Multiplayer Tool - Play scenarios up to 31 players!

[Blake00]

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I'm using the Steam version

Guys guys guys.. @Stew Pid you're sending @MeteorPunch on a wild goose chase wasting his time (and some of yours too) because clearly neither of you have read the earlier posts in this thread lol.

The multiplayer tool does not work with the Steam version. It only works with the old disc versions of Civ3. The labels file fix for scenarios doesn't apply here. He can check his install files, play with label files, apply admin rights to the exe and do all the other things you're telling him until he dies of old age and it won't change a thing lol.

@Sima Qian who created the tool has sadly gone AWOL so the tool hasn't been updated to work with steam version. Thankfully it looks like his tool is opensource and on github and if you read the comments previously posted in this thread you'll see @NiteKat started tinkering with Simas files from github to see if he could update them to look in the modified memory locations used by the steam version. He was going to try and get it working again however sadly he's gone silent, he's still active on this site but not in this thread, so presumably his attempts hit a wall. So that means the mp tool is a no go for steam Civ3 unless a talented programmer comes along willing tackle fixing the tools. If you want to play large multiplayer games you'll have to get yourself a copy of the disc version of Civ3. You already own the steam version so should you go 'acquire' an iso of the disc game off google no one would hold it against you haha.

EDIT: @Civinator & I posted at the same time haha. Meteor if you do get an iso of the disc copy off google and get it working then follow his guide to get the mp tool working. It won't work with the steam version though.

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[MeteorPunch]

@Civinator I have set mine up like yours, and still doesn't work, however, I am missing the Dokument.rtf file that yours has - it is not included in the download link. Where do you find that, or could you post it here?

 

[Civinator]

MeteorPunch, it´s a pitty that this was not working for you. My screenshot shows an installation with the Civ Chronicles installation of Civ 3 Complete. I don´t have the steam version, but after your last post I made a test on the GOG version of Civ 3 Complete, that is also installed on my pc. When the GOG version of Civ 3 Complete is started via the GOG launcher, I run into the same problems, as you are posting them for the steam version. When starting the GOG version with a no-cd C3C exe, the multiplayertool is working even with the GOG version. I cannot say if this would work for the steam version, too.

That Dokument.rtf file was added by myself as a reminder how to start that tool. Its only containt is WildWeazel´s advice to start this tool with ALT and TAB. This document is attached to this post, so unfortunately it is not helpful in your case.

 

[Blake00]

Ahh well there you go.. @MeteorPunch 's impressive ability to repeatedly ignore all the mp tool doesn't work with steam version posts in this thread and ask why the mp tool doesn't work with his steam copy has actually just lead a positive outcome for all lol, as that's a really good idea @Civinator !

Replacing the steam Civ3Conquests.exe with a cracked copy of the CD version Civ3Conquests.exe might just do it. Although @NiteKat posted earlier about dll changes in the steam copy too, which may mean switching the exe could lead to unforeseen problems. I'll have to give it a try and see what happens...

Looks like mostly text file changes, with a few dll changes. The dll changes probably caused some stuff to move around.

 

[MeteorPunch]

We're at a workable solution, finally. I tried a half dozen or more probably, variations of installations on 2 different computers, using my old Vanilla and Conquests disks, the Steam Complete version, and a cracked Complete version. Nothing was working. The program could not find the game. My belief became that because the Steam Complete version was installed first on both systems, that became the location those computers believed Civ 3 to be located, even with new versions, and because that version doesn't work with this program, it always failed.

I was set to do a new install on a 3rd computer with the GOG.com version of Complete, which I believe may solve things, however first followed Blake00's advice to use the cracked Complete.exe file, which I used on the Steam Complete version - this allowed the program to finally work! Although, many labels.txt are messed up, it allowed me to do what I needed to do with Siam Qian's program.

However, I now have the problem of fixing the actual in game problem this tool has helped me locate. Thanks for the assistance! @Stew Pid @Blake00 @Civinator

 

[Blake00]

We're at a workable solution, finally. I tried a half dozen or more probably, variations of installations on 2 different computers, using my old Vanilla and Conquests disks, the Steam Complete version, and a cracked Complete version. Nothing was working. The program could not find the game. My belief became that because the Steam Complete version was installed first on both systems, that became the location those computers believed Civ 3 to be located, even with new versions, and because that version doesn't work with this program, it always failed.

Ahh so you did try the disc version. I thought you ignored my post and kept trying the steam one, my bad lol.

