Modding Quirks & Tips List

[Pipian]

As we mod, I'm sure we'll find little quirks in the XML and Python engines that we they don't really like. I've decided to start a thread for listing these quirks.

QUIRKS:

General XML:

- Be careful with comments (Tags consisting of <!-- {text} -->). Some files (especially the Audio files, at least) don't like comments between elements of sets. (I found this out as Civ 4 failed to start after inserting Audio files into the base asset files)

TIPS:

General:

- Set LoggingEnabled and MessageLogs to 1 in _Civ4Config. Then helpful logs to debug your problems will appear in the _Civ4Logs directory that might help with debugging your problems, and finding other little quirks.

General XML:

- If you've had experience with XML schemas, you can help make sure you aren't breaking Civ 4 by referring to the *schema.xml files.

[Rayanth]

TIPS:
As suggested by Trip, Always work in small steps, save often, and BACK UP YOUR ORIGINALS. After every small change, test it thoroughly. It can often help to save in intervals, sort of like how auto-save rotates 5 files. This gives you a multi-stage undo in case you didn't notice an error a few changes ago, until another change makes it stand out.

Also, to keep from royally screwing something up, do everything in a mod, even for small changes. Create a Mod and make all of your changes there, that way you're not messing up the originals. (This way you always have the vanilla game, for MP and stuff)

For Mods: There's a sort of shortcut to using files you're not going to change - You only NEED to put changed files in your mod folder, if there's something you're using from the vanilla game, then leave it OUT of your mod folder, and the game will use the default file when it can't find it in your folder. - this will also help keep mod distribution sizes down.

[Rayanth]

TIPS:

I'm starting to see a trend in the forum that I wanted to adress, and it is a word to the wise: BABY STEPS. We're eating a whole new 5-course meal here, our modding is back to square one. We learned a lot with Civ3, but we need to re-learn a lot with Civ4... Keep that in mind when planning out a huge mod. I've seen a few requests and comments out there for massive revamps of the entire game, yet we still don't even have the capability of adding new unit graphics (other than skins).

So just keep it in mind that Rome wasn't built in a day. We've got to make small steps and figure the basics out before we can make such a huge leap as adding 14 new Civs, 20 new Leaders, 50 religions, A dozen techs, and 5 new units for every civ, all into one giant mod-to-end-all-mods...