New file at the Repository: US Division Patches Mod mjk v2.0 Part III_Infantry-Dark U

[Battlefront Repository]

The complete version 2.0 mod containing all the units’ uniforms/patches was just too big to upload in the BFC Repository at one time…confirmed after 3 frustrating attempts to do so. [but it is up at GreenasJade’s CMMODS website in one complete download.] So I broke it down into parts: Part I_Armor (plus Helmets and Plain Dark Uniforms mods); Part II_Infantry-Regular Uniform (using the game’s stock uniforms); and Part III_Infantry-Dark Uniform. The Helmet mod has no unit insignias but a variety of colors/netting/no netting. The Dark Uniform mod has no unit shoulder patches.This 3-part mod is an update to version 1.1 of my US Divisional Patches Mod. It fixes some mistakes and adds a second set of uniforms with divisional patches—with darker brown colors for the infantry OD uniform--to the regular greenish ones that came with the game. It includes division/unit patches for all US infantry divisions and armored divisions in the Normandy campaign June - August ‘44, and a few other units.

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[Erwin]

So, if one has already d/l from CMMODS, there is no reason to d/l to d/l this mod from BF??

[mjkerner]

That's right, Erwin.

[Erwin]

ok thanks. I love your mod btw.

Also, I went into the .brz files just so I could add the net helmet with leaves that is in the Airborne helmets only - just to give my inf some variety.

Got a bit confused re how many mods can be active at the same time. I had the impression that one could only have one inf and one armor mod active. Is that correct?

(So, one can have armored inf or armor but not both?? Also, one can have AB or inf, but not both??)

[mjkerner]

Thanks very much, Erwin.

The uniforms are sometimes confusing. The Armor (tank crew) uniform, the regular leg infantry, and the airborne infantry all use different uniform files. So there is no conflict between uniform mods for those three types. But, the armored infantry and the glider infantry both use the regular infantry uniform files, so there would be a conflict between, say the 9th Infantry Division, the 325th/101st and the 6th Armored Infantry uniforms, but neither of these would conflict with the 6th Armor (tank crew) Division uniform mod.

There is a bit more confusion with certain vehicles. The M10 uses the tank crew uniform but the regular infantry helmet. So if you use one of the mods with patches on the helmet, it will show up on the M10 crewmen. I think the .mdr files are the ones that assign different gear to different soldiers, and so I assume there is one associated with the M10 that says "put an infantryman's helmet on these crew". And drivers of jeeps, trucks and HT's either get infantrymen helmets or tank crew helmets, depending on whether its an armoreed division or an infantry one involved. [i think that BFC could distinguish US officers and NCO's using whatever method they now use to give officers special gear and weapons, meaning we could put stripes and such on the uniforms, but that's another thread.]

For your paratrooper helmet, the files are named different than the infantry ones. AB helmets are named: "us-helmet-m1-airborne.bmp" and infantry ones are named "us-helmet-m1.bmp". By adding numbers, you can add more helmets, i.e., "us-helmet-m1-airborne 1.bmp" or "us-helmet-m1 2". But airborne only uses airborne helmets, and infantry (including glider and armored infantry) use the regular helmet. So name your helmet accordingly, and plop it into the z file, and you should be good to go.

I hope that all is clear...I learned by trial and error, and there were a lot of errors along the way!

[Erwin]

Am a bit confused re the cursed .brz files. In my EDITED version of your mod, I have two folders, 2nd ad and 2nd div brown. If I can also have AB at the same time, should I have a third folder of AB mods??

(I added a net with leaves helmet .bmp's to the inf folder just to have some variety.)

Do I also need to create a third folder with AB uniform and helmet graphics? Am confused between Vein's 82nd AB and 101st AB and how they interact with your mods.

Basically, I think it's the brz files that cause all the trouble as one can't see what is in them without the added time consuming step of using RezExplode. I hate this. So what I am doing is basically creating new folders and simply putting in the .bmp's from the Rez Explode file. So no need for the damned brz folders at all. It's the fastest and easiest way to see what is in each folder - kinda like what cm1 used to be like.

[mjkerner]

Ooooops, sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't mod any Airborne (just glider troops) for the "public" mod. I have my own for personal use, but they are just a slight color alteration from Vein's mods. Use his 82nd/101st mods--just plop one into the z folder, since there will be no conflict with mine. If your airborne helmet mod is a bmp file named "us-helmet-m1-airborne.bmp" it will override the game's helmet, because it is also named that (no number before the .bmp). So you don't even need to make it a .brz...just throw the .bmp helmet file in "z" and you should be good to go.

