How to install a mod (again)

[JohnBlack]

I want to install the following Dutch Civilization mod:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=395710

So, I tried to follow the FAQ-thread, which went rather poorly.

1. In his example, AlanH is talking about a .lua file and a .modinfo file. When I expand the .zip in Ez7z i only end up with a .modinfo file as far as I can see.

2. Next is AlanH's point 4 where he tells you to modify the Civ5 software. I can't even find the folders to which he refers. Surely I'm not that incompetent with my mac...

What am I missing?

 

[AlanH]

I'm sure you are not incompetent.

The example I described in the link from the FAQ was the PerfectWorld map script, which just happened to be the first mod anyone asked for help with installing. But the principles are the same for any mod:

1 Download the mod and expand it to produce a single folder containing all the files and folders for the mod

2 Put the folder in the Civ5 MODS folder in the appropriate location

3 If you haven't already done so, enable the Mods menu option in Civ5

In detail:

Step 1: Mods typically come as .zip files or .civ5mod files. Ez7z expands either of these. A .zip file can also be expanded in the Finder, just by double clicking it.

Step 2: Mods may come as a variety of different file and folder structures depending on what they are trying to achieve. The PerfectWorld mod expanded to two separate files, and these had to be put into a single folder to be installed. The .zip file at your link expands to a single folder containing Art, Assets and XML sub-folders, plus two .xml files and a .modinfo file. The single folder containing all those bits is what you need to move into the Civ5 MODS folder.

There are a number of challenges when you are looking for the MODS folder on your Mac. These are all detailed in the various links from the FAQ, but here they are in one place.

You need to know that '~/' is a shortcut for '/Users/<your_name>/'

If you are running the Steam version then your MODS folder is probably in ~/Documents/Aspyr/Sid Meier's Civilization 5/.

If you are running the Civ5 Campaign Edition, purchased from the Apple App Store, then your MODS folder is in ~/Library/Application Support/Civilization V Campaign Edition/. If you are running OS X 10.7 (Lion) then your ~/Library folder is hidden. The simplest way to open it is to select the Go->Go to Folder... menu item in Finder. Type or copy/paste ~/Library/Application Support into the text box and hit return.

Step 3: Where is the Civ5 file you need to edit to enable the Mods menu?

If you are running the Steam version then the file is at ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/sid meier's civilization V/assets/UI/FrontEnd/MainMenu.lua

If you are running the App Store Campaign Edition then the file is embedded in a package at /Applications/Civilization V Campaign Edition. Select this "file", right click it, and select "Show Package Contents". The file you have to edit is then at: Contents/Home/assets/UI/FrontEnd/MainMenu.lua. You need to change permissions on this file and its parent folder to allow you to edit it.

 

[JohnBlack]

Nice to get an answer from AlanH himself! Thanks (so far).

Right clicking on MainMenu.lua gives me "Open With" (not that the mac identifies a suitable program anyway) alongside a number of other useless options, but none however that spells "Show Package Contents".

 

[AlanH]

The last paragraph, where I say 'Select this "file", right click it, and select "Show Package Contents" ...' relates to the Campaign Edition, and the "file referred to is "/Applications/Civilization V Campaign Edition", not the MainMenu.lua file. If you have already found MainMenu.lua then you don't really need the details I give there as to how to find it.

My post covers both the Steam and App Store versions of Civ5, and so it may be confusing you. If you tell me which version you are running, I can maybe focus my advice on that version and leave out the additional complications of the other one.

 

[JohnBlack]

Seems to be working fine. Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[Christoph01]

This is an extreamly useful post except I cant find my MainMenu.lua file (im using lion on the app world campaign version) I didn't delete it, it just isnt there

 

[AlanH]

Hi, welcome

Here are the steps:

- Right click the Campaign Edition application in /Applications/
- Select "Show Package Contents"
- Open Contents/Home/Assets/UI/FrontEnd

You should be able to see MainMenu.lua in that directory listing.

What have you tried to do, and where did it fail?

 

[Christoph01]

Hey allen Thanks so much I got it figured out now.

I have a mild form of dislexia and got the pathways for application support and applications confused...I was assuming show package contents was the same as opening the ~/application support pathway. I also am not a programmer and not familiar with how to change the permission to allow me to edit the text, but I found the solution here http://www.mactricksandtips.com/2008/05/giving-textedit-root-for-locked-files.html

hopefully it will be useful to anyone else who is as mac illiterate as I am

 

[Ombolis]

Hey everyone, I'm new here and I'm probably just doing something really stupid, but I can't manage to get this to work.

I have downloaded the mod in question (in game editor) and extracted it into my MODS folder in the correct place as one folder.

I edited the line of code in Mainmenu.lua by adding two dashes in front of:

Controls.ModsButton:RegisterCallback( Mouse.eLClick, ModsButtonClick );

to make it this:

-- Controls.ModsButton:RegisterCallback( Mouse.eLClick, ModsButtonClick );

But now I can't manage to find a mods button in the actual game, it is nowhere to be found (at least for me.)

