Force44
King
I am trying to make my first small adjustment to the game.
The goal is to change the Inca UP from two food and one production per mountain top into two food and one free citizen per mountaintop.
However (sofar) I have neiter knowledge of programming nor experience in modding.
So the first step I took was asking help from the community (in the Modmodding Q&A thread).
1) What programs do I needto edit the necessary files?
2) And where can I find those files?
I received a very helpful and encouraging reply from Merijn.
"The Incan UP (and many other UPs) are in the CvGameCoreDLL. You can find a folder in the mod folder with that name that contains all source files for building the DLL. Editing the DLL requires 2 steps. The first is editing the code itself, which is done by editing the code in the source files. The second is building the DLL. The link below has a tutorial how to set up everything in order to build the DLL. (The author of that tutorial should be familiar)
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/the-easiest-way-to-compile-a-new-dll.608137/"
I located a file named CVGameCoreDLL.dll in the folder…/Sid Meier's Civilization 4 Complete/Beyond the Sword/Mods/RFC Dawn of Civilization/Assets
Sofar so good (I hope)
Now I am taking babysteps with this project, so before bulding the DLL (step 2) I'd like to sucesfully edit the code itself once (step 1)
Besides, sofar I have no idea what a DLL is and why I would need (another) one.
"The language of the DLL source files is C++. Editing the source files can be done with any text editor, but I highly recommend not using just any. Visual Studio (required anyway for building the DLL) can be used for editing the source files for the DLL. Notepad++ is IMO also a good option, and that one can also be used for editing python. (And has a very useful "search in files" function)"
(I understand) Both Visual Sudio and Notepad++ are mentioned as programs that enable editing the CVGameCoreDLL.dll file. Notepad++ seemed recommended most to me because it was mentioned last and because it has a neat searchfuntion.
So I downloaded (and installed) Notepad++
From within Notepad++ I opened the file CVGamecoreDLL.dll and was faced by what seemed a lot of gibberish on first sight.
I copypasted the first 11 lines under the spoiler
I tried searching for Inca but the only results I received sofar are with inCa referring to part of the word DomainCargo.
I then changed the syntaxis to C++ in hopes of magically transforming the gibberish into something less "gibberishy". I noted no changes.
Then I figured I'd try just following the manual in hopes of uncounciously making some necessary steps I failed to take consciously sofar.
I figured I, since I was doing this for the first time, I wanted to make a Setup from Scratch.
(copypasted from the guide made by Leoreth)
"Setup from Scratch
1) Install the Windows SDK and Visual C++ toolkit
Download the Install Wizard and run it, following the instructions. It will try to install by default to <Program Files>\Civ4SDK\, whatever the name and drive of your primary program files folder is (e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\). If you choose a different location, please keep note of it for later.
2) Install Visual Studio 2010 Express
Download the ISO File, mount and run it. The installation will also offer to install other tools, but you only need Visual Studio 2010 Express.
3) Get the source code, Makefile and project setup
If you are using git, run "git clone https://github.com/dguenms/beyond-the-sword-sdk.git". Alternatively, you can download it as a ZIP archive from here.
You are downloading the CvGameCoreDLL folder for your new mod. Conventionally, you would put this folder next to the Assets folder in your mod directory, i.e. in Beyond the Sword\Mods\MyMod, and it is preconfigured assuming you do so. Theoretically, you can put it wherever on your computer though.
Depending on your previous choices, you might have to adjust the Makefile in the following ways:
- if you chose a different location during step 1, you have to change lines 34-35 so the TOOLKIT and PSDK variables point to the right locations (remove $(PROGRAMFILES)\Civ4SDK\, and replace it with your chosen location)
- if you did not put the CvGameCoreDLL folder inside your mod directory, put a path to your mod directory into the YOURMOD variable in line 37
4) Launch your project in Visual Studio
Double click on the CvGameCoreDLL.sln file, it should open in Visual Studio with an already configured project.
To test if everything is working, run Build ... -> Rebuild Solution."
I have my C++ toolkit up and running (Notepad C++) so I have to continue with step 2)
while typing this I figure Notepad C++ and this C++ toolkit might not be interchangeable so I downloaded the program from the link whilst making this post."
I downloaded the file from the link.
I don't know what mounting it means. But after some clicking I got the option to install
VisuaCl# 2010express
VisualBasic 2010express
VisualC++ 2010express
Visual Web Developer 2010express
And now I don't know what to pick.
So here is where I am stuck.
I think I want to try step 1) from leoreth's guide first. (better safe than sorry, even if that program and Notepad C++ work similar)
For step 2), (Which of) these four programs is/are Visual Studio 2010 Express? Or are these the other tools Leoreth is referring to in the post?
Any help is greatly appreciated. I figured I'd start a new thread because I consisder my problems in modding
to qualify as problems in modding only with a liberal amount of imagination.
