I can see why Firaxis didn't make the editor yet

[macsbug]

Some people just don’t like to read…

It's not exactly rocket science, you know. Most of the variables are rather self-explanatory if you rub a few neurons together. Yes, a list of the variables and what they do would be nice, but I'm pretty sure that Firaxis has this on their 'to-do' list. I don't see any massive conspiracy afoot to provide us with the internals of the game, then deprive us of the ability to actually parse and use those internals.

Fine. Let’s take a look at just two of these ‘obvious’ commands:
-VOID doCommand(CommandType eCommand, INT iData)
-VOID changeMoves(INT iChange)

Both sound like it MAY be possible to use them in Python to send a specific command to a unit. However, without any formal documentation I’m left guessing – given the valid parameters for eCommand, for example, iData will likely be ignored for some of them and required for others. For any specific CommandType I want to pass it, I’ll need to start testing iData values and hope my guess as to the expected iData values are even close to correct.

changeMoves is much more arbitrary – without any formal documentation on this function, the only POSSIBLE recourse I have to gain any information about this function would be disassembling the DLL to reverse engineer it. It’s absurd for a company to expect this.

Yes, many of the XML tags are FAIRLY self explanatory, however many others are not. It IS possible to play around with most these values and gain a reasonable understanding of what they do. However, that point isn’t that it’s NOT possible, merely that it’s ABSURD this is expected!

And you just didn't get the core data files. You also got the most powerful scripting language I've seen in any game (as in a real programming language - Python). They're so far ahead of supposedly moddable games like Europa Universalis and Morrowind and MOO3 that it's laughable to compare them to Civ 4. In fact, I can't think of any game as moddable as Civ 4 is right now.

Python is by no means revolutionary. You want an example of another game with a powerful – hell, much more powerful – scripting engine? Try Neverwinter Nights.

I'm willing to bet they'll give us the same SDK that they themselves used to build the game. That's good enough for me. That's pretty much an industry-first for gaming.

Like I said – learn to read.

Hey, look - not everyone is going to be able to use xml. Not everyone has the wit to program in Python. And not everyone will understand how to use the SDK. So what? Not everyone has what it takes. That's just the way it is. These folks can either work with the people who *do* understand these things (like they're doing right now, on the forum), or they can throw a fit over the fact that they don't have either the talent or the skills to mod this game, blaming Firaxis for their own lack.

Dear christ - just how much simpler do you want it to be? The xml files are cake, boy! Access to python means you can do *real* programming for the game! And the SDK will allow you to import 3D models. What else do you want? A Firaxis developer to hold your hand and do your bidding?

Max

I’m sorry Max, I really am - but you need to get your head out of your ass. Python syntax is trivial; it’s not the sort of right of passage you make it out to be. I don’t envy you because you are willing to spend your life on the idiotic exercise described above – I feel sorry for you.

 

[CyberChrist]

Dear christ - just how much simpler do you want it to be? The xml files are cake, boy! Access to python means you can do *real* programming for the game! And the SDK will allow you to import 3D models. What else do you want? A Firaxis developer to hold your hand and do your bidding?

How much easier do I want it to be? You said it yourself, not everyone has the time and/or wit to fiddle with XML files - let alone Python scripting. I myself have no problem with either, but I don't see why a simple program that summarize and present the contents of the XML files with some simple modification options (for names, prereqs, strength, moves etc. - perhaps something a bit like the Civ3 Editor) would be such a hard task to accomplish - or why you or anyone else would be against me or anyone commenting about it's absence for that matter.

In short - it should be easy enough so that even the casual player with no time or inclination to use Notepad etc. will have a shot at making some minor modifications to the game.