Mod install question - Decals

[A Canadian Cat]

I was getting caught up on installing Aris's mods and as I installed the JPzIV mod I realized that I have been installing each of the vehicle modes in to a sub directory of my z folder named after the vehicle. This I think is good. In the past I have been creating a sub folder of that called Decals and putting the decals there but this time I see in Aris's instructions:

Unzip “Aris_Jagdpanzer IV Mid Mod” folder to your Z folder within your Data directory, and if you want to include the decals then go to the “Decals” folder, copy the BMPs you want and copy them too to Z.

That would mean that I would have a directory structure like this:

<root_dir>\Combat Mission Battle for Normandy\Data\ z\Aris_Jagdpanzer IV Mid Mod <--- just the JPzIV files

<root_dir>\Combat Mission Battle for Normandy\Data\ z\Aris_Panther VG Mod <--- just the Panther VG files

<root_dir>\Combat Mission Battle for Normandy\Data\ z\Decals <--- all vehicle decal files

What I have been doing is this:

<root_dir>\Combat Mission Battle for Normandy\Data\ z\Aris_Jagdpanzer IV Mid Mod <--- just the JPzIV files

<root_dir>\Combat Mission Battle for Normandy\Data\ z\Aris_Jagdpanzer IV Mid Mod\Decals <--- just the JPzIV decal files

<root_dir>\Combat Mission Battle for Normandy\Data\ z\Aris_Panther VG Mod <--- just the Panther VG files

<root_dir>\Combat Mission Battle for Normandy\Data\ z\Aris_Panther VG Mod\Decals <--- all vehicle decal files

I am really enjoying Aris's vehicle mods but I have to admit I don't look at vehicle numbers very much so I am not 100% sure if what I have been doing is valid or not.

Is putting each vehicle mod's decals in a sub directory under its main directory a valid choice? It sure will make managing the mods easier but I want to be sure it is a good choice for having the decals show up properly in the game.

Any advice would be appreciated and as a new years resolution I promise to pay better attention to the vehicle numbers while continuing to enjoy the mud and dirt.

[Erwin]

Not sure if your approach works or not.

For what it's worth here's what I do:

1) Open one of Aris' mods' "main mod folder"

2) Open its variant/decal folder (if any - some do not have any)

3) Copy the variants I want (in my case all of them) into the "main mod folder"

4) Rename/renumber the variants appropriately (if Aris has not already numbered them for us): for example "tank hull 2.bmp"; "tank hull 3.bmp" etc.

Note that there are a couple of exceptions to this rule since the StuH's and Stug's have a numbering glitch in them and need special renaming - read Aris' instructions.

[A Canadian Cat]

1) Open one of Aris' mods' "main mod folder"

Just to verify under you z folder you have on folder for each of Aris's mods and some of them also have a Decals or Variants folder under them. To use a decal or variant you copy the ones you want from the Decals or Variants sub folder up on level into the same folder as the mail files.

Do I understand you correctly?

[A Canadian Cat]

I just fired up a game where I have JPzIVs running around and the decal version do show up when the files are in z\Aris_Jagdpanzer IV Mid Mod\Decals. So what I was doing seems to work.

I also have a bunch of Early Shermans running around in another game and none of them are using the z\Aris_M4A3 Sherman Early\Variants\m4a3-early-hull_Tarentaise.bmp version. This will be because it is not named with the standard numbering system. I will try to rename it and see if that brings it into the game. But that will have to tomorrow.

[Erwin]

I have each of Aris' mods in its own unique folder - which I am calling the "main mod folder" just to be clear for you.

I copy the variant(s) that apply uniquely to that mod into that "main mod folder" and rename as necessary.

Yes, I keep each of Aris' mods in its own "main mod folder". So far, I have at least 48(?) Aris "main mod folders" in my Z folder.

There may well be other ways that will work, but the method outlined here keeps everything separate and easy to figure out what one is doing and what one has done.

Note that some of Aris' earlier mods they are in .brz folders. I recommend exploding that using the RezExplode app in the Mod Tools folder and extracting the .bmp's into a regular "main mod folder".

(I hate .brz folders.)