Easy Modding For Playability Extended

[xcolricx]

***EDIT*** Apparently I was supposed to post this here. I originally posted it in General Discussion. I apologize, this is my first time being an active member of a Steam community. At the bottom, I have also added more mods you can do.

***Special Thanks To Fail_Knight for posting how to edit the brigades' weapons***

First, as always, I would like to thank the devs for this awesome game. It has become my favorite ACW game, and one of my top 2 favorite games of all time.

As I have stated in previous posts, the devs were nice enough to make it to where we could play with the settings of the game via the config files. I am still seeing some questions about playability. If the game is not playable for you, there are ways to mod it to enjoy the game in your own way while the benevolent devs polish this baby up. You can also call me a brown noser, and I will gladly accept the title, because this is the first game since Empires Civil War to try and tackle an ACW game with this much scope and customization.

***DISCLAIMER*** These mods/fixes are not intended to be historically accurate. These are merely to make the game more playable. Alright, let's get into the nuts and bolts.

Before you begin altering ANY game file, make a copy of it and put it in it's own folder. When playing with the config and pref files, it's easy to mess up. Also, when you find a configuration you like, make a save of that file as well so can refer to it if the game updates.

HOW TO EVEN UP THE ODDS: If you are facing insane amounts of enemy troop, try these steps. Or if you just want to have some fun

1. Go to the Grand Tactician The Civil War ( 1861 - 1865 ) folder, then open the folder named Config, then open the file "campaignprefs" as a word document. The devs have split this document up into different sections with headings. The headings are like so:

############################################################ CAMPAIGN MAP PREFS ##############################

2. Find the section ###### Campaign Units ######

3. Find this text

[Additional] recruitment time in years if units are already under recruitment in same state (0=inf, 1=cav, 2=arty)
0.030
0.050
0.045

4. Change it to this

[Additional] recruitment time in years if units are already under recruitment in same state (0=inf, 1=cav, 2=arty)
0.0001
0.0001
0.0001

This makes it to where you can recruit multiple units in 1 - 10 days. Once you recruit the desired amount of troops and they are finished recruiting, either change the numbers back or copy and paste the original "campaignprefs" back into the folder, overwriting the one you just modified. It's been my experience that the enemy won't recruit at the same level you do.

***ADDITION***: The fastest recruiting is done in the state the army you are recruiting for is in. For example, if you want the fastest recruiting time for the Army of Northern Virginia, and they are in Virginia, recruit troops from Virginia.

You can still recruit troops from other states, but they will all be recruited at the earliest time alloted by the game by distance. For example, North Carolina troops would be recruited to the ANV quicker than troops from Texas.


RECRUITING FROM OTHER STATES/MASSIVE CHEESE RECRUITS

1. In the "campaignprefs file", find the heading ###State & Nation prefs###. It will look like this.

State support for a state to count as own state (>=) [0-1]
0.65
State support for a state to count as enemy state (<) [0-1], all between own and enemy state trigger is counted as neutral state
0.35
Minimum state support needed for recruitment
0.3
Standard recruit rate for volunteers if state support is 100%, calculated of total population [0-1]
0.01
Recruit rates for drafts if mobilization rate is 100%, calculated of total population [0-1]
0.05
Update of commander-in-chief per alliance in campaign yrs, refering to campaign ranking (also overwrites auto-assignment)
0.25
Filter map resolution for state support
128
Influence of casualties on state support, per death:
-0.00004

2. Change it to this

State support for a state to count as own state (>=) [0-1]
0.65
State support for a state to count as enemy state (<) [0-1], all between own and enemy state trigger is counted as neutral state
0.35
Minimum state support needed for recruitment
0.1
Standard recruit rate for volunteers if state support is 100%, calculated of total population [0-1]
0.99
Recruit rates for drafts if mobilization rate is 100%, calculated of total population [0-1]
0.99
Update of commander-in-chief per alliance in campaign yrs, refering to campaign ranking (also overwrites auto-assignment)
0.25
Filter map resolution for state support
128
Influence of casualties on state support, per death:
-0.00004

Changing the minimum state support needed for recruitment will usually nab you troops from border states as the CSA and sometime the USA as well. Changing the recruit rates will GREATLY boost the number of soldiers you can recruit.

Keep in mind that if you use this, recruit troops, then change it back, all troops from "enemy states" will desert. It will also leave you with no drafts or volunteers if you recruit too many, causing a lot of attrition. Sometimes I leave it on the whole game. Not historical, but makes for interesting army management and battles.

HOW TO USE ALL POLICIES:

1. Go to heading ###### Policies & Subsidies ###### and change the top 6 lines to this

Basic subsidies cost if used at 100%
1000000
Minimum useable policies
20
Maximum usable policies (when politics subsidies are set to full)
20

I use 20, but I think it's more like 22.

IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH A CERTAIN GAME MECHANIC, CHECK THE "campaignpref" FILE:

There is a ton of stuff you can tweak there. I don't recommend tweaking the performance, but things like Readiness and Reenlistment can be tweaked.

