**********  Unit Making Guide v1.0  **********
by Fish - Special thanx to Moritz Mertinkat
Web Site:	The Nuke Silo - http://members.xoom.com/NukeSilo/
Email:		fish3669@hotmail.com OR mpi@nauticom.net


Contents:
---------
[1.0]	Introduction
[1.1]	Programs Needed
[1.2]	Basics
[1.3]	How to Make Units
[1.4]	How to Replace Units
[1.5]	Advanced	
[1.6]	Filenames
[1.7]	Ending and Credits



[1.0]	Introduction
--------------------
	The simplest editing is to change the rules.ini file.  With that, you can change a units weapons, strength, ammo, and whole lot more characteristics of a unit.  But what if you want to create a new unit?  Well that takes alot more work than just editing a simple rules.ini file, that takes alot of more work and hard thinking.  As you go through this guide, you will learn the basics of mix file editing, learn how to make units, how to replace units, and then go onto more advanced things like making icons for your units and then getting them to work.


[1.1]	Programs Needed
-----------------------
	This are programs you should get before going on to the next section.  

1) RA-MIXer (versions above 5.0 are recommended 'found on Utilities page on The Nuke Silo')
2) Paint Shop Pro (I recommend version 5.0 'Contact me if you want PSP Full - no expire')
3) Red Alchemist (I recommend this, but you can use another rules.ini editor or Notepad)
4) Red Alert (you definitly need this to even start)


[1.2]	Basics
--------------
	Well, here the basics of mix file making and editing.  First, Red Alert has a newer formatted mix file, know as RMIX files, and these can be READ only.  They can not me edited, which means a file in them cannot be: replaced, deleted, or modified.  So what can you do then?  Well you can make a C&C mix file.  Red Alert will still read those.  So in RA-MIXer, hit C which will create a new C&C mix file.  Type in the file name for your new mix file.  Note that it has to have this format: sc******.mix where the astrisks can be replaced with any letter or number.  So now you have a new mix file, which will be used to replace units.  Yes, you read correctly, replace.  For certain reasons, the way Red Alert was programmed, you can not add new units.  You can only replace units.  So now, you have learned the Basics.  Now we move on to How to Make Units.


[1.3]	How to Make Units
-------------------------
	First, open RA-MIXer.  Open the file the file that came with this, sc-examp.mix .  As you can see inside of it, there are a couple units and their icons.  Open the Medium TTank shp file (2tnk.shp).  Push the left arrow key.  Notice how it shows each angle of the unit as a new picture?  Well that is how Red Alert units are.  There is a picture of each angle of the unit.  But where is the turrent on top of the tank?  Keep on scrolling.....There it is.  But why is it seperated from the main body of the tank?  Well the base of the unit is its own animation and the turrent is another.  So remember that when you make a unit with a moving turrent.  So now you know how a unit is stored as.  
        
	Well to make a unit, you first decide on which unit you wish to replace.  Try to keep the unit, that will replace it, the same size (pixels) and the same amount of frames.  Now here is were you use PSP.  Open it and make your new unit.  Simple isn't it?  Now you understand why there are few actual new units.  One method to shortcut work, is to go into RA-MIXer and extract the unit you want to replace.  Then use the shp2pcx.exe program to convert the shp file to many pcx files.  You can drag the shp file over shp2pcx.exe in Windows Explorer and it will do all the DOS command line stuff for you (most converting formats requires DOS prompt knowledge).  Okay so now you have probaly 64 pcx pictures.  Edit everyone of them to be your new unit or changed them from the orginal unit to be a modified version of that unit.  It your choice and you new unit - so do whatever you wish with it.  So make your unit.  Okay, after days to weeks of work, you should be done (I hope).  Okay now we need to get it back to the shp file, but first you must have certain things just right for the unit in Red Alert to be replaced with yours.  So we move on to How to Replace Units.


[1.4]	How to Replace Units
----------------------------
	Well by now, you have your unit done (I hope).  Well you have about 64 pcx pictures (more or less is possible, but I am using 64 as an example).  So now what?  First, they must have the same first 4 letters/numbers as the unit you plan to replace (see below to see unit's filenames).  Well here is where you MUST use DOS to get your unit to be in Red Alert.  Go to the DOS prompt (Start....Run....type command.com....click OK).  Then go to your Red Alert directory (the CD command is used to switch directories....so type for example 'cd c:\westwood\redalert').  So if you installed RA-MIXer to your Red Alert directory, which I strongly recommend not unless you really like DOS alot.  So your 64 pcx pictures are there.  Well now we need to get them to that shp form.  We will use the mpcx2shp.exe program to convert all those pcx pictures to a single shp file.  
	
