[MOD] Crackdtoothgrin's Graphical Goodies

[RedRooster81]

I've toyed with the idea of introducing monastic orders/holy orders as a specific culture, with gear appropriate to both the order and station. Like, an "OrderGFX" set, broken down in the properties file so that batches of four to five 'slots' could be tiered headgear, clothing for the Templars, Hospitallers, Sword Brothers, etc. The monastic orders would be easy (likely wearing at tops, one or two outfits). You could tie the culture to events or traits, maybe? The restriction on 26 frames for portraits messes a lot of stuff up in terms of variety.

So far, I've been able to create Franciscans without too much difficulty--tonsures and brown robes.

Now holy orders would be interesting. Although not much of the tabard would show on the portrait.

 

[Mad King James]

Instead of a unique culture, you could just add it to latin graphics and include them for anyone who is in the court of a holy order

 

[CrackdToothGrin]

So far, I've been able to create Franciscans without too much difficulty--tonsures and brown robes.

Now holy orders would be interesting. Although not much of the tabard would show on the portrait.

This is true. However, a lot of contemporary art shows interesting headgear, to say little of the hair and beard restrictions. I could also easily move the faces up and add more chest. I'm easily capable of that.

More interesting to me would be showing different cultural influences, like the blend of western and eastern styles in the poulaines of the Levant.

Ultimately, this entire project will be a complete overhaul of the cultural aspects. Once I've sated my appetite for graphical representation, I will advance to fleshing out cultures, or incorporating the work of others willing to help. I don't remember who, but I know someone on here is adding naming equivalencies to keep regnal ordinals intact and other general culture stuff.

I also plan on hand-painting new loading screens focused on important medieval battles. Namely, the Battles of Legnica, the individual combat at the start of Kulikovo, the Battle of Lepanto, Hastings, and Agincourt. Those are waaay the hell down the line, however.

Instead of a unique culture, you could just add it to latin graphics and include them for anyone who is in the court of a holy order

This is true, but I'm still subject to the limitation of 26/7 frames, and I have plans for expansion within the properties file. If I knew how to use AND, OR, and NOT effectively, I could 'escapsulate' each frame in portrait_properties.txt for a specific culture.

As an example, the entry for the 'Tonsure' hairstyle has certain requirements, namely these:

6 = {  # Tonsure
		factor = 1
		modifier = {
			factor = 0
			is_female = no
			is_ruler = yes
		}
		modifier = {
			factor = 0
			is_female = no
			NOT = { religion_group = christian }
		}
		modifier = {
			factor = 0
			is_female = no
			NOT = { trait = detached_priest }
			NOT = { trait = martial_cleric }
			NOT = { trait = scholarly_theologian }
			NOT = { trait = mastermind_theologian }
			NOT = { has_job_title = job_spiritual }
		}

		modifier = {
			factor = 50
			is_female = no

So, from my limited coding ability, it seems the 7th hair slot is not available to male rulers, not available to non-Christians, and also only available to people with detached priest, martial cleric, scholarly theologian, mastermind theologian traits or who has the spiritual position. Lastly, it seems to modify again highly for male characters.

The problem with this is, while effective at keep a tonsure in specific rules for western characters, it also makes it so that the 7th slot is essentially not available everyone else. I don't want that limitation. I want to learn how to make a "modifier within a modifier" so all that code only applies to western men, and then I can add my own special rules for everyone else. I just don't know how to do that.

 

[CrackdToothGrin]

I've finished the updates to the Pecheneg males!!! I should be able to get the females ready sooner. There is a lot of overlap with my Cuman set, but enough differentiation to make it interesting. I had to consult with a few Greek and Romanian organizations for info, but I feel this is appropriately representative.

Also, I have found a way to make this mod completely modular, with literally no need for integration or need to overwrite vanilla files with the exception of two files. Instructions for such will be included in all updates in the future.

That being said, I rescind the request for integration or usage in other portrait mods (unless PM'd about it), as there will be literally no need for it. This mod will be able to run alongside almost all other mods simultaneously with a minor tweak to the two files I mentioned above. I should have an update to the files themselves sometime soon, with an entirely new set for the Pechenegs and Bolgars.

 

[Shaytana]

Very nice work! I like the new headgear especially.

 

[CrackdToothGrin]

Very nice work! I like the new headgear especially.

Thanks! It's next to impossible to get good info on such obscure peoples. Fortunately, I'm persistent, and being terribly sick gives me an excuse to use the computer a little more, haha.

 

[Shaytana]

Thanks! It's next to impossible to get good info on such obscure peoples. Fortunately, I'm persistent, and being terribly sick gives me an excuse to use the computer a little more, haha.

I am amazed you managed to get info on Pechenegs, when I was younger I tried to research them and got very very little concrete info- more of the "this could have been this way" stuff than anything. Part of the reason is also, for example in Romania, nationalist historians have tended to try to sweep them under the rug completely... which is sad, given I at one point had an almost entire novel written about them hahaha.

Anyway looking forward to see what you've done with them, I honestly think just a bit of differentiation vs the cumans will do nicely.