[Erwin]

I have been deleting the text "airborne" and using some of the AB helmets for regular inf as I figured some of the regular grunts would have picked up helmet nets and even learned to put foliage in em.

Am wondering if the number of troops in a squad with a certain helmet graphic is determined by how many bmp's of that helmet graphic are in the folder. So, for my 82nd airborne mod folder, I have 3 net helmets with foliage, one net helmet with no foliage and one regular no-net helmet. Am assuming that this will result in most of the AB having helmets with nets and foliage.

But, for regular inf I have 3 regular no-net helmets, and only one helmet with a net and maybe only one with a net and foliage. Hopefully, this squad will have mostly plain helmets with an occasional net and net/foliage.

Any idea if this is how things work in the CMBN mod-choosing routine??

[Erwin]

Another question, there is a mod called 2nd Rangers or somesuch. But, when I try to open my brz of that mod it seems empty. Anyone know where that mod came from so I can re-download it?

[mjkerner]

Erwin, in CMSF the number of uniforms/helmets in the folder did make a difference, and that still seems to be the case, but I haven't really experimented with it, it just seems to be the case. For example, if I have three different helmets net/no net/net with foliage in the z folder and assuming they're named such as to override the game's stock helmet, then each should show up on every third helmet. If I have 2 no nets, 2 foliage, and 1 net only, then 2/5ths should have no net, 2/5ths should have foliage, and 1/5th should have net only.

I think it was Vein who had the Ranger mod. It was (is?) in the Repository.

[Erwin]

That's the theory I have been using as well.

I'll look for Vein's mod and d/l it again, thanks.

[usgubgub]

I am having a problem with this mod. I had it on my laptop and now it has occurred on my PC as well. Both systems use Windows 7.

Whwen I place the file "no patch_dark infantry uniforms.brz" or any other file from this download obtained after using RezExplode I subsequently cannot load CMBN.

When I try to explode the file with RezExplode I eventually run out of memory and nothing is placed in the expoded folder, which gets stuck with the label "in progress".

Is anyone else experiencing this? Is there a way around this problem? I like the mod, but as it stands I cannot use it.

[Erwin]

When you do solve the problem, I highly recommend that players create new folders and copy the bmp's from the exploded .brz files/folders into the new folder (named appropriately) and use the folder with the .bmp's in the Z folder (and discard the .brz folders or save em elsewhere as a backup).

That way you can see immediately visually examine the graphics and choose which .bmp's you want in your Z folder when there are choices.

I used this method to easily give my troops a much greater variety of helmets from the 4 mods I have on my machine that have helmet .bmp's all locked away in .brz folders.

Having to go thru the RezExplode process to compare multiple .brz files is time-wasting and annoying and confusing.

[mjkerner]

Thanks for alerting me to that problem, usgubgub. But just to be clear (as confusing and the various file names are) the "no patch_dark infantry uniforms.brz" that's effed-up is in the Armor_Part I download package, not the Pasrt III (dark uniforms with divisional patches). For size reasons, I had to put the helmets/OD Dark uniforms with no divisional markings in with the Armor download.

I tried re-packing that same dark uniforms/no patches folder (8 bmp files) that I used for the uploaded mod, exploded it, and everything worked fine. But when I downloaded Part I from the Repository and exploded everything per instructions. That file caused me the same problem--ran out of memory and it never did finish exploding. So something got screwed up along the way. You're the first to notice it, though.

I pulled all three parts of that mod off the site for now, while I check them all...very tedious, but so far no other bad files. I'll re-upload them soon with EZ' uniforms if he won't mind. They are really fantastic! I'll also upload a separate fixed file in the next few days...I don't know exactly when I can get to it.

FWIW, when I upload a mod, I always immediately download it and explode everything and randomly test various unit uniform files. But I purposely didn't test either the no patches helmets or the no patches uniforms, since they both are so small. What could go wrong them, right?

Erwin, I know what you mean. rezpacking the individual folders/bmp's is a pain when you have a lot of files to do, and a pain for the user to undo them. My preference was to just leave the bmps in the folders and zip them and be done with it, but I thought it was proper (and required) protocol; and I also thought brz's were further compression of zip files. Turns out theyt're not. And since simply unzipped folders/files can be dropped into the z folder, from now on I'm dispensing with the brz's. The zip is hip.

[usgubgub]

Ok, mjkerner, sorry to be the bearer of bad news and causing you extra work, thanks for the interest, I look forward to downloading the new files when they are ready, glad to hear about the twist of using EZ's uniforms. I adopted them as an alternative in case the prob was only mine. They are simply outstanding, and I immediately thought that if his efforts could be combined with yours and give the ability to have divisional insignia that would be really excellent.