GUIDE: Replace default campaign units with custom colours

[Schweineschnute]

As I wrote in another thread, years ago there were tutorials for this on the web but they all vanished. But luckily I managed to recreate the steps necessary to do this :)

First things first: Replacing unit colours in the singleplayer campaign of Dark Crusade (and it should work with Soulstorm as well) is not as easy as it sounds. Campaign units are hardcoded into the gamefiles and you need to dig in those to replace the default colour schemes. Luckily, all the difficult work is performed by easy to use modding tools. You don't need actual knowledge of editing textures and/or meshes for this :)

What you need:

IBBoard's SGA-Explorer[skins.hiveworldterra.co.uk] and Texture Tool[skins.hiveworldterra.co.uk]
Some kind of bulk file renaming tool, like Bulk Rename Utility (Freeware)[www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk]

Optional: Adonis' Tau with custom badges[skins.hiveworldterra.co.uk] skins if you want to see your logo on the units. Vanilla DC unfortunately doesn't allow for Tau units to wear a custom badge.

How it works:

Step 1: Create the colour scheme you wish to use in the Dawn of War army painter and save it.

Step 2: Download and extract the SGA-Explorer and the Texture Tool and place them where you like, ideally in a separate location so you don't mix up things. They are portable tools and do not require installation.

Step 3: Start the SGA-Explorer. This tool is able to extract data contained within relic's SGA-archives the game uses to access it's hardcoded information. For Dark Crusade, select File->Open and open the file "DXP2Data-SharedTextures-Full.sga", located in your [Dark Crusade]/DXP2/ folder. For original DoW units that did not receive an update with the expansion sets (or if you want to edit the original campaigns) you want to open the "Data-SharedTextures-Full.sga" in the [Dark Crusade]/wh40k/ folder. The latter is also important to edit most buildings, since those did not receive new models - so for any race except Tau and Necrons you will want to perform both these steps.

Again:
DXP2/data/art/ebps/races/[race]/texture_share/ - folder for only DC units
W40k/data/art/ebps/races/[race]/texture_share/ - folder for all units from original Dawn of War
(Thanks to Einheit 731 to point this out)

Once you did that you'll see a explorer-like interface on the left hand side of the window saying "data". These are the folders inside that archive you just opened like a common .zip file. Expand the folder tree by double clicking the parent and subfolders until you reach "data/art/ebps/races/[race]/texture_share", [race] of course being the name of the army you like to customize.

We are interested in all .wtp files in this directory, for example "tau_fire_warrior_default.wtp". All of them are named after their unit, ending on "_default.wtp". You can either select them by holding down CTRL and clicking on them or you simply select all of them and clean up later. Once you selected your files right-click and extract them, ideally to the same location they have in the SGA file. So you want to extract them in "[Dark Crusade]/DXP2/data/art/ebps/races/[race]/texture_share/" - it doesn't matter where you edit your files, but this is the location your finished, edited files have to be in order for the game to find them.

Now go to that location and delete all files that are not .wtp files. All of your files should now look like this "tau_fire_warrior_default.wtp". Now create a working directory of your choice and copy your .wtp files in there, keeping the others as a backup in case something goes wrong. Don't worry, you cannot damage anything, the original files are all within the SGA archive. In case anything doesn't work anymore just delete everything in the DXP2/data/ folder and start over. Important for Tau: In order to see your custom badges you have to put the .wtp files from the optional "Tau custom badges" download to this location, overwrite the ones extracted from the SGA.