CHANGING MAXIMUM UNIT SIZES:

By now, you should be able to navigate the files. Go to the file "unitprefs" and change the maximum numbers. Be wary about changing how many troops represent a unit or sprites. I have read that other players experienced problems when doing this.

CHANGING SIDES DURING A CAMPAIGN:

Go to Campaigns>001. Pick the save file you want to change by going to the campaign you started ( for example, Spring 1861 is file "A" ) and then finding the save file itself. Open the "scenario" file.

The top two lines of this file are all you need.

1
Confederacy

-OR-

0
Union

This can be useful if you are playing games where the AI just recruits insurmountable numbers of troops. You can switch, remove units via the Order of Battle screen, then switch back.

Together, these tools can make the game more interesting while the devs work on the polished project.

***NEW SECTION***

EDIT THE WEAPONS EACH BRIGADE OR BATTALION HAS:
Special Thanks To Fail_Knight

Go to the save game file you wish to edit. The path should be Grand Tactician Civil War ( 1861 - 1865 ) -> Campaigns -> 001 -> ( Letter ) -> Save ->Regiments

Note that the folders titled A, B, C, D, and E correspond to each scenario, with A being the first scenario ( Spring 1861 ). The first save file ( always titled "Save" ) is your autosave, so if you edit any of the other save files then load them, they will autosave. Your other saves will not be affected by the changes, so if you put a lot of work into the autosave, then load another save, you just lost all the modding you did.

When you open the Regiments file, it will detail all the attributes of the brigades. A full brigade entry looks like this:

787
3rd Brigade

293
0
161
2995
0
0
0.9682805
0
0.8850099
True
14
000-049-083
135-206-235
002-002-002
-1
0
0
-1
-1
0
False
-1
0
26.05.1863
36
0
18
0
Raised on May24, 1863 in Massachusetts\n
0
0
1914.7
490.2734
-327
3.404039
1

The number we are looking for is the "14" above what I believe is the uniform code.

14 --------------> EDIT THIS
000-049-083
135-206-235
002-002-002

Replace the number with corresponding number of the weapon you want the unit to have. This can be found in the "config" folder. The file name is "weapons".

Here is a complete weapon entry from that file:

14 ------------------------------> ***WEAPON NUMBER***
Springfield Rifle-Musket
2
0
1855
400
365.76
-1
3
.58
14.732
false
false
1
-1
-1
-1
-1
-1
58
-1
-1
-1
0
0
0
1
9
4.08233133
56
1.4224
1
-1
-1
1
-1
180
0
0
0
.966666666666667
1
1
2
1
-1
0;

1
1855
The American Minie-type muzzle-loading rifle-musket, with good accuracy, range and reliability. The standard rifle of the U.S. Army.

Just find the number of the weapon you want to change to and replace the old number with it. As a side note, only units recruited after the start of the game will have names like "Wilcox Brigade", the date they were recruited, and state they were recruited in.

Auto-created units, like the brigades in Hampton Division in the Spring 1861 start, will not have this information. They may also have names like "1rst Brigade", even for your units. The AI names their units "1rst Brigade", "3rd Brigade", etc. even after the start of the game. The units YOU recruit should be named after the commander of the brigade.

AI units recruited after the start of the game will also have the date and state of their recruitment. Watch for this, unless you want to face an enemy army decked out with Sharp Rifles and Parrot Guns.

CHANGING THE STATES WHICH SECEDE:

Path should be Grand Tactician Civil War ( 1861 - 1865 ) -> Campaigns -> 001 -> ( Letter ) -> Nations

Open the "nations" file. An entry will look like this:

Delaware
0
0 -------------------->***UNION SUPPORT***
100 -------------------> ***CONFEDERATE SUPPORT***
DE
63563.8888888889
77927.7777777778
86815.9722222222
true
0
0
3
true

This is from the game I am currently playing. As you can see, I have set Delaware's union support to 0 and Confederate support to 100. Easy as that. Keep in mind that the states won't secede until after the war has started

***REMEMBER TO COPY AND PASTE THE ORIGINAL FILE SOMEWHERE IN CASE YOU MESS UP OR WANT TO GO BACK TO VANILLA***

If anyone else has any tweaks to add, please post them here. I love this game and just exploring the game files in itself gives me hours of enjoyment.

[Fail_Knight]

Originally posted by xcolricx:

CHANGING THE NAMES OF ARMIES, CORPS, DIVISIONS:

The latest patch has added some pretty cool army names, but let's say you added a 5th Corp to the Army of Northern Virginia. 1rst Corp, 2nd Corp, 3rd Corp, Calvary Corp, and Hardees Corp just doesn't look right.

Go to your save folder and open the "groups" file. Use Control-F to find the unit you want to change the name of and change it.

If anyone else has any tweaks to add, please post them here. I love this game and just exploring the game files in itself gives me hours of enjoyment.

You do not have to go into the groups.dat file to edit units names. Just clicking on a unit's name in the military tab should select it either in part or in full, at which point you can just erase it and type in whatever you want.

