Adding eras?

[JorrelFraajic]

I've added the era itself (Victorian Era), and put in a "dummy" era (though I'm not even sure it's necessary) to counterbalance the graphics... and everything works fine. Until I go to actually progress to the Victorian Era, when no Town/Hamlet/etc. or main city graphics show up because I'm stuck in the weird void that happens when there's no LSystem defined.

How does one/is it possible to add in things (and to what files would I have to modify) to make call the LSystem to the new era? Or is it so labor intensive that it'd just be wiser to remove it and expand the Renaissance Era? I'm not afraid of technical work... as long as it doesn't majorly involve brand new coding. Or python.

 

[BobTheTerrible]

I'd like to chime in with a question: Can one create new eras through xml alone?

 

[JorrelFraajic]

So far, I've had no problems. I did modify the CvEraMovieScreen.py file to call to new images, but that's the extent of the python I've touched, and I've run through an entire game. The era loads properly, shows the screen, everything - for both myself and the AI (I could tell because the AI had no cities). From what I can determine, it's just a matter of the LSystem... which, after a brief lookthrough, doesn't look too difficult (if that's all I need to do), just long and tiresome.

 

[Thomas SG]

I'd like to chime in with a question: Can one create new eras through xml alone?

NO. I've added once new eras to CCV. Very bad idea. The game uses mechanics in Python and SDK that are made exactly for the current number of eras. You will get into trouble if you add or remove something.

For example the era popups are in Python and the unit era art is in SDK. And so if you design a new era in between the industrial/late art style will appear in the wrong era...

It's better to find other solutions.

 

[Shiggs713]

actually you can remove eras with little problems except you have to be quite thorough with the XML. Adding them is a totally different beast.

 

[NotSoGood]

I removed ancient, classical, medieval and renaissance eras in my mod. (See signature. Mod isn't ready yet.) I removed a lots of things and it works fine. But what controls those turns? Because this mod starts from 1800 I think it would be nicer if it's the first turn. And how do I change the number of soldiers that you have from the begining?

 

[CyberChrist]

Yes, you can add new eras from XML alone(I added 2 in my own mod), but you need to make sure you make all the right additions in both CIV4CityLSystem.xml (for city buildings) and CIV4PlotLSystem.xml (for improvements).

You need to add your newly defined era(s) <Type> (ERA_VICTORIAN etc.) to all the appropriate <Attribute Class="Era"> in both the 2 LSystem files.