hankinsohl
Warlord
Hello everyone.
Brief Project Overview
This thread is for a Civ4 savegame library and accompaning editor which I've been working on for the past several months. I'll use the acronym Civ4SL from now on to refer to the library.
The library will provide a C-style programming API which will enable the programmatic editing of savegame files, including the zlib-compressed data. The library implements the Civ4 checksum function. A Boost Property Tree-style interface is planned which will facilitate use of the API.
Included in the project is an editor, Civ4Edit.exe. The editor will be able to translate a binary savegame into ASCII text format. The translated text can then be edited using any text editor; the editor will be able to load translated text and save it in binary savegame format.
Pre-alpha versions of the editor were developed as a proof of concept. The last version was able to fully translate a savegame into text format and was able to update checksums for modified savegames.
Savegame Schema
Civ4SL will parse savegame files using a text-based schema. A schema will be developed for unmodded Beyond the Sword savegames; however, by editing the schema file, it will be possible to support modded games.
Purpose of this Thread
The purpose of this thread is to solicit feedback and interaction from the Civ4 community, especially modders. If there are features you want to Civ4SL to include please reply below.
A project of this scope is complicated and there's a good chance that I'll make a few implementation errors along the way. Too - I will have questions about Civ4 from time to time. This sort of community interaction is also appropriate in this thread.
Civ4SL Availablity and Project Timeline
Civ4SL has started development as of today, 9/24/2024. I would guess that project completion is probably 3 to 6 months away depending on the time I'm able/willing to commit to development. Once Civ4SL is complete I'll share the work on github.
Brief Project Overview
This thread is for a Civ4 savegame library and accompaning editor which I've been working on for the past several months. I'll use the acronym Civ4SL from now on to refer to the library.
The library will provide a C-style programming API which will enable the programmatic editing of savegame files, including the zlib-compressed data. The library implements the Civ4 checksum function. A Boost Property Tree-style interface is planned which will facilitate use of the API.
Included in the project is an editor, Civ4Edit.exe. The editor will be able to translate a binary savegame into ASCII text format. The translated text can then be edited using any text editor; the editor will be able to load translated text and save it in binary savegame format.
Pre-alpha versions of the editor were developed as a proof of concept. The last version was able to fully translate a savegame into text format and was able to update checksums for modified savegames.
Savegame Schema
Civ4SL will parse savegame files using a text-based schema. A schema will be developed for unmodded Beyond the Sword savegames; however, by editing the schema file, it will be possible to support modded games.
Purpose of this Thread
The purpose of this thread is to solicit feedback and interaction from the Civ4 community, especially modders. If there are features you want to Civ4SL to include please reply below.
A project of this scope is complicated and there's a good chance that I'll make a few implementation errors along the way. Too - I will have questions about Civ4 from time to time. This sort of community interaction is also appropriate in this thread.
Civ4SL Availablity and Project Timeline
Civ4SL has started development as of today, 9/24/2024. I would guess that project completion is probably 3 to 6 months away depending on the time I'm able/willing to commit to development. Once Civ4SL is complete I'll share the work on github.