CMMOS Mods How TO-A Simpletons Guide 05 May 03 V2.1

CMMOS TERMS
STAGING
PRODUCTION
OPTIONS
MISC COMMENTS

Intro:

First, DON'T PANIC!!!

Ok that is over and done with. Now lets have some fun.

CMMOS is a very simple to use, but flexible program to swap out either bmps or wav files for CMBO or CMBB. This allows you to quickly and easily redress the game.

A CMMOS mod is composed on either bmps OR wavs files, not both together, plus the instruction set (the ruleset) that tells CMMOS how to use the bmps. The ruleset is the brains of the outfit while the bmps/wavs themselves are simply the window dressing. The ruleset uses filelists, a list of what bmp or wav numbers, as its guidepost for file swapping. Only those numbers in the filelist will be swapped around.

This how-to will show you how to create your own simple or even optional mod. It is divided into sections to break down the parts of making a CMMOS mod. Believe me it IS VERY SIMPLE when you take it bit by bit. Advanced rule are a bear but a simple mod is just that simple and straightforward.

Now I am not going to try to reinvent the wheel, Old Dog did a great CMMOS how-to tutorial which I will not even try to improve on. But I am going to give you a quickie step-by-step procedure which will allow you to mod maybe 95% of the mods that show up.

Now, I am going to assume you know Windows basics such as cut and paste, rename, copy, delete, etc. Also you will need some knowledge of MS Paint, notepad, and explorer. A paint program that can save files in jpg format and resize them is also useful but not essential. If you don't have such a program, Microsoft Internet Explorer can open a bmp and save it in a jpg format.

**
Oh, to take a screenshot, press the printscreen button on your keyboard. When you open MS Paint you can then create a bmp and save it. Keep this in mind, will be useful shortly.
**

You will also need PKUnzip and/or a PKCompress, that is at least what I use. Both are available off the net for free. If you don't have them do a search and go from there.

Some files are necessary for this mod and I have picked a mod by Gautrek, his Marder III GAUT_DUSTY_MARDER3_V1.ZIP as the best way to demonstrate a CMMOS mod.

You will need this mod, available HERE, plus some files I created for your use:

-CMMOS Hot To-A Simpletons Guide.txt, this is the txt file that will outline how to make mods

-CMMOS starter zip, this is a set of files that I use to create a mod

-DIY_Ruleset.zip, this is the ruleset that all your mods will be placed in

-CMMOS_CMBB_FileLists.zip, this is all the corrected filelists I have so far. Some are CRITICAL to some mods working.

-A_Gautrek_MarderIIII_dusty_CMMOS4.zip, note this mod is not really a finished product. It will work but has some files in it that are not needed. When you open the mod you will see what I mean.

Another file, Icons_Labeled.zip, isn't necessary but you might find it useful.

At the end of this how-to is a Misc section which explains a few things of a more advanced nature such as the DIY-ruleset, filelists, labeling the icons.

This will be fast but is intended to show how I make a CMMOS mod, in fact I have supplied the very files I use.

Getting Started, there are several basic steps to a mod.

1) Staging: getting all the parts and components for the mod;
2) Production: assembling the necessary components and labeling the txt files;
3) Test: the first dry run for the mod to make sure it works plus to make two screenshots, one for an example of the mod and the second to form the icon;
4) Post-test production: IF the mod works as desired to finish up and polish the appearance;
5) Final assembly: wrap it up once and for all.

CMMOS Terms:

Ruleset - ruleset is the controlling factor in a CMMOS mod. A zipped ruleset is the set of commands that tells the program now to handle the mod.

Filelist - filelist is a set of files that make up a mod. They may be bmps or wavs but NEVER both in a CMMOS mod. A filelist.txt tells the program which bmps are swapped out. If a mod has a bmp/wav that is not mirrored in the filelist that bmp/wav will not be swapped out.

So, fasten down your breakables cause here we go.

Example Project - Gautrek's dusty Marder III (early) mod.

This mod was picked for various reason. One it is Gautrek's latest work, as of late April, and he suggested this how-to. Second, it is a good example of a standard mod that has an optional feature that you can add or not at your discretion. Third, there is an error in the filelist which must be fixed for the mod to work. Knowing filelists are essential to any mod. Here is a good place to learn this. Don't worry, the fix is simple. A few lines of text are typed in. No big deal.