	Here is an example of how to use mpcx2shp.exe:

mpcx2shp.exe 		-n:64 		2tnk.pcx 	2tnk.shp
  			/\ # of frames	/\ filename of 	/\ shp filename
					your new unit


	If you noticed, the 64 pcx pictures have the filename like 2tnk0000.pcx and so on.  Well then why did I say, 2tnk.pcx for the filename then?  Well the program automatically puts the 0000 to 0063 in the filename for me.  You must specify the number of frames or number of pictures your unit has.  Well now we have a shp file that would replace the Medium Tank.  But it wouldn't replace the Medium Tank just yet....you have to put it in the mix file first.  So open RA-MIXer, and open your mix file and then Add your new shp file to that mix file.  Then place that mix file in your Red Alert directory if it already in there.  The new unit should now work in Red Alert over the Medium Tank.  But the icon is still the same as before.  How do we change that?  Now we move on to Advanced section.


[1.5]	Advanced
----------------
	Well now our new unit is in Red Alert and works.  But it has the same old Medium Tank icon.  So what do we do?  We make a new icon for our new unit.  So open PSP, and make a new 64x64 pcx picture and make your new unit's icon.  After finishing it, save the file name as like before.... it will have the same filename as the unit replaces, but instead of being like 2tnk0000.pcx, name it 2thnkicon.pcx .  Then use the mpcx2shp.exe program to convert it to a shp file.  The finished shp file should have the name like 2tnkicon.shp .  Then place that in your mix file with your new unit and place into the Red Alert directory if it is not already there.  So now your new unit is done and with a completely icon for it.  But what weapon, armor, sight, etc will it have?

	Well now its time for the simple rules.ini file editing.  Now change the unit, you replaced, unit specifications.  Then place your rules.ini file into your Red Alert directory if it is not already there.  You are FINALLY done.  You have a new unit that has it's own icon and has the specifications you wanted it to have.  So now zip up you rules.ini files, your new mix file, and a txt file describing your new unit and send it to me so I can put it on The Nuke Silo (please send it to mpi@nauticom.net because Hotmail will corrupt your file).

[1.6]	Filenames
-----------------

	Very special thanks to Moritz Mertinkat, for this is were I got these filename list from.  This list and others are contained in the filename.txt file that comes with RA-MIXer.

Vehicles:

#'s  Abbrev.   Name                        Has Icon
---------------------------------------------------
  0    4TNK    Mammoth Tank                   Yes
  1    3TNK    Heavy Tank                     Yes
  2    2TNK    Medium Tank                    Yes
  3    1TNK    Light Tank                     Yes
  4    APC     Armoured Personnel Carrier     Yes
  5    MNLY    Mine Layer                     Yes
  6    JEEP    Ranger                         Yes
  7    HARV    Ore Truck                      Yes
  8    ARTY    Artillery                      Yes
  9    MRJ     Mobile Radar Jammer            Yes
 10    MGG     Mobile Gap Generator           Yes
 11    MCV     Mobile Construction Vehicle    Yes
 12    2VRL    V2 Rocket Launcher             Yes
 13    TRUK    Convoy Truck                   ***

Counterstrike only:
 14    ANT1    First ant type                 No
 15    ANT2    Second ant type                No
 16    ANT3    Third ant type                 No

***	 The convoy truck does have an icon, but it looks nothing like the unit does in the game. It looks like the ranger's icon, except the rear part of the ranger is exploding.  This is only in the DOS version of Red Alert.  The Window 95 version of Red Alert has a correct icon (the unit
on the icon actually looks like the convoy truck).

	

Naval Units:

   SS     Submarine                  Yes
   DD     Destroyer                  Yes
   CA     Cruiser                    Yes
   LST    Land-Sea Tank (transport)  Yes
   PT     Gun Boat                   Yes



Infantry:

 #'s  Abbrev.       Name              Has Icon
 ---------------------------------------------
  0    E1          Rifle Infantry       Yes
  1    E2          Grenadier            Yes
  2    E3          Rocket Soldier       Yes
  3    E4          Flamethrower         Yes
  4    E6          Engineer             Yes
  5    E7          Tanya                Yes
  6    SPY         Spy                  Yes
  7    THF         Thief                Yes
  8    MEDI        Field Medic          Yes
  9    GNRL        General              No
 10    DOG         Attack Dog           Yes
 11    C1          Joe                  No
 12    C2          Barry                No
 13    C3          Shelly               No
 14    C4          Maria                No
 15    C5          Karen                No
 16    C6          Steve                No
 17    C7          Phil                 No
 18    C8          Dwight               No
 19    C9          Erik                 No
 20    C10         Scientist            No
 21    EINSTEIN    Prof. Einstein       No
 22    DELPHI      Special 1            No
 23    CHAN        Special 2            No




[1.7]	Ending and Credits


	Well thats all, hope I was of some help to your mission to make a new unit.  Good luck.  Oh yah, please send your new units to mpi@nauticom.net so I can put it on The Nuke Silo.  Then your new unit will be on the internet for others to enjoy.

	Special thanks to Moritz Mertinkat for his great work into the Command & Conquer world.  He has made RA-MIXer and most of the Red Alert tools.  I have tooking some of the information, from his filename.txt file that comes with RA-MIXer, and alter it for this guide. 



Fish 	fish3669@hotmail.com for question and small files (-50KB)
	mpi@nauticom.net for BIG files (+50KB up to 2.0 MB)
	http://members.xoom.com/NukeSilo/

This was made on the 24th of July, and updated on the 2nd of August.

