The existing textures in AoC are quite nice on their own. But have you ever wanted just a little more variety? Well now you can have it. This mod enables rock and lava terrains to be created in the game.
Rock terrain came from AoFE. The graphics were already existing, so it was just a matter of copying and pasting to put in AoC with Userpatch. This terrain is passable by land units but is not possible to be built on. It replaces the terrain that goes underneath monuments in King of the Hill games. It is created as "Road(other)" in the scenario editor and is constant 40 for RM scripting.
Lava terrain is an original work by myself. It is passable by water units; however, docks cannot be placed on this terrain. It replaces the beachless water that exists in the game. It is created as "Water(Other)" in the scenario editor and is constant 15 for RM scripting.
Instructions: Copy the "empires2_x1_p1.dat" file and the "terrain.drs" file into the respective Data folder into your Age of Empires 2 directory (different for AoC and AoFE). Replace the existing files.
It is recommended for multiplayer games for all players to be running the same .dat file to avoid sync issues.
The best way to play multiplayer is to install the terrains via the Voobly workshop.
If there are any other questions or concerns, please ask.
I you like what you see here, be sure to check out the Volcanic Terrains full conversion by myself and Justin.
That's about it for the need to know. If you are interested in the making of this mod, then continue on reading!
Rock terrain came from AoFE. The graphics were already existing, so it was just a matter of copying and pasting to put in AoC with Userpatch. This terrain is passable by land units but is not possible to be built on. It replaces the terrain that goes underneath monuments in King of the Hill games. It is created as "Road(other)" in the scenario editor and is constant 40 for RM scripting.
Lava terrain is an original work by myself. It is passable by water units; however, docks cannot be placed on this terrain. It replaces the beachless water that exists in the game. It is created as "Water(Other)" in the scenario editor and is constant 15 for RM scripting.
Instructions: Copy the "empires2_x1_p1.dat" file and the "terrain.drs" file into the respective Data folder into your Age of Empires 2 directory (different for AoC and AoFE). Replace the existing files.
It is recommended for multiplayer games for all players to be running the same .dat file to avoid sync issues.
The best way to play multiplayer is to install the terrains via the Voobly workshop.
If there are any other questions or concerns, please ask.
I you like what you see here, be sure to check out the Volcanic Terrains full conversion by myself and Justin.
That's about it for the need to know. If you are interested in the making of this mod, then continue on reading!
BACK YOUR STUFF UP BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!
The first step is to find a top-down view of the terrain you are interested in. My case was lava, so I types "lava" into Google Images and found this:
The next step is to take that image and put it into an isometric view. You will need to find software that can do this. I used Autodesk Inventor since I am familiar with it. I am sure there are a few Adobe products that are capable of this as well.
Next the image needs to be properly formatted for use in the game. Edit the image in Paint. Crop it so that each of the four corners of the terrain touch the edge the image. Once that is done, resize the image to 979x481 pixels exactly. Save it as a bitmap.
Then you need to download the Turtle Pack:
http://aok.heavengames.com/blacksmith/showfile.php?fileid=11349
It is a utility specifically designed around AoC graphics. Go into the SLP editor and go bitmap format conversion. Take your terrain image and convert it into the color pallate that the game uses.
When that's done, go to the terrain cutjoiner. In the cut section, upload the bitmap you have just converted and choose a location to save the .slp file.
Once the .slp file has been created, it can be added to the game's .drs file.
Go to the DRS editor(also in Turtle Pack) and open the "terrain.drs" file. Add the .slp file you have just created and scroll to the bottom. The last .slp file listed should be the one you just added. Make a note of it's ID number.
The next step is to download the Advanced Genie Editor:
http://aok.heavengames.com/blacksmith/showfile.php?fileid=11002
Once you have it, use it to open the "empires2_x1_p1.dat" file under TC defaults(or change the path manually for AoFE).
Under the terrains tab, find a terrain to replace(new ones can't be created). In my case, I chose the beachless water, since I didn't want land units crossing it or docks to be built there.
Once you have found the terrain you want to replace, change it's slp ID number to the one you just added to the .drs file.
Your terrain should now be added to the game.
The first step is to find a top-down view of the terrain you are interested in. My case was lava, so I types "lava" into Google Images and found this:
The next step is to take that image and put it into an isometric view. You will need to find software that can do this. I used Autodesk Inventor since I am familiar with it. I am sure there are a few Adobe products that are capable of this as well.
Next the image needs to be properly formatted for use in the game. Edit the image in Paint. Crop it so that each of the four corners of the terrain touch the edge the image. Once that is done, resize the image to 979x481 pixels exactly. Save it as a bitmap.
Then you need to download the Turtle Pack:
http://aok.heavengames.com/blacksmith/showfile.php?fileid=11349
It is a utility specifically designed around AoC graphics. Go into the SLP editor and go bitmap format conversion. Take your terrain image and convert it into the color pallate that the game uses.
When that's done, go to the terrain cutjoiner. In the cut section, upload the bitmap you have just converted and choose a location to save the .slp file.
Once the .slp file has been created, it can be added to the game's .drs file.
Go to the DRS editor(also in Turtle Pack) and open the "terrain.drs" file. Add the .slp file you have just created and scroll to the bottom. The last .slp file listed should be the one you just added. Make a note of it's ID number.
The next step is to download the Advanced Genie Editor:
http://aok.heavengames.com/blacksmith/showfile.php?fileid=11002
Once you have it, use it to open the "empires2_x1_p1.dat" file under TC defaults(or change the path manually for AoFE).
Under the terrains tab, find a terrain to replace(new ones can't be created). In my case, I chose the beachless water, since I didn't want land units crossing it or docks to be built there.
Once you have found the terrain you want to replace, change it's slp ID number to the one you just added to the .drs file.
Your terrain should now be added to the game.