How to reposition selected units at start up...

I haven't used the C3C editor in about 5 years, so I've forgotten some simple things. I know I did a lot of start-up repositioning, but HOW? I can't get that option to reveal itself. Also, I'm sure I deleted units from a city, but now I can't make that happen, either...so, HOW?

Also, I tried to follow the How To Add Units instructions dated about 10 or 11 years ago, but I couldn't do it with Windows 7. So, how do I do that? My pathway is:

C>Program Files(x86)>Steam>steamapps>common>Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete>Conquests>Scenarios>MyMod

Even though I do not have C3C in my Steam library, when I re-installed it from the cd, it appeared in the Steam program file.

Old Jarhead... Open your Game Biq, Click the small Shield Icon located on the top bar, Select the Active player you want to add a unit for (place a Dot by the Player). Then Under the word "Help", click the Icon to add a Unit. Mouse over the Icons and each will say what they are.

To add a Unit to the Map or a city, after you select the Active Player, simply click the Icon to add a Unit then select the Unit you want to add somewhere. Left Click on the Map or City to add the Unit you selected.

After you add a Unit to the map you can Right click that Unit and you will see a pop up. Click Properties and select the Unit. There you can rename the Unit and select the experience you want for it such as Elite.

After you add a Unit to a City, Right click the City and choose Properties, click Units then use the arrow to find the unit you added if you want to name it and or set its experience level.

I am sure you will see the other things you can add to cities or the Map as well as how to do it.
Simply Select the Active Player you want to give a Unit to first.

You need to tell Vista the install path you want because it will use a Default path otherwise.

This is a Link to a video that will help you install CIV III on Vista:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC7ALkeoZmE

Thanks, Vuldacon, but what I meant by adding units was the modded units. For example, Imperial Marines, Sherman tanks, P-51 Mustangs, etc.

Well, I rediscovered how to delete units in a city; however, I still haven't figured out how to reposition units at the start-up. I'm sure I did that before I went off to Civ4 and Civ5. BTW, when I open my scenario biq, I see nothing but a massive amount of what looks like gibberish to me.

As to the USSR being in a WIP game, I would like it because I'd like to do a "what if" as the Japanese in which I would declare war on the Soviet Union before declaring war on the U.S. or Britain.

I'm not sure quite what you meant by "repositioning" units at start-up. Do you mean moving units from one tile to another within the editor?

As for adding units, I think I learned via Colonel Kraken's how-to, which may be the same one you used. You do need to make sure the folder name for the unit lines up with the unit's name, as well as that a proper Civilopedia entry exists. I'm not sure exactly where the issue is for you, but I know that part can be a bit tricky. And if it's just getting to where to add them in the first place, this is the relevant part from the how-to:

Colonel Kraken said:

Ok, let's get started for real. Open up the C3C editor and select "Custom Rules" under "Scenario". It'll give you a warning; say, "Yeah, yeah, ok". Click the "Edit" button (not the file menu option edit). Click the Units tab. Click the "Add" button. It'll ask for the new unit name. We'll use "Musket Infantry" for this example.

Click to expand...

It might also be worth noting that I highly recommend not installing Civ3 under C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) if you are running Vista, 7, or 8. Something called the "virtual store" can interfere with the game seeing modified files stored under C:\Program Files [(x86)] on those operating systems, so sometimes you'll put a file there, and then the game won't see it (because of the "virtual" part of "virtual store" - Windows says the file is saved there, but it really isn't). This is designed to make it harder for nefarious programs to interfere with your installed programs, but also can wreck havoc when modding. The only real workarounds are either disabling UAC, or installing somewhere else, such as C:\Civilization III. It's possible that this is interfering with the MyMod files, and you may have better luck re-installing but specifying a non-Program Files location. This used to drive me crazy back when I had Vista in 2007.

Old Jarhead... as Quintillus mentioned, I believe you need to start over and manually install CIV III to bypass problems you are having concerning Vista.

You will then have an easier time with your MOD and be more able to work on it as you want.

As for adding Units or Repositioning Units, I suspect you are mainly having problems do to your installation of CIV III.

This is why you are not seeing what you should concerning the Biq and having difficulties.

Thanks for the responses. I suppose I should have specified exactly what I wanted to do with the editor.

It is now obvious to me from what I see here on this forum that I'm not the only one who thinks the stock version of C3C WW II in the Pacific sucks.