So, ready? Good!

A) Staging
-download mod "gaut_dusty_marder3_v1.zip" plus any picture (jpg format) from CM Mod Database
-unzip mod into directory/folder
-copy and paste the CMMOS starter file that you downloaded along with this text file. Put this into the same folder as the downloaded mod.
-look at the bmps that are in this mod you just unzip. Noticed the number range, especially the first number, now here is a very important part, critical to the success of the mod,
-find, then copy and paste, the filelist for that mod. This step is very important. You can find the filelists in the CMMOS program. Look in the CMBB section in the filelist folder.
-the filelist for this mod is: Vehicle_Marder_III_yellow.txt
-now, ruleset...I am making this how-to as a guide for the DIY rulest. Of course any mod can be used in any ruleset but to be totally honest I prefer not to get 100 emails requesting ruleset numbers for the same mod.

This is how this works. Any ruleset has 1000 (000-999) spots in it. Each spot can have only one mod assigned to that mod. Normally the existing rulesets would be controlled by MikeT, however, after discussion with several people it became obvious that I should keep this how-to aimed at allowing you to create your own mods for your own use. So, I created a special DIY ruleset and I will tell you how to add a mod to that ruleset.

This will prevent dozens of people asking for ruleset numbers for the same mod. It will get confusing very quick. The DIY ruleset means you have 1000 spots you can do anything with. If you need a second ruleset for another 1000 mods let me know. A ruleset is easy to create, takes 5 minutes.

Now back to modding, I have assigned this number for the mod, 599-100, for my own use. 600 for the DIY ruleset and 100 for no special reason. Lets' save spots 599-099 for Russian vehicles.

The mod will be placed in the DIY Ruleset, see Misc section, part 1 for details.

Now about the filelist for the mod, here is the filelist contents:

#! Version 1.00
# Marder III (dunkel gelb)
103378
103721
103726
103727
103781
103781
103781
103782
103783
104000
104008
104010
104014
104130
104131
104132

Here are the bmps that are in the mod:
103720
103721
103722
103723
103724
103725
103726
103727
103783
104130
104131

As you can see there is a bit of a difference. The only thing I care about is that whatever bmps are in the mod MUST be in the filelist. If there are any additional numbers in the filelist that are not in the mod don't worry. It is a difference that makes no difference.

The fix is simple, type the missing numbers in the filelist with notepad and save in the filelist folder of CMMOS/CMBB/filelist. I would also, if this is going to be a public mod, save this filelist for distribution to the public otherwise their mod won't work.

So what you will have in the filelist is this:

#! Version 1.00
# Marder III (dunkel gelb)
103378
103720
103721
103722
103723
103724
103725
103726
103727
103781
103781
103781
103782
103783
104000
104008
104010
104014
104130
104131
104132

Now the program knows what bmps are stored and what bmps are swapped out, it goes by the filelist NOT by the contents of the mod. They must match.

For more comments on filelists check Misc section, part 2 for more details.

Now for the actual production of a CMMOS mod:

B) Production
1--decided if mod is simple or optional type:
Look at the mod Gautrek did. It has a range of bmps. Notice that there is just the bmp number with a bmp extension. So far it looks like a simple mod. There is no xxxxa.bmp, barrel_xxxx.bmp, or xxxx_barrel.bmp. Usually the mod designers add a character or a description to the end of the number of the bmp. However a closer examination reveals what Gautrek did. There is a folder called "markings" with a single bmp, 103783.bmp. Open it and it has a barrel with kill rings, a sign of how many enemy vehicles the tank has killed. There is also a 103783.bmp in the first group of numbers, but no kill rings. If you move the 2nd bmp to the main group it will right over that bmp.

It is the existence of that extra bmp that makes this an optional mod. You can opt to not use the bmp and make it a simple mod. No big deal, but with some mods having options is rather fun, especially those that add unit markings.

But we are going to make an optional type mod. Here is how it will work.

2--first renaming bmps:
So lets rename that markings folder bmp and called it 103783_gau_killrings.bmp. You should know how to use rename, highlight the bmp and right click, you will find a whole list of options, in there is rename.

Now the other bmps, Gordon designed CMMOS with a very useful program called BMPMunge.exe. This will allow you to select a range of bmps, a destination, and add an extension to those bmps and move the renamed bmps to a new location.

