 Since Stronghold 2 is a 3D game, new options for modifications abound. This gives an opportunity for the crafty to update the skin of the models in the game. Give those macemen a new look, or update a building just the way you want.
Submitted by TTemplar, Androo and LordBritian
Most of the in-game graphics are made of essentially two parts. The model or frame of the object, and the texture or skin of the object. There are also many files that control the animations of the object. To update the models or animations, a very expensive program is needed, so no thoughts will be offered on how to update those.
But, the coverings for the models, called textures or skins, can be manipulated easily with most graphic editing programs, and is the focus of this article. The skin files all end in the extension .dds. There are the general .dds files and then other advanced .normalmap.dds files. These are used in advanced BUMP mapping settings that are outside the scope of this article. Stick with the general .dds files in all applications regard what we explore here.
To be able to view these files as thumbnails in a File Explorer window, download the DDS Thumbnail Viewer and install it on your system. This is optional, but lets you preview the files without having to actually open then.
What you will need for editing Stronghold 2 Skins
First off, you will need a program that will edit .dds files.
If you have the commercial versions ofAdobe Photoshop, 7.0 or higher or Jasc Paint Shop Pro, you just need to install the Nvidia DDS plugin. Check the Nvidia website, download and install the plug-ins. For Paint Shop Pro users, make sure you check out the specific install instructions. After that, you will be ready to go.
OR
If you don't have these commercial products, don't worry. DXTBmp is a free program for editing many game files, and it allows you to use simple editing programs like MS Paint. The idea behind this program is you open the .DDS file into the program (it also supports drag and drop), and then can send the graphic to your existing graphics editing program. The graphic is sent in the bitmap (BMP) format, so almost any graphic editing program will work.
How to Edit Stronghold 2 Skins
All of the textures and skins are in FireFly Studios\Stronghold 2\meshes directory except for ground textures, which are in the FireFly Studios\Stronghold 2\terrain directory. They are divided in several categories Units, Buildings, Misc, and so forth. All the unit textures are in the FireFly Studios\Stronghold 2\meshes\units\models directory.
It is important before making any changes that to backup the original files so they are available to change the game back to its original state.
Load the editing software, and then "Open" the desired file for editing. The knight skin is the example here. Depending on the software, a dialog box that says “Image has MIP maps, Display them with image?” may appear. Click no, and then the texture should load.
As can be seen, the file really is just a flat version of the drawings that will be stretched around the model. The places to draw on each skin is fixed, so in essense "stay within the lines" of the skin that is already there.
Make the desired changes using the editor. In this example, leather pauldrons replace the chain mail, and red cloth and a gold cross are added on the breast plate thus making the Knight look more shabby and realistic.
Now with the changes complete, save the .DDS file, overwriting the original file (make sure backups were made first).
If using DXTBmp, save the file in the editing program (Do not choose "Save As..."), and then choose, 'Image - Reload after Edit', and save as a .dds file.
If you are using the other programs, then under the dialog box under Save Format (see image below), set the dropdown boxes to DXT5 ARGB (Interpolated Alpha) and the other to 2D Texture. Then under MIP Map Generation (see image) check Generate MIP maps and in the drop down box next to that select "All". Then hit "Save".
 
After all that, launch Stronghold 2 and you should be able to see the changes.
Unfortunately, Stronghold 2 loads all models and skins at the beginning of the game, so you can not edit skins and see the changes while the game is running. To reduce the need to constantly be reloading the game, make detailed notes of the exact places you want to make the edits, shut down SH2, edit the skins and then reload. Taking screenshots of the buildings or characters will help with determining where each portion of the skin file fits over the model.
Advanced Alpha Channels
Most of the programs will also display the alpha channel of the skin. In essense, it is a grey-scale overlay of the graphic. The alpha channel affects either the glossiness or the reflectivity of the unit. An advanced tutorial is in the works concerning alpha channels.
Advanced Bump Mapping
In order to get the cloth to look right on the Knight, we had to edit the bump map. The Bump Map files are advanced Nvidia filter files. The knight's file is knight.normalmap.DDS. Pretty much all of the Units\Buildings have a .normalmap.DDS file. Not much can be said on Bump Map editing for now (look for an advanced article later), but this website has a tutorial on Bump Mapping. It is not for Stronghold 2, specifically, but the information is quite helpful.
Team Colors
If you have checked out the unit skins enough, you will have noticed that their are parts of the units actually missing. These sections are colored by the team, or faction, colors. Red for the player, green for Lord Barclay's units and so on. These colors can not be adjusted at all, as verified by a FireFly employee. We tried really hard but at best you can only remove the coloring, and this is not desired.
This is not a basic skinning or artistic tutorial it is only a tutorial on how to edit and replace skins in Stronghold 2. If you are new to skinning and want to learn how or just get better at it, we suggest a search on skinning or go to some Skinning Tutorials at PlanetQuake.com. They have some excellent tutorials concerning this.
Have fun redrawing the game, and please share with us your creations!
|
