Editing small_doodads

[flutteringwisp]

So, I've discovered this:
/small_doodad CAV def
controls these unit sprite images:



I can get these images to change within a particular faith (example: switch the Legendary Spider with the Kraken within the water buildings), but if I am trying to work across faiths, it requires an extra step that I'm missing. I assume I'm either failing to understand how overrides would work in this situation, or I'm unable to find where the image files for these are connected to the designated unit file (chcav, in the above example). I've also tried to access the raw images to no avail as they don't seem to be in the pic.mpq and another user said they weren't in the imp.mpq either.

I have two things I want to do here. First is switch the small doodads for two units across faiths (specifically Bear to aiwm2 and Tiger to liwm1), but I would also like to edit some other doodads then repackage them into the game (specifically I want to attempt to recolour the Holy Knights and Heavy Cavalry). 

[Boaster]

The small_doodads unit stat is actually a non-used unit stat that I used to get specific roster sprites to go with specific units.

Look at 'unit/CHLD1.gs' unit file.

Roster sprites are referenced from the 'iface/**icons.imp' files.

The unit CODES like FIT, THF, WIZ actually have assigned values.

FIT = 4
THF = 5
WIZ = 3
FT2 = 20
TF1 = 25

This reminds me that WALD2 is actually a test for the Valkyrie Lord, and that I copied the WALDF stats and made some mods to that, but not completely.

If you want to change the faith part, a change would have to be made to 'gs/graphics5.gs' (do a text search for "small_doodad" in this file).

It can certainly be done.

I suppose a way around it is to utilize the "portrait_doodad" stat, where the default would be the unit's faith unless it has been set to something other than -1.



Or since FAITH and RACE essentially come up with the same numbers, it could be possible to use RACE as a reference in the graphics5.gs instead of FAITH.

[flutteringwisp]

I don't think I'm understanding, so I'll detail what I've done.

• Copied contents of units/chwm2.gs, aka "Lions" and pasted into units/liwm1.gs, aka "Bears", which brought the Lions' stats and field sprite over to the Life faith and erased Bears.
• Changed "/code WM2 def" to "/code WM1 def", which enabled the Lions to be trained from the proper key in a Life Mage Tower.
• Left with Bear doodads. adding small_doodad and portrait_doodad stats only enables changing the doodads to other Life faith units. override described in /graphics5.gs seems to do nothing.

What do I need to add to the units/liwm1.gs file to make the Lions doodads appear? Or is it even possible?

 

[Boaster]

Lions are Chaos units.

Bears are Life units.

You'd have to create a way to reference the CHAOS roster sprites (CHICONS.imp) instead of that LIFE roster sprites (LIICONS.imp).

I set up the stat 'small_doodads' to change how the unit references the index number in the roster sprite files, so that it would not simply use the faith stat and code stat to look up which file and which sprite entry.

small_doodads is just an override for roster sprites instead of using "code" (i.e. WM1, WM2, FIT, THF, etc.).