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[Alex840]

This is a step-by-step guide on how to create custom countries and squadrons in IL-2/BAT. Remember to backup BAT folders (#DOF2, #WAW2, etc.), in special the STD folder, before doing this.

In this tutorial, I created a custom country called Pernambuco, with 1 squadron.

1. Download the SFS Extractor V3.1 by PAL. This is available at https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,16581.0.html

2. In the SFS Extractor, open the file sasup_decals_02.sfs. Extract the file regiments.ini to a temporary folder.

3. Open the extracted regiments.ini. In this file are the squadrons entries in Il-2, and controls in which side a squadron is. Note that the file has 4 sections: branch, NoNe, Red and Blue. Red squadrons should be put in the red section, while blue squadrons should be in the blue section. You should create custom unique squadron codes and put inside their respective side section (red or blue). To ensure that squadron code is unique, i recommend use Notepad++ (https://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v7.3.3.html) to edit this file and use the tool Find -> Count, making sure that the code appears only 1 time in the file. To create Pernambuco, I used the code pb01 to Generic Pernambuco and pb_1grp to the 1st Pernambucan Group. I added this code below et01_1, in the blue section:

Code: [Select]

pb01

pb_1grp
Save your regiments.ini and copy your custom squadron codes to a notepad blank file. You will need these in the next some steps.

4. Create a folder in the BAT module you want your custom countries (eg.: to appear in WAW, create the folder inside #WAW2 folder). Name it MyNewNations or whatever you like. Then create a subfolder called PaintSchemes and put your edited regiments.ini inside. Inside the PaintSchemes folder, create two subfolders named Blue and Red.

5. Go to the module's STD folder (IMPORTANT: Make sure you backed up this before!!!). Go to the i18n folder and open a file named country.properties. In the end of country.properties, put a unique 2-letter code for your custom country (for my Pernambuco, i have chosen pb) and after some space the name of your country. Something like this:

Code: [Select]

pb Pernambuco
This is the name that appears in the game. After add all custom countries and ensure you have a backup, save this file.

6. Go back to i18n folder and open two files (Backups first!) called regInfo.properties and regShort.properties. In the regInfo.properties, go to the end of file and add your custom squadron ids (those in the regiments.ini, if you wrote them in a blank notepad it will helps now) and after a few spaces add the names of your country squadrons, something like this:

Code: [Select]

pb01      Pernambuco <none>

pb_1grp      1º Grupo FAEPE
Copy these, go to the regShort.ini and paste them in the end of file. These will be the names that appear in the game. After editing and make sure you have backups, save the files and go to the next step.
7. Back to the MyNewNations (or whatever) -> PaintSchemes folder. Go to the Blue/Red folder (depending of the side of your squadrons). Inside, create a plain text file and name it with your squadron code (the one in regiments.ini, for Generic Pernambuco for example it is pb01). Open it and put a code like this:

Code: [Select]

country      = PB
id           = 01
gruppeNumber = 1
speech       = US
short        = <none>
info         = Pernambuco - <none>
where in country, you will put the two letter code of your country, in speech you will refer to a folder in the samples -> speech folder of your main il-2 installation and in info you will put any description you want (I merely copied the squadron name in RegInfo.properties).

Save it. In your Windows, make sure to change your folder options in Windows Explorer not to hide file extensions (dismark the box "Hide extensions for known file types", in the Folder Options - View in Win7. Check for this: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/865219/how-to-show-or-hide-file-name-extensions-in-windows-explorer). When you see your file extension in Blue/Red folder (.txt), rename the file and clear the extension (the file pb01.txt should turn into only pb01).

Make similar files for any other created squadrons. Remember always: Red squadrons in the red folder, Blue squadrons in the blue folder.

8. Create a squadron badge file for your squadrons. This must be 128x128 pixels, RGB-Alpha, uncompressed tga format, and save it named with your squadron code in regiments.ini (eg. pb01.tga) in the Blue/Red folder, Red squadrons in the red folder, Blue squadrons in the blue folder. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP, or your squadron will not load in missions. If you don't want to make squadron badges, make a blank transparent (alpha) .tga file and save it with the name of your squadron code, but always have a texture file for each squadron you create. I recommend use GIMP (https://www.gimp.org/) for this task, it's free.

9. Go to your main Il-2 missions folder and create your country missions folder with the two letter code you defined in countries.properties. Copy the files background.tga and background.mat of any other country folder to your country. If can make your custom background textures for your country editing the backgrount.tga in your country folder.

If you want to make campaigns to your country, you need to have ranks and awards in the Campaign -> your country folder. Copy the awards.properties, rank.properties and all the awards tgas and mats of a existing country to your country folder. If you want to customize this files, only open and edit them.

With this mod editing, you can have your contry operational in Il-2. The only drawback is that it not cover the markings system of Il-2, so your country will not have markings and number decals placed in the aircraft. This have something to do with hardcore java classes programming, and is beyond my knowledge. But you can make skins for planes with your country markings and decals to round this problem.

Save your edited files in a separate folder, so you keep your work, or your squadrons may vanish at every BAT update. When a update comes, backup the update files and patientiously add your code lines to the files overwritten. Don't simple overwrite Monty updates with your files, or you will miss the updates and risk mess up everything.

Remember, you are editing BAT files at your discretion. So, don't disturb Monty and BAT/SAS team with bug/errors if you mess something up. Backups are there for this.

I hope this helps.

[SAS~Skylla]

Thank you very much for this great guide, Alex840!

Imo this deserves to be a sticky topic .. therefore it is now