Modding Tips
For tips and tricks related to modding.
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Using a program called PNGOUT, you can optimize the size of PNG files and save storage space. You can use this on any .png that AoH2 uses, whether it's a flag, scenario thumbnail, leader portrait, or even a map background. Normally you run this program in Command Prompt, but you can also just drag your .png onto PNGOUT.exe and it'll do the job. I was able to save roughly 8 MB of space by compressing every graphic in AoH2 using PNGOUT.
Last reply by Chairman Baad, -
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A lot of modders choose to upload their mods to Google Drive. Typically they post two links: one for the PC version of their mod, and one for the Android version. And on some occasions, a modder will share links to past versions as well. But having to constantly replace the download links whenever a new update rolls out can be a hassle. In fact, there's a more automated way to go about updating your mods that nobody appeared to be using until now. So how can you make the process of updating easier? It's so simple that even a no-good, incompetent spam-bot could do it. Simply place your mod downloads in a new folder and share the folder in the same way you would a file…
Last reply by Chairman Baad, -
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Soundtracks! They shape the atmosphere of a mod and can control the emotion and tone of the player's game session. With many modders opting to replace the soundtrack of the base game (courtesy of Kevin MacLeod), actually getting new songs for the game can be very tedious. However, I have cracked the code of soundtrack creation and discovered 3 techniques to automate and simplify this otherwise time-consuming process. NOTE: This modding instruction assumes you're using Windows and have Notepad++ installed. If you don't have Notepad++, you can install it here. 1. Using yt-dlp and FFmpeg to Download Playlists Let's begin with downloading songs! You're most lik…
Last reply by Chairman Baad, -
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AoH2 typically names a province after its city. But you can actually change the province name to whatever you want. And even without a city in the province, you can still give it a name other than "Fokus". This is done through a map's province_names folder. In the base game, this is how the sea provinces get their names. How to add a unique province name: Find the ID of the province you want to name by going into "Edit Connections And Provinces". In your AoH2 directory, go to map/<map name>/province_names. If you don't have a province_names folder, copy the one from the AoH1 map into your map. Open the names file in a text editor, preferably N…
Last reply by Chairman Baad, -
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When it comes to adding cities to a map, you have two methods for how to do it. The first method is to use the in-game city editor, and while this does work in adding new cities, it doesn't let you change existing cities. It also displays new cities at the incorrect level. The worst part is that it leaves a file for each city, therefore forcing Android modders to add these and bringing their mods closer to the 65,536 resource limit. The second method is by using the cities.json files in the map's cities folder. This method requires you to have the map editor open, but the process for adding cities is still quite easy. It also lets you change existing cities and displ…
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If you've seen or created an event before, you'd understand the various issues behind the event text. Why can I only see part of the text in the event creator? Why did the description I just wrote get deleted when I added a trigger? Why are all the events in a different language? For many mods, these issues are common in scenarios with events. Luckily, there's a better way to display event text: event localization! Inspired by the system in Hearts of Iron IV, and originally demonstrated in The Reaper's Collection (rest in lack of content and peace) before being used in Norrvägen and The Second Great War, event localization alleviates all of the issues present with the sta…
Last reply by Chairman Baad, -
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Things You Should Do When Making a Mod General Issues Consider the mod you want to make. Are you going for a story-driven mod with diverging paths? Or maybe you want to focus on a certain era of human history? The first thing you should always consider before making a mod is what kind of mod you're going to make. Know your limits. Try to refrain from having too many projects going at the same time. If you have 3 mods in the works and you're trying to focus your attention on one mod at a time, players who were looking forward to the other mods might be disappointed with having to wait longer. Don't steal! Stealing content from another mod is one of t…
Last reply by Chairman Baad, -
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Do you know if someone can create a mod working on Android? If yes can you tell It ti me here? I have a lot of ideas but playing on Android...it's difficoult. Thanks
Last reply by Chairman Baad,
