PhoenixMuse
Alchemist
Background information you can skip reading if you want:
I own every version of Civilization that exists, I-IV, Colonization, Call to Power, Test of Time, and Alpha Centari. I love the game to death, and find games played in a different style unsatisfactory and redundant. However, the same game over and over again can get very tiresome, especially when guns come into play (I'm a woman, blame it on that). Hence, my favorite version has always been Test of Time (sorry Sid, where is YOUR fantasy version?!?!)
So, I'm trying to mod my Test of Time, since I've had zero luck with modding Civ III and Civ IV. (I did enjoy the Fall from Heaven Mod for Civ IV, but found the technology tree to zip by way too fast - right about the time it gets really fun and interesting you've already discovered everything there is to discover.)
Questions:
#1.) What program(s) can I download to edit/open these file types:
.spr
.mp
.dll
.isu
#2.) How does editing the test files actually work?
I'm guessing that somewhere the game is programmed to look into the text files for information, since the text files clearly don't contain the programming itself.
I've also observed that while you can add new city improvements to the list that looks like this:
(@IMPROVE
Nothing, 1, 0, nil,
Capital, 10, 0, Cur,)
That doesn't actually explain what the improvement does, or where to find the linking image that is correlated to the improvement. Therefor, simply adding an improvement to this list can't be all that needs to be done.
#3.) If I add an "imp" picture in .bmp format to the list of "imp" files titled 68imp, will it automatically correlate to the to a new addition at the end of the improvements list?
#4.) Where can the effects of improvements be edited?
#5.) Has anyone ever made it so that you have five different worlds instead of four for Test of Time's fantasy or sci-fi games? If you've never played Test of Time, ignore this question.
#6.) How many things have to be changed to create a new unit? All I really want to do is import units from the "fantasy" version into the "sci-fi" version, so I don't need to create new .spr files, though being able to open them, edit them, and view them would be very useful and fun. I know you have to have an an .spr file, and I know you need to change the "rules" file, but more is involved than that; like, how do I make a unit playable for all races vs. for one race or two races?
Note: I figured I could get started on this by playing with the "midguard scenario" that comes with the game which doesn't actually have anything stored in it's folder except for the changes. Therefor, it must somehow link itself to the fantasy version of the game.
#7.) Is there anyway for me to create my own new folder and have it appear on the opening menu and have it link the sci-fi version in the same manor?
#8.) Where is the file that lets you edit what races can use what units?
#9.) The music stops playing after one track after loading the game and won't start playing again unless you do one of the three following actions: go to the menu and select "pick music" or if you restart the game, or if you talk to another race. Does anyone know where the Test of Time music is stored, how to edit that folder, and how to make it continue playing without stopping after one track? (I'm guessing this was an error that the developers made, and not easily fixed.)
#10.) How do you appropriately edit the "Icons" file for adding in new improvements. There isn't exactly space to add more of them. What tells the game how to interpret what it sees in this file?
Note: When I change any of the rules in the midgaurd scenario it breaks the game. It says "Civ 2 has stopped working" the moment the game begins. I hadn't even changed much. Please help.
Also, I tried downloading the map editor for Test of Time from here: http://www.civgaming.net/mercator/mapedit/downloads.html#file0001 And, I put it in the Test of Time main folder as directed, and it doesn't load at all. Does this have anything to do with Vista? (It gives me the error that it has "stopped working.")
I own every version of Civilization that exists, I-IV, Colonization, Call to Power, Test of Time, and Alpha Centari. I love the game to death, and find games played in a different style unsatisfactory and redundant. However, the same game over and over again can get very tiresome, especially when guns come into play (I'm a woman, blame it on that). Hence, my favorite version has always been Test of Time (sorry Sid, where is YOUR fantasy version?!?!)
So, I'm trying to mod my Test of Time, since I've had zero luck with modding Civ III and Civ IV. (I did enjoy the Fall from Heaven Mod for Civ IV, but found the technology tree to zip by way too fast - right about the time it gets really fun and interesting you've already discovered everything there is to discover.)
Questions:
#1.) What program(s) can I download to edit/open these file types:
.spr
.mp
.dll
.isu
#2.) How does editing the test files actually work?
I'm guessing that somewhere the game is programmed to look into the text files for information, since the text files clearly don't contain the programming itself.
I've also observed that while you can add new city improvements to the list that looks like this:
(@IMPROVE
Nothing, 1, 0, nil,
Capital, 10, 0, Cur,)
That doesn't actually explain what the improvement does, or where to find the linking image that is correlated to the improvement. Therefor, simply adding an improvement to this list can't be all that needs to be done.
#3.) If I add an "imp" picture in .bmp format to the list of "imp" files titled 68imp, will it automatically correlate to the to a new addition at the end of the improvements list?
#4.) Where can the effects of improvements be edited?
#5.) Has anyone ever made it so that you have five different worlds instead of four for Test of Time's fantasy or sci-fi games? If you've never played Test of Time, ignore this question.
#6.) How many things have to be changed to create a new unit? All I really want to do is import units from the "fantasy" version into the "sci-fi" version, so I don't need to create new .spr files, though being able to open them, edit them, and view them would be very useful and fun. I know you have to have an an .spr file, and I know you need to change the "rules" file, but more is involved than that; like, how do I make a unit playable for all races vs. for one race or two races?
Note: I figured I could get started on this by playing with the "midguard scenario" that comes with the game which doesn't actually have anything stored in it's folder except for the changes. Therefor, it must somehow link itself to the fantasy version of the game.
#7.) Is there anyway for me to create my own new folder and have it appear on the opening menu and have it link the sci-fi version in the same manor?
#8.) Where is the file that lets you edit what races can use what units?
#9.) The music stops playing after one track after loading the game and won't start playing again unless you do one of the three following actions: go to the menu and select "pick music" or if you restart the game, or if you talk to another race. Does anyone know where the Test of Time music is stored, how to edit that folder, and how to make it continue playing without stopping after one track? (I'm guessing this was an error that the developers made, and not easily fixed.)
#10.) How do you appropriately edit the "Icons" file for adding in new improvements. There isn't exactly space to add more of them. What tells the game how to interpret what it sees in this file?
Note: When I change any of the rules in the midgaurd scenario it breaks the game. It says "Civ 2 has stopped working" the moment the game begins. I hadn't even changed much. Please help.
Also, I tried downloading the map editor for Test of Time from here: http://www.civgaming.net/mercator/mapedit/downloads.html#file0001 And, I put it in the Test of Time main folder as directed, and it doesn't load at all. Does this have anything to do with Vista? (It gives me the error that it has "stopped working.")
