Mod Request: Hospitaller Reskin

[DaimyoJiro]

May I request to some experienced modders here to make a reskin mod for Hospitaller to make it more accurate? We all know that the hospitaller knight appearance in the game is historically inaccurate.

From this:

To something similar to this one:

[Stark22e]

The easiest way is to replace the model of the knight with another model from the game. It’s quite simple to do. I learned this in this thread:

How do I make a muliplayer-compatible reskin mod?

Some small attachments like the Winged hussar, or the Birthday mod from AOE could give you an example whats possible to do Good idea Interesting, the Winged hussar mod use a simple “visualmods.xml” file which override the hussar 3D model and attach feathers particules on the ATTACHPOINT bone: <?xml version="1.0"?> <VisualMods version='1'> <Models> <Model base='units\cavalry\light_cavalry\light_cavalry_age2_rider' override='units\cavalry\light_cavalry\light_cavalry_age2_rider_wings' …

I think, the body of the Swiss pikeman, the guard sentinel (with another helmet) or the veteran pavisier will do the job.

[DaimyoJiro]

Thanks! I will try to do this.

[Stark22e]

I tried a few things.

here is the content of the visualmods file:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<VisualMods version='1'>
	<Models>
		<Model base='units\infantry\hospitaller\hospitaller_01' override='units\infantry_ranged\genoese\genoese_lvl2' />
		<Model base='units\infantry\hospitaller\hospitaller_02' override='units\infantry_ranged\sentinel\sentinel_age3' />
		<Model base='units\infantry\hospitaller\hospitaller_hat_02' override='units\infantry_ranged\genoese\genoese_hat_lvl2' />
		<Model base='units\infantry\hospitaller\hospitaller_helmet' override='units\infantry_ranged\crossbow\crossbow_3age_hat' />
	</Models>
</VisualMods>

Normal and Veteran Hospitaller → veteran pavisier skin:

Guard and Imperial Hospitaller → guard sentinel skin:

The problem is the hats. The model earns them only with certain technologies.
With the Dignitaries card → veteran pavisier hat

With the Teutonic church tech → guard crowwbowman hat

But… But… On a sentinel skin, this hats doesn’t match

So you’ll have to choose: only crossbowman skins (body and hats) or only sentinels skins (body and hats).
The problem with the crossbowan is that he necessarily has a quiver…

And I tested with the Swiss pikeman skin, it doesn’t match at all with the hospitaler animation skeleton

[Stark22e]

Another test. only sentinel skin, and keeping the original hats of the dignitaries

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<VisualMods version='1'>
	<Models>
		<Model base='units\infantry\hospitaller\hospitaller_01' override='units\infantry_ranged\sentinel\sentinel_age2' />
		<Model base='units\infantry\hospitaller\hospitaller_02' override='units\infantry_ranged\sentinel\sentinel_age3' />
		<Model base='units\infantry\hospitaller\hospitaller_helmet' override='units\infantry_ranged\sentinel\sentinel_age1_helmet' />
	</Models>
</VisualMods>

Normal and veteran hospitaller → veteran sentinel

With the dignitary hat:

With the teutonic helmet (normal sentinel hat):

Guard and Imperial hospitaller → guard sentinel

With the dignitary hat:

With the teutonic helmet (normal sentinel hat):

Maybe I’ll do a tutorial one day. But in the meantime, I suggest you take a look at the simple visual mod I made recently “Ordinance Besteiro Legacy Skin”.

Mods Single - Age of Empires

Download it from the game’s mod center (in game) and open its folder. Make a copy in your mods/local folder and modify the “visualmods” file with the content I’ve posted above. Then you can “publish” it directly from the game (in the local mods tab, in game).

If you want to find other skins, download the “resource manager” tool
(here: [v.0.4] Resource Manager - Viewing, comparing, creating and extracting files from Age of Empires III .BAR archive )
and open the game files (the ArtUnits.bar file). There you’ll find all the names of the game’s models (which end in .gr2, but you mustn’t indicate this file .gr2 ending in the visualmods, just like the "art" in front).

[DaimyoJiro]

Hi, is it possible to replace AI explorers too using this method?

[Stark22e]

I think so. You need to replace the default explorer skins with something else.