Campaign creation guide Part 2 (Adding Custom Army lists)

[rbodleyscott]

You can easily add custom army lists to your campaigns.

First look in your main game build for /CORE/ArmyList.txt

Copy ArmyList.txt to the main folder of your custom campaign. (Not a /CORE subfolder).

You can add new custom army lists to the end of this file and they will work in your campaign. (Always add them at the end - inserting them will invalidate previous saves of the campaign by altering the army list references in the saved campaign game).

Find the list that is closest to the composition of your custom list and make a copy of it at the end of the file. Then change its "chunk-name" etc. as detailed below. Note that everything after "//" is a comment and is not part of the actual list.

Lists are in the following format:

[EC_INDIAN] // This is the "chunk-name" and is the internal name of the list. All of the lists in the file must have different names. They cannot contain spaces (use underscores), and cannot be too long (not sure what the length limit is).
SIDEID 17 // This is the nationality. You can find the list in /Data/Text/Text2.txt under IDS_SIDENAME.... You can add your own by putting an appropriately numbered IDS_SIDENAME... string in your text1.txt. You can re-use one of the existing side numbers in your campaign. If so, pick one that you won't need in the campaign and which uses the banner type you want.
NAME IDS_ARMY_EC_INDIAN // This is the string holding the army list display name. It should be IDS_ARMY_ plus the chunk name. You put this tag and the string to go with it in your text1.txt file.
YEARS 2500 3319 // Note start era from 3000 BC
DEPLOYMENT Hellenistic // Deployment type can be Roman, Hellenistic or Skythian
CODE 0 // DO NOT ALTER THIS OR REMOVE IT FROM YOUR CUSTOM LIST
LONGMIN 63 // Minimum longitude of historical army territory
LONGMAX 94 // Maximum longitude of historical army territory
LATMIN 5 // Minimum latitude of historical army territory
LATMAX 35 // Maximum latitude of historical army territory
INTRO IDS_ARMY_INTRO_INDIAN // Army list intro string - needs to go in your text1.txt
SORTNAME Indian // Used in sandbox campaign to sort the list of army lists
MAPSET Tropical // MAPSET must be Medi, North, MidEast, Steppe, Desert or Tropical

//The following hold the details of the units in the army. They must be numbered consecutively, starting from 0.

UNIT_0 Indian_Elephants // This is the name of the unit from column A of the squads file
MIN_0 2 // Minimum number of units for 2000 point army
MAX_0 11 // Maximum number of units for 2000 point army

UNIT_1 Indian_H_Chariots
MIN_1 0
MAX_1 3

UNIT_2 Indian_L_Chariots
MIN_2 2
MAX_2 5

UNIT_3 Indian_Cavalry
MIN_3 2
MAX_3 9

UNIT_4 Indian_Archers
MIN_4 7
MAX_4 30

UNIT_5 Indian_Javelinmen
MIN_5 2
MAX_5 10

UNIT_6 Nomad_LH
MIN_6 0
MAX_6 3

UNIT_7 Indian_Light_Archers
MIN_7 0
MAX_7 3

UNIT_8 Heavy_Artillery
MIN_8 0
MAX_8 1

UNIT_9 Light_Artillery
MIN_9 0
MAX_9 1

You should ensure that the total points value of the maximum number of units in the army adds up to around 3000 points to ensure reasonable choice.

And that's all there is to it.

You can find the Squads file in /Data in the main game build. It you want to mod it, you can copy it to the main folder of your custom campaign . (Not the /DATA sub-folder).

Squads.csv is the version actually used by the game. Squads.xlsx is useful for the the formatting - if you edit that and save it, you can also save a copy in .csv format.

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You can find some examples of custom lists at the end of the ArmyList.txt file in the SeleukosICampaign in Immortal Fire when it is released.

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VERY IMPORTANT

If you are planning for your army lists to be used in MP, make sure you have the word

REPLACE

above the [POTLUCK] line in your army list.

Otherwise the wrong army list names will be displayed in the challenge list, and possibly other strange things may occur.

[rbodleyscott]

Note that the AI will weight its unit choice according to the proportion of each unit type in the army list.

If you want it to pick them more like a player would, maximising the preferred troops, you may need to make a custom list with a higher proportion of those preferred troops.

Do this only for lists that will only be used by the AI. It is mainly useful for nations whose vanilla lists have a very high proportion of MF "Irregular Foot". (Called Hillmen or Slav_Foot in the squads file, and hence in army lists).