However, you can rename the bmps simply using rename. Your choice. BMPMunge is great for a large number of bmps, such as AndrewTFs uniform mods. For vehicles it is useful but not critical.

For now, I will let you learn about BMPMunge on your own. If you have any windows savvy at all you will easily figure it out. But right now lets use rename and add a "_gau" to the end of each and every bmp...........ok that is enough time. Easy isnt' it?

You should have this in your folder:
103720_gau
103721_gau
103722_gau
103723_gau
103724_gau
103725_gau
103726_gau
103727_gau
103783_gau
103783_gau_killring
104130_gau
104131_gau

3--next step remove unwanted files from starter file
you have the picture of the final mod from CM Mod Database, you have the mods renamed, you have the filelist. Now we can start assembling the portions of the mod into the CMMOS starter folder that you copied and pasted. This was done in the staging section (A) above.

In the starter folder you will have this
"ID File" folder
"RuleXXX-XXX-1" folder
description.txt
example_pic.jpg
find_the_filelist.txt
info.txt
screenshot for icon.bmp
screenshot.bmp

The ID File folder is used for public mods. It contains an ID.txt file which is used by CMHQ to post a mod. There are three lines in there you fill out. Follow your nose and you will figure that out quickly. Given that the tutorial is designed to tell you how to create a mod for your own use, you can easily delete this folder.

The RuleXXX-XXX-1 folder is the brains and heart of any CMMOs mod. More on that later.

description.txt is very simple to fill out. It has a simple description of the mod and a reference to the modder. It can be ignored if this is a private mod.

example_pic.jpg, if you have a picture saved from CM Mod Database, you can delete this. I keep it in there as a reminder to get a picture.

find_the_filelist.txt, this can be deleted once you have the filelist.txt file saved. As with example_pic.jpg it is a reminder. Delete now.

info.txt, this has some information about the mod but really can be ignored it this is a private mod.

screenshot for icon.bmp, an icon is used by CMMOS to show the mod. If you want to make one from as screenshot this bmp is used. If you are making a private mod your icon could simply be a text description, more later. Delete is desired.

screenshot.bmp, used for a screenshot that will take the place of the picture from CM Mod Database, if desired. You can delete if you like the picture from the Database.

About the contents of the ruleset, there are four files:
DescriptionXXX-XXX.txt: is the same as the description file above, it has a description of the mod and any possible options. How complex or simple is up to you.

Insert_name.bmp, this is the icon bmp used by CMMOS on the main screens.

Insert_name_disabled.bmp, this is a disabled icon that only shows up if the mod cannot be found by CMMOS. Otherwise you never see it.

RuleXXX-XXX.txt, here is the main computer program code that controls the mod. This is the heart and soul, the intelligence of the mod.

4--now start filling in the XX's of the starter file
Here is how I do this, this must be done right but isn't really difficult.

a-take the ruleset number, 599-100 in this case, and lets start with the contents of the ruleset folder.

First the 599-100 is typed in the X's of DescriptionXXX-XXX.txt and RuleXXX-XXX.txt.

Next, type 599-100 in the Insert_name.bmp WITH one special addition. Make that Gautrek_599-100.bmp. (I started using the ruleset number as part of the icon bmp name, along with the modder name. I found that with the various uniform mods I was doing I was duplicating names, this prevents that. The ruleset numbers will NEVER be the same,even if the modder name is the same.)

Last type, the same Gautrek_599-100 into the Insert_name_disabled.bmp, so it reads: Gautrek_599-100_disabled.bmp

What you now have are these four files:
Description599-100.txt
Gautrek_599-100.bmp
Gautrek_599-100_disabled.bmp
Rule599-100.txt

Now that the names have been changed, the contents of three files must be changed.

First the bmps, for now only one needs any attention: Gautrek_599-100.bmp. Open the bmp and using MS Paint add some text. Since this is a Marder III, just add Marder III somewhere on the grey background. Save it.

Next, Description599-100.txt. Since this is just a simple description, you can type in something along these lines:
"Gautrek's dusty Marder III with optional barrel kill rings" The description can be as simple or as complex as you prefer. It can have nothing in it if you prefer. Your choice. Close and save.

