Ethnicae - Mac / PC compatible Mod

[coffee junkie]

Hope you'll resolve everything !

I'm currently working on new Greeks for Ethnic Mix More, a work based on some Bakuel units, already integrated units ( but reskinned ) and new ones with a new helmet. The fellow who helps me with 3D stuff is on holydays until next week, so, I can only make little things in 3D but I'm going to use the 2 pikes idea for 1 or 2 Greek units ...

A slow process for instance because we are newbies in 3D creation of units. But we already created some interesting stuff like a khandjar. Our major problem is the UV mapping now.

 

[coffee junkie]

Today, I replaced GeoModder Cultural Citystyles version 0.95 with his last version 0.98.

I began to test and for instance, everything is fine. Have to see if everything is ok with some modern era buildings ( still had white "no-textured" modern meso buildings in version 0.95 )

So, I plan a minor update of Ethnic Mix More quite soon

 

[Xyth]

Today, I replaced GeoModder Cultural Citystyles version 0.95 with his last version 0.98.

I began to test and for instance, everything is fine. Have to see if everything is ok with some modern era buildings ( still had white "no-textured" modern meso buildings in version 0.95 )

That's a Mac-specific issue that still exists in 0.98 and nothing I've tried will fix it. Those textures/buildings are fine on Windows.

 

[coffee junkie]

That's a Mac-specific issue that still exists in 0.98 and nothing I've tried will fix it. Those textures/buildings are fine on Windows.

I didn't notice everything yet in version 0.98 only because I didn't have time yet to explore ALL the situations in game which involve this part of Geo Mod. But yes, in version 0.95, I tried too to solve some issues, in vain. So, I'm pretty sure it will be the same with the new version

I begin to have a closer view on this since I try to replace some graphics with some of the ones available by Walter Hawkwood ( some plantations, farms, academies ... )

I'm completely unsucessfull both to find what's wrong with some files of GeoModder and to replace some graphics

For now, I'm on the "Shared" folder tracks and wonder if it's not this which is confusing the game on Mac ... It makes sense because IF you tell to Nifskope to find such a folder, the directory is OF COURSE not the same on Mac and on PC. Hope you'll understand my awfull english language

Could you point the buildings with pink and/or white textures in version 0.98 please ?

Thank you for your help Xyth !

 

[Xyth]

With the fixes I gave you in the Mac forum there are no more pink buildings, Geomodder might have included them in the latest versions as I gave those to him too, I'm not sure. The white buildings are all related to these files:

- Cities/mod_Meso_America.nif
- Cities/mod_meso_city3.dds
- Cities/mod_Meso_America_alt.nif*
- Cities/mod_meso_city3_alt.dds*

* i'm not sure if these two are an actual part of CC or if they're leftover from my fix attempts

I considered what you said about the Shared folder but all the other buildings that use it work fine, just not the Modern Mesoamerican ones. I've tried messing with the dds compression and alphas in the texture file but that didn't help. I'm guessing that it's something in the .nif itself but it's bizarre that it only affects Mac. My skill with Nifskope is very limited, hopefully you have more luck than I did!

Your English is very understandable btw

 

[coffee junkie]

Do you mean these :

- Cities/mod_Meso_America.nif
- Cities/mod_meso_city3.dds
- Cities/mod_Meso_America_alt.nif*
- Cities/mod_meso_city3_alt.dds*

are still white in version 0.98 ??? Damned. I remember your fixes and installed them in my personal mod version. But the modern meso buildings remains white, whatever I did too ...

I'm still thinking ( for the moment ) the "shared" folder could be involved since it happened almost the same problem with WW1 seZereth units ( with a shared folder too ) Some worked, some didn't ... the textures had to be re-assigned in Nifskope. But it was quite simple : only put the right texture with the right nif in the right folder. No more.

If you think it could be a problem inside the nif itself, do you think import/export from a 3D program to Nifskope should do the trick ? I'm going to try tonight.

 

[coffee junkie]

okeee ... I think I found what's the problem and how to solve it

It's easier than I thought at first. Nothing to do with the .nif file itself or even NifSkope or even the "shared" folder ...

It's a simple problem of .dds file. Both mod_meso_city3_alt.dds and mod_meso_city3_alt.dds are 768x512 sized .dds files, which works fine on some programs but absolutely not on some others which require a strictly squared .dds ( 256x256, 512x512, 768x768, etc ... )

The Early and Renaissance Meso cities work fine because their .dds is 512x512. So, I only resized the 2 guilty files of Meso modern cities to 512x512 and voilà Not anymore lasting white texture Everything fits OK

Perhaps Civ 4 on Mac is much more strict than on PC ... So, the bad sized textures don't show up ( still better than crashing anyhow )

Tested working in game too. Try these 2 files ( just replace in Cities folder ) and tell me if it works on your side :

DOWNLOAD


Here pictures :

Spoiler :

The problem I encounter now is that I don't find the required file for shadows : indust_eu_shadow.dds Am I blind ? anyway, Geo Mod seems to find it !

