Hi there 7ronin. Thanks to you I just went and wrote:
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"A Civilopedia Modding Guide" ~~~
- Intro -
Why bother getting involved with Civilopedia modding, when it is one of the most time consuming and potentially boring aspects of scenario creation?
Well, in my opinion, it's plain courtesy to tell players what each modded feature of your scenario does. Trying to play a scenario which has
not had its Civilopedia altered is frustrating beyond belief and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It can make a scenario completely unplayable if no one knows what anything does but you!
The Civilopedia also happens to the main part of a scenario where one can learn the most about the historical (or fantastical) detail of the scenario's subject matter. This is where players learn about the people, cultures, technology and other fine points that made your scenario's time period and subject matter so worth playing.
You can go to town on it, or give the bare bones. But for Sid's sake, do
something with your scenario's civilopedia before you release it. At least include some simple text about
the function of your unit / improvement / tech etc.
The good news is, it's best to leave all the 'pedia modding until you've truly finished all the other modding aspects of your scenario. There is no point in making changes to your 'pedia if you're still going to be altering functions in the biq.
Now here's how to do it...
- 1 -
To mod your own Civilopedia entries you will have to open up the
'Civilopedia' text document. This is found in
'Your Scenario Name' Folder > 'Text' Folder. Go ahead and have a look now, if you haven't before, but do NOT alter it until you:
MAKE A COPY OF YOUR CIVILOPEDIA TEXT FILE AND SAVE IT SOMEWHERE SAFE.
- 2 -
Firaxis have given us good instructions on the format used in the Civilopedia Text File. You can find this by opening up the
'Script' Text document, which also sits in the
'Text' Folder. Right at top of that file are the precise parameters for altering it. I quote the first 8 points here for your convenience and reference. They deal with most you would want to know to create your own 'pedia entries, but there are more.
- 3 -
It's worth remembering you can use "CTRL + F" to
find a particular word in these long and unwieldy text files. It's the best way to navigate around them.
- 4 -
In terms of fitting your text to the pedia entry's page/screen, you will mainly use two features of this file:
a) Points 7 & 8 quoted in the spoiler above relating to "^". That's the symbol you need to get used to using. It appears often to space your text with new lines or centering.
b) The "#DESC_" prefix. This is what sets you up for the second page of the 'pedia entry (accessed in-game by clicking "Description" on the right of the pedia screen). Text placed
after this will have a whole blank page of entry to play with. So feel free to use it in your own style. You will of course have space
before that prefix, which will appear on page
one but it isn't as much. Page one is best used to state clearly what the Unit, Tech, Improvement etc actual does in game.
Don't break the rules in the instructions though. If you misuse the "^" or any other symbol then you'll end up with some funny spacing or ugly malfunctioning text. Trial and error through the points below will soon get you into it though.
- 5 -
I have found that the most convenient way of drafting and checking your modded 'pedia entries is to have open the following:
a) Your 'Civilopedia' Text file, which you will be altering.
b) Your scenario ie. in-game, which you will be repeatedly restarting (don't worry, it all loads a lot quicker after the first few times).
[Optional]
c) The 'Script' file, which you will need only while you're getting familiar with the way things work. Once you've got the hang of 'pedia entries you will most likely have just a) & b) open for your 'pedia modding sessions.
d) Your predrafted word file. I usually draft all my pedia entries out in a word document. I find it helps to organise them in groups of entries like Wonders, Units, Techs, Tribes and so on. It's up to you how you research and write your text of course.
- 6 -
So, go ahead and draft the entries as you wish and then simply paste them into your 'Civilopedia' text file. Then add the necessary "^" marks to space it all within your page/screen.
If you haven't drafted them in a word document beforehand, just make your alterations straight inside the Civilopedia text file.
If you don't know yet, see point - 9 - on adding links to find out where in the civilopedia.txt file you need to place the text for each item.
- 7 -
With the instructions to hand, let's make a little change now!
