A Question or Two if You Will

[Grockman]

I have been reading a number of threads here as I am fairly new to CIV and only a very few days into G&K. During those reads I noticed a couple of things that were interesting but I cannot find where the MOD or content is.

The first is that most of the screenies show a resouce icon. How is that made available?

The second is that many types of terrain are mentioned (great plains, etc.), however, those do not show on my game selection. I assume that it is a MOD of some sort and was wondering where to find that also.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

[Bandersnatching]

First, you should go to the main page of this website, scroll down a little, then look on the left. There should be a section of links concerning Civilization 5; you should peruse those links and learn as much as you want, as they contain most (if not all) of the information you need to know about the game. Now I'll try to answer your specific questions as I understand them.
By asking about resources, I assume you mean strategic resources. Strategic resources are a different type of resource than Luxury resources (which provide extra happiness and gold) and Bonus resources, which give different yield bonuses. Strategic resources provide a production bonus to the tile they are on and are necessary for powerful military units; they are revealed through discovering certain technologies. Before that, though they exist on the map, they have no visible effect on gameplay and you don't see them. No other type of resource is ever hidden.
By terrain and mentioning Great Plains, I assume that you are talking about maps. There are several map types that you have to get through DLC's, and I think that the Great Plains map is one of them.
However, I think you might be asking about Natural Wonders. These are unique terrain features that represent significant natural formations such as the Great Barrier Reef or Mt. Fuji; they generally have high yield, are rare, and give you bonus happiness when you discover them. The number of Natural Wonders varies by map size; on standard-sized maps you should find a total of 5 of them, randomly chosen and distributed.
About mods - there is a section of the forums here that concerns them and has much information. If you bought the game via Steam, then you can also look up mods on that website or in-game through the mod browser.
I hope that I have been helpful.

 

[Browd]

For resource icons, in the lower right hand corner of your screen, there is a box with two icons hanging off the left side -- one icon looks like a scroll of paper and the other looks like a city hex pattern. Click the scroll icon, and up pops a short menu -- one item on that menu is "Resource Icons".

The Set Up Game screen only gives you some basic map type options (Random, Archipelago, Continents, Pangea, and Earth). For additional map types, click on the Advanced Setup in the Set Up Game screen. At the top right, there is a drop down menu for "Map Type" that offers many more options.

 

[Grockman]

Thank you both.

Browd, that is exactly what I was looking for on both counts. Much appreciated.