How to Create Your Own Civilization!

[Toussaint10326]

Note: I'm terrible with tutorials, so it may be difficult to read, but this is the best I can do!

Hello everyone! I don't want to drag this on so I'm going to start off by saying, please watch this video first: it will give you all the basic information you will need to know. (I'm doing this tutorial with the assumption you watched it)

SOOOO first I you will need to download this file: http://www.mediafire.com/file/8bg77g58yk8w58t/Toussaint's_Template.zip

Anyways, the reason for this tutorial is that the video above is now outdated, so this is an updated guide, if you will.

Once downloaded, the only files of note will be the ArtDefs, Core, XLPs, Textures, and ModArt.xml.

1. Open ModBuddy, and create a new Empty mod. Then you will want to delete the ModArt file from the mod. After that copy and paste the one I provided into it. Copy and paste the name and mod ID from your mod's properties into the fields where my mod name and id are listed. You can find the mod name and id in Project>YOUR_NAME Properties....

2. After that add four new folders: ArtDefs, Core, Textures, XLPs. Copy and Paste my provided ArtDefs into your ArtDefs folder, and do the same for the rest of the folders. In Config, you will notice my Tag is "TEMP" change that to whatever you want. Same goes for LEADER_CUSTOM, CIV_CUSTOM, BUILDING_TEMP_CUSTOM, and the units.

3. Once you watch the video I provided, you will know what GameDefines and Text do, so just change them based on the information the video provides. Modifiers and ModifierArguments can be found in the base game.

4. For Icons, go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization VI\Base\Assets\UI\Icons and find the Building/Unit index.

5. Also important, in the Textures folder you will need to make changes manually. For example: If you change LEADER_CUSTOM to MARTY_MCFLY, you will need to manually paste MARTY_MCFLY in every Textures image that says LEADER_CUSTOM, same with the CIV_CUSTOM lines.

6. Once you've fully customized all that stuff, all that's left is configuring it all! First, go back to the mod properties, and in FrontEnd, you will add the following actions: UpdateDatabase, UpdateIcons, UpdateText, and UpdateArt (All of this is explained in the video) the only difference is that you must add Buildings.xml and Units.xml to both FrontEnd database and InGame Database. Once you configure everything (Again, explained in the video) then viola! You should have a funtioning civ! If it doesn't work do not comment about it unless you watched the video.

 

[p3fbahamut]

Tnx for the tutorial. I think I might give it a go. Love your haitian civ.

 

[Toussaint10326]

Thank you!

 

[Clubber Lang]

Good guide, going to have a crack at it.

 

[isau]

Thank you for this.

Also glad to see you doing the programming in SQL. The more modders we can get to use SQL over XML the happier I think we'll all be. Some things can't be done in SQL, but glory to the things that can. I wish Firaxis would release their DLC Civs as SQL instead of XML, would make life 1000% easier.

 

[Gedemo]

thank you! After a break, I 'm back trying to make my own mod, and your tutorial is very usefull!

 

[Gedemo]

I've seen you managed to add custom icons for buildings and units in your new civs, I hope you will released a tutorial for that too!

 

[HealerYellow]

This was a really great tutorial, and the way you structured the code itself made it very easy to understand.

Do you have any experience adding tile improvements? I tried to include that in my attempt at using this tutorial while also using other mods as reference but my game keeps quitting to the title screen every time I try to test it.

 

[Toussaint10326]

Disable all other mods besides your own and restart the game, then try to create a game. You will most likely still be kicked out to the main menu. Then go to Documents>MyGames>Sid Meier's Civilization VI>Logs>Database. Copy and Paste all of that and insert it as code in here, so I can examine it for the problem causing this.

 

[HealerYellow]

Alright, I hope this is helpful!

https://pastebin.com/cnT2KYgy

 

[Toussaint10326]

There is a syntax error in your GameDefines.

 

[Seileach]

hi

i'm having a bit of trouble with this otherwise great template

when i build your template as-is, without changes, it runs smoothly as intended:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2kflrf1wnqhbjz3/CivTemplate.zip?dl=0

however, when i change the leader texture, it works fine on the menus, but crashes at game start:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ije0nyra1cu48m/Varisia.zip?dl=0

i only changed the leader name to Seoni and replaced the files FALLBACK_NEUTRAL_LEADER_CUSTOM.dds and LEADER_LEADER_CUSTOM_NEUTRAL.dds

i would really appreciate any help you can give, as i am way beyond my depth here

cheers!

 

[Toussaint10326]

Changing the leader texture will have no affect on whether the game starts or not. Can I have you Database.log? Start the game with all other mods disabled, try to start a game, then close Civ 6 and send me the code from that file. It is found here: C:\Users\YOUR_NAME\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization VI\Logs

 

[Seileach]

Changing the leader texture will have no affect on whether the game starts or not. Can I have you Database.log? Start the game with all other mods disabled, try to start a game, then close Civ 6 and send me the code from that file. It is found here: C:\Users\YOUR_NAME\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization VI\Logs

this is the log for your unaltered civ template (which does not crash the game):