Step 4: Start the Texture Tool. Click Edit->Advanced mode (we need that) and then once again Edit->options. In the options menu enter the required paths for your game directory, texture directory and teamcolours directory. Your game directory is, well your game directory, where the darkcrusade.exe is. Texture directory is your texture work directory, for example "[Dark Crusade]\DXP2\Data\art\ebps\races\tau\texture_share\wtp\" whereas "wtp" is the folder you created to edit the wtps. Teamcolours path has to link to "[Dark Crusade]\Profiles\Profile1\dxp2\Schemes\" - this is where your army painter schemes are saved, the number after "profile" changes accordingly to how many active profiles you have, usually it's just the default one. Then click on "Team Colour Settings" and then "Import Team colour". You should be directed to the "schemes" folder and select the colour you want to paint your units in. You will notice that the colours do not have the names you saved them as, they are just numbered scheme_x.teamcolour. Usually the higher numbers are the most recent colours. You can select any one you want and see if it's the correct one. Once you found it click "save preference" and "ok".

Step 5: Click "compile TGA" and select all the .wtp files. This will generate .TGA files with the applied teamcolour in the same directory.

Now we need the bulk rename utility. Dawn of War comes out-of-the-box with seven default colour schemes. We must replace the colour scheme used in the single player campaign with our new one. To do that we load up our renaming tool and add the suffix "_default_x" to our TGA files, the x being the colour used in the campaign.

CHAOS: x = 0. Alpha Legion (SS standard) or 1. Word Bearers (DC standard)

SPACE MARINES: x = 0. Blood Ravens (DC + SS standard)

ELDAR: x = 5. Ulthwe (DC + SS)

IMPERIAL GUARD: x = 4. Kronus Liberators (DC), 4. Karauvan Conservators (SS)

ORCS: x = 4. Evil Sunz (DC + SS)

Tau: x = 0. T'au (DC), 4. Fal'Shia (SS)

Necrons: x = 0. Default (DC + SS)

Step 6: Click .tga -> .dds in the Texture Tool. Select all your .tga files, this will generate .dds files with the same name. Select "DXT 1" compression and click "no" if you are asked to include more mappers.

Step 7: Click "Make RTX" and select your .dds files. This will generate .rtx files of the same name.

Step 8: Copy all of your newly created .rtx files to "[Dark Crusade]/DXP2/data/art/ebps/races/[race]/texture_share/"

DONE!

Now your colour scheme should replace the default campaign colours :) Please note that these changes only apply to the tactical map, the strategical (world) map still shows default skins as well as the character and gear selection. This can also be changed, those skins just are located in a different location, maybe I'll add that bit to the guide as well at a later point.

Have fun playing the campaigns with your favourite colour scheme :)

[K84]

Here's the full list of colour schemes available in the game files (Dark Eldar and Sisters of Battle don't have the necessary files for this though):

Chaos Marines

• default_0 = Alpha Legion (SS default)
  
• default_1 = Word Bearers (DC default)
  
• default_2 = Iron Warriors
  
• default_3 = Night Lords
  
• default_4 = Emperor's Children
  
• default_5 = Black Legion
  
• default_6 = World Eaters
  
• default_7 = Death Guard

Eldar

• default_0 = Biel-Tan
  
• default_1 = Saim-Hann
  
• default_2 = Alaitoc
  
• default_3 = Iyanden
  
• default_4 = Menaan
  
• default_5 = Ulthwe (DC and SS default)
  
• default_6 = Ava-Nile
  
• default_7 = Il-Kaithe

Imperial Guard

• default_0 = 412th Cadian
  
• default_1 = 180th Cadian
  
• default_2 = 110th Cadian
  
• default_3 = 101st Vendoland
  
• default_4 = 85th Cadian, 252nd Kaurava Conservators (SS default)
  
• default_5 = 51st Coronan Grenadiers
  
• default_6 = 31st Harakoni Warhawks
  
• default_7 = 8th Cadian

Imperial Guard DC campaign default uses RSH texture files rather than any of the above RTX textures.


