Best Places To Start For a Newcomer

[paulmclem]

Hi,

Love Civ and am very keen to get into modding the game, even if just for my own pleasure. At the moment I have no desires to alter game-play, really just want to tweak the UI i.e. look/feel, screens, menus, units, maps etc. Also like the idea of adding a new Civ or two.

However, I have never done any modding/customisation of a game before. That said I am competent with a host of IT skill-sets i.e. Java, JavaScript, SQL, XML, CSS, HTML etc etc so the coding/config side of things doesn't scare me at all. I just don't know where to start. As such I am looking for some pointers from the group.

Where would be a good place to start, is it a new Civ (which would intro a lot of the XML, folder structures, basics etc) or a simple UI change?

Ideally I'd like to start simple and build from there. Any suggestions/pointers would be greatly appreciated.

PaulC.

 

[Nutty]

I'd suggest taking apart an existing mod that does similar things to what you want to do. If you're into UI, jump on the CQUI GitHub.

 

[Shiggs713]

adding a new civ is pretty easy. I did all the basics of it in like an hour or two, but then adding all the other stuff, buttons, leader screens can be a bit more of a hassle. You can start by taking apart another mod and re-configuring it for your needs as Nutty said, thats how I got back into it.

 

[isau]

I would start super simple and build up. Part of learning to mod is learning what the game does when you make errors. I posted a "Modding with SQLite Studio" post that covers a lot of the basics and provides a partial mod file to use as a template: https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/tutorial-modding-with-sqllite-studio-pc.608352/ You already know SQL according to your post, so it will mainly be about learning the tools and how they play into Civ 6.


Once you've got a hang of how to build a basic mod and test to make sure its working, you can gradually move up as your skills build.

 

[paulmclem]

Been away playing Crusader Kings 2 for a couple of weeks and returning to Civ I see there is now an SDK

Really looking forward to getting fully into Moding i.e. Maps, Civs...everything. However, I'll start with a new Civilization and go from there.