Editing Game Files

[Askia Muhammad]

Hello,

I am a total newb when it comes to modding. I'd eventually like to work my way to up to creating my own unit/leader etc but for now I am content to just figure out how to edit the game files and save it as a mod (so I don't damage the base files permanently).

I have seen a couple threads with people tweaking the AI's valuation of cities to increase their aggression. This is something I'd love to do as my biggest complaint with the AI is their passive nature.

How could I make a mod to edit the game files?

 

[LeeS]

Mods do not actually edit the game's original files. They edit the data that is sent to the game's SQL database from the original files. So no mod can ever "damage" the game's original files. The code within the original files is never edited by any mod.

We can however open the game's original xml files and directly-edit the contents of these files, but that is not a really very good solution for any number of reasons.

1. If you booger the code within one of the original files it will not load correctly which will cause any number of issues with getting the game to load up and run
2. If what you want to edit is something that the Expacs or other DLC edit when they are active, you have to sometimes make alterations to the base game files in multiple different files in order to achieve one stable alteration, which can be a headache to manage and keep track of to say the very least.
3. Game updates and patches tend to download new and different versions of original game files -- so if you edit one of the original game files, Murphy's Law is that the file you adjusted to make the game run more to your liking will be the one file that is alterred by the download of a game update or patch.
   
   *POOF* Wave goodbye to the changes you made.

Mods get around all these issues by updating or adding to the data that is in the game's database after the original game files load their content. Since these changes to the database are all included within the code of the mod the contents of the original game xml files is not affected, and the changes made by the mod are all in one easy place to find and edit if necessary or desirable.

However, having said all that, editing the original game files is one simple and direct method that many people will use when they first start wanting to change the game. Even if you "break" one of the game's original xml files by code-busting its contents, this is not the end of the world. You can run the Steam file integrity check on steam, and it will restore all original game files to their correct Firaxis-made condition.

There are quite a few resource tutorials available here and elsewhere around the net which can help you to learn how to make mods.

Erm....points at link in signature....Erm