[2491332.126] [Localization]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491332.127] [Localization]: Passed Validation.
[2491332.336] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491332.337] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[2491347.589] [FullTextSearch]: Initializing FullTextSearch
[2491354.228] [Gameplay]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491354.245] [Gameplay]: Passed Validation.
[2491357.942] [Configuration] ERROR: no such table: Types
[2491357.942] [Configuration]: In Query - insert into Types('Type', 'Kind') values (?, ?);
[2491357.942] [Configuration]: In XMLSerializer while updating table Types from file Template_Buildings.xml.
[2491357.986] [Configuration] ERROR: no such table: Types
[2491357.987] [Configuration]: In Query - insert into Types('Type', 'Kind') values (?, ?);
[2491357.987] [Configuration]: In XMLSerializer while updating table Types from file Template_Units.xml.
[2491358.022] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491358.022] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[2491379.692] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context
[2491383.961] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context
[2491468.134] [Gameplay]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491468.152] [Gameplay]: Passed Validation.
[2491478.109] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context
[2491478.842] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context
[2491483.546] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context
[2491539.173] [FullTextSearch]: FullTextSearch - Shutting down

this is the log for my altered civ (which does crash the game):

[2491657.340] [Localization]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491657.341] [Localization]: Passed Validation.
[2491657.517] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491657.517] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[2491670.671] [FullTextSearch]: Initializing FullTextSearch
[2491677.044] [Gameplay]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491677.061] [Gameplay]: Passed Validation.
[2491679.883] [Configuration] ERROR: no such table: Types
[2491679.883] [Configuration]: In Query - insert into Types('Type', 'Kind') values (?, ?);
[2491679.883] [Configuration]: In XMLSerializer while updating table Types from file Template_Buildings.xml.
[2491679.902] [Configuration] ERROR: no such table: Types
[2491679.902] [Configuration]: In Query - insert into Types('Type', 'Kind') values (?, ?);
[2491679.902] [Configuration]: In XMLSerializer while updating table Types from file Template_Units.xml.
[2491679.906] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491679.906] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[2491702.806] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context
[2491705.432] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context
[2491706.995] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491706.995] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[2491713.258] [Configuration] ERROR: no such table: Types
[2491713.258] [Configuration]: In Query - insert into Types('Type', 'Kind') values (?, ?);
[2491713.258] [Configuration]: In XMLSerializer while updating table Types from file Template_Buildings.xml.
[2491713.328] [Configuration] ERROR: no such table: Types
[2491713.328] [Configuration]: In Query - insert into Types('Type', 'Kind') values (?, ?);
[2491713.328] [Configuration]: In XMLSerializer while updating table Types from file Template_Units.xml.
[2491714.881] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491714.881] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[2491747.683] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491747.683] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[2491749.390] [Gameplay]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[2491749.407] [Gameplay]: Passed Validation.

my mod seems to work fine at front-end, but crashes at game start... no idea why.

 

[RFormica]

Looks like there is some kind of error on table "types." Look at that again.

 

[Seileach]

Looks like there is some kind of error on table "types." Look at that again.

not sure it's that. first, that error also occurs in the mod that does not crash. second, i didn't change a thing in the building and unit templates. i can't undo a change i didn't actually do.

 

[earlc]

Thanks for this! I had spent hours and hours trying to get my mod to work based on that video without knowing it's no longer up to date. The narration is like nails on a chalkboard to me too.

I haven't changed any of the tags yet or anything besides text and civ colors, but one thing that concerns me is how the civilization icon (as well as the civ ability icon) still appear white in the civ select screen. Do these have to be rendered graphically outside the program (rather than white-on-transparent like the other icons), or should they be appearing with their proper civ colors like the vanilla civs (implying a code/filename issue)?

 

[Toussaint10326]

The civ icon that is sized 45 will have to be a colored icon within a circle, like the other civs.

 

[marchegianni]

Hi, thanks a lot for this tutorial. I'm just trying my first mod ever. I did carefully everything according to the steps above and in the video, but still get this error when building it:

The command ""D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization VI SDK\AssetModTools\Cooker\Civ6AssetCooker_Win64_null_FinalRelease.exe" --absolute_paths --no_mt --mode ArtDef --platform Windows --shaders "D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization VI SDK\AssetModTools\Cooker" --pantry "C:\Users\Marek\Documents\Firaxis ModBuddy\Civilization VI\SlovakiaCiv\SlovakiaCiv" "D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization VI SDK Assets\pantry" --banquet_hall "C:\Users\Marek\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization VI\Mods\SlovakiaCiv\ArtDefs" --config "D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization VI SDK\AssetModTools\Cooker\Civ6.cfg" "C:\Users\Marek\Documents\Firaxis ModBuddy\Civilization VI\SlovakiaCiv\SlovakiaCiv\ArtDefs\FallbackLeaders.artdef"" exited with code 1.

cooker.txt say only this:

Starting AssetCooker...
Art Def Template: '' does not exist!
One or more ArtDefs was not found in the pantry.
Dependencies for file 'Leaders' will not be included in the dependency data.
Unable to auto-generate ArtDef dependency information. This will need to be done manually.Cook completed in 0.287 seconds

...and my unseasoned eye doesn't see a problem neither in FallbackLeaders.artdef, nor in Leaders.artdef...
I've found suggestions for fixes like "have no weird letters in the code", but I didn't use any.

Any other suggestions where the problem might be? Thanks.

 

[KingPhantom]

this template is a nice start for an own civ. i did a combination of this template and the australia-dlc. i dont wanna use sql so i did everything in xml.

what i miss is that you have to import all dds to in-game and frontend in your project/solution preferences. this took my a while to figure out.

thx for the template

edit: in my diplomacy screen is still the cleo-default. i havent figured out yet what i did wrong. i went through the template several times. have to try other possibilities with the files and investigate the core game.