Inside the Civilopedia text file, hit "CTRL + F", to open up the
find function. Type in "archer" (case doesn't matter afaik). When you hit enter you will be taken to "#PRTO_Archer". That's your cue to edit the 'pedia entry for the archer, so let's edit the first line, which currently reads:
"^[Archers] are late Stone Age warriors armed with sinew bows and flint-tipped arrows."
Let's change it to:
"^[Archers] are very cool units."
Don't forget to leave the "^" as it is. Once you've done it, save it. Then fire up your scenario and look up the 'Archer' entry in the civilopedia. If you've done it as described, our seering wit will have been writ for real into the game. Congratulations
Now you can carry on making your own changes, following the instructions that appear in the 'Script' file. I recommend trying it first with some extra "^" marks. See what happens.
- 8 -
You don't have to do it all yourself actually. Firaxis and the Editor do some for you. You will
not have to account for the following in the text file, as changes in the biq are automatically declared for:
Name, Shield Cost, Resource Requirement, Tech Requirement, Attack/Defence/Bombard/Transport Capactity etc values.
- 9 -
Doing Links: These are important and easy to do. This is what they look like in the civilopedia.txt file (
Blue text is the 'apparent' text ie. the words that will appear for your link in the pedia,
red text relates to the pedia entry being linked to. The rest is 'functional' text which actually does the linking):
Standard Firaxis unit link text.
$LINK<frigate=PRTO_Frigate>
Standard Firaxis resource link text.
$LINK<uranium=GOOD_Uranium>
From a scen (The modded 'Fakir' unit, is using the standard 'Mursilis' graphic).
$LINK<Fakir=PRTO_Mursilis>
For example, if you are making an improvement for your scenario and this will auto-produce units, the player needs to know this. Sometimes, like in this example below, they will not be able to make the unit otherwise. Further, it helps a lot if a player can click the 'pedia entry for your improvement/wonder and get to the particular unit entry from that page (rather than going to the units index in the pedia). Here's an example:
Note the line with the Blue link text to
Fakir's Lodge. This is what that link looks like in the text file:
Only available by building a $LINK<Fakir's Lodge=BLDG_Secret_Police_HQ>, which will auto-produce them every 8 turns, and requires {Opium} in the city radius.
Fakir's lodge is the
apparent text in the link, "
BLDG_Secret_Police_HQ" is the
pedia entry reference text.
In my own way I have used the 'Secret Police HQ' as a base for the Fakir's Lodge in my scenario (I simply renamed the SPHQ to Fakir's Lodge in the biq and gave it new settings). So I also have a bit lower down in the 'Buildings' section of the civilopedia.txt file my entry for the Fakir's Lodge, using the SPHQ's #BLDG_ line:
#BLDG_Secret_Police_HQ
^[The Fakir's Lodge] requires $LINK<Opium=GOOD_Wine> in the city radius in order to build.
You can see a resource link in action there too.
As long as you observe the "
$LINK<apparent text=PEDIA_Entry_Reference>" format you will have a working link. It's up to you how frequently you use them, but it helps loads!
- 9 -
Housekeeping: As a general note for planning your 'pedia modding work - ORGANISE YOURSELF. Create a word document and draft everything in there. Use alphabetical ordering for all your units, buildings, wonders, techs and so on. Create sections in your word document for these different categories. This will help a lot when you come to placing the text into the civilopedia.txt file but also in your researching and editing phase.
7Ronin said - Personally, I like a "clean" civilopedia and think that any GCON's which don't apply should be chucked out (otherwise you get an "invalid" entry). GCON's also seem to be an area largely overlooked by most moddist/scenarists when adding new content to their games.
Other tips (in no particular order, to be arranged at a later date)
*TIP*
";" indicates a line which is not read and can be used for notes etc., and particulary for "dividers." (from 7Ronin)
*TIP*
If you leave a line as a space without including the "^" sign, you will lose content. Make sure that you have "^" on each blank line.
*TIP*
If you have very long lines of text, the game will insert odd spaces into it when displaying it in-game. So despite what the Firaxis advice says, it's best to split your text into shorter lines rather than have each paragraph in a single line in the text file. (from Plotinus)