Lastly the Rule599-100.txt, this is a bit more complex. Here is what you have right now:

#! Version 1.0
#! Name Modder Name and mod
#! Files filelist.txt
#! Icon icon.bmp
#! Key first.bmp
#! Options X

## general description of options
#@ option 1
XXXX
#@ option 2
XXXXX

Here is how I am going to change it:

#! Version 1.0
-- leave as is

#! Name Modder Name and Mod
-- change to --
#! Name Gautrek Marder III

#! Files filelist.txt
--remember the filelist I fussed about so much, there you need it.
#! Files Vehicle_Marder_III_yellow.txt

***NOTE*****
Now all filelists necessary to make the mod are applied here, if there are more than one place a comma and type the next filelist. Now for an example, say that the mod modified more than one filelist. For some uniforms mods this is true. Lets say for example this mod also change the Marder II yellow. The list would look like this:

#! Files Vehicle_Marder_III_yellow.txt, Vehicle_Marder_II_(early)_yellow.txt
********

#! Icon icon.bmp
--remember that bmp we changed the name of, place that name here:
#! Icon Gautrek_599-100.bmp

#! Key first.bmp
--the first bmp in the mod is placed here, for this mod it would be:
#! Key 103720_gau.bmp

#! Options X
--now things can get sticky here, this is the number of options in the mod. If this is a simple mod, you decided not to factor in the barrle with kill rings (103783_gau_killring.bmp) would replace the X with a 1; BUT if you want that mod place a 2 there. For us, we are going to do an optional mod, so:
#! Options 2

For the options section:

## general description of options
#@ option 1
XXXX
#@ option 2
XXXXX

NOW!!, here is where the fun really begins. Remember we have the choice of either a simple mod or an optional mod. So first I will show you what an optional mod looks like:

## dusty mod for Marder III
#@ dusty mod with no barrel killrings
_gau
#@ dusty mod with barrel killrings
_gau_killrings
_gau

Note that the option bmp (_gau_killrings) in the second option spot comes second...first you apply the mod (_gau) then the options. If there are more than two mods a 3rd option is added and so on. For instance. and this is strictly an example since the bmps don't exist:

## dusty mod for Marder III
#@ dusty mod with no barrel killrings
_gau
#@ dusty mod with barrel killrings
_gau_killrings
_gau
#@ dusty mod with barrel killrings and muddy tracks
_gau_mud
_gau_killrings
_gau

Now we don't have any bmps for muddy tracks but IF we did you could add an option for them.

A simple mod has no options, the mods are simply applied and this would look like this:

#@ dusty mod with no barrel killrings
_gau

You drop the second option line and the ## line.

So the complete ruleset for options will look like this:

#! Version 1.0
#! Name Gautrek Marder III
#! Files Vehicle_Marder_III_yellow.txt
#! Icon Gautrek_599-100.bmp
#! Key 103720_gau.bmp
#! Options 2
## dusty mod for Marder III
#@ dusty mod with no barrel killrings
_gau
#@ dusty mod with barrel killrings
_gau_killrings
_gau

IF the mod is a simple, no options mod, then you will have this:

! Version 1.0
#! Name Gautrek Marder III
#! Files Vehicle_Marder_III_yellow.txt
#! Icon Gautrek_599-100.bmp
#! Key 103720_gau.bmp
#! Options 1
#@ dusty mod with no barrel killrings
_gau

Now the heart and soul of the mod is done, save this file.

So you have the ruleset done, all three components are filled out, for now at least and saved.

The mod bmps are collected and renamed.

The filelists is picked and checked out.

The two txt files, description and info, and next. We are only two files away from a completed mod.

First up the description. It is essentially the same as the description.txt of the ruleset. In fact you could opt to copy that and paste that on the XXXXX's of description.txt. That is what I do. The only thing left is the XXXX's in the bit text, just place Gautrek's name there. Save and that file is done.

Now the info.txt file. Now, for your own mod, if you desire, you can just forget this section.

