Modding the menu and intro movie

[Levantine]

I've been looking for this answer for the past hour, and can't seem to find anything other than how to create the proper format for a movie or music. I apologize if this has been addressed and I parsed over it.

Please note, I have the Steam Complete version, but I do know the file location and am familiar with modding basics.

How do I get the PtW intro movie and the original Civ 3 Menu background and menu music to appear in the complete version? Essentially I want to swap out the intro movie and menu background and menu music with that from PtW (for the intro movie) and the original (for the menu background and menu music). Purely sentimental reasons, as I used to power through entire days of Civ 3 when I was very young, and then later played PtW and loved the intro movie.

I tried moving some things in the Art folder, but was left unsuccessful.

 

[Balthasar]

If you know where the files should be, why not just re-name them and put them in the folders where the original files the game is using now reside (after saving the originals in another folder, in case you'd like to switch back, of course). Civ Complete would simply use them as it would the originals, I'd think.

 

[Levantine]

This is where I'm having trouble. I do not know where the files are. I tried some usual suspects like "title.pcx" etc... but this did not solve the problem.

 

[tjs282]

This is where I'm having trouble. I do not know where the files are. I tried some usual suspects like "title.pcx" etc... but this did not solve the problem.

You do know there's more than one .../Art/ folder, don't you? There's the original 'Vanilla' folder in the installation directory, i.e. .../Civilization3/Art/, and then there's another one for each expansion: .../Civilization3/PtW/Art/ and .../Civilization3/Conquests/Art/. Each .../Art folder has multiple subfolders (Units, Buildings, Leaders, Movies, Terrain, Popheads, etc.), but the same folder- and file-names are used in each of them. So once you find the relevant file(s) in the Vanilla and PtW .../Art/ folders, all you have to do is copy it(/them) into the corresponding subfolder in .../Conquests/Art/, where the conquests.exe can find it(/them).

IIRC, the intro-movie file(s) is (all) named 'intro.bik' and (I think) there's one for each expansion: they're in the ...Art/Movies/ subfolders. But I went from Vanilla to (In)Complete, and couldn't play PtW until recently, and I put 'PlayIntro=0' into all my .ini files a long time ago -- so I've never actually seen an intro-movie for PtW, and don't know if it's any different from the Conquests/ Complete version.

With respect to the title-screen, I did something similar myself (replaced the 'Lockbox' background from Civ3(In)Complete with the original 'Samurai' background from the Conquests expansion-pack), but unfortunately I can't remember offhand how I did it, i.e. where the title-screen graphics are stored, or what they're called. I'd have to check my setup to be sure (at work right now), but I have a vague inkling that they are in the corresponding .../Art folder itself, rather than a subfolder -- and 'title.pcx' does sound like a plausible filename (might also be something like 'backgrnd.pcx'?). And you might also need to copy/move another file ('menubuttons.pcx'?) to make the option-buttons display correctly.

As for the title-screen music -- is this really different across the expansion packs? If so, (I think) there are '.../Art/Music/' (or '.../Art/Sounds/'?) folders which hold the files you want.

Like Balthasar says though, ideally before pasting any files into ...Conquests/Art/ or its subfolders, you should first rename the file(s) that are already in there (I just stuck 'ORIGINAL' at the end of the filename).

Also, a caveat: if you're using Windows Vista or newer, and the game has installed itself anywhere in the C:/ProgramFiles/... directory (not sure if Steam does that?), you need to make sure that you're authorised to make changes here (admin privileges, etc.). Otherwise, any changes you try to make may be made to the mirror-installation in VirtualStore, rather than the actual installation location, and hence the .exe file may not 'see' them.

 

[Vuldacon]

The .bik files (Bink Video) include both video and sound and are located in the Art/Movies Folder in each game version.

 

[tjs282]

I've just had a look at my setup, and I was almost right...

The title-screen image for Vanilla is (indeed) called 'title.pcx', and is in ...Civilization3/Art/. However, the title-screen image for Complete*, should be called 'civ3complete_TITLE_bkgrnd.pcx'. I renamed the Complete title file, copied my Vanilla title.pcx into the ...Civilization3/Conquests/Art/ folder, renamed it accordingly, and got the following result when I started Conquests:

Spoiler :

This was quick'n'dirty, so the buttons aren't right, but you can see that all the options are there as they should be, including MP (highlighted)

(Although I didn't try it), you should be able to do a similar trick with the movies. Copy this file from the PtW section
.../CivIII/civ3PTW/Art/Movies/x_intro.bik
and paste+rename it to the Conquests section
.../CivIII/Conquests/Art/Movies/CivComplete.bik

...having made sure to back up and/or rename the original file first, so you don't overwrite it.

*(I have the GamersGate version, rather than Steam, but the above should still work on your setup)

 

[Vuldacon]

tjs282... I place Both Versions in my Art Folder so no matter what players use they can automatically see what I intended. Place Both x_title buttons.pcx, x_title.pcx and civ3complete_TITLE_bkgrnd.pcx, civ3complete_TITLE_buttons.pcx in your Art Folder.

 

[Levantine]

Thank you for the menu replacement guide. Much appreciated. Unfortunately, the Steam version does not have the original intro movies. I've tried playing them through the root folder/art, and the ptw/art... they're all the same.

A great sadness has washed over my game. I'll have to find those files elsewhere, I suppose. At least I can have the old menu music, at least.