Mod tools guide

[Pokemastuh]

I know it's a lot to ask, but I want to try my own hand at a rebalance mod. Unfortunately I have no idea how these mod tools work. So to that end I wanted to ask if someone who knows what the mod tools do and how they work could write up a guide?

[Reuben]

http://modding.dawnofwar.com/
http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/discussions/18446744073709551615/1291817208495032156/?appid=285190

[Pokemastuh]

Okay, I've made it to the part where I'm cloning an attribute. what do i do now?

[Pokemastuh]

So I've looked through the website over and over again and I still have no idea what I'm doing. I really want to work with this but so far I might as well be reading sanskrit with most of this stuff. If anyone could create a guide or if possible even a video tutorial then I'd be very thankful.

[Reuben]

http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/discussions/18446744073709551615/?appid=285190
I believe I saw someone advertise a video tutorial series a while back.

[Pokemastuh]

Originally posted by Reuben:

http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/discussions/18446744073709551615/?appid=285190
I believe I saw someone advertise a video tutorial series a while back.

The ones I find all seem to be for the world builder. I'm looking for help modifying units, tech trees, damage numbers, and more. Eventually I'd even like to make a whole game mode with a rewritten economy.

[Gorbles]

Couple of general points

1. Game modes are a separate category of modification (Win Condition, via the Wizard), and need maps to be made compatible with them. However, I have been told that they support balance changes and similar kinds of file tweaks. Haven't tested that myself.

2. Balance mods are referenced in the wiki as "Tuning Packs". Whenever you read this, just basically assume they're on about your bog standard game-tweaking modification.

Quick Tuning Pack Walkthrough

(sorry if you know some of this, I'll prolly re-use this at some point)

1. Create a mod through the Mod Tools, double click the XML entry under "attrib" to launch the Attribute Editor.

2. Admire the high-res logo on that loading splashscreen.

3. To make any changes to any unit (or to create new units, upgrades, and so on) you have to Clone an existing node. You can customise the filepath for this if you want to copy it to a new location (i.e. for a new unit).

4. Once this is done, you can edit the values in the right-hand pane by clicking the little [+] next to "extensions".

5. For example, to increase the the amount of Banshees in the default Banshee squad, you would Clone the sbps reference (Attributes menu at the top > sbps), keep everything the same (so it overwrites the basic Banshee squad), and alter the following attribute:

"extensions" > "squad_loadout_ext" > "unit_list" > "1. loadout_data" > "num"

A lot of it is playing around with this. There isn't a full set of documentation, though a lot of these fields have "description" values visible at the bottom of the right-hand pane. Some of them will unfortunately say "No Description", though.

Hope this helps! If you have a more specific question, I'll do my best to help.

[Pokemastuh]

Originally posted by Spooky Prawn:

Couple of general points

1. Game modes are a separate category of modification (Win Condition, via the Wizard), and need maps to be made compatible with them. However, I have been told that they support balance changes and similar kinds of file tweaks. Haven't tested that myself.

2. Balance mods are referenced in the wiki as "Tuning Packs". Whenever you read this, just basically assume they're on about your bog standard game-tweaking modification.

Quick Tuning Pack Walkthrough

(sorry if you know some of this, I'll prolly re-use this at some point)

1. Create a mod through the Mod Tools, double click the XML entry under "attrib" to launch the Attribute Editor.

2. Admire the high-res logo on that loading splashscreen.

3. To make any changes to any unit (or to create new units, upgrades, and so on) you have to Clone an existing node. You can customise the filepath for this if you want to copy it to a new location (i.e. for a new unit).

4. Once this is done, you can edit the values in the right-hand pane by clicking the little [+] next to "extensions".

5. For example, to increase the the amount of Banshees in the default Banshee squad, you would Clone the sbps reference (Attributes menu at the top > sbps), keep everything the same (so it overwrites the basic Banshee squad), and alter the following attribute:

"extensions" > "squad_loadout_ext" > "unit_list" > "1. loadout_data" > "num"

A lot of it is playing around with this. There isn't a full set of documentation, though a lot of these fields have "description" values visible at the bottom of the right-hand pane. Some of them will unfortunately say "No Description", though.

Hope this helps! If you have a more specific question, I'll do my best to help.

I followed your instructions and now I want to see if my changes work and the like. How do I play my mod now? When I go back to the mod builder and try to build it says game path not set

[Gorbles]

As per http://modding.dawnofwar.com/mod-builder

The Mod Builder should appear; click Tools then Options…
Click the … button beside the Game Path text box and select your Dawn of War III local files folder.

If you do not know your Dawn of War III local files folder:
Launch Steam
Click Library then Game.
Right click on Dawn of War III and select Properties.
Click the Local Files tab.
Click Browse Local Files…
Copy the path from Window Explorer.

You can then follow this to set up the description of your mod, and Build it for use ingame:

http://modding.dawnofwar.com/tuning-pack-wizard

If the base game is patched, or you make changes, I recommend running a Clean before Rebuilding.

[Pokemastuh]

Question. I was looking into trying to make some anti-vehicle turrets, turantula turrets with armor piercing and whatnot. I made the weapon by cloning the heavy bolter turret under the weapons tab, but how do I put it in game? Either as an upgrade to a singular turantula rather than all of them, or as a new building in the construction menu?

If anyone knows how to make it a toggle ability that would also work.

[Gorbles]

I'd need to give it an actual go myself, as I'm not sure how the turrets work (you'd need the Doctrine selected to even test it I'd imagine), but either

a) look at how other squad weapon upgrades work, and have a go at copying that code to the Cloned heavy bolter turret, or

b) look at the "spawner" (or similarly-named) property of a building to add your new turret name to the list.

[Pokemastuh]

Originally posted by Spooky Prawn:

I'd need to give it an actual go myself, as I'm not sure how the turrets work (you'd need the Doctrine selected to even test it I'd imagine), but either

a) look at how other squad weapon upgrades work, and have a go at copying that code to the Cloned heavy bolter turret, or

b) look at the "spawner" (or similarly-named) property of a building to add your new turret name to the list.

I tried a lot of that. It either didn't work or crashed. Right now i'm trying to make the flamer fire like a regular weapon as opposed to an ability. Can't get that to work either. Either the upgrades are bought and no flamer comes into existence or the upgrade doesn't even show up in the tab next to the plasma guns.

[poussin]

hi, i'm new i have already done all the stuff to create my mod and test it but i still need help:
- i dont find the atributes files for the buildings
- i've tried to create squad with various type of unit but when i reinforce it, it's refilling with the original unit type
- to loot and upgrade all of those various units type i have to give them the abilities to loot for each type of units, and when i use the basic "loot" abbilities it does the same issue that the reinforcement, all of them just become the original unit type ( in this case 'ard boyz)