The goal is to change the Inca UP from two food and one production per mountain top into two food and one free citizen per mountaintop.
However (sofar) I have neiter knowledge of programming nor experience in modding.
So the first step I took was asking help from the community (in the Modmodding Q&A thread).
1) What programs do I needto edit the necessary files?
2) And where can I find those files?
I received a very helpful and encouraging reply from Merijn.
"The Incan UP (and many other UPs) are in the CvGameCoreDLL. You can find a folder in the mod folder with that name that contains all source files for building the DLL. Editing the DLL requires 2 steps. The first is editing the code itself, which is done by editing the code in the source files. The second is building the DLL. The link below has a tutorial how to set up everything in order to build the DLL. (The author of that tutorial should be familiar)
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/the-easiest-way-to-compile-a-new-dll.608137/"
I located a file named CVGameCoreDLL.dll in the folder…/Sid Meier's Civilization 4 Complete/Beyond the Sword/Mods/RFC Dawn of Civilization/Assets
Sofar so good (I hope)
Now I am taking babysteps with this project, so before bulding the DLL (step 2) I'd like to sucesfully edit the code itself once (step 1)
Besides, sofar I have no idea what a DLL is and why I would need (another) one.
"The language of the DLL source files is C++. Editing the source files can be done with any text editor, but I highly recommend not using just any. Visual Studio (required anyway for building the DLL) can be used for editing the source files for the DLL. Notepad++ is IMO also a good option, and that one can also be used for editing python. (And has a very useful "search in files" function)"
(I understand) Both Visual Sudio and Notepad++ are mentioned as programs that enable editing the CVGameCoreDLL.dll file. Notepad++ seemed recommended most to me because it was mentioned last and because it has a neat searchfuntion.
So I downloaded (and installed) Notepad++
From within Notepad++ I opened the file CVGamecoreDLL.dll and was faced by what seemed a lot of gibberish on first sight.
I copypasted the first 11 lines under the spoiler
Spoiler :
I tried searching for Inca but the only results I received sofar are with inCa referring to part of the word DomainCargo.
I then changed the syntaxis to C++ in hopes of magically transforming the gibberish into something less "gibberishy". I noted no changes.
Then I figured I'd try just following the manual in hopes of uncounciously making some necessary steps I failed to take consciously sofar.
I figured I, since I was doing this for the first time, I wanted to make a Setup from Scratch.
(copypasted from the guide made by Leoreth)
"Setup from Scratch
1) Install the Windows SDK and Visual C++ toolkit
Download the Install Wizard and run it, following the instructions. It will try to install by default to <Program Files>\Civ4SDK\, whatever the name and drive of your primary program files folder is (e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\). If you choose a different location, please keep note of it for later.
2) Install Visual Studio 2010 Express
Download the ISO File, mount and run it. The installation will also offer to install other tools, but you only need Visual Studio 2010 Express.
3) Get the source code, Makefile and project setup
If you are using git, run "git clone https://github.com/dguenms/beyond-the-sword-sdk.git". Alternatively, you can download it as a ZIP archive from here.
You are downloading the CvGameCoreDLL folder for your new mod. Conventionally, you would put this folder next to the Assets folder in your mod directory, i.e. in Beyond the Sword\Mods\MyMod, and it is preconfigured assuming you do so. Theoretically, you can put it wherever on your computer though.
Depending on your previous choices, you might have to adjust the Makefile in the following ways:
- if you chose a different location during step 1, you have to change lines 34-35 so the TOOLKIT and PSDK variables point to the right locations (remove $(PROGRAMFILES)\Civ4SDK\, and replace it with your chosen location)
- if you did not put the CvGameCoreDLL folder inside your mod directory, put a path to your mod directory into the YOURMOD variable in line 37
4) Launch your project in Visual Studio
Double click on the CvGameCoreDLL.sln file, it should open in Visual Studio with an already configured project.
To test if everything is working, run Build ... -> Rebuild Solution."
I have my C++ toolkit up and running (Notepad C++) so I have to continue with step 2)
while typing this I figure Notepad C++ and this C++ toolkit might not be interchangeable so I downloaded the program from the link whilst making this post."
I downloaded the file from the link.
I don't know what mounting it means. But after some clicking I got the option to install
VisuaCl# 2010express
VisualBasic 2010express
VisualC++ 2010express
Visual Web Developer 2010express
And now I don't know what to pick.
So here is where I am stuck.
I think I want to try step 1) from leoreth's guide first. (better safe than sorry, even if that program and Notepad C++ work similar)
For step 2), (Which of) these four programs is/are Visual Studio 2010 Express? Or are these the other tools Leoreth is referring to in the post?
Any help is greatly appreciated. I figured I'd start a new thread because I consisder my problems in modding
to qualify as problems in modding only with a liberal amount of imagination.
