New Feature: Era Swapping

[Oni Ryuu]

Nathiri and I have worked out a way to have all of the graphics, animations and audio files update at any desired point. The patch can also be added to any existing mod.

This download contains one BAT file and four empty folders. This pack and instructions has only four eras for this example. You can change the folder names, search address and batch file instructions to suit your needs
Download

Instructions for mod makers
1. Move the downloaded pack in to your mod’s folder

Conquests>Scenarios>Your Mod​

2. Place your new files in their respective folders.
3. Open your game in the editor and go to Scenario Properties
4. Change the address to:-

Your Mod\Eras\Current_Era;Your Mod​

5. Save your BIQ
6. Create a shortcut for the BAT file and place it next to your game's start-up button.
7. Inform players to create the same shortcut.

Instructions for players (after installation)
1. Create a shortcut for the BAT file and place it next to your game's start-up button.
2. Start the game as normal
2. When you reach the next phase, you'll be prompted by the modder (using their preferred method) to perform the process.
3. Save and exit your game.
5. Locate and activate the BAT icom. then reload your game to continue.

If you start a new game, you'll need to cycle through the ages to reach Era 1.

 

[Laurana Kanan]

I don't play CivIII anymore, but I saw this thread and wanted to say . Very nice solution for enhancing the game's graphics for a more immersive experience. It's nice to still see these kinds of developments in older Civ games!

 

[Civinator]

Great!

 

[Blue Monkey]

What operating systems have you tested it with?

6. Create a shortcut for the BAT file and place it next to the game start-up button.

Start the game as normal
When you reach a new era, you will be told to activate the Next Era link.

I'm not understanding this part. Create a shortcut - where? I would expect a shortcut to mean an alias on the desktop. But then the mention of a "game start-up button" obscures that. Are you really starting the game "as normal" or from the bat file? Does being "told to activate the next era link" mean quitting & restarting?

 

[Oni Ryuu]

Thanks guys.

Windows 7
Some people have their game on their desktop and some keep all of their Civ stuff in a folder.it doesn’t matter where the shortcut goes, just make sure you can find it easily.
You start the game using the normal Civ button or one of the exe’s available on this site.
During a game press the windows button to access your desktop. Activate the BAT file and return to your game. If the graphics haven’t changed instantly you’ll need to reload your save.

 

[Balthasar]

Have you tested this with Civ Complete?

Also: your instructions at (4) are: Change the address to: MOD_NAME\Eras\Current_Era;MOD_NAME

But since scenario properties points to a folder in the Conquest Scenarios folder, rather than to the biq, shouldn't this be rather: MOD_FOLDER\Eras\Current_Era;MOD_FOLDER

 

[Oni Ryuu]

I'm using Civ Complete. My security settings won't allow the bat file to permission to rename folders but I can still do it manually.
Your correct with the address; I didn't realise it was misleading.

 

[Blue Monkey]

This is a valuable tool you've made - potentially game-changing (pun intended). It's important to make sure people can use it effectively. So please understand that we are not trying to detract from what you've done. The intent is to help you make the instructions as clear as possible so that the widest group of people can put your tool to use.

I didn't realise it was misleading.

When writing instructions it's very easy to forget that the people reading the instructions have never done what we have done repeatedly during testing. The things we do automatically without thinking about it because we've done them over and over again are the very things that will cause frustration and failure for those trying to do it for the first time. Which means it's important to assume nothing. Be very explicit all the way through.

Nathiri and I have worked out a way to have all of the graphics and animations update with a single button.

This is a bit misleading. Saving a game, switching to windowed mode, clicking an icon on the desktop, returning to the game, then checking to see everything worked and potentially needing to reload is a lot more than one click. And none of those steps are in the instructions as written in the OP.

Instructions
1. Place the Eras folder in your mod’s folder

Conquests>Scenarios>Your Mod​

2. Place your new graphic files in the appropriate folders.
3. Open your game in the editor and go to Scenario Properties
4. Change the address to:-

MOD_FOLDER\Eras\Current_Era;MOD_FOLDER​

5. Save your game
6. Create a shortcut for the BAT file and place it next to the game start-up button.

It seems at first glance that all of this is to be done before starting a game. Except that step 5 says "save your game." Does this mean the instructions are for a .SAV file? Or are we meant to modify a .BIQ ? Those are quite different things.

When you reach a new era, you will be told to activate the Next Era link.

This is a tricky part to understand without having done it many times. Based on the instructions as written, up to this point the .BAT has not been executed. So the only sense I can make of this is that being "told to activate the Next Era link" refers to clicking the button on the era splash screen. If so, that would mean that a player has to know to go through the process of saving the game, running the bat & returning to the game every time the era splash comes up. Which means again that the instructions should make very clear what to do, and in what order. Are we supposed to run the bat while the era splash screen is up? I don't remember if it's possible to save the game while the splash screen is active or if you have to clear it and be back in the next turn before you can save. The instructions here need to be a lot more detailed in order to be easy to follow.

People are running different operating systems and many have the Civ 3 files stored in different paths from the standard installation. You don't necessarily need to test every possible combination yourself. But making the instructions much more detailed will make it possible for more people to understand what to do in those various situations and to try them out for themselves. Which means in turn that there will be more people who have been successful and can help others troubleshoot problems with getting it to work. Less work for you in the long run if you write thorough instructions & don't have to do all the "customer support" by yourself.

 

[Oni Ryuu]

I've updated the instructions.
Do you see anything that looks ambiguous or confusing?

 

[Blue Monkey]

Much better!

2. When you reach a new era, you'll be prompted by the era splash to activate the Next Era link.
3. Press the Windows button then locate the Next_Era link.

I think in step three you mean to click on the BAT icon? It would probably be clearer if the wording was different from step two. Other than that the instructions are much clearer now.

 

[Quintillus]

I missed this thread earlier, but this is a very clever way to make the graphics and text files upgrade with time! It allows a whole lot more than just the fortress and leaderhead updates that the game supports by default. Well done!

 

[nick0515]

Wow this is great! Thanks so much for sharing! I've always found it immensely frustrating that improvement graphics can only be either varied by culture OR change with the era. So stupid!

Hope to try this out at some point!

 

[Ozymandias]

Does anyone have the d/l? It's no longer available.

 

[Oni Ryuu]

Hi, Ozymandias

EDIT: Nevermind, I’ve fixed it.
Download

 

[Nathiri]

Hi, Ozymandias

EDIT: Nevermind, I’ve fixed it.
Download

dont forget to update OP. Also I still have this in my files in case it gets lost .

 

[Oni Ryuu]

Thanks, Nathiri

I’m still hoping that someone designs a tool that does everything automatically. Quintillus was looking in to it but he was having trouble identifying the relevant sections in the game’s code.

 

[Ozymandias]

Hi, Ozymandias

EDIT: Nevermind, I’ve fixed it.
Download