Necrons

• default_0 = Kronus (DC default), Kaurava III (SS default)
  
• default_1 = Jarrman Primus
  
• default_2 = Lorn V
  
• default_3 = Mefara Secundus
  
• default_4 = Miskal Prime
  
• default_5 = Rahe
  
• default_6 = Sevara
  
• default_7 = Verdus Prime

Orks

• default_0 = Blood Axes
  
• default_1 = Bad Moons
  
• default_2 = Goffs
  
• default_3 = Deathskulls
  
• default_4 = Evil Suns (DC and SS default)
  
• default_5 = Big Choppas
  
• default_6 = Gold Toofs
  
• default_7 = Snakebites

Space Marines

• default_0 = Blood Ravens (DC and SS default)
  
• default_1 = Ultramarines
  
• default_2 = Space Wolves
  
• default_3 = Imperial Fists
  
• default_4 = Dark Angels
  
• default_5 = Blood Angels
  
• default_6 = Raven Guard
  
• default_7 = White Scars

Tau Empire

• default_0 = T'au (DC default)
  
• default_1 = Dal'yth
  
• default_2 = Bork'an
  
• default_3 = D'yanoi
  
• default_4 = Fal'shia (SS default)
  
• default_5 = Sa'cea
  
• default_6 = Tau'n
  
• default_7 = Vior'la

[Schweineschnute]

Originally posted by Kasrkin84:

Here's the full list of colour schemes available in the game files (Dark Eldar and Sisters of Battle don't have the necessary files for this though):

(...)

Thanks for your work, but this information is not relevant in regards to this guide. In order for this to work, you must use the default values I defined in the guide (and which are in your list). The reason is to "trick" the game into thinking the custom scheme we applied during this is the default colour scheme, which menas it has to use the number of the default scheme for the campaign you are about to play. If you change this value to soemthing else (say "Space Wolves" instead of "Blood Ravens") it shouldn't work.

EDIT: Oooooh, I see I had a typo in there. I wrote an "8" in the Imperial Guard scheme. Thanks for pointing this out :)

[Assorted_Asserey]

Hi Again thanks for answering my question but I'm afraid I didn't word it properly. When you got to profile 1 outside of the texture tool theres files in it, but inside the texture tool nothing is there. Can you help me? P.S sorry for not clarifying in the first post

[K84]

Originally posted by Schweineschnute:

Originally posted by Kasrkin84:

Here's the full list of colour schemes available in the game files (Dark Eldar and Sisters of Battle don't have the necessary files for this though):

(...)

Thanks for your work, but this information is not relevant in regards to this guide. In order for this to work, you must use the default values I defined in the guide (and which are in your list). The reason is to "trick" the game into thinking the custom scheme we applied during this is the default colour scheme, which menas it has to use the number of the default scheme for the campaign you are about to play. If you change this value to soemthing else (say "Space Wolves" instead of "Blood Ravens") it shouldn't work.

EDIT: Oooooh, I see I had a typo in there. I wrote an "8" in the Imperial Guard scheme. Thanks for pointing this out :)

If you want to switch to a non-default colour scheme, but one that does exist in the game files, you can use these to switch to one of them without having to create new textures for every unit in your chosen faction. You can edit your race's file in data/scenarios/sp/races to use a different texture set, and also edit the teamcolour settings in each of the stronghold and other special missions' SCAR files (in data/scenarios/sp) - both of these can be done with a very simple text edit. This way, the only new textures you will need to create will be RSH files for the commander (which are used on the campaign map and in the commander/wargear screens).

EDIT: Also, default_4 isn't the default colour scheme for the Imperial Guard in Dark Crusade - the Imperial Guard don't use the default_x system for their colour scheme in the Dark Crusade campaign.

[Schweineschnute]

Originally posted by AceiluxDamnedLegionnaire:

Hi Again thanks for answering my question but I'm afraid I didn't word it properly. When you got to profile 1 outside of the texture tool theres files in it, but inside the texture tool nothing is there. Can you help me? P.S sorry for not clarifying in the first post

Not even the subfolders? That's odd. Right now I don't know how that could be. Are the files hidden, maybe? some programs can't access hidden files, even if your windows displays them. Other than that I have no idea right now, but I'm out of modding DoW for a long time now - I have to revisit all this by myself to update and tweak the guide, but I couldn't get around to that lately...

