CNC3 Modding tutorial

Sedistix · #1 January 15th, 2008

This tutorial will show you how to mod CNC3.

This guide has been assembled with both original SDK documentation, my own experiences and input from various guides around the net. This is the condensed modding tutorial for CNC3.

1. To mod CNC3 you will need to install some game tools & third party apps, before you can begin modding.

First and foremost, is the MOD SDK kit which can be located here:
Mod SDK, Command and Conquer 3 Downloads, Command and Conquer 3 Utilities

The MOD SDK requires some applications to be installed before being able to build your own MODs.

.NET Framework is required to be able to run the BinaryAssetBuilder application used to build the XML data. The other two applications are ANTRL, and Mvp.xml and they are not required but HIGHLY recommended. I encounter loads of trouble attempting to MOD CNC3 with out them.

XML files, which is basically what CNC3 is built on, will not compile without these applications listed below.

1.) .NET Framework v2.0 – Required to run the BinaryAssetBuilder application.
2.) Visual C++ 2005 SP1 – Required to run the BinaryAssetBuilder application.
3.) ANTLR v2.77 – Required when using the <Define> tag.
4.) Mvp.xml v2.0 – Required when using xi:include statements.

Downloading and Install the .NET Framework v2.0 from here:
Download details: Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)

Downloading and Install Visual C++ 2005 SP1 from here:
Download details: Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)
The Installer for Visual C++ 2005 SP1 can be found at this Microsoft page. Follow the instructions on the page to install this. It is also compatible with Windows Vista, and will install properly, despite it not being listed on the web page.

Downloading and Install ANTLR from here:
ANTLR Software Download
Download version 2.7.7 or higher.

In the folder you installed ANTLR to, find the lib folder and copy the following 2 DLL files

antlr.runtime.dll
antlr.astframe.dll

and paste them in the tools folder located inside the location you installed the MOD SDK.

Default Path:
"c:\program files\Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars\MOD SDK\Tools\"

Downloading and Install Mvp.Xml from here:
Mvp.Xml Project - Release: Mvp.Xml 2.3 Production
Extract the zip file to a folder on your computer and then locate and copy the Mvp.Xml.dll file to your tools folder like you did above with ANTLR.

Default Path:
"c:\program files\Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars\MOD SDK\Tools\"

Reboot after doing all of the above, and prepare too MOD!

Go to:

C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK\Mods\

There you'll find a folder called "SampleMod", ignore that for now. Create a new folder in the mods folder next to the sample mod, and give it a name, what ever your mod is going to be called. The folder name can not have spaces, or be more then 15 characters long. Next create another folder inside that one, and call it “data”.

If I was making a mod called Oblivion it would look like this:

C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK\Mods\Oblivion\Data\

Now for the actually modding.

When it comes to Modding a unit it is remarkably simple and for this demo I am going to choose the GDI’s Pitbull, the scout vehicle.

Go to

C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK\CnC3Xml\GDI\Units\

and copy the file called GDIPitbull.xml. Next, paste that file into the folder called data which was created inside your mod folder in the last section.

Example:

C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK\Mods\yourmodname\data\

Once you have pasted in the GDIPitbull.xml file in the data folder, right click on it then press properties and uncheck the read only box. Now Open the file using something like notepad and scroll down a bit. You will come to a section of code which shows the cost, build time, and many other things.

Go ahead and change the build cost to something like 400, and decrease the build time to something like 3, also change its speed to make it faster. Then save the changes.

So now you have your mod folder, with a DATA folder, and your edited unit within it. Next you need a Mod.xml file which will tell the game what parts of the game your mod will modify. This is crucial and without the mod will not work.

Here is an example of the Mod.xml file that we need to make this pitbull mod. Copy the contents of this spoiler for your pitbull mod.xml file, or to keep as a template for future use.

Spoiler:

If I was to do more units then just the pitbull, the mod file would look like this:

Spoiler:

2.

Ok, Now save the Mod.xml file into your mods data folder, the same place where you saved the GDIPitbull.xml file.

Now comes the compiling. Open command prompt, to do this go into run in the start menu and type in cmd and press ok.

(For vista users go into start - all programs - accessories - then right click command prompt and click run as administrator).

Next type the following into the command prompt assuming you saved CNC3 to disk C and in the default save location. If not, type the full path to where ever you installed the game.

cd C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK

Now that we have changed the directory, we need to compile the mod. Type the following into command prompt. Where "yourmod" is the name of your mod.

BuildMOD.bat yourmod

3.

By this point your mod should have compiled and now it’s time to create the path and version file. Or the “SKUDEF” file. The SKUDEF file tells the game how to launch your mod and what version it is.

To make this file, go to:
mydocuments\cnc3\mods\yourmodname

Open notepad and type the following lines:

mod-game 1.9
add-big yourmodname.big

Now save the file as:

yourmodname_1.0.SKUDEF

and set the file type to all files.

Save this SKUDEF file into:
mydocuments\cnc3\mods\yourmodname\

If you've done it correctly, your mod folder will contain a ".big" file and a ".skudef" file.

Once you’ve done all of this, open up the game browser within the games control panel, and next to the replays tab, their should be a tab titled “mods”. With in that section you will find your mod, select it and launch the game.

If you continue to mod, you can change the SKUDEF files title to alter the mods version.

