Okay, I've been a fan of Sid Meier's since I got Alpha Centauri.
I first tried making mods for any game with Civ3, and haven't tried for any other game. I didn't put my couple of Civ3 mods up here because they were a total mess... mainly just trying out some of the units I found here.

Now that I've been playing Civ4 for a while, and a few mods, I'd like to make my own mod. However, with how complex civ4 is, I can't just dive in.
I've been reading through a few threads on how to do this and that, but can't find what I'm looking for.

A lot of the manuals here look usefull, but I'm not ready to jump even that far in. I'll learn XML and Python when I get there, thanks to the links provided in some of those manuals.

Here is the order I would like learn this: (minus things that I might need to slip in between steps, that I don't know I need yet.)

1) add a few of each of the following: [if possible on basic]
-units
-improvements
-national wonders
-wold wonders
-civilizations
-technology
-terrain
-terrain improvement

2) modify mechanics (such as road speeds, terrain defence values, culture levels, great person generation levels, trade route rules)

3) learn xml

4) learn python

5) learn the SDK

6) make the mod I'm planning

This would likely take me a long time due to time constraints and me being distracted easily (might spend a month on it then forget for a month or two).
Civ5 will probably be out by the time I complete my mod (if Sid Meier can think of a way to make a better Civ that is).

Anyway, I was hoping that someone with experience in modding Civ4 could reorganize my list for me and perhaps provide links to maunals that would help for each level. It would be nice to have step by step for the basic stuff (like adding a unit), and I'll ask questions for stuff where step by step doesn't really work (and I get stuck).

Pretty much, here is the order that I want to do them.
-basics
-XML
-Python
-SDK

If the only thing doable without using XML is making a map/scenario then let me know and I'll start at XML then.
I'd also like to learn to make graphics as well, even though I know any I make will be horrible.

Thank you in advance for any help you supply.

The order in wich you want to learn is good
check first the tutorial section - i think you can begin from adding new civilization - it's one of the easiest tasks.
you may try than units and buidings (also wonders)
if you have more questions you may ask them in Civ4 - Creation & Customization - there's a lot of moder wich would try to help

hello,

sorry to say but your list is not good. you assume that you can learn how to include units, tech etc, without learning xml .. that is not possible , as i had to learn.
Civ 3 had a great editor and i was as confused as you when I realised that civ 4 has no editor like civ 3, but therefore everything in xml, python and the sdk, so basically no gui-editor.

it took me 9 months before i completed my diving to understand how to use all this what was given to me ... and i made a couple of mistakes that i want to share.

I had a similiar list like you and i got overwhelmed so i had to develop a new strategy :

Focus !

The whole secret is to focus on one and only one aspect, feature, age etc of the game. But then you research EVERYTHING about this aspect.

So lets imagine the aspects is one new unit :
1)E.g. You want a German Order Knight in your game.
Now you can start with your lists.

1)Tutorial how to add a unit -> Changes in XML
2) Tutorial how to skin / make units -> Changes in 3dmax etc.
2.1) Skinning
2.2) Animation
2.3) whatever

2) Lets imagine you want to make a map,

1) Tutorial mapmaking
2) Tutorial bmp-converter
3) Manual photoshop
4) Tutorial how to make clean maps
5) etc....

it is much better in this way, because the work is not overwhelming and you get results, but on the way you learn a lot about civ, xml, python , grafix, animation etc.
In your way you want to do everything and this is not working out.

In my case it is forest ..
I started my modding attempt in trying to understand how forests function in Civ ... just step by step ... and i just finished the installment of the sdk, winmerge, tortoise etc. which alone took me 4 weeks :)

Okay, so to do what was my step one, I need XML, okay.
I'll redo my list, this time less generalized and more to the way I was thinking of doing it.

1) adding just adding stuff to the current rules (requires only XML?)
a) learn to add a unit
>practice by adding a few more
b) learn to add an improvement
>practice by adding a few more
c) learn to add natoinal wonders
>practice by adding a few more
d) learn to add world wonders
>practice
e) learn adding tech.
>practice
f) learn adding civilizations
>practice
g) learn adding terrain
>practice
h) learn adding terrain improvement
>practice

i-?) continue with anything else that can be added with XML

2) determine a list of things that can be added/edited with Python and learn each one at a time and practice them.

3) move up the same process to the SDK level.

Now, if I need Python to be able to add units and such, then okay.
If I really must learn to edit XML, Python and the SDK to do any of it, then I'll do that. I've done scripts for RunUO servers, that is a mess to do anything with. I'd expect that Civ4 doesn't call 30 similar functions just to innitiate battle, then another 50 each time a blow is landed.
Oh well, I guess I'll see as I get into it.

learn national wonder = learn world wonder = learn adding building - the .xml files are for this three purposes the same - no matter if you add building or wonder

i think adding new terrain is much more difficult and needs dsome tweaks in python and sdk - never done this - but i think it isn't thing you can easly add.

For units is only xml needed (the problem could be with making models but i assume you know how to make it or have models from civfanatics)

I'll try and make some models for various things myself, but in the end I'll be looking around in here to see what I can find. I've already downloaded a few items from here that I thought looked cool. ^_^