[xcolricx]

Originally posted by Fail_Knight:

Originally posted by xcolricx:

CHANGING THE NAMES OF ARMIES, CORPS, DIVISIONS:

The latest patch has added some pretty cool army names, but let's say you added a 5th Corp to the Army of Northern Virginia. 1rst Corp, 2nd Corp, 3rd Corp, Calvary Corp, and Hardees Corp just doesn't look right.

Go to your save folder and open the "groups" file. Use Control-F to find the unit you want to change the name of and change it.

If anyone else has any tweaks to add, please post them here. I love this game and just exploring the game files in itself gives me hours of enjoyment.

You do not have to go into the groups.dat file to edit units names. Just clicking on a unit's name in the military tab should select it either in part or in full, at which point you can just erase it and type in whatever you want.

Saved me again. Thanks! I'll edit it

[sirallan]

Thx for all your both hard work - Im new to this modding stuff, what program do you use to edit the .dat files?

[sirallan]

Where do I find the "Policies & Subsidies" cause my config map look alot different than what you describes, I can only see policies.dat - so I must be looking the wrong place

[sirallan]

Found it, was looking in the wrong place lol
its a plain textfile "campaignprefs.text"

[Fail_Knight]

Originally posted by sirallan:

Found it, was looking in the wrong place lol
its a plain textfile "campaignprefs.text"

.dat files can be edited like a .txt file. Technically they are probably a type of spreadsheet, but no special tools are needed.

[sirallan]

Thx - I have another question for a mod.
Can you add custom commander or just edit one and what about a picture?
Could be fun to have yourself in the game as an officer.

[Fail_Knight]

Adding a custom commander should be possible. If you want the commander only in a particular campaign, you can edit a save's commanders.txt file. If you want the commander in every new campaign, edit the commanders.txt file in the config folder.
In commanders.txt, increase the first entry (something like 1615) by one. This number tells the game how many commanders there are in the file.
Then you can add a new commander with as ID the first number of the file -1.
For an overview of what all the values mean: a spreadsheet[docs.google.com]

[sirallan]

+1 and thx
I shall cetainly have a go of this
Do you by any chance know how to add the portrait of the commanders ?

[sirallan]

now I have tryed to get my custom character in and it can be done, but then it is making my game to freeze when looking threw my units and making Fort Monroe to one of my Armies indstead of a fort - any idea what I have done wrong or does it simple mean you cant do it at all?

[Fail_Knight]

Originally posted by sirallan:

now I have tryed to get my custom character in and it can be done, but then it is making my game to freeze when looking threw my units and making Fort Monroe to one of my Armies indstead of a fort - any idea what I have done wrong or does it simple mean you cant do it at all?

Could you post the lines you've added and wether this was in the config commanders files or in a saves commanders file?

[sirallan]

I have tryed both

[sirallan]

this one in in config commanders (I did remember to change the first nr to 1638 and made an officer for both the union and confed) I dont know what the last 5 nr means I just took them from another officer:
1636
Jensen
Allan S.
Allan S. Jensen
0
50
50
90
100
90
100
True
False
3
1
6
1830
24
3
1848
5
6
1848
23
4
1849
6
7
1850
4
10
1850
12
9
1862
1
4
1863
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
1850
0
0
0
1
4
1899
0
12
False
Second son of a Danish nobleman. Served as an officer during the 1. Schleswig war 1848-50, where he distinquised himself in battle and rose rapidly through the ranks.\nBecame a nationalhero in the battle of Isted 1850.\nFell into disfavor in 1852 for in public announce the need of modernisations of the Danish Army.\nEmigrated to U.S. in 1855 and was one of the founders of the danish society.
0
0
3
0
4
1637
Jensen
Allan S.
Allan S. Jensen
1
50
50
90
100
90
100
True
False
3
1
6
1830
24
3
1848
5
6
1848
23
4
1849
6
7
1850
4
10
1850
12
9
1862
1
4
1863
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
1850
0
0
0
1
4
1899
0
12
False
Second son of a Danish nobleman. Served as an officer during the 1. Schleswig war 1848-50, where he distinquised himself in battle and rose rapidly through the ranks.\nBecame a nationalhero in the battle of Isted 1850.\nFell into disfavor in 1852 for in public announce the need of modernisations of the Danish Army.\nEmigrated to U.S. in 1855 and was one of the founders of the danish society.
0
0
3
0
4

[Fail_Knight]

My own test officer seems to work fine, without any freezes and crashes.
When I tested yours I changed the last 5 lines of each officer to match that of a more typical commander entry. These numbers are related to assignments and OOB levels as far as I can tell.

0 -> 0
0 -> 0
3 -> -1
0 -> 0
4 -> -1

This seemed to produce no problems, though one issue with theCSA officer seems to be that he won't be avaible unless the CSA holds Iowa?
Testing was done based on 0.8412 dev patch, with the spring 1861 campaing for all tests.

[sirallan]

thx I didnt thought it was a problem with having a confed from Iowa, cause union can have from virginia. So I just change that