Text Files

Text files appear to offer the easiest type of modding to learn. They only require a basic editor such as Notepad to work on them, so no-one is excluded from modding them by not being able to afford or understand the software.

Some files such as the expanded.txt files are very easy to mod and have a simple and immediate effect on the appearance of the game. That file and the others in the data/text folder can control what text is displayed on the screen without effecting the internal workings of the game. In expanded_bi.txt for instance you can change the apparent faction name by using:

 {EMPIRE_EAST_REBELS}		The Papal Seal
 {EMT_EMPIRE_EAST_REBELS_SPY}	   Papal Seal Spy
 {EMT_DEFEATED_BY_EMPIRE_EAST_REBELS}		The Papal Seal have triumphed ....etc

the general principle for all those types of files is don't change anything inside the {} unless you know what you are doing!

Other text files control how the graphic elements of the game are used, the main example for that would be the descr_model_battle.txt (RTW/BI) and battle_models.modeldb (M2TW) which control which model, texture and animation are used for each unit.

Export_descr_units.txt is an apparently simple file to alter but immense sophistication can be applied to the balancing of the unit statistics it contains, small changes to this file can entirely alter the battle map experience.

Descr_strat.txt controls the entire starting set up of the factions that begin the campaign on the map. Again alterations to this file are quite easy to make if a little care is taken, but the effect on the overall campaign of changing starting army strengths etc., can be far reaching.

Campaign script files are also technically text files, but work on those files is normally known as scripting, whereas work on the other text files is normally known as coding.