Here is what you have:

[data]
author=XXXXXX
version=1.0
type=CMMOS
category=(file list)
series=(which tab)
seasons=summer or winter
resolution=standard
game=cmbb
disclaimer=This mod pack is released for free unrestricted use to the Combat Mission community. Feel free to do anything you like to it,so long as modified versions are labeled as such, and credit given both to XXXXXXX and any prior author(s). This pack may be freely posted for downloading, but must not be charged for.
preview1.name=
preview1.file=.jpg

Ok, lets go line by line, it is really very simple.

author=XXXXXX: place Gautrek's name in the XXXX's

version=1.0: leave alone

type=CMMOS: leave alone

category=(file list): place the filelist for that mod

series=(which tab): which ruleset the mod will be placed in, in this case always DIY

seasons=summer or winter: snow or non-snow mod

resolution=standard: leave alone

game=cmbb: leave alone

disclaimer=This mod pack is released for free unrestricted use to the Combat Mission community. Feel free to do anything you like to it,so long as modified versions are labeled as such, and credit given both to XXXXXXX and any prior author(s). This pack may be freely posted for downloading, but must not be charged for.

In this paragraph, just place Gautrek's name in the XXX's

preview1.name= : place a description of the mod
preview1.file=.jpg : place the name of the picture you saved

Now after all this you will have:

author=Gautrek
version=1.0
type=CMMOS
category=Vehicle_Marder_III_yellow
series=DIY
seasons=summer
resolution=standard
game=cmbb
disclaimer=This mod pack is released for free unrestricted use to the Combat Mission community. Feel free to do anything you like to it,so long as modified versions are labeled as such, and credit given both to Gautrek and any prior author(s). This pack may be freely posted for downloading, but must not be charged for.
preview1.name=Gautrek's dusty Marder III
preview1.file=grmard.jpg

Save and close notepad.

You are done. All that needs to be changed has been changed. Next up we will zip the components, install in CMMOS, start CMBB, add a Marder III in 1943 or later, install the mod via CMMOS and check it out. That is the fun part.

So,

5--zip components for rule, label Rule599-100 and save alongside the bmps, info.txt, and description.txt files.

Then:

6--zip component bmps, the ruleset599-100.zip, the info.txt, description.txt, and grmard.jpb into a zip file for CMMOS mod, label as:

A_Gautrek_MarderIII_dusty_CMMOS4

I prefer that all CMMOS mods have the "A_" in front until it is finalized. It is much easier to find later on and delete. Then when you finished the project, then rezip the mod but with no "A_" and you know you have a finished project.

I also add the designer's name, plus the vehicle name, as well as either dusty or snow or weathered or anything else you like. Finally add a "_CMMOS4" to the end. Helps since V4 of CMMOS is different than the earlier versions and the mods, from what Gordon told me, are handled different by the program.

So, here we are, we have an essentially complete mod, except for window dressing such as a pretty icon, but it must be tested.

Ready?!?

*****NOTE*****
As part of the tutorial I have created the work so far in a mod. You can use it as a guideline. It isn't complete but should work.
**************

C) Test:
1--install into CMMOS and test mod in game, make sure dates and environmental conditions are appropiate for the mod to appear

Since you have installed CMMOS mods I won't go into that. It is the same. After the mod is in CMMOs, go ahead and place it in the game, and create a map, I used a generic test map. Use the forces editor and select the right vehicle, make sure the dates are right. Go the map and click on preview. See the results.

2--take screenshot and save as bmp for now
if you want, you can take an in-game screenshot of the finished project. Doesn't Gautrek do great work? You can use the printscreen button, and then drop out of CMBB, and click on the screenshot.bmp in the CMMOS mod. Then with MS Paint place the screenshot in the window, resize as necessary. and Save as a bmp. Later on it will need to be changed to a jpg and resized to 7" if possible. It can replace the picture that the designer original submitted. I like to create a new picture myself sometimes adding dirty tracks, or if the designer also does uniforms adding some of his uniform work.

3--take icon screenshot, alter view and save as bmp
for the icon, if you want a public mod you will definitely need an icon screenshot. I don't know how to tell you how to do this but I angle the vehicle to one side. I click the view up twice to get a better top down angle and then press printscreen. Minimize the game, start the screenshot icon.bmp and place it in the window but do not allow the program to resize the bmp to fit. Try as you can to make the vehicle to fit the icon size. This will get you better chance of fitting the final icon bmp since it is even smaller than the one you are working with now.

4--uninstall mod from using CMMOS return BTS

OK the mod works and you have screenshots taken. Drop out of the preview mod in CMBB. Minimize the game again. Use CMMOS and reset to BTS bmps as you normally would.