 

[CrackdToothGrin]

Part of the secret lies in working around the paucity of direct evidence for costume. They were once part of the Oghuz, and then afterwards were under the Khazars. So, finding appropriate costumes influenced by both was pretty important. The same goes for their recorded penchant for using Byzantine brocade fabric. About everybody on the steppe used caftans and fur trim though. That part was easy.

 

[zonkie]

What is your next project?

 

[duinnin]

I don't suppose you could do a proper African gfx, though PI may do that with the next patch/DLC since they going into Mali.

 

[CrackdToothGrin]

What is your next project?

To finish the Pechenegs (since they use mostly Cuman graphics). Afterwards, I'm doing the Seljuk Turks. As I've mentioned earlier in the thread, my real life is very busy. Everything combined, I generally am busy with 100 or so hours of work a week. This is the reason for my slow progress. Plus, I guarantee maximum historicity, and have to usually translate and wait for responses from foreign scholars or dig through endless forums posts to accumulate enough reference (I have over 600 images of steppe peoples at the moment, haha).

I don't suppose you could do a proper African gfx, though PI may do that with the next patch/DLC since they going into Mali.

I will, if I'm not beaten to the task first. That seems a likely next DLC. The task of hand-creating physical face portrait sets was the longest of all of my tasks with the Cumans. It took a good 100-120 hours (I blame my perfectionism ), and while I have a very good 3D program, I have more experience making architectural models for SimCity than faces, which is the reason why I handpaint everything on my Wacom.

 

[CrackdToothGrin]

Also, a progress shot. Should have the whole thing up shortly. Hopefully before my vacation! (You'll notice a lot of Cuman Female overlap. This is intended.)

 

[RedRooster81]

Looks very nice. I don't know what to call half of what they're wearing, but it is very good work.

 

[CrackdToothGrin]

Looks very nice. I don't know what to call half of what they're wearing, but it is very good work.

Mostly fur-trimmed felt hats (which, due to the limitations of the portrait circle, you can't fully see), many of which are tall and have veils. There are also sheepskin caps and pillbox hats. From the helmet-mail combo on right, you have religious gear and a prisoner yoke (many steppe peoples used forked yokes to tie up prisoners), although they will likely never wear any of that. I might eventually change the female martial gear, since many steppe peoples did let women fight. The designs are Khazar-/Alan-influenced Oghuzz designs, since the Pechenegs were once part of the Oghuzz confederation before becoming part of the Khazars, and then breaking off once Sviatoslav brought the Khazars down a little bit before the game's timeframe. The women here don't have as many of the weird Cuman designs (like the split-front flaps and wingtip brims), but there's still enough variety to make them distinct.

 

[CrackdToothGrin]

I've completely finished the Pechenegs and the Cumans, added new titles and names, new flags, etc... But, I'm having a problem figuring out how to code the portrait_properties.txt. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing. Would anyone be interested in taking a look at it and telling me what I'm doing wrong?

 

[Lundensaren]

This stuff is awesome, I have no words. No words.

 

[Sleight of Hand]

I have even fewer words. In fact I had to ask my neighbor to write this sentence for me.

We are not worthy!

 

[Ekstrakt]

We are not worthy!

I second this. Kudos to you, Sir. You've given these people lots of deserved love.

 

[CrackdToothGrin]

This stuff is awesome, I have no words. No words.

Thanks!

I have even fewer words. In fact I had to ask my neighbor to write this sentence for me.

We are not worthy!

Also, thanks! You're quite funny. Have an upvote.

I second this. Kudos to you, Sir. You've given these people lots of deserved love.

I tried. I couldn't stand the way they were in vanilla.

That being said, I'm having trouble getting everybody to wear the stuff correctly. I have it in-game just fine, but I apparently don't know how to code for shit. I'm attaching the portrait_properties files here, and if someone can take a look and let me know what's up, I'd appreciate it. I've basically tried to make the first two or three clothing/hat sets only for emperors and kings, the next two or three for dukes and everything else for counts and lower. From the spymaster headgear on down, it pretty much is vanilla.

View attachment 55388
View attachment 55389

 

[chatnoir17]

You didn't add brackets in some place. I don't know whether it is the reason of your problem, though.

    20 = { # Pagan human sacrifice
        factor = 1
        modifier = {
            factor = 0
            NOT = { religion_group = pagan_group }
        }
        modifier = {
            factor = 0
            culture = pecheneg
            culture = cuman
    }
[COLOR=#ff0000]}[/COLOR]

0 = { # Royal clothes 1
factor = 1 --- It is the basic factor
modifier = {
factor = 0 --- In 0, you have no chance to let the character in following conditions wear this royal cloth. In 10, the chance is ten times bigger than the default.
OR = {
NOT = { tier = king }
NOT = { tier = emperor }
NOT = { tier = duke }
NOT = { spouse = { tier = king } }
NOT = { spouse = { tier = emperor } }
NOT = { spouse = { tier = duke } }
NOT = { has_minor_title = title_prince }
}
}
}