Changing the Code

[neckface]

I've been searching around trying to find out an answer, and have come up empty handed.

I would like to learn how to modify the game to do two basic things, that I see are commonly addressed in several mods (I don't want the whole mod):

1. Make airships require physics AND combustion
2. Make Ironclads seaworthy (and require coal if they do not already)

How would I go about this? What tutorials or resources can I utilize?
Any help appreciated!

thanks,
~neckface

 

[phungus420]

Check out the adding new units tutorial, it's really good and covers everything you're asking about, but will give you more options if you read it.

To answer your question. Go to C:\Program Files\Fireaxis Games\CIV\Beyond the Sword\Assets\XML\Units directory (it might be a slightly different path on your computer, if it is, it'll be in a path very similar, just brows around till you find it) Find the file CIV4UnitInfos.XML in said folder. Now copy it to C:\Documents and Settings\My Computer\My Documents\My Games\Beyond the Sword\CustomAssets\xml\units Or wherever your Custom assets directory is. You do this because you don't want to screw with the original, better keep that intact, in case you screw up. Can always go back to the original this way, so you don't break your game.
Now with your copied CIV4UnitsInfos file that's in your custom assets directory, Open it up with notepad or equivalent text editor program. Go to Edit, select Find and type Unit_Airship and enter, notepad will search the file for the txt Unit_Airship and take you there. You'll see a bunch of XML stuff above about the unit above airships, and
<UnitInfo>
<Class>UNITCLASS_AIRSHIP</Class>
<Type>UNIT_AIRSHIP</Type>
Will be at the bottom of your screen. This means you're at the right place, you're at the start of the XML information about Airships. Now for you, what you're looking for are the tags refering to airships becoming available. So Do the find thing again, and this time type tech_physics, it'll take you to tech_physics (which we know for airships defines them as being available, so searching for this takes us to that tag). This will take you to this line:
<PrereqTech>TECH_PHYSICS</PrereqTech>
<TechTypes/>

Change this to:

<PrereqTech>TECH_PHYSICS</PrereqTech>
<TechTypes>
<PrereqTech>TECH_COMBUSTION</PrereqTech>
<PrereqTech>NONE</PrereqTech>
<PrereqTech>NONE</PrereqTech>
</TechTypes>

And your airships will now require combustion. Also this should start you on modding in general. At least from the XML side, modding CIV is easy, and pretty intuitive.

Ironclads being seaworthy is this tag:
<TerrainImpassables>
<TerrainImpassable>
<TerrainType>TERRAIN_OCEAN</TerrainType>
<bTerrainImpassable>1</bTerrainImpassable>
</TerrainImpassable>
</TerrainImpassables>

Change it to
<TerrainImpassables/>
And your ironclads will no longer be kept from entering oceans.

 

[neckface]

thank you good sir. watch this thread in the next coupla days for an "aiiee i broke my game!" post.