Matrix Games Forums

Hi All,

I'm trying to use the Iron Cross mod from the community pack with the counters and unit effects only, without the map (I like the base map more). Is this possible? If so, can anyone tell me how to do it? Thanks!

The best option might be to replace the standard game counters with the Iron Cross ones. I don't get the impression most players are that fond of the original 2-D Nato counters anyway. That way the game will always start up with the old map and new counters.

Move the units_sprites_nato.png and unit_sprites_nato_zoom.png files from the Iron Cross mod major power counter folders to the corresponding standard game Bitmaps folder thus overwriting and replacing the standard Nato game counters. These would be in the Major_01 through Major_10 folders plus the Minors and Neutrals folders.

I'd back the original folders up first just in case something goes awry. Just make copies and name them original Major_01, original Major_02, etc. or something prior to moving the Iron Cross .png files into the standard game folders.

Seems to work so far.

You could also make a mod to turn them ON and OFF by copying those [User folder]\...WaW...\Bitmaps\[country] folders into a new folder under [User folder]\...WaW...\Mods - called whatever you like. Then they can be used as a standard mod without messing with the originals or other mods.

Thank you both! I'm going to play around with it and see if I can get it working on my end too.

Platoonist wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 2:45 am The best option might be to replace the standard game counters with the Iron Cross ones. I don't get the impression most players are that fond of the original 2-D Nato counters anyway. That way the game will always start up with the old map and new counters.

Move the units_sprites_nato.png and unit_sprites_nato_zoom.png files from the Iron Cross mod major power counter folders to the corresponding standard game Bitmaps folder thus overwriting and replacing the standard Nato game counters. These would be in the Major_01 through Major_10 folders plus the Minors and Neutrals folders.

I'd back the original folders up first just in case something goes awry. Just make copies and name them original Major_01, original Major_02, etc. or something prior to moving the Iron Cross .png files into the standard game folders.

Thanks for this Platoonist. I always loved these IronCross counters but didn't like the old style map they were pinned with. I spend decades having to suffer with killer games that had bad and bland graphics...so when I saw the beautiful and functional SC-3 maps like when WiE came out, well it was an instant buy.

OldCrowBalthazor wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 11:04 pm
Thanks for this Platoonist. I always loved these IronCross counters but didn't like the old style map they were pinned with. I spend decades having to suffer with killer games that had bad and bland graphics...so when I saw the beautiful and functional SC-3 maps like when WiE came out, well it was an instant buy.

No problem. In retrospect I'm thinking now it might be simpler just to back up (rename) the units_sprites_nato.png and unit_sprites_nato_zoom.png in each of the base game's Bitmaps/Major Power folders than to back up each of the folders. Then copy and paste the Iron Cross Nato sprites from the Community Mod into each corresponding folder and the sprites can co-exist in there with slightly different names.

But again, that's mostly for anyone who wants the option to keep the standard Nato style counters at hand. If you have SC: World at War you already have a back-up as it uses the same art.

Who knows? Maybe the mod's creator will show up at some point and present us with an Iron Cross mod sans Iron Cross map.

It's funny. I enjoyed the Iron Cross map to begin with. But its muted appearance often made it hard to determine the type of terrain your units were sitting on at a glance. Swamps and forests seemed nigh invisible at times. So, it was back to the standard game map at some point.

Thanks Platoonist, I tried your method and everything worked!

EvilSix wrote: Sat Mar 09, 2024 3:34 pm Thanks Platoonist, I tried your method and everything worked!

You're welcome and one last thing. To get the Iron Cross mod "effects" you can just copy and paste the tile_highlight_sprite.png and tile_highlight_sprite_zoom.png files from the Community Pack/Iron Cross mod/Bitmap folder into the standard games Bitmap folder.
For my game I also brought in the Iron Cross resource sprites too (mines, oilfields, forts, cities, etc.) but that's me.
I'll leave it up to you whether you wanna back up the originals.