New unit: sometimes appears, sometimes doesn't

[Fabius]

I'm working on a new "civilization". Ever since playing Civilization (I) in college when we learned we could rename our civilization and our cities, I have played as the "Pennsylvanians". It's goofy perhaps, but fun, and I thought with the ability to actually make your own civ I'd give it a try.

Well, it's all but done. The only things it doesn't have is a custom animated leaderhead (I'm using George Washington because of the similarity between him and Thomas Mifflin, first governor of the commonwealth), a unique color which I plan on working on tonight, and this last problem:

My unique unit (Pennsylvania National Guard -> replaces Infantry) shows up in the Civilopedia (Civilization entry, Unit entry, Start-up info screen, and so on) in a game that is started as the Pennsylvanians, but in a previously started game the Civilopedia entry is blank. There's no mention of a unique unit in the Civilization entry screen and there's no button for the unit in the Unit menu. All of those things happen in a game started as the Pennsylvanians, however.

Is this how that's supposed to work? In a game already begun any new units added won't show up in the Civilopedia? But it will show up in any newly created games (whether started as the Pennsylvanians or as another culture)?

And as an added problem, it seems like once I load a game that shows the new units (i.e. a new game) that I can no longer even load old games. But if I take the new civ out and restore original files that the old game will load. It will continue to load with the new civ reinstalled . . . but only until I load a game that has the new unit. From that point on, old games won't load.

Anyone else added new units to the game and had similar issues?

 

[Fabius]

Don't mean to bump my own post (okay, yes I do) but after reading the sticky about putting things in the Custom Assets folder, I thought I'd post an additional question.

If you put your modified files into the Custom folders, do they act like the real folders, meaning that you don't have to update all the paths in the XML files? Or do you have to specify instead of Assets/XML/Art as a path, for example, you have to specify My Documents/My Games/Civilization etc. and so forth? That seems horribly bulky in that you must specify the Civilization directory itself (which will be different as not everyone just hits 'OK' on the installation screens) and how do you know where My Documents even is? On my machine My Documents is on the root of my E: drive, for instance.

Does anyone know? I'm thinking, based on my reasons, that the Custom folders must act like the real folders, meaning that you simply install there instead of to your original directories. And while I'm at it . . . BUMP. I'd really like to know if anyone else has added an additional unit to the game if they're having the same problem in that once they've started a game using the new unit that games not featuring the unit refuse to load.

 

[vbraun]

For this kind of thing I reccomend putting your files into the Mod foulder instead of Custom Assests.

 

[Fabius]

I would like for my new civ to load each and every time I play the game. But I was hoping there would still be a way to play a game already set up with my "mod" still installed to my core files.

I just can't figure it out. Since a saved game would not have had my new civ in it when created, that civ wouldn't exist in a saved game. Not a single pixel of the saved game should point to the new civ, unless in the Civilopedia, and that would only point to some buttons, art, and text. I don't see why my new civ shouldn't be able to overlay my normal files yet still allow me to play a game from before.

 

[vbraun]

Look at the Civ4 Config thing:

; Specify a Mod folder (Mods\Mesopotamia), '0' for none
Mod = 0

If you change it to your mod foulder it will load up to what you want.

 

[Fabius]

Well, I may try that since you convinced me that it will load every time I open the game. But neither of my questions was answered.

If you make a new unit, will games started before that unit was in existence all of a sudden dump you to desktop every time you try to load it? And if I were to take my completed mod and dump it into a mod folder do I need to redo all my links in the XML files or can I simply dump it and it will work? And if I do need to redo all my paths in the XML, how will I be able to specify My Documents so it will not only work on my machine but anyone's machine?

 

[vbraun]

Well, I may try that since you convinced me that it will load every time I open the game. But neither of my questions was answered.

Sorry about that.

1. If your trying to load a non-modded game while you have a mod loaded (or a modded game while you don't have a mod loaded) it should load up the right mod and be able to play it.

To actually answer your question: I think it will everytime, but I'd check to make sure you have changed all of the right files.

2. You don't have to worry about the file paths. So if you have a file in Custom Assests that calls another file from the Original Assests directory it should work, same thing goes with Mods.

 

[Fabius]

Okay, so far so good. One last stupid question. I have everything pathed correctly (or so I thought). The Mod is working properly (text wise at least) but none of my images are loading, even though they loaded fine when I had them hard coded over the games original Assets folder.

My CIV4ArtDefines_Leaderhead.xml file, for example, has the Button tag pointing to

,Art/Interface/LeaderHeads/Btn_LH_Pennsylvania_Mifflin.dds,Art/Interface/Buttons/Actions_Builds_LeaderHeads_Specialists_Atlas.dds,8,13

I checked other people's mods, and it appears the game assumes you're starting the path from the Assets folder. Those DDS files are indeed in my Mods/Pennsylvania/Assets/Interface/LeadersHeads and Mods/Pennsylvania/Assets/Art/Interface/Buttons folder respectively. Yet nothing shows up in the game.

Am I missing something? Like I said, the images work (I've personally seen all of them in the game), and I believe I have my path correct, yet nothing shows.

One last thing: the missing images, they don't show up in the bright neon "I don't have a clue what you're talking about" shade of pink. Instead, they seem to be transparent. You can click on them (in the Civilopedia for instance) and it will take you to the next page, it's only they are totally clear and invisible.