So, since I can live with the map, I decided to import the scenario into the editor and edit the units. I wanted to delete some units, such as the Japanese SNLF using what looks like a U.S. Marine icon with what I saw here, which was pretty amazing. Then I would give it airdrop capability along with the amphibious (because most Japanese SNLF marines were paratroopers, too). I want more unit options, too, like Japanese bombers (NOT B-17's), U.S. fighters (Hellcats and Mustangs), and authentic looking civ-specific tanks with appropriate sound effects. In the modded unit inventory, I saw all of what I wanted. I presume the tanks I saw there don't sound like cheap washing machines about to break down (armored soundfx should give some sense of the fact that a tank is felt as much as heard--in fact, you feel them before you hear them). I forgot to look for a better artillery unit, but what really galls me about the C3C unit is that its movement sounds like a little tin toy (as an 0802, I find that insulting).

Along with units that are not included, such as capital ships, many of those on the map at the start up are in the wrong place. So I wanted to re-position them to where they actually were. I also wanted to try different Japanese strategies that would require the Kido Butai to be at different locations at the start up. So, rather than re-create the entire order of battle, I wanted to take the scenario as it is and edit it and re-locate some of it. I thought I remembered doing this very thing about six years ago, but that was three computers ago, and was not saved on a cd. Now, when I get to the scenario file, which is not a folder (because of Windows 7 or Steam?), I can't do anything and I can't read what is there (it's in computer language).

I tried replacing the Japanese SNLF marines with paratroopers with amphibious capabilities, but the AI used them as infantry.

Before I try anything else, I'd like to know if this changes or confirms what y'all have already offered.

Old Jarhead, since all you want to do is modify the War in the Pacific conquest -- and I make it sound like it's not much -- there are only a few tasks you need do.

1) Place units on the map using CivEdit. These pre-placed units can be individually renamed, so no problem there. These "named units" don't have any additional abilities; they're stock destroyers, cruisers, and carriers. Then the other groups of units in the wrong places are merely deleted. That should do it for your "repositioning."

2) Using CivEdit, control-click the additional abilities or aspects you want the basic units to have, such as Amphibious or Treat All Terrain As Roads or what-have-you. It'd be a good idea to update the Civilopedia.txt file to keep track of the changes you made.

3) If you want a unit to look different, modify the PediaIcons.txt file to look for the different graphics. Add the new graphics to the appropriate places in the Art folder of the WWII in the Pacific scenario folder, or else, under Scenario Properties in CivEdit, tell the game to look elsewhere for the graphic file(s).

4) Create new units that you think are unique or set apart from the run-of-the-mill soldier, aircraft, or naval vessel. This will be the trickiest part of your project, in all likelihood, because you have to come up with numeric values, assign tech advance requirements, assign required resources, make sure the correct A.I. strategies are clicked, link it to a Civilopedia entry, and place it within an upgrade path if it replaces an existing unit for a particular civ/nation/faction.

An additional suggestion: perhaps you can scavenge wav files from older computer wargames to make the sounds you want. Certainly you have a copy of Tank Commander or Close Combat or whatever laying around from the old days or installed on an old computer somewhere, or you can Google search for wav files using the name of the machine or vehicle as a search term.

As for the AI using the SNLF incorrectly, I suspect you have the wrong AI strategy clicked for it. Keep in mind that the AI randomly chooses one strategy or the other if more than one strategy is clicked, and uses that strategy for that unit from that point on. This is why people have reported, for example, spearmen attacking instead of defending. Compare the strategy you have clicked for the SNLF with the strategy the game uses for paratroopers and marines. Also, make sure the Japanese cannot make regular paratroopers and regular marines, as that may be confusing the issue.

One hokey solution is to create SNLF versions of marines and paratroops, but I recognize you want a unit that can do both, and have the computer use them that way, too.

Old Jarhead... Before going on and trying to adjust your game, un-install then re-install Civ III using the Link I posted to help you avoid How Vista Places the game.

That is the Most important 1st step... then you can go on with the How To's to gain what you want.

With my Windows 7 computer (this one), I could not play Civ 4. I presumed that meant that I could not play Civ 3, either. I think I am only able to play Civ 3 because I got it at Steam. If I try to un-install Civ 3 Complete (which is what I have), will I lose it at Steam and be unable to play it?

When I tried to play Civ 4 on this computer, it crashed my computer.

As crappy as some of the C3C units are, I'm surprised that it is still so difficult to get better ones into the scenarios. The medium tank unit, for example, cries out for replacement. And, really, the Japanese flying B-17's...

Am I the only one here on Steam?