 

[mamba]

The problem I encounter now is that I don't find the required file for shadows : indust_eu_shadow.dds Am I blind ? anyway, Geo Mod seems to find it !

It is part of the standard CIV files

 

[Xyth]

Good thinking! Those fixed textures worked great, thanks

 

[GeoModder]

Ah, finally a solution to those pesky .dds files! Looks like I can go for v0.99 now.
Further more, those asymmetric files cause trouble on my end when unpacking the mod, creating "noise" on the .dds.

For future references, if one of you uses CC and finds files with "_alt" last on a filename that means this file is not in use anymore. When comparing the qualities of files I add the _alt to the oldest file, and sometime forget to remove it.

Cheers!

 

[coffee junkie]

Cheers

Glad it helps.

I saw too Federal_Style.dds is not squared ... But now, with a version 0.99 on fire ... So great. As I'm not in the hurry to release the next update of Ethnic Mix More, it gives me some more time

Thanks for the info related to these _alt files GeoModder and thanks for the shadow file info Mamba

I'd really like to try some Walter Hawkwood buildings but all I get is a crash. Any clue ? Maybe I don't use the right process ...

 

[GeoModder]

I saw too Federal_Style.dds is not squared ... But now, with a version 0.99 on fire ... So great. As I'm not in the hurry to release the next update of Ethnic Mix More, it gives me some more time

That shouldn't be a problem because its in a 256x128 (essentially 2x1) format. Infact, quite a number of Firaxis files have non-squared formats and those appearantly don't give Mac users (or windows users for that matter) a problem.

I'd really like to try some Walter Hawkwood buildings but all I get is a crash. Any clue ? Maybe I don't use the right process ...

Not sufficient info, I'm afraid.

 

[coffee junkie]

That shouldn't be a problem because its in a 256x128 (essentially 2x1) format. Infact, quite a number of Firaxis files have non-squared formats and those appearantly don't give Mac users (or windows users for that matter) a problem.

Right. Including the intro screens ( and some units like warlords and peltast ) and no problem at all ! That's why I didn't think at first to the dds sizes

Related to Walter Hawkwood buildings, you know them.

But even I placed them as they are or copy in Nifskope one of his buildings into one of your file and resize his building to fit yours, ( sorry ! no intend to mess your work ! It's because your files are a reference to me and that's much more for very specific works of mine ) crash crash and crash.

I don't speak about cities, towns and so but rather temple or academy file ... As I'm working on a new Maori civilization ...

I even tried to import/export 3DS Max <---> Nifskope ( that's working really fine with some messing units ) but no success at all

 

[GeoModder]

Yes, I understood that you were talking about buildings, not city graphics.
If you could post a screenshot of both graphics combined in nifskope I would know about what you're talking exactly.
As a wild guess I think you're not copying enough 'data' from one nif to the other. It is best to copy the complete 'ninode' where the 'nitrishape (or nitristrips)' of the to be copied model to the other one.

 

[coffee junkie]

Problem solved.

It seems I tested with some unoptimized files. I re-did the import/export Max <---> Nifskope with some other files and it did the trick.

Will post pictures of some ethnic plantations and send you the files.

Now I can create some maori/pacific stuff

Thanks a lot Geo

 

[The Capo]

Hey CJ, if you wind up enhancing GeoModder's South-Pacific Citystyle could you keep track of, or mark in the file, the source code for me? I'd like to enhance this city-style myself.

 

[coffee junkie]

For sure

 

[coffee junkie]

Related to some buildings stuff I worked on for a future Pacific civ, here are the plantations I insert beside the ones from GeoModder

The Native plantation, the Middle-East plantation and the Mediterranean plantation are the ones from GeoModder ... I just resized and replaced some pixels here and there.

African, Asian, European, Japan, Khmer ( south-east-asian ), Meso and Norse ( medieval/renaissance ) are Walter Hawkwood ones

The Russian plantation and the Norse ( early ) plantation are the basic early ones from the game ( but resized )

The Modern plantation is the one from the game but resized bigger.

Why plantations ? because they are not so numerous in game and I found interesting to render them more ralistic in size. Helpfull with few to bring a bit more more ethnic

Here some pictures :

Spoiler :

Work still in progress and not yet ready ...



I'm too currently updating all the units of Ethnic Mix More ... ( a really needed work )

I clean all the files ( unused .dds files + meshes in Nifskope to get cleaner units ), change some animations and change some units to get a more coherent set and less heavy units

Spring slim !

For now, I only posted the new cleaned Native set of 20 units. Next to be posted, the set of War Elephants ( which really need to be cleaned ! )

All these changes ( and more ) will be in the next update of the mod ...

Examples :

 

[The Capo]

Nice work. Keep it up!

 

[Dumanios]

Pretty!