5--uninstall mod FROM CMMOS using configure button
Just delete the mod since we are going to create a new version, a final version in post-test production.

D) Post_test production:
Now if mod is for public use:
turn screenshot into JPG and resize if possible to 7" wide
take icon screenshot and resize to fit icon bmp in the rulset
make disable version of icon, open the disable bmp and copy the disable icon. Close that bmp and and open the icon with the screenshot placed on it. Paste the disabled icon and save it as Gautrek_599-100_disabled.bmp.

You are essentially done now.

If Mod is for private use you can ignore the above if you choose

You can now, at your option create a label icon, see Misc section 3 below.

E) Final Assembly:
-delete original test ruleset and create a new ruleset zip with the altered bmps.
-rezip CMMOS mod but save without the "A_"
-CMMOS mod is done.

That is it!

this step is optional:
if for public use and take make life easier for CMHQ, create a special ID version of the mod. Resize the screenshot to 3.5" and fill out the ID.txt file with the name of the mod, in which ruleset it is intended (NEVER for ruleset 600), and the size. Zip using same name as mod but with "_ID" before the "_CMMOS4" of the file name.

Now you can delete the work files and folder. You are now armed with the steps and knowledge to mod most if not all CMBB mods. I can make a CMMOS mod, simple or optional, in around less than 10 minutes. It is really that simple.

MISC COMMENTS

1) DIY Ruleset:
DIY Ruleset (RuleSet599) is a special ruleset I made just for modders who want to create their own mods BUT not share them with the general community. Think of a ruleset as a street and the ruleset numbers as the house numbers. Any ruleset ranges from 000 to 999. This is 1000 addresses, 1000 mods!

How you use this ruleset or whether you use this ruleset is your concern. NO MOD CAN SHARE THE SAME RULESET NUMBERS!! Don't try, believe me it won't work, I did it by accident. No nightmare but the mods must be removed and the first one reinstalled and second one has its numbers changed. No big deal, but who wants the extra work??

My suggestion is that if you want to use the ruleset use the first 100 (000-099)for Russian vehicles, the second 100 (101-199) for Germans, etc. Uniforms can be in 500, terrain 600, etc. Again this is your private stomping grounds, your own private playground.

With 1000 spots available it will be some time before you fill it up, I have 1 Gig of mods on my PC and I have only 500 CMMOS mods.

Now one thing to remember, you pick your own numbers. If you use 599-152 for a German tank and a friend gives you a mod he created of a German halftrack and he uses 599-152 you cannot use it since you have used that number already. However you can change those numbers to a spot you haven't used yet, say 599-199. This is very simple.

Unzip the mod then unzip the ruleset. Change any spot in the files that have 599-152 and replace them with 599-199. The file Rule599-152.txt for instance must be changed to Rule599-199. What and how much must be changed depends on how it was designed. You must use your initiative here. Be careful and think. But by this time you can handle this.

2) Filelists:
what they do and how to make new ones or fix/repair them, if necessary.
NOTE: these can get you in trouble BE CAREFUL!!!

Filelists are the traffic lights of CMMOS. They are txt files each dedicated to a particular vehicle, uniform group, terrain type, etc. Any CMMOS mod will have to use at least ONE of the filelists. As shown above a filelist might be incomplete, I discovered that with German mountain infantry, the tunic for German HQs was not in the filelist. It took some time before I realized what was happening. I had to open that filelist and type in that number. The mod then worked.

Adding filelists is easy, in fact as new vehicles were added via patches I had to create new lists. Now one thing to remember, and this is very important, if you add a vehicle you must also add it to a general vehicle txt file. This is necessary for the restore icon in CMMOS. If the vehicle isn't listed there the original BTS bmps won't be restored.

For example, the Russian BT5 is added in a patch. I had to create the filelist and then add a reference line to "Soviet_vehicles.txt" which is called up by the restore button. When you research that it will become obvious what I mean. For now don't worry about it until needs must.

