This is a guide on how to create your own mods if you're interested, specifically how to extract and pack .sga files. It doesn't seem to be a well documented process, so hopefully this post will make editing them easy to understand. Hopefully. I'll be using the Elite mod 2.4 .sga files to demonstrate.
Dawn of War II mods: Elite Mod - A must-have for all of those who felt a big let down with Dawn of War 2 Retribution and how it was left for death without fixing many of it´s problems. Re-balances many things and also adds some new units; plus you have the possibility to play as the Grey Knights. Put the 2 sga files under the dow2 base directory under gameassets/mods (.program files steam steamapps common dow ii retribution gameassets/mods) if there is not a mods fold create one and put the 2 folders in it.
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Update:
I put together a little tool that I think makes packing up mods much simpler and intuitive. Everything I've tested it with has worked well, but if you have any issues, let me know here. The .sga extraction process below still applies, so if that's what you're having trouble with, skip ahead.
- DataPacker.rar
- (1.22 KiB) Downloaded 63 times
Instead of a small program with a UI, this tool is just a set of 4 files that you can place in a folder, double-click one of them, and then you're done. This will be a quick explanation on how it should be set up, and how you can modify it to suit your needs.
The first thing to do is download the above DataPacker.rar, AttribPacker.rar, and SoundPacker.rar files and place them in the proper folders. Within your Dawn of War ii Retribution installation folder, go to the GameAssets/Mods folder and create three additional folders within the Mods folder: 'Data', 'DataAttrib', and 'Sound'. The folders must have those names to function properly. Now, unpack the DataPacker files within the Data folder, the AttribPacker files within the DataAttrib folder, and the SoundPacker files within the Sound folder. It should look like this:
The DataPacker is used to create the Data .sga Archive type; the AttribPacker is used to create the Attrib .sga Archive type; and the SoundPacker is used to create the Sound .sga Archive type. So then, all you have to do is place the files you want to pack into one of those three folders. If you're creating a Data Archive, it would look something like this:
DataAttrib would just have a simulation folder:
Sound could have a number of different folders, as well as a .cache file that can be placed alongside the SoundPacker files:
Then you just run the AttribPacker.bat, SoundPacker.bat, or DataPacker.bat, and the .sga file will be output in the GameAssets/Mods/Archives folder. The default file name for a Data archive will be Elite_config.sga, for DataAttrib it will be Elite_attrib_test.sga, and for Sound it will be Elite_sound.sga. These can be changed in the append_bot.bat file, which can be opened in a text editor like Notepad++, by changing the following line (identical location in files for Data and DataAttrib):
Finally, if you want to change the file types added into the .sga file, you'll have to open up the AttribPacker.bat or DataPacker.bat and edit the 5th line in this format:
Simply add another file type in the format: *.filetype before the '>'. You'll also have to change the append_top.txt
file and add a new, identical line with the highlighted part changed to the new file type:
I'm planning on automating this last part soon. edit: I made a version that automates the creation of the append_top.txt, but it takes longer to run because it has to interact with every file path and determine its file type before it starts packing. Probably not going to post it here, but if you're interested in it for some reason, let me know. It can be useful for smaller mods, but mods with a large number of files can take more time.
I think all of the necessary file types should be there by default, but it's always possible I missed something. That should be all there is to know, and if you find any issues, please let me know.
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*This used to be a guide on how to edit the army scheme colors for Elite, but hakon came up with an easier way to do it, wizard that he is.
First, you'll need to download these two applications:
SGA Reader 2: http://www.mediafire.com/download/6l6g3 ... 150209.rar
DK SGA Archive GUI: http://www.mediafire.com/download/y42ic ... .4.1.0.rar
Install them wherever you want. All you have to do to install is extract the files.
Next, check the files in your Dawn of War II - RetributionElite installation folder. Within the Elite folder, you'll find an Archives folder, and within that are the game files packed as .sga files. The file you want to edit is called Elite_config.sga.
Go back to the folder in which you installed the SGA Reader 2 and open the application.
From the top left corner of the application, File > Open, navigate to your EliteArchives folder and open the Elite_config.sga file. You'll see a drop down tree to the left of the application that has Data at the top, with a config folder below it. Within the config folder are two files, defaultchaptercolours.lua and armypaintercolours.lua. On the top of the screen is a dropdown that says 'Default directory action'. Click the dropdown and make sure it is set to Extract.
Then double click both of the files to extract them. It will ask for a destination folder, and you can make it whatever you want. But if you don't change it, it will just extract the files into your EliteArchives folder, which is fine and probably easier. You should now be able to see a Data folder within your Archives folder. Within that are both of the files you just extracted, which you can edit as you like.
When you are finished editing the files you want, you'll need to repack them into a .sga file using the DK SGA Archive GUI you downloaded above.
You may have to do some editing of settings if you do not have Elite installed to your standard C drive, so I'll go through that.
The application should look like this
Set the SGA Archive Name to 'Elite_config', the Archive Type to 'Data', the Input Directory to the 'Data' folder you extracted the files to (so if you extracted them to your C drive in the EliteArchives folder it will be: 'C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonDawn of War II - RetributionEliteArchivesData'), and the Output Directory to your EliteArchives folder.
Next, open the File > Settings window, shown below.
You'll need to set up the Archive.exe location, which is in your Dawn of War II - Retribution folder: Dawn of War II - RetributionToolsBinArchive.exe
And make sure the dropdown on the top says SGA v5 (DoW2). That should be all you need to change. Save the settings and exit out of the Settings window.
Note that in the Settings window, there are a lot of file extensions listed. If you downloaded the files from the link above, all of the extensions you'll need should be included already (edit: You may need to add *.layers to the list if you're trying to pack map files). You can check them, as well as the file path for the Archive.exe, without opening the program, by opening the DK - SGA Archive.ini file in the installation folder.
In the main window, with everything filled in as explained above, click the Create SGA button.
And then you're done! Mod packed and ready to go. If you have any issues or questions, post them here and I'll try to help.
Keep in mind also that any files already present in the Elite mod will not be overwritten if placed in the Mods folder. To make any art files work, pack the files in with the Elite_config.sga. Files from .sga files other than Elite_data.sga will not be compatible with Elite_config.sga. If any files from the Elite_attrib.sga are changed, your game will not be compatible with other default installations.
Dawn of War II: Elite – a competitive multiplayer modification for Dawn of War II: Retribution
Introduction
Moddb Dawn Of War 2
Dawn of War II: Elite is a multiplayer modification (mod) for Dawn of War II: Retribution, which is the de facto Warhammer 40,000 RTS adaptation at this time. “Mod” means that we – the players – have changed, added and removed aspects of the retail game to make it more interesting.
Elite was envisioned by Caeltos (you know who he is if you ever played or followed competitive DoW2) as an experimental balance mod for high-level players to test certain tweaks to gameplay balance. However, as THQ cut the official support of DoW2 in their dive toward bankruptcy, Elite evolved into making bolder changes – up to new abilities and units – and ended up introducing an entire new faction; the Grey Knights, based on Bloodravage’s Destroyer 40k mod but designed from a competitive PvP angle.
What did we change?
- Incremental Elite changelog
Getting involved
Dow 2 Retribution Wargear Mod
What can you do with this stuff?
- Play. Get Retribution, download our mod and start blasting things.
- Watch. Watch shoutcasted Elite matches on live streaming services or 1080p HD casts on YouTube.
- Discuss. Talk about Elite on our forum or the Steam group chat room.
- Develop. Got skills in game design, map design, modeling, textures or whatnot? If you think you can help, feel free to contact us.