Some questions about naming of units and modding possibilities.

[rjohansen]

As the game is getting closer to release, I got a few questions, may be asked before, but couldn't find answers for. Both for the base game and for modding possibilities. I will buy this game, but to really enjoy it to my liking I have to "mod" a few things I think. I have read several places that this game is supposed to be easy to mod, well what is easy exactly? Can someone without any modding experience still be able to make mods?

I am NOT trying to start a new discussion on any of these subject (like oob, counters) as there are plenty of discussion about them, just questioning how easy it will be to do, especially if you would have no real modding experience before.

1. Naming of units. This is something that takes me way too much time in HOI3, especially if I also decide to rename every unit a division consists of. But also because of the system in general (just reading from a text-file), luckily there was tools that made this easer.
   
   1. When making a new template what naming conventions can you decide?
      
   2. If you for instance decide upon creation of "1. Infantry Divison" or similar, what happens if you:
      
      • Change the template to a another one - like if you make a infantry division into a motorized division?
        
      • If you add a nickname to the division or change the name all together like "1. Infantry Division Big Red" will the game then generate a “new” 1. Infantry Division then?
      • What if you skip the number altogether and just call it "Infantry Division Big Red", will it still be the 1st Infantry Division?
      • Can you see or change (perhaps the template) of units within a division? Like "100. Infantry Regiment" and so?
      • Is there a way to prevent units from having the same name? I remember in HOI3 sometimes - do not why, two ships could come out with the same name if I wasn't paying attention.
2. How hard would it be to mod a flat/topographic map of the world? A map of the world that looks like a map and doesn't try to look like a 3D world. If I know my way around Photoshop, how hard would it be to mod the map then?
3. How hard would it be to mod the toy soldiers and other "moving" stuff like planes circling around out of the game?
4. How hard would it be to mod in normal counters for all units? I am talking about normal counters many loves and are used to from other games, including HOI3. I am not talking about the symbols alone, there is always someone saying that the "counters are already in" the game. It is great that the symbols are in, even greater that you can easily change them within the game, but I mean normal counters now.
   1. 1. If this is doable. How hard is it to mod in functions into the counter - like from HOI3 - you could easy see what units where out of supply and more. Could you then mod more colors to show more variations - like now in HOI4 you also have training and more.
5. How hard would it be to make some sort of hierarchy to units - if I want Corps/Armies/Army Groups - is this something that can be modded?
6. Adding new generals - how easy would this be? And how easy would it be to replace the "painted portraits" (even though I like them) with photos. I like them, but if adding lots of new leaders I fear it would take too much "pain" and time to make painted portraits.
7. How hard would it be to make it possible to have leaders assigned to divisions? I mean just the names, they don't need to have any effect, but just being able to assign leaders to them.
8. How hard would it be to mod in / mod out events?
9. How hard would it be to mod names of countries? If English I would like Germany to be named Germany and not The German Reich etc.
10. Dynamic province names - like in EU4 you could have dynamic province names - would this be hard to mod in?
11. Can you decide WHAT flags the nation get - or even prevent some nations from getting the (in my opinion) made up and stupid flags when they change government to communism/fascism? Like why would Norway keep the cross if going communist? Why would any country with a cross keep it if going communist?

 

[Nelfe]

For your first question, when you create a template, you have to name it, for example "Panzer-Division". Then, when you'll train new divisions using this template, they'll be called "1. Panzer-Division", "2. Panzer-Division", etc. But if you want to customize the name of a division (for example "2. Panzer-Division « Das Reich »"), you have to do it manually.

 

[bkuepers]

To add to Nelfe's response as well about unit naming, the division name will stay the same if you change the template of a currently deployed division. During the last WWW Johan changed a division's template and the name stayed the same, so I'm sure on that one.

Also, it appears that only the divisions have names, not the individual Regiments/Brigades like in HOI3.

 

[neusaap]

I'll answer those questions based on my experience with moddability of previous games, and PI stated the game's moddability would be similar to their previous games, but I may in some cases be completely wrong, so don't quote me on this:

How hard would it be to mod a flat/topographic map of the world? A map of the world that looks like a map and doesn't try to look like a 3D world. If I know my way around Photoshop, how hard would it be to mod the map then?

I think it should be possible, since there is a mod for CK2 that does this, I'd expect it'd be possible for HoI4 as well. (Maybe there's a mod for EU4 too, but I don't have that game, so I don't know.)