Help would be very appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[AlanH]

Hi, welcome

That isn't the right line to edit. The correct line is:

Controls.ModsButton:SetHide( true ); -- MAC_PORT - rickb Comment this line out to re-enable mods. Happy modding!

 

[Namaspamus]

Hi and thanks a lot for infos. Unfortunately, I cant follow this path

If you are running the Steam version then the file is at ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/sid meier's civilization V/assets/UI/FrontEnd/MainMenu.lua

to its end.

Users/myname/Library/Application Support..... and there no ''Steam'' folder. I'm quite a piece of a computer noob but I don't see where the mistake could be. I' m running the Steam version.

Is enabling the Mods menu necessary to run mods or is it just for conveniently enable/disable them? hmmm, maybe I can find this out myself, let's try.

Thanks by advance.

 

[AlanH]

Are you running the Steam version, or did you buy it in the Apple App Store? If you *are* running the Steam version, then trust me, you *do* have a Steam folder in your ~/Library/Application Support/ folder.

I hope you replaced '/Users/myname' with the path for your actual Home folder. There are other Library folders on your system, for example /System/Library/ and /Library/. Don't look in any other Library folder, Steam won't be there.

Are you running OS X 10.7.x? If so, did you use the Go menu in Finder to get to your ~/Library/ folder?

If you are running OS X 10.7 (Lion) then your ~/Library folder is hidden. The simplest way to open it is to select the Go->Go to Folder... menu item in Finder. Type or copy/paste ~/Library/Application Support into the text box and hit return.

Yes, the Mods menu is necessary to run mods. You have to use it to enable them, and as far as I know there isn't any other way to do that.

 

[Namaspamus]

I hope you replaced '/Users/myname' with the path for your actual Home folder. There are other Library folders on your system, for example /System/Library/ and /Library/.

Good and helpful guess, it's found! I'll go to bed wiser than I woke. The strange thing is those other libraries don't seem to contain any ''application support'' folder. And yesterday.... I swear.... there was no ''Steam'' folder in ''Application support''..... I swear......... Oh, well.

Thanks a lot.

 

[moax]

Hello

So I understand the instructions you went through up top but, upon finding my MODS folder, I found it empty.

I'm playing the Steam version, would you know of any particular reason the mods would not be downloading?

thanks!

 

[AlanH]

Hi, welcome

Mods don't download automatically on the Mac version. You have to install them manually using the various instructions around here.

 

[Ripsyd]

Hey there AlanH
- just a quick question,
i got into my Mainmenu.lua folder, and with textedit, i commented out the control.modsbutton:sethide ( true ); line - (adding two hyphens in before the word "control") -
however, i am still not seeing a mod button when i fire up Civ.

Any ideas?
I am using a fairly new imac, and am running Lion.

Thanks for the help!

*edit* what i have now looks like this:

-- MAC_PORT - rickb
-- Controls.ModsButton:SetHide( true );

am i missing something?

 

[Ford]

Quite apart from all this, I'm wondering if mods will be available for Mac through the Steam workshop when the latest PC patch is released for Mac, I'm presuming in the next day or two before G&K release. Any information on that?

Edit: Sorry, my bad. I found it.

 

[AlanH]

Hey there AlanH
- just a quick question,
i got into my Mainmenu.lua folder, and with textedit, i commented out the control.modsbutton:sethide ( true ); line - (adding two hyphens in before the word "control") -
however, i am still not seeing a mod button when i fire up Civ.

Any ideas?
I am using a fairly new imac, and am running Lion.

Thanks for the help!

*edit* what i have now looks like this:

-- MAC_PORT - rickb
-- Controls.ModsButton:SetHide( true );

am i missing something?

I have seen it mentioned that you shouldn't have any spaces or tabs before the hyphens, but I am not sure about that. On my system, the relevant line to comment is a single line:

-- Controls.ModsButton:SetHide( true ); -- MAC_PORT - rickb Comment this line out to re-enable mods. Happy modding!

 

[Ultimate Danny]

Hey all I recently got a new Macbook Pro after my PC died and I decided to upgrade to Civ V from IV in the process. I have the Steam version and run the Lion OS. I've gone over your detailed instructions but I have one very strange problem; when I enter the ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/sid meier's civilization V/assets/UI/FrontEnd/ folder, there simply is no MainMenu.lua file there waiting for me. The "FrontEnd" folder is completely empty except for a "Multiplayer" folder which is also totally empty.
As I'm pretty new to the Mac experience I'm sure there's some bizzarre setting I need to change. The game works fine when I open it through Steam so the total absence of the file is just really weird. If I could get some help with this problem I would very much appreciate it.

 

[AspyrRyan]

I didn't tell you this, but the location of that file will change with the latest patch, and with G&K, which just went live.