How do i edit a building's list of buttons?

[apple23]

Like all my recent questions here, I'm embarking on a new full scale total conversion that will portray our view on what will happen to RA3. unfortunately, my modding experience with generals is limited, so expect alot of questions like these ones.

Anways, i'm looking for some sort of tutorial on how to change the list of buttons that apears in the "bottom bar" when a unit is selected. So for example, adding a new unit to the building's list of buildable units.

Any help is appreciated and thanks in advance for bearing with me! :D

[Me Myself & Pi]

How much do you know about INI files?

[apple23]

How much do you know about INI files?

Well since i haven't had a whole lot of hands on experience, i can't say a whole lot, but I am an expert modder for RA2 and the basic layout of the INI files is similar. I am for the most part self taught, and i can do some nifty things, but i never found which file contained all the commandsets and things like that. I daresay i didn't find a commandset.ini file, or am i even looking for the right term (commandset=list of buttons a building uses)?

[chaoscontrol512]

Yes, commandset is the right term. Download FinalBig here (http://www.cncden.com/cncgen_utility_downloads.shtml), you'll find it towards the bottom of the list. A must-have tool for modders, use it to extract the commandset.ini, commandbutton.ini, etc. from INI.big (INIZH.big, if your using Zero hour.)

[apple23]

I have the tools, i just never noticed the file there. Thanks anyways

[Me Myself & Pi]

You'll also have to modify the prerequisites for almost ever command button you modify. Let's say you wanted to put the GLA Rebel on the America Barracks.

1) Open the "GLAInfantry.ini" in the Object folder.
2) Normally, you'd have to press the "ctrl+F" to open up the "Find" to find the part about the Rebel, but the section of the Rebel is at the top of the INI file.
3) Either scroll down or use the Find program to find the part about "Prerequisites". You'll see that the only prerequisite there is the GLABarracks. (Which is silly because you can't build a rebel without a the barracks. :nuts:)
4) In this case, you can just delete the GLABarracks prerequisite so that it can be buildable on any building you choose to have it be buildable on.

If you'd like to add the Aurora to the China Air Field, then you'd want to delete the AmeircaSturctureAirField prerequisite & change the AmericaStrategyCenter prerequisite to the ChinaPropagandaCenter prerequisite.

If you don't want a unit or building without a prerequisite then it should just look like this:

:clear:Prerequisites
:clear:End

When your done with a modification to an INI file (assuming you've extracted the file from FinalBIG & made the modification in Notepad) save it in the respective folders you see in FinalBIG in the game directory. So if you modified the CommandSet.ini, you'll see in FinalBIG: Data\INI\CommandSet.ini So go to your game directory & open the Data folder & create a new folder called "INI". (That is, if you don't already see a folder called "INI" there.) Saving the modified INI file there will override the file in the BIG file & the modification will appear in the game.

[apple23]

sorry to burst your bubble, but i knew all that. I found the commandset and commandbuttons files and i have everything working.

Like i said, i have some hands on experience and know all the basics, just a few tidbits here and there, among other things, that i need help with.

[Me Myself & Pi]

That's fine. I just wanted to make sure you knew it. ;)

[apple23]

Well thanks for looking out for me, then.

I got another question though; I recently made some of the infantry (riflemen and missiles for all factions) into squads, but i can't seem to get the AI to use the squads, and because i disabled the origional infantry from the barrack's commandset, the AI dosen't use them either. Any suggestions? (And a sidenote: I already tried the AIData.ini file)

[Zancloufer27]

Ai coding is liek a pain in the ass. Open up WB, and go to scripts. Uncheck atuo comply, and import skirmirsh scripts file in the scripts folder.

FYI, EA made a mess of it. There are USAF scripts in GLA folders >_>

[apple23]

Ai coding is liek a pain in the ass. Open up WB, and go to scripts. Uncheck atuo comply, and import skirmirsh scripts file in the scripts folder.

FYI, EA made a mess of it. There are USAF scripts in GLA folders >_>

is there any way to do it without applying it to one map only?
I'm trying to make a full scale mod here, so map specific triggers don't really help me much

[Me Myself & Pi]

Yeah, just like Zancloufer said. Open the World Builder (into any map, it doesn't matter at all). Then import the skirmish scripts into it. (This is assuming you know how to work simple scripts & can export & import them from map to map.)(Make sure you have all the skirmish players added in the map & uncheck the "Auto Verify" check box in the script window.) The scripts are in the Data\INI folders in your game directory but as Zancloufer said, there in a mess. (Probably because the map they made the scripts on, didn't have the skirmish players' folders in the correct order.) But a long time ago, I rearranged the scripts into the corrective folders. So download them below & import them into a map & edit them as you please.

Once your done editing them, (but you got your work cut out for you, you'll have to edit the Teams section to) save them over the scripts in the Data\INI folders in your game directory & they AI should use them.

If you don't understand or don't know how to do something, then please let me know. If you don't understand most of it, you may not want to continue with this idea to get the AI working right.