[Kubler]

For the Imperial Guard default_8 works if you use the better textures in the game (can't remember how to force the game to use them, something to do with one of the .ini files).
By the way can I ask how to get the desired colour schemes in the stronghold missions, because even though I did everything (editing the .race files) nothing worked there. I would be very grateful for any kind of help.

EDIT: I only read about the .scar files after I posted, but I would still take any help I can get with editing them.

[qrosa]

thanks a lot for the guide! it made changing the color scheme very easy. my tea was still warm by the time i was done. :-)
now i just have to take care of the commander in the wargear screen.
i'll definitely be doing a (soulstorm) playthrough with my orange/brown IG soon!
https://i.imgur.com/OYnzvF6.jpg
wish i knew about this mod earlier!

edit: thank you R.I.P.!
selection screen: https://i.imgur.com/X0QJ1Lw.jpg
wargear screen: https://i.imgur.com/85bz52T.jpg

[qrosa]

questions!


after playing around with the texture tool a bit, i realized the compiled TGA files are noticeably sharper than how the skins eventually show up in the game. is there a way to keep more of the detail? i've seen HD textures / skins on modb, so i assume the engine isn't limited in that regard.

i know the tga files aren't exactly high resolution by today's standards, but in-game they look so smeared out. can i prevent that from happening, and get closer to the sharpness of the tga file?
example of the "smeared" i'm talking about: https://i.imgur.com/RJUlCos.jpg
it's nowhere near that blurry if you open the tga file directly, so i was hoping to get the skins to show up more like that, in-game.. :-)

i don't know too much about textures, but i suppose there's a chance it's engine-level filtering/compression that i can't stop from happening. though i'm hoping otherwise. :-)


also, i can't get my banner / badge to work? the colors seem to have worked, but there is no icon showing: https://i.imgur.com/9TfV517.jpg

in the texture tool when you import a teamcolour, then neither the badge or the banner are included it seems. so you can click on the rectangular spaces and it'll allow you to open a tga file, but i have no clue how or where i can get the banner / badge images from the game. i couldn't find them in the sga texture files.


any ideas? :-)

[Schweineschnute]

You need to manually pick your badge and banner in the texture tool.

https://i.imgur.com/MeeKMgQ.jpg

Just click on "badge" and "banner" and select your file, it needs to be tga, 64x64 for badges and 64x128 for banners I think

[qrosa]

thanks for the reply. :-)

where/how do i get the banners and badges, though? when i click on the rectangles, it takes me to /soulstorm/banners/ or /soulstorm/badges/, but these directories are empty. in the sga files i also could not find them. :-/

edit: to clarify, i want to use the official badges / banners that are already in the game, rather than custom ones. for example the blood raven badge. :-) i just can't seem to find them.


edit: nevermind, found'em. :-) must've forgotten to browse that file. thanks anyway, and thanks again for the guide.

[qrosa]

has anyone had any success applying a custom color scheme to the tau commander his wargear?



perhaps @Kasrkin84 can be bothered?
i found and downloaded your "t'au sept for ss" mod as a reference, but i'm a bit puzzled by a few things.

particularly, how did you manage to make that commander_wargear.rsh (if you even remember)?
it looks a bit hacked together, as if multiple wtp files had been used to get layers from. or something like that.
i expected to find that you had simply used the DC file for the wargear textures, but when i looked in the DC sga file.. i couldn't even find a wargear file!

also, it looks like you used tau_shield_drone.wtp to create commander_shield_drone.rsh? but.. i don't understand why.
the way i see it, not only could you have taken the file directly from DC, it seems that SS never even updated this file to match the new fal'shia color scheme, so the file never even needed to be included in the mod.
but obviously you know your stuff, so perhaps i'm missing something? :-)



but yeah, applying a custom color scheme was just a matter of following the guide until i realized that those files have no wtp. now half of his wargear is SS themed, the shield drone is DC themed, and the rest is custom themed. what a clown!

