American Soldier Names

[Dragon67]

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[edit- read thread it does work]

I went through an old thread where someone asked if they could change the names of the soldiers in the game.

Okay, so I decided to experiment and the answer is no:

1)I exploded the the files and found the text file that contains the txt doc. with the names. I changed names and copied and saved and placed the new file in my z folder. The result was the game would not load. Not only that, I had to unplugg my computer to reset it as it was stuck on the load screen.

2) I noticed that the custom hotkeys was in the data folder and not in the z folder so I pasted the folder with the names thinking that would work. It had no effect.

3) I repacked the folder as a new crz file and then placed that in the z folder. I went to the game editor on OMG- On the purchase blue my stryker units had been renamed as uncoms !! Seriously, instead of a stryker battalion there were fighter groups and when you opened the the tree it was a hodge podge of stryker names and IED units, etc. I tried to load an edited game and go it jammed again and I had to unplugg the computer.

End of story- don't place a txt file in your z folder or the scenario will not load.

Why you cannot edit names and place them in the data file the same way you have hotkey editing which is also a txt I can only guess that a program matching the keys to commands is set to use that file.

Deleting the crz and txts from the z folder brought the loading back to normal.

[ May 16, 2008, 09:15 AM: Message edited by: Dragon67 ]

[Cpl Steiner]

I dispute this. I had got it working a while ago so I tried again today and it is still working.

For my first test I added three names to a copy of the file and pasted in my "Z" folder. It did not crash the game but when I created a scenario with a Stryker battalion in it, I couldn't find any soldiers using the added names.

I suspected this was just because I'd only added three names and so statistically it would be rare for a soldier to get one of the new names. I therefore went back to the file and deleted all the other names. When I created a new scenario, every soldier had picked up the new names as expected. I also tested the "Fistfull of Doodads" scenario and it was still working, with the soldiers having picked up the new names also.

Are you sure you haven't edited the file wrong? Every soldier name has to have <E> in front of it. Also, I didn't pack the file as it was only 7k.

[Dragon67]

Originally posted by Cpl Steiner:

I dispute this. I had got it working a while ago so I tried again today and it is still working.

For my first test I added three names to a copy of the file and pasted in my "Z" folder. It did not crash the game but when I created a scenario with a Stryker battalion in it, I couldn't find any soldiers using the added names.

I suspected this was just because I'd only added three names and so statistically it would be rare for a soldier to get one of the new names. I therefore went back to the file and deleted all the other names. When I created a new scenario, every soldier had picked up the new names as expected. I also tested the "Fistfull of Doodads" scenario and it was still working, with the soldiers having picked up the new names also.

Are you sure you haven't edited the file wrong? Every soldier name has to have <E> in front of it. Also, I didn't pack the file as it was only 7k.

This did not work for me at all.

I did not always add names either, but changed them too. To be sure I copied the txt doc. then went through and pasted the <E> with the name Custer for every single name. In this situation every name in the unit should have been Custer. It did not work.

I have the Paradox version.

[Cpl Steiner]

I use Notepad to edit the file. What do you use? Maybe your editor is adding extra hidden characters or something?

[Dragon67]

Originally posted by Cpl Steiner:

I use Notepad to edit the file. What do you use? Maybe your editor is adding extra hidden characters or something?

I used notepad also.

[Dragon67]

Okay, you must be right because I copied the file in the exploded file and then pasted it in the z file. I then deleted all the names and simply put in <E> custer five times then created a new scenario and ran the game and it worked. All the soldiers were named Custer. I did use Word but I did not think I used it every time. Also, this time I exploded version 108 while before I did it with version 100 ?

At anyrate it works, thanks.

I am going to try something, create a scenario and see who the highest ranking commander is- then I will go back and change that name on the list and then see if it changes the name in the scenario.

[Dragon67]

Yeah that did it.

If you go into a game and see the soldiers name. All you have to do is go into the file and change the name to whatever you want and the new name will appear when you load the scenario.

[Dragon67]

Now I will post a new thread in the mod section.

[Cpl Steiner]

Glad you got it working.

[Dragon67]

You can also add a first name such as Custer George, leaving a space between first and last name.