Adding a Filelist for a special mod:
Say you wanted to do a mod for the Russian forces that fought WITH the Germans again Soviet Russians. You have the uniforms done but want to change German voices to Russian, it could be done. You would create a filelist with all the Russian wav files in it. Save it with the name, oh say, SFX_German_voices.txt. Save that in the filelist folder of CMMOS/CMBB. Design your mod to call up that filelist txt file, copy and then rename all Russian voice files from CMBB to the German numbers, add the extension "_rus_to_ger" to each wav file. Create a CMMOS mod as above. When you install the mod you should find Germans using Russian voices. The secret is the filelist, it must have all the bmps you are swapping. Now in this case I would probably make my changes to the Hungarians or another axis ally, simply because of the German helmet.

Winter Filelists:
Now there are separate filelists for winter vehicles, as opposed to summer vehicles. The same goes for winter infantry and winter terrain, forticifications, etc. The filelists are a good source of what bmp is used for what vehicle, terrain, fortification, etc.

Special note, there are some filelists (ex: Winter_German_Vehicles.txt, Winter_German_Guns.txt) that cover all of that nations vehicles/guns for winter. If a patch is created for a new vehicle and a reference line is not added to that filelist the vehicle will not have the winter mod removed using CMMOS restore button. The restore button that removes winter mods and returns to standard summer bmps calls up that filelist.

New Filelists:
I have included with the mods a zip file of the filelists I have added/altered so far. You cannot go to wrong by getting that and copying it to your CMMOS/CMBB/Filelist folder. Some original filelists will be written over since I found some mistakes in a few. Don't worry about this.

3) Labeled Icons:
One day I realized that I had a real problem with CMMOS. I was having a hell of time telling one mod from another. The icons were looking very much alike and it was taking time to search for the one I wanted. Now CMMOS does have a feature that is useful, place the mouse cursor over an icon, RIGHT click, and that icon will start on a new line. This can be used to break up mods by vehicle type for instance. I have several Panthers and it is nice having them in one line. Uniforms are helped here since all my Waffen SS are in one line.

But still there was a problem. I decided to label each icon with the vehicle type. I have included a zip file with all my icons relabeled but as a FYI here is how to label your icons.

Reopen the icon with MS Paint. I use 8 point MS Sans Serif font with bold clicked on. Color is yellow, seems to show up the best. For snow backgrounds I usually place a black box around the text and fill in the white with black. This small change looks better and does help me at least.

If doing the icon for a mod destined for public use open the icon in the ruleset, label it as above, but do a save as and save that file with the bmp files. If the end user wants his icons label, he simply has to open the file, and extract that single bmp, and save it somewhere handy. Eventually the icon.bmp is placed in its ruleset. Next time you start CMMOS the new icon will be used.

4) Changing names in the ruleset tabs:
For anyone interested the test in the ruleset tabs can be changed and changed easily. Look into the CMMOS folder, open CMBB, then you have several folders.

Open up "RuleSet001" and look for info.txt.

Open that up and you will find this:

#! Version 1.05
#! RuleSet Name Svinarnik
#! CMMOS Version 4.00
#! RuleSet Number 001
#! Game CMBB

The line "#! RuleSet Name Svinarnik" determines what the tab is called. If you change it to "#! RuleSet Name Russian tanks dirty or slogans" and save, then the tab will display that the next time CMMOS is started.

#! Version 1.05
#! RuleSet Name Russian tanks dirty or slogans
#! CMMOS Version 4.00
#! RuleSet Number 001
#! Game CMBB

In this way you can change any tab to read what you wish either in English, British English, or your native language. Or you can leave it alone. Your choice. You cannot screw anything up, or at least I haven't yet.

5) Rules, what the hell and how do I:
Within a CMMOS mod zip file is another zip file, the rule. The rule includes 4 files: 2 txt files, and 2 bmps.

The txt files are the rule and description files. The bmps are the icons.

Now the description is simply what the mod is, an explanation of who did it, the vehicle involved and maybe even a bit on what options.

The rule, here is the brains of it all.

The rule has:
#! Version 1.0
#! Name Gautrek Marder III
#! Files Vehicle_Marder_III_yellow.txt
#! Icon Gautrek_599-100.bmp
#! Key 103720_gau.bmp
#! Options 2

## dusty mod for Marder III
#@ dusty mod with no barrel killrings
_gau
#@ dusty mod with barrel killrings
_gau_killrings
_gau

As I described in the production section what each line does I won't go into that again. But I will discuss the options and what you can do if interested.