Yes I've encountered this problem before too as I have both the disc install and steam install on my machine. If I try custom tilesets and graphics on my disc install it completely ignores them! I had Rhyes's greener mod installed on the steam install and every time I start the disc install it was using his terrain lol. I even wiped nearly all the art terrain files from the disc install to see what would happen and it still worked fine because it was loading everything from the other steam install haha. Was pulling my hair out for like an hour before I realised what was going on lol. Although strangely for me the mp tool still works with my disc copy and my steam install doesn't seem to be messing with it.

 

[Lionic]

It looks like the tool is no longer available, can someone re upload it pls?

 

[Stew Pid]

@Blake00 Can you reupload the multiplayer tool?

 

[Blake00]

It looks like the tool is no longer available, can someone re upload it pls?

@Blake00 Can you reupload the multiplayer tool?

Oh dear.. one does not normally expect github links to go down but it looks like his account has been removed entirely. Nothing on webarchive other than some unreleated file of his. I only have his main mp tool and none of the other downloads he put there sorry. Maybe @Node60 might have something more. I'll send @Sima-Quian a PM too as he was last here only a couple of years ago. Anyway for now I'll attach the mp tool to this post at least!

 

[Civinator]

The multiplayer tool is included in every download of CCM 2.50.

 

[Sima Qian]

Hi folks -- I'm amazed that there's still this much interest in these old utilities I put together over a decade ago. I'm not in a position to test if they still work, but I've fixed the download links and they should be available again.

 

[Civinator]

Hi folks -- I'm amazed that there's still this much interest in these old utilities I put together over a decade ago. I'm not in a position to test if they still work, but I've fixed the download links and they should be available again.

Hello Sima Qian, you created a still very useful tool and your post gives me the chance to say a big thank you very much for your work.
I mostly used your tool to find the location of freezes by the houseboat bug in my mod CCM. I hope you agree that I can attache your great tool even to the next versions of CCM.

 

[Blake00]

Hi folks -- I'm amazed that there's still this much interest in these old utilities I put together over a decade ago. I'm not in a position to test if they still work, but I've fixed the download links and they should be available again.

Ahh you got my message! Thanks for fixing the links! I've taken copies of all the files this time too, just in case.
I don't play multiplayer but your tool helped Civinator & I do some fan experiments with taking control of the Barbarian factions slot which I eventually plan to do more on later for a series I'm doing. So many thanks for creating it!

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

Hi folks -- I'm amazed that there's still this much interest in these old utilities I put together over a decade ago. I'm not in a position to test if they still work, but I've fixed the download links and they should be available again.

Thank you so much for your tool Sima Qian!

I still use it today and I love to play multiplayer games with more than 8 opponents.

I use your tool to transform a single player scenario into a multi player scenario on one computer. In other words I like to play several civilizations by myself all at the same time.

Also your tool works with the flintlock mod which makes me very happy!!

 

[Sima Qian]

I hope you agree that I can attache your great tool even to the next versions of CCM.

Please use as you wish! The source code is also available in case there's anything worth salvaging from there -- I was playing around with dumping memory contents of an ongoing game and while a lot of information is still missing, it's possible to extract in-game state including unit ownership, hit points, leader names, tax/luxury/science slider positions, etc. I've forgotten almost everything about how it works -- good luck with reverse engineering!

 

[Blake00]

Source could be very handy as the tool doesn't work with the steam version of Civ3 that many people use now. @NiteKat worked out a solution (I'll put his posts below) but he's since disappeared sadly.

I feel like this topic is long dead, but as an update I took the code from the github that was supposed to find the process and BIC header into a VS2017 project to try to find the issue. It can locate the game, but it cannot locate the BIC header. My guess is somehow the game started storing the BIC header at a different offset than expected.

This definitely seems to be the problem. If I change the for loop to scan < BIC_ADDR + 0xF0000, then it is able to find it. I might see if I can remake the tool, unless Sima is around and wants to try putting out an update.

After some research, it appears there was an update via the Steam platform in October 2018 to their Civ3 Complete that moved some stuff around in memory. Looks like mostly text file changes, with a few dll changes. The dll changes probably caused some stuff to move around. I've managed to get something written that can modify human/CPU control, and morph a game from SP to MP and back. I haven't tried to hunt down the play by email flag yet. Instead I've been distracted by the juicy units memory address, and trying to figure out where that moved to.