If you were say on version 1.1 then your SKUDEF file should reflect that like this:

yourmodname_1.1.SKUDEF

The above tutorial is designed to assist players in modding xml assets, not INI files.

That's how you mod CNC3

Aint it a bitch?

The_Geek_With_The_Gun · #2 January 15th, 2008

very nice. there are alot of folks this will help.

Cabbeh · #3 February 2nd, 2008

Hello!

First off, thanks for the tutorial Sedistix!

I am, however, having a problem with it...

I did everything as stated in the tutorial, and I got my pitbulls producing for $1 and in 1 second

But! They're not visible... you can't see them in the game.

I also get compile errors like this:

Error: Input file 'art:gupitbull_skn.w3x' not found (referenced from file://c:\games\command & conquer 3\mod sdk\mods\advsoldier\data\gdipitbull.xml). Treating it as empty.

Is this file supposed to be in the MOD SDK\Art directory? Coz there are barely any files in there... just some xml files.

Is there an art pack or something I need to install?
(I only have the SDKv5 installed at present)

Also, someone else was having the same problem in another forum, and the fix for their problem was adding this to mod.xml:

<Include type="reference" source="DATA:static.xml" />
<Include type="reference" source="DATA:global.xml" />

Which I think you missed out of the tutorial?

But it still didn't fix my problem :P

Cheers!!

-EDIT-

Ah, found the Art Pack 2... downloading...

Will this fix the problem?

(might wanna mention that in the tutorial, too

)

Also, isn't it silly that I have to have the art for an existing unit?
Can't I just use the art that's already in the game - and just modify the unit stats?

Sedistix · #4 February 2nd, 2008

Glad the tutorial almost helped you.

I've heard about invisible unit errors before, but never encountered them personally. What I have heard is related too the static.manifest or global.manifest files being corrupted, or the user didn't add:

"<Include type="reference" source="DATA:static.xml" />
<Include type="reference" source="DATA:global.xml" />"

to the mod.xml file, which I forgot to add in the tutorial above.

The correct way is like this:

Spoiler:

As for the errors you see when compiling. I see them all the time. I modified all units and structures for all three teams, and when my mod compiles its a long list of errors about missing files, but none of these errors seem to affect the mod at all. All my changes work, and the mod runs fine, both online and in sp skirmish.

As for the art files, don't bother with them. The game calls upon it's own assets, you don't need to include them again.

Try the spoiler above, that should correct it. If it doesn't, you need to reinstall the SDK because the manifest files are corrupted or erred.

Using the above guide, and of course the missing two lines you mentioned, is how I created my mod tactix.

Here's an excerpt from my first scrin mod's, xml file.

Spoiler:

This mod.xml file and all those files listed, are the only files inside the mod, and it works fine, despite all the errors when compiling. At less then 1meg, it completely alters the scrin side to be uber powerful and again it works fine in sp and mp.

Cabbeh · #5 February 2nd, 2008

Hah!! A simple re-install of the mod sdk fixed the problem! How rare.

I had only just installed it, too... that's a bit weird!

Hey thanks for your help Sed

And the tutorial was really great (except for the omission of the references LOL - maybe you should edit your post and add them in?

)

Also, maybe put in a mention of a re-install is further problems persist?

And a note to say "ignore the compiler errors"

Thanks Sed!!

FreedomRocker55 · #6 February 3rd, 2008

Thanks for making the tutorial, but I'm having some trouble.

I get to the command prompt and type in
cd C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK

And it says

C:\Documents and Settings\Michael>cd C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK
The system cannot find the path specified.
'Conquer' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

Any help would be nice.

Sedistix · #7 February 3rd, 2008

cd C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK

Was provided as an example. For the individual user it may vary. It all depends on whether or not you installed the game to the default directory or not.

While in the command prompt you have to type cd and then the the full path to your own "mod sdk" folder.

For example, my directory is like this:

cd c:\entertainment\games\cnc3\mod sdk

When I type that in the cmd prompt, It takes me to my mod sdk folder.

Once there I then type:

buildmod.bat modname

to build my mod.

If you're unsure about you full path to your mod sdk folder, navigate to it in windows explorer, then select "tools" in the top tab, then pick "folder options", and then select the "view" tab. Once there make sure you have "display the full path in the title bar" checked. This way you can see the the full path exactly as it is, in the title of the windows explorer, or if you choose the address bar of windows explorer. It's a great way to be absolutely sure where any folder tree leads.

If you have any typos in the "cd" command, it wont work.

FreedomRocker55 · #8 February 3rd, 2008

C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK

Was my full path, but I got it to work.

I had to change it to
C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\CNC 3\MOD SDK
and it worked fine.

I guess there was a hang up with the &.

Cabbeh · #9 February 4th, 2008

The command prompt is a token-based system, so you would need to have put the path in double quotes...

cd "C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Command & Conquer 3\MOD SDK"

LucasAge · #10 February 14th, 2008

Sorry, but I'm a bit confused by this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sedistix

Once you’ve done all of this, open up the game browser within the games control panel, and next to the replays tab, their should be a tab titled “mods”. With in that section you will find your mod, select it and launch the game.

I've done everything you've told me to do in the guide. But when I came to this, I'm unsure what you mean by what is in bold. I assumed you meant when you load the game, but at the end of this quote, you say 'and launch the game'.

Is there something I'm missing? :S

I don't mean to appear dumb, but with every step here, there is no control panel or games browser involved.

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