How hard would it be to mod the toy soldiers and other "moving" stuff like planes circling around out of the game?

I'd assume that even changing the textures of the forces to completely invisible would fix this problem, but if I thought I heard them say somewhere that you can turn off the sprites in the options as well...

How hard would it be to mod in normal counters for all units? I am talking about normal counters many loves and are used to from other games, including HOI3. I am not talking about the symbols alone, there is always someone saying that the "counters are already in" the game. It is great that the symbols are in, even greater that you can easily change them within the game, but I mean normal counters now.

I'd assume you can change the looks of the counters in the gui folder, but I don't think you will be able to add or edit any features that aren't already in the game...

Adding new generals - how easy would this be? And how easy would it be to replace the "painted portraits" (even though I like them) with photos. I like them, but if adding lots of new leaders I fear it would take too much "pain" and time to make painted portraits.

This should be easy, the portrait will be somewhere in the game files and all you have to do is replace them (or even better, copy them into the mod folder and then replace them.)

How hard would it be to make it possible to have leaders assigned to divisions? I mean just the names, they don't need to have any effect, but just being able to assign leaders to them.

I don't think that would be possible, as it isn't there at this point, and these features are likely to be hardcoded, but it may be added in the future through dlc's...

How hard would it be to mod in / mod out events?

This SHOULD be cookies, otherwise we as modders wouldn't be able to hardly do anything...

How hard would it be to mod names of countries? If English I would like Germany to be named Germany and not The German Reich etc.

This should be easy as well, in the localisation folder...

Dynamic province names - like in EU4 you could have dynamic province names - would this be hard to mod in?

One of the problems here is that very few provinces have names in HoI4, but that may still mean that those cities under your control that have names have this dynamic system, however, if there is no dynamic name system in, I don't think you'd be able to mod it in, you may be able to change the name through event at most.

Can you decide WHAT flags the nation get - or even prevent some nations from getting the (in my opinion) made up and stupid flags when they change government to communism/fascism? Like why would Norway keep the cross if going communist? Why would any country with a cross keep it if going communist?

Could likely be achieved by replacing the communist flag with a better one... (I must say I myself don't think the communists would ditch the Nordic Crossflag, I don't know a lot about the scandinavian flags, but Iceland is a republic and also has the cross, and wikipedia doesn't seem to suggest that it is royal family-based, but oh well...)

 

[rjohansen]

Could likely be achieved by replacing the communist flag with a better one... (I must say I myself don't think the communists would ditch the Nordic Crossflag, I don't know a lot about the scandinavian flags, but Iceland is a republic and also has the cross, and wikipedia doesn't seem to suggest that it is royal family-based, but oh well...)

Well, the communists were quite big in Norway earlier and one of their "main political issues" was to remove the cross. Also, thanks for great answers. Perhaps it would be possible to name the blank provinces? They surely would have an ID of some sorts, so you could name them all within a text file or something similar.

 

[tommylotto]

Here is a list of needs for anyone hoping to mod in fuel or ammo as a separate equipment type:

So, not only do we need different attrition rates for different equipment types, but we also need different consequences (maluses) for being short of different equipment types, not to mention, shudder, a lack of certain equipment types need to effect different division types differently. For example, Tanks need to attrition at a different rate from fuel while training. Being short of fuel has a different impact (different maluses) on a division than being short of tanks. Finally, being short of fuel effects an armored division different than an infantry division.

 

[rjohansen]

For your first question, when you create a template, you have to name it, for example "Panzer-Division". Then, when you'll train new divisions using this template, they'll be called "1. Panzer-Division", "2. Panzer-Division", etc. But if you want to customize the name of a division (for example "2. Panzer-Division « Das Reich »"), you have to do it manually.

Yeah, I am okay with doing this manually. I however, wonder what will happen to the next unit in line. Will there exist TWO separate divisions, both 1st Infantry Division (only one has a nickname to it) - or will this unit still be 1st Infantry Division, no matter what. For instance, I do not want 1st Motorized Infantry Division and 1st Infantry Division to exist at the same time, that would just ruin all immersion for me. Or even worse: You could have 1st Infantry Division, 1st Reserve Infantry Divison, 1st Motorized Infantry Division, 1st Grenadier Division and more... This is something I have been wondering all time along and asked before, but never have found an answer to.