Awesome mod! Few questions though

[Rakshasas]

Hello everyone,

I just downloaded BUG and I really like it. I'm a new Civ4 player and it has taught me a few things about the game I didnt know even exists (overflow for whipping for example). Problem is I play multiplayer with people who do not yet have it (working on that heh) and I'd like to understand more about the way mods in Civ4 work. From what I've read so far you can't use mods in multiplayer unless it's installed as an "optional mod" rather than directly to customassets, but that also means other people need to have it as an optional mod as well. Is there no way around this?

I have two other questions about BlueMarble and BAT. Do they both need to be installed as custom mods, and more importantly what exactly do they do? As much as I've searched this site I haven't been able to find out exactly what these two mods do.

From what I've seen is that BAT modifies the look of units to make civs look more diverse, and if that is accurate then I am very interested in the mod, especially if higher res units are involved.

BlueMarble is said to use NASA pictures to change the tiles of the map, and the screenshots I've seen are fantastic.

I am sure to post such a "newb" thread but I really am interested in these mods and haven't really found any clear information about it. Also please keep in mind that all of this is about playing both single player and multiplayer games with BUG and hopefully with blue marble and BAT.

Thanks!

 

[EmperorFool]

The information is scattered at best, so no worries. I have finally started a BUG/BAT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list to start addressing good questions such as these.

I believe I answered some of your questions there. Can you please help me by a) seeing if the answers there help and b) posting further questions you have that weren't answered or that need clarification.

This will help you, us and the community! Thanks!

 

[Rakshasas]

Oh great!

I'll look at it right now, and is there any specific place you'd like me to post these questions? or are further posts under this topic fine?

edit:
Ok it answered my questions (finding out what BAT stood for was handy also hehe) but I have one question about multiplayer installs.

How can I play multiplayer games?

You must install BUG/BAT as a mod. This puts the files into your BTS "My Games" Mods folder, but you must move the folder to your BTS "install" Mods folder. The "install" folder is where the Civ4BeyondSword.exe program is installed.

Why exactly is that necessary moving it to the "install" directory? Why can't we keep it under the BTS My Games mods folder? Secondly, which "mods" folder are you referring to? I have a Steam install so I think something strange is happening here, but here is my folder structure.

"C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization iv beyond the sword"
Inside that folder there is a mods folder, which contains 4 mods. American Revolution, Desert War, Greek World and Tutorial.

However there is another Mods folder in:
"C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization iv beyond the sword\Beyond the Sword"

and this one contains several more mods, AfterWorld, Broken Star, Charlemagne, and about 7 more.

Which of these folders would I put BUG/BAT in?

Also something you might want to include in the FAQ is information regarding the Steam installation of BTS. BlueMarble doesn't "find" the Civilization4.exe file required, because there isn't one. Steam handles it a little differently. Basically each expansion pack is a standalone game, but Steam requires you to own the original game in order to be able to purchase the expansions. I had to rename the BTS exe file "Civ4BeyondSword.exe" to "Civilization4.exe", run the bluemarble installer and then name it back.

Anyway thank you for being so helpful, I appreciate it!

 

[EmperorFool]

We have a sticky Questions About the BUG Mod thread at the top of the forum. That's a good place for your questions.