Lets say you have these options:

## dustry mod for Marder III
#@ dusty mod with no barrel killrings
_gau
#@ dusty mod with barrel killrings
_gau_killrings
_gau

Say you have a mod with several options and you don't like one and never want to see it again. You can open the DIY folder, where the mod is placed, find the mods rule (lets assume you just happen to know the rule is rule599-123 otherwise you will have to open and look at each one until you find it), and then open that rule txt file in notepad.

You can delete that mod to remove references to the second mod. Leaving on the option you like. In this case you can turn the above options to force the mod to only apply the portion you like. Change the above lines of txt to this:

#@ dusty mod with barrel killrings
_gau_killrings
_gau

You just cut out the top three lines and save the rule. For programmers there is no "rem" option that I have found, you know what I mean, so it must be cut out completely.

This will prove useful in some of my earlier mod work. I didn't understand some things and gave you the option of installing a mod with a yes or no then you would click on the apply button at the bottom of the opened window. A two step process, one person complained. If you want you can change the rule so a step is removed.

As an example lets look at Tracers SU100 ice covered mod (Tracer_winter_SU100_CMMOS4.zip)

The rule looks like this
#! Version 1.0
#! Name Tracer's Russian SU100
#! Files Winter_vehicle_SU-100.txt
#! Icon SU100_iced.bmp
#! Key 62340_ice.bmp
#! Options 1

## Tracers winter SU100
#@ apply snow/ice Yes/No
_ice

You would be forced to click on the "apply snow/ice Yes/No" then on the "Apply" button at the bottom.

But if you drop one line of code (## Tracers winter SU100)one step is removed. Now the rule looks like this:

#! Version 1.0
#! Name Tracer's Russian SU100
#! Files Winter_vehicle_SU-100.txt
#! Icon SU100_iced.bmp
#! Key 62340_ice.bmp
#! Options 1

#@ apply snow/ice Yes/No
_ice

I bring this up since it might help you understand the various components of a mod.

Conversely say you have a CMMOS mod that is already out there. Say it is Tracers winter SU100 ice covered. Notice that the bmps use a "_ice" after the bmp numbers. Say another gamer posts a mod you like, you can if you like redesign Tracer's winter SU100 mod to support this new mod and do not even have to create a new CMMOS mod.

Lets say that Kingfisher did a snow covered SU100, the bmps are the same between the two mods. So you would rename the bmps with a "_snow".

You then open the ruleset, delete the old zip, the names of the ruleset do no change. You can if you wish add some info to the description. But you MUST make changes to the ruleset. Here is how I would do it:

Change:
#! Version 1.0
#! Name Tracer's Russian SU100
#! Files Winter_vehicle_SU-100.txt
#! Icon SU100_iced.bmp
#! Key 62340_ice.bmp
#! Options 1

## Tracers winter SU100
#@ apply snow/ice Yes/No
_ice

To:
#! Version 1.01
#! Name Tracer's Russian SU100
#! Files Winter_vehicle_SU-100.txt
#! Icon SU100_iced.bmp
#! Key 62340_ice.bmp
#! Options 2

## winter SU100
#@ apply Tracers mod
_ice
#@ apply Kingfishers mod
_snow

Notice, what I changed:
1) the options line, from 1 to 2,
2) I also added a line for Kingfishers mod with the "_snow" reference,
3) I change some wording here and there,
4) I also, and this can be important, change the Version line from 1.0 to 1.01. This will force it to write over the existing mod rule when you install it. Otherwise you will have to uninstall the original mod and then install the new mod after you assemble it. Which btw is my preferred choice.
5) now one thing to remember and this is very important. The Key reference line. In this case it didn't change, because "_ice" will come before "_snow". But say your extension was "_dirty_ice" instead of "_snow" then that line will have to be changed to:
#! Key 62340_dirty_ice.bmp

This is because it will be the first bmp in the mod. If not then the mod will fail to work.

Now rezip the ruleset with the same Rule100-144 it had before. Then rezip the entire mod with the new bmps and the new ruleset. You only need to install the mod and test. Very simple.

In Closing:
Well that is it, a how-to tutorial and hints document for CMMOS. I only started CMMOS in December and took it over when Gordon decided to return to real life. I am no expert, no guru, but I am the only game in town. I hope I helped and maybe give you the confidence to try CMMOS yourself.

Enjoy

MikeT© 2003
desertcmt@attbi.com


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