Creating A New General Tutorial By Klingondragon - C&C Generals & Zero Hour MODS

Making A New General

By KlingonDragon

Simple Steps

1. Open INIZH.big and extract all the .inis then copy them to a new folder and copy them to data/ini when you need to edit one
2. Add faction to playertemplate.ini by copying an existing faction and changing the name
3. Add control bar to controlbar.ini by copying an existing faction and changing the name
4. Add a new ini file for your dozer and CC, copy an existing CC and dozer and change their names, prerequisites and commandsets
5. Add the building comandbuttons for your objects
6. Make the comandsets for your dozer and CC
7. Make the special power and generals powers commandsets
8. Add generalspowers modules to your CC
9. Test
10. Add buildings and units until general is complete by repeating steps 4-6 and testing regularly

Full Steps

1: Download final big (Cnclabs.com) and extract all the .inis then copy them to a new folder in my documents and copy to data/ini when you need to edit one you may also want things like MISSING:FactionNew download csf editor (Commandandconquer.gamefront.com) and extract generals.csf from EnglishZH.big and put it in to C:\Program Files (x86)\EA Games\Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour\Data\English

2: Add faction to playertemplate.ini by copying an existing faction and changing the name.Move playertemplate.ini to C:\Program Files (x86)\EA Games\Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour\Data\INI (from now on assume INI is the default folder if not specified)

Copy one of the original factions depending on which CC you want to use (for all of this tutorial I'm using America)

Put this at the bottom (anything bold can be changed to your own name)

PlayerTemplateFactionNew

Side = New

BaseSide = USA

PlayableSide = Yes

StartMoney = 0

PreferredColor = R:0 G:0 B:255

IntrinsicSciences = SCIENCE_AMERICA

PurchaseScienceCommandSetRank1 = SCIENCE_New_CommandSetRank1

PurchaseScienceCommandSetRank3 = SCIENCE_New_CommandSetRank3

PurchaseScienceCommandSetRank8 = SCIENCE_New_CommandSetRank8

SpecialPowerShortcutCommandSet =SpecialPowerShortcutNew

SpecialPowerShortcutWinName = GenPowersShortcutBarUS.wnd

SpecialPowerShortcutButtonCount = 10

DisplayName = INI:FactionNew

StartingBuilding =NewCommandCenter

StartingUnit0 = NewVehicleDozer

ScoreScreenImage =America_ScoreScreen

LoadScreenImage = SAFactionLogoPage_US

LoadScreenMusic = Load_USA

ScoreScreenMusic =Score_USA

;HeadWaterMark = SCTempSelectPortrait ; don't use unless we add a "generalshead for non selected generals

FlagWaterMark = WatermarkUSA

EnabledImage = SSObserverUSA

BeaconName = MultiplayerBeacon

SideIconImage = GameinfoAMRCA

GeneralImage = USA_Logo

OldFaction = Yes ; This faction was available in the original Generals and should be available even if the oldFactionsOnly flag is set

ArmyTooltip = TOOLTIP:BioStrategyLong_USA

Features = GUI:BioFeatures_USA

MedallionRegular =USAGeneral_slvr

MedallionHilite = USAGeneral_blue

MedallionSelect = USAGeneral_orng

End

Then add INI:FactionNew and Side:New to generals.csf

3: Add control bar to controlbar.ini by copying an existing faction and changing the name. Copy the controlbar for your base side and replace their name with your name

Eg add this to the bottom:

ControlBarSchemeNew8x6

ScreenCreationRes X:800 Y:600

Side New

…

…

…

Leave the rest as it is

4: Add a new ini file for your dozer and CC, copy an existing CC and dozer and change their names, prerequisites and commandsets

If you know how to do this much then you may not need the rest of this tutorial

Open notepad and save the blank document in INI\Object as New.ini (make sure it doesn’t end up called New.ini.txt)

Open factionbuilding.ini (in the object folder) and find either America GLA or China command center (depends which you want) copy it to your new ini and change its name to NewCommandCenter then scroll down past the art (change at your own risk) to the line:

; ***DESIGN parameters ***

Then Change side to New and the commandset to NewCommandCenterCommandSet

Now repeat this for the Dozer, copy and rename the dozer then rename the side and commandset

5: Add the building comandbuttons for your objects

Open commandbutton.ini and find the build button for your base side command center copy it to the bottom of the file

Now change the name of the button to Command_ConstructNewCommandCenter and the object to NewCommandCenter

Repeat this for the dozer

6: Make the comandsets for your dozer and CC

Copy the commandset for america’s dozer and command center to the bottom of the file and rename them: NewDozerCommandSet and NewCommandCenterCommandSet

Now replace the dozer commands such that it looks like this:

CommandSetAmericaDozerCommandSet

8 = Command_ConstructNewCommandCenter

14 = Command_DisarmMinesAtPosition

End

And the CC too:

CommandSetAmericaCommandCenterCommandSet

• = Command_ConstructNewDozer

13 = Command_SetRallyPoint

14 = Command_Sell

End

7: Make the special power and generals powers commandsets

First decide on your special powers next make the commandsets:

• SCIENCE_New_CommandSetRank1
• SCIENCE_New_CommandSetRank3
• SCIENCE_New_CommandSetRank8
• SpecialPowerShortcutNew

Locate the purchase commands and shortcut commands in other generals’ commandsets and copy them here

Also copy the shortcut commands to your command center and remove the FromShortcutsuffix

Eg:

CommandSetNewCommandCenterCommandSet

1 = Command_ConstructNewDozer

2 = Command_Defector

3 = Command_SpySatelliteScan

4 = Command_SneakAttack

5 = Infa_Command_Paradrop

13 = Command_SetRallyPoint

14 = Command_Sell

End

CommandSetSpecialPowerShortcutNew

1 = Command_DefectorFromShortcut

2 = Command_SpySatelliteScanFromShortcut

3 = Command_SneakAttackFromShortcut

4 = Infa_Command_ParadropFromShortcut

End

CommandSet SCIENCE_New_CommandSetRank1

1 = Command_PurchaseScienceScudLauncher

End

CommandSet SCIENCE_New_CommandSetRank3

1 = Command_PurchaseScienceCashBounty1

2 = Command_PurchaseScienceCashBounty2

3 = Command_PurchaseScienceCashBounty3

4 = Infa_Command_PurchaseScienceInfantryParadrop1

5 = Infa_Command_PurchaseScienceInfantryParadrop2

6 = Infa_Command_PurchaseScienceInfantryParadrop3

End

CommandSet SCIENCE_New_CommandSetRank8

1 = Command_PurchaseScienceSneakAttack

End

8: Add generalspowers modules to your CC

Look through the other generals’ command centers to find the modules and copy them to your command center make sure the module tag numbers are all different to ensure this: number any that you add in the hundreds as none made by EA went higher than 99

9: Test

Test your general in game

10: Add buildings and units until general is complete by repeating steps 4-6 and testing

You’re not done yet but if you keep adding new units and buildings using steps 4-6 you should be fine (make sure you change the prerequisites to your own buildings)

I try to have a build tree like this:

(Although sometimes I skip the science building and make it such that I need both the war factory and the airfield for money and SW)