Mods for Dummies, err Newbies

[Hannibal29715]

Is there a listing of the of the "standard mods" and the order of their installation anywhere on the Web?

Along with this, are there instructions on how to install these mods anywhere.

I've seen some of the stupendous work on various websites, but can't figure out where the starting point is.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Gary

[Philippe]

The best place to start is to read MadMatt's essay over at CMHQ. He'll introduce you to some basic steps, which will give useful practise for when you get serious.

Getting Serious:

Get CMMOS. Get all of CMMOS. That will take you several weeks, unless you have a really fast connection. It can be found in the CMMOS section of CMHQ.

N.B. -- CMMOS still doesn't work on Mac.

General Procedural Comment:

A good first step is to look inside the game directory and try to get a handle on how the program is organized. Mods ultimately go in one of three folders: bmp, scenarios, or wave. Never put anything in any of these folders that isn't native to them, and never put folders inside these folders.

I'm often accused of going about this in a labor-intensive way, but there are advantages to my approach. Make a folder for all your mods, and inside it you might want a folder for your the zips you download. Whenever you download something, put the zip in the zip folder, then make a folder for whatever the mod is, then unzip to that folder rather than your CMBO/BMP folder. There are often odds and ends that you don't want in the game folder, and you may want to refer back to them later. It is also a good way to keep track of what you have installed.

How to install a CMMOS Mod:

Go to CMHQ, go to the CMMOS section, download all the CMMOS operating files. They are self-installers, and when you run them they will create a folder called GEM Software Productions/CMMOS. Do not put this inside any part of the game directory. Your path should look something like C:\Programs\Gem Software Productions\CMMOS. Look inside it to get a feel for how it is organized. When fully installed there will be a bunch of RuleSet folders, and a few other things. You'll also notice a log file [very useful to read if you have a probelm]. Read Gordon's readme file quickly, but don't worry too much about the nitty gritty of it just yet. Then download a CMMOS mod into a safe place (probably the mod/zip folder that you I mentioned above) and unzip it to a separate folder named after what it is. You can look it over inside that folder, and read any notes that came with it. Then copy all the bmp's (but just the bmp's) to the bmp folder in your CMBO directory.

There's lots more to learn and do, but this should get you started.

[Der Kriegsherr]

The new CMMOS is simply GREAT!