A Mod for Consistency across all titles
Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2026 5:18 pm
I've put together a mod for my own personal use that borrows a fair number of icons and ideas from the Iron Cross and Blue Max mods that are part of community packs. I really like the pale "map" look that is included with those. Also, I feel like the game relies too heavily on just shading hexes with various colors and not making it obvious as to why. The tile highlight sprites in those mods do a good job of correcting a lot of this, but I still found them lacking when it comes to Command and Control for the HQs. I've added a chain (in addition to the existing cross hatching) to better show when the chain of Command is being stretched to their limits.
Based on my understanding of when the crosshatching appears over units when HQs are set to Manual or Auto-Assist, I've come up with the following to better indicate what's going on.
Core Visual Icons
• Radio Antenna: Indicates active communication with the selected HQ. If the unit is within range, it has a signal.
• Colored Chain Link: Appears above the antenna when the Chain of Command is under strain due to distance or terrain.
• Asymmetry: Because of hex-math, a unit can sometimes show a "Strained chain of command" when you select it (looking back at the HQ), even if the HQ shows a "Solid" link when looking at that unit.
Anyway, I've given my Strategic Command games a consistent look and feel across all five games. Anyone interested if I make it available as a download? I'd just maybe make a single zip file with mod folders for each title. Like I said, I used a lot of the ideas and a fair bit of the artwork from the Iron Cross and Blue Max mods, so I can't take much credit for any of this.
Here's a screenshot for the C&C icons I was talking about. You can see the "chains" on the western most and southern most highlight units.
Based on my understanding of when the crosshatching appears over units when HQs are set to Manual or Auto-Assist, I've come up with the following to better indicate what's going on.
Core Visual Icons
• Radio Antenna: Indicates active communication with the selected HQ. If the unit is within range, it has a signal.
• Colored Chain Link: Appears above the antenna when the Chain of Command is under strain due to distance or terrain.
• Asymmetry: Because of hex-math, a unit can sometimes show a "Strained chain of command" when you select it (looking back at the HQ), even if the HQ shows a "Solid" link when looking at that unit.
Anyway, I've given my Strategic Command games a consistent look and feel across all five games. Anyone interested if I make it available as a download? I'd just maybe make a single zip file with mod folders for each title. Like I said, I used a lot of the ideas and a fair bit of the artwork from the Iron Cross and Blue Max mods, so I can't take much credit for any of this.
Here's a screenshot for the C&C icons I was talking about. You can see the "chains" on the western most and southern most highlight units.
- Screenshot 2026-03-23 181425.png (1.36 MiB) Viewed 176 times