Also, the only AI strategies available in the Editor are Offense, Defense, and Explore (as a land unit--as a sea unit, nothing is available). Beside landing my paramarines as regular infantry, the AI also air dropped some of them just off Wake Island into the ocean, where they apparently drowned (they disappeared).

Old Jarhead... What screen Resolution do you use? Are you using Vista 32 or 64?

Try this:
1) Try to run it in win xp compatibility mode. Get to Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization iii complete\Conquests and set the parameters in Conquests.exe properties
2) Set resolution stability via Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization iii complete\Conquests\conquests.ini by adding these lines:
KeepRes=1
Playintro=0

When you try to run Civ III through Steam, do you see it in your Task Manager? ctrl+alt+esc

IF so, some individuals have success by:
in the Task Manager, switch to the "processes" tab and selecting civ3conquest.exe then End Process for the Game then go back to Steam and start the game again. Some users have said this can require a couple of seconds or up to a minute for the game to start after ending the process in the task manager and restarting at Steam.

Edit: You stated that you purchased Civ III through Steam. IF you later purchased the CD, you can Uninstall from Steam then Reinstall the game using the Link I posted on Post#2 and not have to go through Steam.

Vuldacon, as far as I can determine, my 2009 version of Windows 7 is not any version of Vista. This computer has a 64-bit OS. When I run Civ3 Conquests from Steam I see both Civ III Complete and Steam in the Task Manager. When I run Conquests from my desktop shortcut, I only see Civ III Complete in the Task Manager. I installed C3 Conquests from the cd about three days ago--it is a cd I've had for about 10 years.

My usual screen resolution is 1920 x 1080, and I have added both the KeepRes and PlayIntro notations in the .ini file.

When I use the editor, I keep the resolution at 1920x1080 so I can see the whole editor box. When I play the game, I have decided to go to 1280x720 so I won't strain my eyes seeing individual units. So, I'll take out the KeepRes line.

I'll try your suggestions and let you know what happens.

I have played a lot of Civ5 since it came out in 2010. I like the graphics, but I have played Conquests more than any other game. And, just as I did after Civ4, I'm back again. Frankly, I'm somewhat disappointed because I expected some modder to have taken the Conquest scenarios and made them respectable, especially the WW II scenario. By "respectable" I mean getting the unit art and unit placement right. When I looked at the modded unit inventory, I saw just about everything I would want to make the WW II scenario something worthy of pride for the designer...but, alas, WW II in the Pacific was apparently put together as an afterthought.

I'm off to un-install and see if I can get to xp compatibility.

And, thanks for the suggestions.

Old Jarhead... Ah, OK, I was under the impression you were using Vista.
Never the less, Give it all a try and see if it will correct things as you want.

Edit: If you are reinstalling...The same installation can be used for Windows 7, 64 bit as the Link shows on Post #2.

When I uninstalled, I saw nothing removed. Even my modded WW2 save was still there. Re-installing changed nothing, either.

I went to Microsoft to get the xp compatibility mode download, but it didn't give me a validation code. The dialog box was supposed to have an "Open" button, but it didn't. it only had "Save" and "Cancel"...so, I saved, then went to Downloads, which is where the pathway said it was going, but it isn't there. I also went to Documents, but it isn't there, either.

I first got Civ 3, PtW, and Conquests (Civilization III Complete) on this computer through Steam. I have to think that has something to do with this. The xp compatibility download problem seems to be pervasive, however; at least according to the headlines on my Google search for the download.

The only unit I would like in WWII that I didn't see up in the inventory is the Japanese "Liz" bomber. All the others on my wish list are there. If all y'all are using these units with Windows 7 and 8, there has to be a way for me to do it, too.

Another thing, I watched the video up above, but I don't get the opportunity to direct a pathway--even when I use the cd. And the start up selection screen I see is the Civ 3 Complete screen, not the Conquests screen. That makes me think Steam is at the bottom of my problem.

Ah, one thing that should be fixable: when I made my Japanese SNLF paramarines, they work just fine when I use them as the Japanese player, except that the soundfx for their attack is lost. How do I recover that?

I'm not going to give up on this until I see real tanks on the ground, and Hellcats intercepting Betties.

Old Jarhead... Did you Uninstall from Steam?
I use Steam but Not for CIV III. If you have a CD, you can install it without Steam.

Make a separate Game Folder in your C Drive and install Civ III there to avoid Windows 7 Problems with Games.

Not sure what you can see or do concerning Civ III at this point.

As for the Japanese SNLF paramarines Attack sound, can you check the Unit folder and.ini file? Does the Attack sound exist in the Unit Folder? If so, make sure it is listed in the .ini file for the Attack.

