Modders Guide to Beyond the Sword

[TAfirehawk]

How do you do theme mods? I found that you have to include a theme in the C:\Program Files\...\Beyond the Sword\MODS" folder instead of "My Games\Beyond the Sword\MODS". How do mods that are intended to be released to the community do theme editing?

Theme modules are certainly possible and people are doing them....look in the CFC Downloads area.

I have no idea why that folder exists in "My Games" because mods should not go there.....

In the WoC we have made the PATH relative so theme modules are EASY now....but in regular BtS you have to supply the full path, which makes it CRITICAL to specify the mod name and not change it. It seemed a silly complication so we changed the code and made it work better in the WoC.

 

[troytheface]

Can one mod a mod?
(add a resource, change a trait ect?)

 

[lord_graywolfe]

i ran into a problem when adding new techs. when i added the new tech it showed up in the tech tree where i wanted it but the pretechs i put in for it to have are not the ones it is showing. i put marksmenship and give it archery and iron working for the pretechs and it comes up with sailing and construction when i click on it in the tree. i never saw anything like this in warlords, what would cause that.

 

[TAfirehawk]

Well unfortunately with just the Firaxis system without the WoC, you can't EASILY mod another mod or combine mods. You have to basically totally merge/re-write stuff together just like in Warlords.

With the WoC, you can use TRUE plug and play to add/subtract nearly any module you want....as long as it conforms to the WoC Standard.

 

[troytheface]

thanks. I suspected that there might be an issue.
I have read many of these modding tutorials and looked at files ect. but am lost-

what if you copied all the original material somewhere where you could make changes then copy that back into the Mod folder

 

[TAfirehawk]

thanks. I suspected that there might be an issue.
I have read many of these modding tutorials and looked at files ect. but am lost-

what if you copied all the original material somewhere where you could make changes then copy that back into the Mod folder

The SDK and EXE are the issue....not anything you do, unless you modify the SDK as we have done....using a proper modular xml loading scheme.

 

[troytheface]

well then, thanks again. I will post a request in the mod component request section.

 

[TAfirehawk]

well then, thanks again. I will post a request in the mod component request section.

Mod Component?

 

[troytheface]

deleted as per response

 

[Chazcon]

Incredible guide, Kael, thanks much. tag for future use.

 

[jkp1187]

Question about PythonExpireCheck for random events. You said:

PythonExpireCheck- that’s the Python function which is called to see whether the event has expired. It will be called every turn for every event that has occurred. If the event has expired, it gets reset. The practical use of that is for quests. Events that set a quest should sent a Python expiration check function, which will determine the failing conditions of that quest.

Using Python expiration functions will not let you undo regular (non-quest) events. So if you have an event that, say, adds a promotion to all melee units, and add an expiration check to that event, it won’t remove the promotion when the expiration function returns true.

Expiration functions should return a true value for when the event has expired and a false value for when it hasn’t expired.

It’s important to note that expiration functions are only required if the expiration condition can not be described by XML alone. If the only expiration condition you want is, for example, a technology, then you can make the event expire by setting <ObsoleteTechs> in Civ4EventTriggerInfos.xml. That’s the general idea of event Python functions – they complement the XML when it can’t describe what you want.

Would there be a problem with me using pythonExpireCheck for a non-quest event?

For instance, say I want a certain event choice to give a building +2 gold as long as State Property is run. Could I then use pythonExpireCheck to check to see if economic civic = State Property -- and cancel the +2 gold if the economic civic is changed?

 

[ElGrillo]

I have a trouble with CIV4CityLSystem.XML. I had to create a new LSYSTEM entry for walls as UB. Now, how do I place it in the module?
In case, what tags I need to extract from the original file to the MyMod_CIV4CityLSystem.XML?

 

[Qui-Kelle]

I have two askings or wishes:

1st: Is it possible to turn the Age of Ice into a mod (want different maps), and

2nd: Can you make a mod or scenario: 'Golden Compass' with people and theirs animals together?

Thanks in advance, no matter with answers.

 

[soccitoem]

alright, this is probably a very "duh" question for all you modders, but where do you put the codes?

 

[Kael]

I have two askings or wishes:

1st: Is it possible to turn the Age of Ice into a mod (want different maps), and

2nd: Can you make a mod or scenario: 'Golden Compass' with people and theirs animals together?

Thanks in advance, no matter with answers.

Yes and yes. The first is easy, just modify the ini file to allow custom games, then you can go into the worldbuilder and adjust them however you prefer.

The second will take some modding but its fairly easy to create new units with mixed models just through XML changes.

 

[Trivas]

A question and I know it has probably been answered somewhere, but I have spent an hour and a half looking for it.

Is there any program that allows for simple editing of unit stats such as strength, movement points, technology required, resources required, special advantages (% bonuses against X unit, etc), and free promotions? I know that things can be done in the XTML files, but those are fairly complex to get to work together and I was hoping someone brilliant came up with a program similar to what they had for units in CivIII Conquests editor. I am not looking to add new units (though that would not bother me if it were part of it), I am looking to simply rearrange things and tweak their stats.

What about editing things like railroad movement points, road movement points, land and resource values, and things like that? I really miss the editor in Conquests and was extremely disappointed that there was not one in BtS.

 

[troytheface]

issue resolved as per response.

 

[DrJambo]

Is it possible to load modules through the Custom Assets tree instead of the Mod/Assets route? If this is possible, where does one put the Modules folder, i.e. the one that contains the xml?

 

[Il Corvo Bianco]

Uhm...there is a way to force a unit moving only on a specific improvement?
I'm thinking at a "Big Bertha" styled cannon, which could move only on railroads...so, is it feasible?

 

[jtxhorns]

i was wondering if anyone knew a way to change the amount of years per turn. i am playing on a mod which i love very much but i just wish i could find a way to change the years per turn for each new sequence. such as making it 10 ypt starting out, then maybe going to 5 ypt at about 1000 BC or something, and so on. any help would be greatly appreciated.