command that allow you to modify an existing unit or commander.

best regards
Thilock

[Gandalf Parker]

I do not see any .DM files, and when I try to open any file with a text editor like NOTE, or WordPad, I get errors or garbled information.
Where are the in game images stored? Unit images, god images, other?
What file do I need to open to be able to edit units? How do I open it? Where is it located?
Thanks.

Ahhh sorry about that. Maps you have, but mods dont come with the game. You need to download some from illwinter.com

The unit images are inside the program but we have had some smart people rip them out. You can see a set at my site..
http://www.dom2minions.com/~minion/icons/

Only the original is there and the secondary (animation) image is hard to get. Its usually easier that if you are going to change the image anyway, just edit a move image. Its usually something simple like moving an arm or lowering the lance.

[Arralen]

I do not see any .DM files, and when I try to open any file with a text editor like NOTE, or WordPad, I get errors or garbled information.

Mod files aren't included in the installation package. Download some from Illwinters Mods Page , and get yourself the editor I gave the link to.
It's freeware, it's in english and it comes with syntax highlightning ...

What file do I need to open to be able to edit units? How do I open it? Where is it located?

All unit stats, pics etc. are contained in the .exe .

Stats will be overwritten if you specify a mod in the preferences before starting a new game. If you reload a saved game later, the mods will be loaded automatically (and you'll get an error if the files aren't present)

So for modifying a units stats, you'll have to make a mod-subfolder in the main DOM directory, create new, blank file and save it with UNIX line feeds and put the following in:

#modname "..insert name here .."
#description "This mod is .. "
#icon ".\yourgraphic.tga"
=> This command specifies the image to be used in identifying the mod. The image will appear beside the mod�s name in the Mod Preferences menu. It will also appear in the upper right-hand corner of the game�s Main Menu screen when the mod is enabled. The Targa (.tga) images must be either 128 x 32 or 256 x 64 pixels in size.
#Version x.y
#domVersion 2.12

.. look up these and more commands in the "modding.pdf" in your DOM /doc directory.

hope this is helpful