Topic: How do you add new models to SFC2 EAW and OP?

[Age]

   I would like to know how you add models to Empires at War and Orion Pirates.I have been trying this on my own with no success and the  UI goes black.I would appreciate any help thanks just improving my modding skills.Thanks.

[Don Karnage]

well use ship edit and click on add ship, there you can chose what race and class ect.

[Age]

  What about the geometry as I tried putting in your Constellation in EAW?How do you set the geometry and if you want to put another model in how do you do that as well?Thanks

[Rod ONeal]

Age, do you want to just replace models or add new ships, with their own specs.

[Age]

   I would like to do both but mostly replace the models as I am useing EAW as Giunia Pig for this.I don't want to touch OP.Thanks.

[Rod ONeal]

The simplest way to replace the stock models with custom ones is to rename the folder, the .mod, and the brk.mod to the same name as one of the original models and just swap it out.

Example: Take your favorite Fed CA (Connie or later era). Rename the folder fca and rename the model files fca.mod and fca_brk.mod. Then just swap out the stock fca folder with your custom one. The directory for the model folders, assuming stock install location, is C:\Program Files\Taldren Software INC\Starfleet Command Orion Pirates\Assets\Models. Inside there you'll find all of the model's folders. Replace the entire folder, fca in this example. The custom model will require it's own texture maps, etc.

Sorry if I'm giving you info that you already know. I'm just trying to be as complete as possible, not insult your intellegence. If you need a walk through we can IM, if you like. When I first started I had to watch Chris Jones' "ShipEdit video tutorial" about 100 times (Well, maybe 99).

Ooops! You asked about EAW. It's the same except for the directory where the models are.
C:\Program Files\Taldren\Starfleet Command II\Assets\Models

[Age]

   Rod I knw how do some of this but not mostly what you are talking about.I can do up a good modifified shiplist but as for models just a little and it is the geometry that gets me.When I did but a model in to EAW it my UI went black no stars.How do prevent this and where can I see Chris Jones video tutorial like you did?Thanks

[KBF-Kurok]

are you doing this with a modified sl of your own?Because if you are it sounds like a model pointer in your sl.
I dont know how to fix this but i know you  have to use the shiplist editoe talked about earlier. If your not  using a modified sl  with  it make sure the  mod and  break mods are named exactly as in the  the original folder. Also  i  never swap out the original folder I  make a zip of it and save it somewhere. I then delete every thing in the original folder and move every thing from  my  new ship into the original folder.

 I hope this helps.
Kurok

[Age]

How would you do this with a stock shiplist either EAW 2036 or OP 2552?When you download a model then what do you do with it from there unzip it and overwrite?I gather what most of what Rod is saying.

[Pestalence_XC]

OK..

I will give an example step by step to replace an existing model, I will use the F-CA as an example and will be replacing it with a Battlestar.

1. Configure Windows to where you can see known file types. To do this, open up My computer to a window, click on Tools and select Folder Options, click on the View tab at the top, then in the lower box you will find Hide extentions for known file types and uncheck it. click OK.

2. Download the model you want, mine is a Battlestar.. the file I download is BSG.zip

3. Extract BSG.zip to its own folder.

4. Look inside the BSG folder and make sure that there is not a folder inside of it. If there is, then go inside the BSG folder again. (BSG folder inside of BSG folder can happen easily.. you only want 1 folder with *.mod files and *.bmp files)

5. Inside the BSG folder you should see a bunch of *.bmp files like BSG1_Top.bmp and so forth.. what we want is the *.Mod files. so find the BSG.mod file and the BSG_brk.mod file.

6. Open in a separate window the fca folder located in the \Assets\Models folder. Look at what the fca files are. You will see a fca.mod file and a fca_brk.mod file. You will want to rename the BSG.mod to fca.mod and then rename the BSG_BRK.mod to fca_brk.mod

7. go back to where you can see the folders of the ships in the assets\models folder. Rename fca folder to fca1. This will be your original Model backup.

8. go back to the BSG folder that is Holding the *.mod and *.bmp files you just renamed. (Not the BSG folder holding a BSG folder.)

9. rename the BSG folder to fca

10. Cut the folder you just renamed to fca from its location and paste it into the assets\models directory of your game

11. launch game and select the Federation, and choose the F-CA ship and make sure model works.

12. if model does not work, then there may be a problem with your graphics card and / or memory, or you did not label the files correctly to match the originals exactly.. Now you can recheck your files by going into the fca1 folder and matching them to the ones in your added fca folder for spelling and case (upper case or lower case).

You should now be able to see your added model in the game now.

If you want a step by step on adding a new ship to the game, then that is a bit more complicated but still somewhat easily done.. However You will have a problem of using it online as it requires modification of the shiplist and will CRC check as bad when trying to join a server or a GSA match.

You should have no error on replacing a model that already exists in the game and playing on the server

[Age]

What abut using something like shipedit for something like this although I do get what you are saying I amy have to do it couple of times to get some practice.That is what I use EAW for as guinea pig for stuff like this not OP.

[Pestalence_XC]

Using ship edit will alter the shiplist, as such, it will crc check as bad online against other players and prevent you crom getting on to the D2 servers.

Shipedit is for either making a custom shiplist for Single Player, or making a mod that you will put up for download by others that want to join your server,, to play SFC online everyone has to have the same shiplist. Make sure to copy your shilist to a save location before.

Swapping Models out as I described above does not alter the shiplist and as such, will not give you a CRC check error, and can be played online on GSA without a problem.. D2 Servers that are using the shiplist you have will not block you if you swap a model.

It all depends on what you are doing.. If just wanting to change a model out.. just use the swap instructions above.

If wanting to add ships or edit ship specifications, then use shipedit and enjoy single player..

You can do both if you like so long as you remember to change out your shiplist for single player and Dynaverse.