[vakarr]

I got the following error messages when testing my campaigns, and here's how to fix them:

"MissingIDSunitinfoXXX"
"MissingIDSunitname"XXX"
"missing IDS army potluck classical"

The last "potluck classical" error was mainly caused by a spelling error in an army list name.

To avoid the other two errors (seen on newly created troop types during a battle) , you need these (starting above 800) in the text1 file:

IDS_UNITNAME
IDS_UNITINFO


I think you also need to add the following to your Text1.txt file if you create new units as well as new army lists. I created ten new lists and seven new troop types for three campaigns and one scenario. You need to add

IDS_ARMY_[Army name], "[Army description]",
IDS_ARMY_INTRO_[Army Name], "[ story about your army]",
but I suppose you don't really need to unless you want to be able to use those armies elsewhere, in which case it's time to modify the text2.txt file.

You will need IDS_SIDENAME_ etc though if you want to change what sides are shown fighting during a battle.

Examples are given below (all this was added to the text1 file but you could have modified text2 files instead):

IDS_ARMY_CLASSICAL_MACEDONIAN, "Early Macedonian 460-356 BC",
IDS_ARMY_E_LYSIMACHID, "Early Lysimachid 340-300 BC",
IDS_ARMY_THRACIAN_EMPIRE, "Thracian Empire 450-350 BC",
IDS_ARMY_ODRYSIAN_THRACIAN, "Odrysian Thracian 460-350 BC",
IDS_ARMY_HELLENISTIC_THRACIAN, "Hellenistic Thracian 350-280 BC",
IDS_ARMY_GETIC_THRACIAN, "Getic Thracian 500-200 BC",
IDS_ARMY_MOUNTAIN_THRACIAN, "Mountain Thracian 700-350 BC",
IDS_ARMY_L_MTN_THRACIAN, "Later Mountain Thracian 350 BC-46 AD",
IDS_ARMY_TRIBALLI_THRACIAN, "Triballi Thracian 500-280 BC",
IDS_ARMY_ROMAN_THRACIAN, "Roman Thracian 26 BC-46 AD",

IDS_UNITNAME801, "Thracian Peltasts",
IDS_UNITNAME802, "Thracian Light Cavalry",
IDS_UNITNAME803, "Thracian Spearmen",
IDS_UNITNAME804, "Getic Noble cavalry",
IDS_UNITNAME805, "Dii Swordsmen",
IDS_UNITNAME806, "Triballi Warriors",
IDS_UNITNAME807, "Thracian Lancers",

IDS_UNITINFO801, "Thracian Peltasts - superior skirmishers with javelin and pelta.",
IDS_UNITINFO802, "Thracian Light Cavalry - superior light horse with javelin and some swords",
IDS_UNITINFO803, "Thracian Spearmen - fierce medium infantry with long spears",
IDS_UNITINFO804, "Getic Noble cavalry - heavily armoured heavy cavalry with light spears",
IDS_UNITINFO805, "Dii Swordsmen - savage medium infantry with swords",
IDS_UNITINFO806, "Triballi Warriors - medium warband with swords",
IDS_UNITINFO807, "Thracian Lancers - heavy cavalry with lance and sword",

IDS_SIDENAME_92, "Odrysian Thracian",
IDS_SIDENAME_93, "Hellenistic Thracian",
IDS_SIDENAME_94, "Getae",
IDS_SIDENAME_95, "Mountain Thracian",
IDS_SIDENAME_96, "Roman Thracian",
IDS_SIDENAME_97, "Triballi",

IDS_ARMY_INTRO_CLASSICAL_MACEDONIAN, "Macedonia was originally inhabited by a mixture of Thracians, Illryians, and Dorian Greeks. During the Classical period, it was divided into Upper and Lower Macedonia, with the Argean kings gradually increasing their control over the region. Macedonian cavalry always had a good reputation, and probably adopted the xyston no later than 450 BC. However Macedonian infantry was very poor quality, and the Macedonians only opposed the Thracian invasion in 429 with cavalry.",


