ModModder's Guide

[PPQ_Purple]

It's in the compresed .FPK archive.
You need to unpack it to get to the graphics.

You can find the program to help you do so here:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=136023&highlight=FPK

 

[Valkrionn]

What PPQ said. The vast majority of the art is hidden away in the FFPak051, in the Assets folder.

 

[Unintimidating]

Aha. Thanks a ton!

 

[PPQ_Purple]

I take it no one has an answer to my musical question.

 

[Valkrionn]

I had not even seen it.

I have no idea. I think it might be the diplo music?

 

[PPQ_Purple]

In essence, I want to know if it is possible to define music that will play for your cities regardless of the leader, and than define separate music for each leader.

 

[Swinkscalibur]

Does anyone know if there are python functions which can get/set Art Defines on units. I know changing unit art is possible in a promotion, but I want to create one function that can set a unit's art dynamically.

This is what I want to do:

X unit casts a spell converting it to Y unit. I want Y unit to have the unit art of X unit. Y unit is one specific type of unit, but I want X unit to be any unit that can cast the spell and I don't want a separate spell for every unit.

 

[Valkrionn]

There is no set function, though there is a get: getUnitArtStyleType().

 

[Swinkscalibur]

How likely is it that you could add a set function? Would it be difficult? I can't imagine it would be too hard since there is already an xml tag that does something similar.

ps. Is that function used like this: pUnit.getUnitArtStyleType() ?

 

[Valkrionn]

I lied. The function does exist, it's just not listed with the get function for some reason.

CyUnit::setUnitArtStyleType(int)


And yes, that would be the correct usage.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

I need to ask something.
I rarely if ever build naval units in RiFE lately so I have no idea.
Do different civs have different art for ships? And more importantly if not, is it planed for some future version?


I just need to know if I should make some.

 

[EugeneStyles]

if gc.getInfoTypeForString("CIVILIZATION_MYU") != -1:
	pCivFlavourInfo = CivFlavourInfo("CIVILIZATION_MYU")
	pCivFlavourInfo.addPreference("BONUS_GEMS", 4)
	pCivFlavourInfo.addPreference("PLOT_HILLS", 2)
	pCivFlavourInfo.addPreference("BONUS_MANA", 1)
	pCivFlavourInfo.addPreference("FEATURE_JUNGLE", -1)
	pCivFlavourInfo.addPreference("BONUS_HORSE", -1)
	civFlavourInfos[pCivFlavourInfo.civ] = pCivFlavourInfo

Yeah, so... this isn't working for me. If I'm reading the XML right, Gems can *only* spawn on either Grassland Jungle or Broken Lands. I knew from past experience that Gems *often* spawned in Jungle, which is why I put the FEATURE_JUNGLE -1 in there, but I thought that they could possibly also spawn on hills.

So that -1 to Jungle pretty much means that the Myu never start near Gems. And I don't want to take that out or else they will *always* spawn in the Jungle and have to rush Iron Working every game...

Suggestions? As of now, thinking about changing bFlatlands to 0 and adding Grassland to terrain types for where Gems show up (so they'll always spawn on hills, but they can be in Grassland or Jungle). But I hesitate to add what can seem like a totally unrelated far-reaching change in a modmod that is supposedly just adding a civ... The other thought is to increase the Gems affinity to like +10, and keep the -1 for Jungles so they'll be likely to start on the *edge* of a jungle if there are Gems nearby.

 

[Swinkscalibur]

Or, you could give them the ability to create an expensive National Wonder UB that gives them gems.

 

[odalrick]

Or, you could just remove their dependency on gems if you're determined not to have them work for access to them.

In other words, remove the flavour for Gems entirely. If you want gems as a player, just go and grab them.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Or you could give gems out as a palace resource instead of a mana type.

 

[Swinkscalibur]

Their palace mana types are all fairly tied to their lore, I believe, but either way you have to work for some things.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

How do I make a promotion change the art style of any units that have them.
For example, if I wanted all units with Promotion_Race_PPQ to have Artstyle_PPQ.

Is it just XML?

 

[Valkrionn]

On the gems thing: I'm with Odalrick. If it's just for fluff, drop the flavoring if you don't want jungle, rather than altering the bonus.

How do I make a promotion change the art style of any units that have them.
For example, if I wanted all units with Promotion_Race_PPQ to have Artstyle_PPQ.

Is it just XML?

Very simple. Check how the Elven or Dwarven racial does it.

On promotion: <UnitArtStyleType>UNIT_ARTSTYLE_DARK_ELF</UnitArtStyleType>

Then in XML/Civilizations/UnitArtStyleTypeInfos, you define your artstyle type. It is entirely xml.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Cool, doing that now. Thanks.
I just figured I would have to do some python work. No idea why.

Also what about the ships? For reasons beyond my control I can't check for my self right now. And I have no idea if something is planed.

 

[EugeneStyles]

Or, you could just remove their dependency on gems if you're determined not to have them work for access to them.

In other words, remove the flavour for Gems entirely. If you want gems as a player, just go and grab them.

This post seems to completely miss the point of Flavour Start. Amurites get a +4 affinity for Reagents (and +2 for Mana). Bannor gets affinity towards all metals, Hippus towards Horse, etc... Are all of these in because someone was "determined to not have them work for access to them"? If you don't like Flavour Start, then turn it off, but thematically and mechanically, my civ should be more likely to start off near Gems (but not in Jungle) - it doesn't have to be guaranteed, but I don't think it's out of line to want a preference for them in starting position.

And really, I don't understand why Gems are limited to only Jungle. It seems more likely to find Gem mines in the Hills than on flat land in the Jungle. (Granted, in the real world, certain climate conditions may be conducive to gem formation, which leads to more gem mines in rainforest-like conditions, but considering that they're formed on a geological time scale that can see all kinds of shifts in climate, I'm not sure I buy that they can only form there...)

Anyway, to avoid messing with the bonus, which some people might not like (and I totally understand why, because I don't really like it when mods that add stuff also change stuff that I might not want changed), I'm going to fiddle with the flavour start parameters, with the goal that *if* there is a Gems bonus near the edge of the jungle and near an otherwise acceptable start, then that spot will be preferred. Possibly increasing search radius so that they may not be in your starting BFC, but have a good chance to be reasonably close by. Valk - I will PM you when I've got something that I'm happy with? It's really too bad that Flavour Start isn't modular...