[K84]

Originally posted by qrosa:

has anyone had any success applying a custom color scheme to the tau commander his wargear?



perhaps @Kasrkin84 can be bothered?
i found and downloaded your "t'au sept for ss" mod as a reference, but i'm a bit puzzled by a few things.

particularly, how did you manage to make that commander_wargear.rsh (if you even remember)?
it looks a bit hacked together, as if multiple wtp files had been used to get layers from. or something like that.
i expected to find that you had simply used the DC file for the wargear textures, but when i looked in the DC sga file.. i couldn't even find a wargear file!

also, it looks like you used tau_shield_drone.wtp to create commander_shield_drone.rsh? but.. i don't understand why.
the way i see it, not only could you have taken the file directly from DC, it seems that SS never even updated this file to match the new fal'shia color scheme, so the file never even needed to be included in the mod.
but obviously you know your stuff, so perhaps i'm missing something? :-)



but yeah, applying a custom color scheme was just a matter of following the guide until i realized that those files have no wtp. now half of his wargear is SS themed, the shield drone is DC themed, and the rest is custom themed. what a clown!

The commander_wargear.rsh file wasn't actually in Dark Crusade, and only exists in Soulstorm (so if you're modifying Dark Crusade you won't need it at all). Iron Lore neglected to provide a corresponding WTP file, so it was not possible to get any other colours for it than the default Fal'shia scheme. I was able to make a WTP file though, which is admittedly a little rough in places (I'm definitely not an artist), from which to create a T'au version of the RSH and RTX.

I used tau_shield_drone_default.wtp to create commander_shield_drone.rsh (although I switched around the primary and trim colour layers and changed the pattern of the markings) as there is no commander_shield_drone.wtp to use. The reason I included commander_shield_drone.rsh in the first place though is because I was keeping in mind the Bugfix/Unification mod for Soulstorm, which corrected the commander's shield drone to use Fal'shia colours. As to why I didn't just copy over the Dark Crusade version? I could have done, but I already had the WTP file handy so it didn't take any extra effort on my part.

If you're making a Dark Crusade texture swap you'll need to do something similar with tau_attack_drone_default.wtp and command_attack_drone.rsh (this isn't needed for Soulstorm though as the Commander's gun drone is swapped for the marker drone).

You can find ready-made WTP files for commander_wargear, commander_shield_drone and command_attack_drone in the Strongholds mod if you don't fancy making them yourself: http://www.moddb.com/mods/soulstorm-strongholds

[qrosa]

thanks for the detailed info / clarification :-) much appreciated.

that tau commander is just giving me a headache. for now i'll just leave him be :-P i considered painting the tga directly, rather than creating the layers for the wtp, but my lack of skill makes either approach pretty slow and painful.


i noticed that in DC, Orks don't always use the rtx files.
it looks like all the regular missions use the rsh files, while special missions use default_4.rtx.
(haven't played every mission as Orks yet so it might not be true for all of them.)
the rsh files are a unique scheme, as in the color scheme isn't any of the ones that you can select in army painter. perhaps that it's the scheme from one of the earlier games.

[K84]

Like I said, you can just use the WTP files from the Strongholds mod if you'd prefer.

I've just checked the game files, and yes, the Orks only use their "default_4" RTX files (Evil Sunz colours) in stronghold missions, Hyperion Peaks, Pavonis, Eres Badlands and Vandean Coast. Their scheme for regular skirmishes is set to "default_8", but as this RTX doesn't exist, the game defaults to the RSH files.

[Assorted_Asserey]

Hey me again, so the guide's great and all and I tried following it as best I could but could you make a video tutorial?