MSMD: How to Create a Mod (video demo)

[CivOtaku]

I just wanted to post here to thank you kael! Thank you!
(As you can see i added this to my sig)

EDIT: Problem solwed. For some reason i couldn't see the ghanges in the XML whithout notepad++.

 

[CivOtaku]

How do you put the leaderhead inside the button frame?! I have photoshop cs3.

 

[Jimmyballz]

crop a pic of your LH and resize it to 64x64. Then convert it to a dds file.

As for those nice rounded edges for buttons, I don't know. I believe it has to be a bmp file and alpha channel has to be used. Since you have photoshop it may be easy for you to do.

 

[CivOtaku]

I have a vista on my other computer, and an xp on the other, and when i try to change the XML on vista, it won't save it. In notepad ++ it seems like it saves it, but it doesn't, and in any other program i get an error. So it seems that vista doesn't let you save em'. And yes, on the only account on the computer.
Also, what size the flag has to be and do i have to make the alpha channel or something like that?

 

[moopoo]

CivOtaku, there is next-to no chance at all that your XML problems relate to your operating system. What program are you using to save it? where do you save it? what do you do with the file name? are you sure you're loading up the right files?

 

[CivOtaku]

Well that isn't such a big problem sinc i can do the mod on the one that has XP, but what about the flag?

 

[moopoo]

hmmm. You'd be best of finding a tutorial for your Picture problems... IIRC you need to download the DDS plugin from Nvidia (you'll be able to find the link in the tutorial you find ), and go from there.

Another option is simply to open up a pre-made button, and clone your picture over theirs, and then export it under a different name. You'll still need to download that plug-in, though.

 

[CivOtaku]

yes i have the plug-in, but when i look at the civilization, its flag and button are just pink squares

 

[Jimmyballz]

sounds like artdefines_civilization.xml

...but I dont have vista and not sure if the files are the same

 

[Cowman]

The videos are very helpful. I have only been playing Civ 4 for about two months now. I would love to make a mod however I do not have Photoshop but I do have Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8. I was wondering if anyone knew of a DDS plug-in for Jasc and where to find it. Thank you.

Edit:
I found the plug-in and now I can save thing as dds. I can't wait create my own civilization.

 

[General_R]

Thanks, Kael, the videos have been very helpfull, great job. I was a bit afraid of making mods with CIV4, but now that I know that it´s basically very simiar to moding in CIV3 and writing JAVA scripts I will be able to figure it out very soon.

 

[Diongham]

None of this is working for Vista! I'm having issues... Either Vista blows completely or it is impossible to mod anything on Vista but I can't get this to work! I'm using just regular Civilization with the latest update... No Warlords... No Beyond the sword... And I thought I found the directory for the game but I might not have... This is the way it looks...

C:\Users\Mine\AppData\Roaming\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Civilization4.exe

Jesus Vista sucks!

 

[moopoo]

Dude, and everyone else that thinks about blaming their operating system, Vista is not the problem. I mod on a laptop with Vista Basic, and the only thing stopping me from further and more technical modding is my abilities, not my OS. No, i was not paid to say this.

Now. Diongham. What are you trying to do? Where does it deviate from you expected? What did you find instead? What do you think went wrong based on these observations?

Lets try applying some Scientific Theory to this thing people.

@ JimmyBallz: as someone who runs and mods on both XP and Vista, AND as someone who has noticed that the same cd carries the information for both XP and Vista installation, I can tell with no small degree of assurance that the files are the same. Mac users don't be scared either, as the only possible difference i could see is with the SDK, with wouldn't be a concern to anyone closely following the videos up thus far anyway.

 

[Galbatorix9z]

I cannot create the shortcut in "ColbertNation". It doesn't give me the option when I right click in the empty "ColbertNation" file. I know I don't need it but is there a way around doing it the way it is done in the mod. Also it did not automatically create the "ini" files in the "ColbertNation" file as it did in the mod. How important are these files and can I create them manually? BTW I am using Vista. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I had this problem as well.... You need to turn off UAC (User Account Control) (Contol Panel--->User Accounts And Family Safety--->User Accounts--->Turn UAC on or off) Then you can create a shortcut, and the .ini file should appear. The reason for this is that Vista has anything that is under (C:/Program Files) Locked down tight with UAC, so a virus doesn't change settings on your computer. You will need to be be on an admin account to turn UAC off.

---Galbatorix9z

 

[Cowman]

I created my own civilization and when I loaded it onto the game the Hall of Fame did not have any of my previous games that I played before the mod was loaded. Is there any way to put my old Hall of Fame into my mod? Thank you.

 

[moopoo]

I would have thought each mod would have it's own Hall of Fame

 

[Galbatorix9z]

When I load the Civilopedia, the Leaderhead for one of my leaders is compacted and out of proportion..... Is 512x512 not the right size for that?

 

[Diongham]

Dude, and everyone else that thinks about blaming their operating system, Vista is not the problem. I mod on a laptop with Vista Basic, and the only thing stopping me from further and more technical modding is my abilities, not my OS. No, i was not paid to say this.

Now. Diongham. What are you trying to do? Where does it deviate from you expected? What did you find instead? What do you think went wrong based on these observations?

Vista has two seperate foulders for Civ 4... One in games (which is a hidden foulder I found that out) and another in your personal directory (which does not have the .exe) I figured it all out though I need to upload the mod through the advanced menu instead of loading directly from a shortcut...

 

[moopoo]

There should be a set of Folders at the location you installed it to, and a set of folders in My Documents ==> My Games. If you put the mod in the My Documents -> My Games location, you'll probly have to load using the advanced menu.

 

[jsweeney]

whenever i go to the folder where the assets should be;
C:\Documents and Settings\Joey\My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Beyond the Sword\assets
all i find is assets.fpk folders, and they are all empty.
I then searched and found CustomsAssets and they had the folders from the first leaderhead movie, and the civilization folder is empty, along with all the others.
I would really like to mod, but i just need your help now.
Please tell me what i am doing wrong
Thanks