IDS_ARMY_INTRO_E_LYSIMACHID, "Following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, his generals began to fight over his empire. Lysimachos, governor of Thrace, later claimed the title of King. Together with Seleukos I, he defeated Antigonos I and gained control of western Asia Minor in the division of the spoils. He subsequently also seized Macedon. Eventually he fell out with Seleukos and was killed at the Battle of Corupedion. The Lysimachid army was a typical Hellenistic army, based on the pike phalanx. This is Lysimachus's satrapal army, before he acquired any elephants.",


IDS_ARMY_INTRO_THRACIAN_EMPIRE, "The Thracians spent much of their time fighting among themselves but were combined into a huge state in the middle of the 5th century BC that extended from the shores of the Black Sea to the Aegean. The Thracian king had an income similar to that of the Athenian empire and had an army supposedly 150,000 strong. This list represents that army. Thracian light cavalry was numerous and well regarded, fighting in wedge formation and using shields. Thracian infantry was similarly famous for their fighting qualities, the most numerous being the Thracian peltasts. The best infantry in the army was said to be the Dii swordsmen. There were only a few armoured noble cavalry though. Heavy infantry was available from their allies the Athenians, and the coastal cities.",

IDS_ARMY_INTRO_ODRYSIAN_THRACIAN, "The Odrysians were the only Thracian tribe to combine all the others tribes into one state. They inhabited the central plain and had many javelin armed light cavalry, along with a few armoured noble cavalry and many Thracian peltasts and light infantry. They hired Greek mercenaries and also could obtain heavy infantry from Athens and the coastal cities.",

IDS_ARMY_INTRO_HELLENISTIC_THRACIAN, "With the growth of the Macedonian state and Greek influence, the Thracians became more Hellenised, wore Macedonian and Greek style clothes, and built a Greek style city, Seuthopolis, as their capital. The murals from that time show Thracian cavalry using long lances and their infantry using rhomphaias. After various periods of independence, revolts, Macedonian rule, and alliance with Macedonia, the Hellenistic Thracian state disappeared with the Celtic invasion in 279 BC, when Seuthopolis was burnt down.",

IDS_ARMY_INTRO_GETIC_THRACIAN, "The Getae were called 'the bravest and most noble of the Thracians' by Herodotus. They inhabited the plains on both sides of the Istros (Danube) river. They were often confused with the Skythians and had many horse archers in their ranks. Their nobles are shown armoured from head to toe on metalwork. They had a close relationship with the Dacians, eventually merging with them.",

IDS_ARMY_INTRO_MOUNTAIN_THRACIAN, "The mountain Thracian tribes had reputation of providing the best Thracian infantry, but had fewer cavalry. The principal tribe was the Bessi, who are accused of all kinds of savagery by ancient authors. When surrounded in a hill fort by the Romans, some committed suicide rather than surrender. The Dii, a sub-tribe of the Bessi, were said to be the best infantry in the Thracian army, providing swordsmen who also charged out and back like peltasts.",

IDS_ARMY_INTRO_L_MTN_THRACIAN, "The mountain Thracian tribes had reputation of providing the best Thracian infantry, but had fewer cavalry. The principal tribe was the Bessi, who are accused of all kinds of savagery by ancient authors. When surrounded in a hill fort by the Romans, some committed suicide rather than surrender. The Dii, a sub-tribe of the Bessi, were said to be the best infantry in the Thracian army, providing swordsmen who also charged out and back like peltasts. Mountain tribes tend to retain their customs longer, so even though it appears most Thracians changed to other styles of fighting, in this list there are still some of the old style Thracain warriors alongside the newer rhomphaia armed troops. They are described as capering in front of the walls of their fortress in Roman times.",

IDS_ARMY_INTRO_TRIBALLI_THRACIAN, "The Triballi were a troublesome tribe from north-western Thrace that was never included in the Thracian empire. Two Thracian kings died fighting them, and they also wounded Philip II of Macedon. They were strongly influenced by the Skythians, Illryrians, and Celts and were known for their ferocity and length of their spears. Celtic swords have been found in their graves. They are said to have drawn up in four ranks, with the rearmost rank being made up of their women, who encouraged the men to fight with cheers and taunts. When fighting Alexander, their skirmishers were successful but they had nothing that could stand up to the Macedonian heavy infantry.",

IDS_ARMY_INTRO_ROMAN_THRACIAN, "The Romans setup a client kingdom in Thrace, that was often racked with dynastic squabbles and rebellions. The Thracians took to wearing Roman and Celtic dress, and one of the last kings formed his men into disciplined units that used Roman weapons and military standards.",