Using the Imperial Marines as a test unit, I set up a MyMod folder like Kraken suggested. Put the Imperial Marines in it. Did the Editor entries, did the PediaIcon entries, did the Civilopedia entries, and saved it like Kraken said, but nothing was visible. That is, no icon of the Japanese Marine. When I went back to the Editor, the Imperial Marine unit I had added wasn't there.

Now when I try to play Conquests, I get a message that "Civilization III Conquests has stopped working". I also got messages that "Bink32.dll is not on this computer" and another one advising me that "Soundhearder.dll does not match". Then when I tried to play it at Steam, the message was "Missing an executable".

When I checked the paratrooper files the Attack sound file WAS there.

When I try to open a scenario file in Conquests, I get a message that "Windows can't open this file" and asks if I want to search the web for one that will. I did that, got a Microsoft download called ErrorEND which was the most recommended, but it didn't make any difference.

The tutorial video on YouTube looked like what happens if I install Civ III, but when I try to install Conquests to the same folder, I never get the option to direct the pathway.

When I went to get the xp mode fix, I got into a loop that never resulted in the download showing up anywhere on my computer.

So, I think I'm down to two options: 1) bribe the IT guys at work to come do it; 2) wait till a modder decides he can't stand it anymore and does what the designers should have done before they released the game. Really, I thought #2 would have been done by now, but it seems that the modder community forgot about the Conquest package scenarios and got fixated on humongous projects.

Right now the most important thing is to get the game to play again.

And a big Texas thank y'all for your efforts to help above and beyond the call of duty.

Option #1 seems to be the way to go because there are issues going on with your computer that are causing you problems.

If that Fails, there is Option #3... get a different Operating System

I still have my old XP computer in a closet. I could try to set up with it again. My Win 7 Home Premium is compatible with what we have at work, so I need to keep that.

Our IT crew are all real-time FPS guys who think Civ games, and especially Civ3, is ancient history. But, then again, they do know Windows 7 inside and out; so I guess it's worth asking.

Old Jarhead said:

I went to Microsoft to get the xp compatibility mode download, but it didn't give me a validation code. The dialog box was supposed to have an "Open" button, but it didn't. it only had "Save" and "Cancel"...so, I saved, then went to Downloads, which is where the pathway said it was going, but it isn't there. I also went to Documents, but it isn't there, either.

Click to expand...

Were you download Windows XP Mode? This paragraph seemed a little unusual to me, as it shouldn't be necessary to download anything to set XP Compatibility. Windows XP Mode is another option that some programs need (if they really only work in XP), but Civ3 should run in Windows 7, albeit not always as smoothly. As I remember, XP Mode also only runs on Windows 7 Professional, which might be why you didn't get a validation code (if you are running Home).

Vuldacon's post #11 is probably the right way to set regular XP compatibility mode in Steam, although I'm not very familiar with setting compatibility in Steam.

For non-Steam, the way I usually go about it is right-clicking on the program (or a shortcut to it), and choosing Properties. Then, I go to the Compatibility tab, where you can set the compatibility mode:



Either XP or 98/ME might help, as Civ3 supports both well.

I'm still curious if the Civ3 and/or Steam Civ3 installs are somewhere within Program Files. Even with that, the errors such as Bink32.dll not being available are rather strange. There should be a copy of that file both within the main Civ3 install folder, and within the Conquests folder inside of the main Civ3 install folder, so that it isn't being found is odd.

It's also worth noting that in general, compatibility issues with Vista also apply to Windows 7 and Windows 8. Windows 7 is essentially an improved version of Vista, and the causes of most of the compatibility issues that older programs had with Vista are still present in 7 as well. The official version number of Vista is 6.0, whereas Windows 7 is version 6.1 - it's an improved version of Windows Vista, but not drastically different at the core, just like XP is an improved version of 2000, and 98 is an improved version of 95. So, particularly for Civ3, it's not unusual to see compatibility posts refer to Vista with the meaning implicitly being "Vista or later" (although I have seen some posts about Windows 8-specific issues).

It is normal to see the Civ3 Complete screen when starting from Steam, however.

I think it might be helpful if you could take a screenshot of your CivIII install folder and post it. That would both highlight any missing files, and clarify the install folder situation. Mine looks like this (note there are a couple files there that I've added, so you likely won't have everything I do):



One of the key factors in the above (if I were running Vista/7/8 instead of XP) being the install being to D:\, and not C:\Program Files. In my case, I just have it there since I have more space on D:\ and it's shorter to type, but if I have Vista/7, it would be much more important.