Nothing works anymore -- was it an update?

[thetableist]

I don't know what update came through that changed the worldbuilder to show "advanced mode" and other, what seemed minor, changes, but my worldbuilder is totally useless now. I can't use it with any mods at all, it just crashes outright, no matter what. I have a brand new computer with a fresh install, reinstalled the tools, reenabled world builder, and now nothing is working. I can't figure it out. Can anyone possibly help? Or tell me how to get rid of this terrible update that ruined everything?

 

[thetableist]

You know it would be great if people on these help forums helped people.

 

[Browd]

The Worldbuilder changes were in the Antarctic Late Summer Patch. Note that Worldbuilder Editor is labeled as "unsupported" and that Advanced Mode is "very much still in development," which means it is unfinished and likely bugged.

WorldBuilder Editor (unsupported)

• Allow Forge tuner panel to work in WorldBuilder.
• Add “Basic mode” for creating simple hand-crafted location maps with random start positions. Separate out scenario tools to “Advanced Mode”, which is very much still in development.
• Add ability to “paint” with different brush sizes.
• Assign a default continent value when “painting” any terrain (Africa).
• Scatter Resources button added.
• Settings
  • Disable Generate New ID button in Basic mode.
  • Make Generate ID button do something in Advanced mode.
  • When updating text strings, the text in the left column did not update to reflect the changes.
  • Now, text options are locked for name, descript, and map name, map descript (they are required). These were able to be deleted before.
• Misc
  • Don't allow selection of resource amounts for non-strategic resources in the Plot and Placement editors.
  • Fix an issue where an already saved WorldBuilder map, when loaded back into WorldBuilder, would lose continent data.
  • Erase any improvements on a plot when changing the owner to NONE.
  • Erase improvements and features on a tile if you change the terrain type to something incompatible in the Placement mode.
  • Allow changing the Pillaged state of improvements on tiles.
  • First pass at status message system to give feedback like "Library requires a Campus district" or "Placed Shrine successfully" instead of silently doing nothing.
  • Show correct civ icons in World Builder Player Editor.
• World Builder Front-End
  • Additional Content
    • New maps created in WorldBuilder are now automatically found and enabled when returning to the main menu. No more required restart.
    • Updated mods UI to show a different icon if the mod came from a map.
    • If a mod has a 'Created' property, show the date the mod was created. * Expansion 2 and Expansion 1 are now always shown at the top of the mods listing.
    • Map-loaded mods are always considered compatible.
    • Additional fixes for compatibility, etc.
  • Game Setup
    • Maps now display properly in the in-game map-lists if you are in the correct rule-set, and the map mod is enabled.
    • Maps created in the “Standard” ruleset now will show as playable in both Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm.
  • World Builder Menus
    • Change front-end menus to reflect only items necessary for WorldBuilder. Update text strings. Update in-game pause menu to reflect only items necessary for WorldBuilder.
    • Add World Wrap toggle to Advanced Setup.

Moderator Action: Moved to Tech Support -- Browd

 

[thetableist]

It was, however, working fine before. So they just did an update that made the entire thing non-functional and I'm the only person who has noticed?

 

[Browd]

All I can say is that I haven't seen others reporting what you are reporting, so it may (or may not) be something unique to your installation.

EDIT: In your original post, you mentioned using WB with mods. What mods were you using, and have those mods been updated for the latest patch? Can you load a game with those mods and modded maps (without trying to load Worldbuilder)?

 

[thetableist]

I can load the game using the all the mods if I bypass wordbuilder. If I use advanced options in world builder for any reason, it crashes. Prior to this update, there were no "advanced" options, it was just all the options. Now if I even try to specify a starting location it crashes. That is using the "play your custom maps" mod. Play your custom maps mod works fine if I create a map using all the mods i normally use, but without specifying any advanced options whatsoever.

Additionally, since the update, and I mentioned this elsewhere, I now have dozens of useless and duplicate map saves listed in my mods list. Even if I edit a single map, and save it, and then edit it some more and save it again, without using any advanced features, I will get duplicate "mods" listed in the additional content alongside where any normal mod would go. I don't see those listed as separate files in the games folder, the steam folder, or anywhere else, so i don't even know where it's getting a list to populate that section.

I can't imagine what in the world they "updated." It seems to me that they simply and deliberately deprecated existing function for no discernible reason except to ensure that you can't play your own maps.

Alienware 17 R5, Windows 10 Pro, 64-bit. I would list mods but, as I said, I have tried with and without them, and it works fine as long as I never access the so-called "advanced" editor, which happens to contain functions that were already previously accessible in the version of worldbuilder that existed prior to this infernal update.

 

[thetableist]

I will add that I can go back to worldbuilder and open up a map that crashed upon attempting to play it. If I save it in basic mode, thus erasing all the advanced data, save it, and try it again, it works fine. So it's only the advanced data that crashes. and while saying it's unsupported is one thing, I don't think unsupported is supposed to mean "this 100 percent doesn't function in any way and don't even try to use it" because why would they even bother to make it? If you see what I mean. Also the prior version of worldbuilder was likewise considered unsupported, but it had these advanced functions and yet it worked fine.

 

[the Jack]

I'm baffled too. I didn't try using WorldBuilder (henceforth WB) until after the Antarctic Summer patch, so idk about any issues prior to that or any differences between then and now. But I'm finding trying to use WB really frustrating. I got it enabled into the Additional Content menu fine, and I can start it up with a randomized map to start from (iirc I couldn't see how to get a blank map to start from, but that's not a problem for me as I like to riff on an existing map rather than make one out of whole cloth) but from there things get weird.

I started editing and initially ran into thetableist's problem with multiple mods showing up every time I saved my work -- this seemed to have been corrected by my using the menu in the very top left corner of WB to change the mod name and descriptions fields to something other than the default settings.

For me, any older saves that do show up in the mods list (either as Untitled Custom Map or as the name I gave the map) are automatically showing up as disabled and only the most recent one is enabled. Weirdly I've found that the most recent mod must be disabled first in order for me to be able to load my saved incomplete map into WB again. This may or may not also be the case for creating a new game from the edited map.

But now that I finally have my map ready to go -- who can edit an entire map in one sitting without saving at intervals? -- only the very first, Untitled test copy of the map that I saved is showing up when I try to create a new game. I can view my work in WB, but what's the point of a custom map if you can't play a game on it?

As I said I'm baffled. I have googled and I have used the civfanatics search function and all I get are bits and pieces that don't even add up to a whole picture of what I'm supposed to be doing.

In other issues, maybe I'm missing something really obvious, but I can't find how to view, much less change, start locations in WB. I would appreciate instructions written as if I am a moron so that I can be sure whether PEBCAK or there's something actually wrong with my copy of WB.

I have not even tried using the Advanced Mode, having been duly warned away by Firaxis's popup.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

[ghost88]

All I can say is that I haven't seen others reporting what you are reporting, so it may (or may not) be something unique to your installation.

EDIT: In your original post, you mentioned using WB with mods. What mods were you using, and have those mods been updated for the latest patch? Can you load a game with those mods and modded maps (without trying to load Worldbuilder)?

@Browd I do not think the OP is talking about the World Builder App but the Start Menu and its advance menu.

 

[thetableist]

I started editing and initially ran into thetableist's problem with multiple mods showing up every time I saved my work -- this seemed to have been corrected by my using the menu in the very top left corner of WB to change the mod name and descriptions fields to something other than the default settings.

For me, any older saves that do show up in the mods list (either as Untitled Custom Map or as the name I gave the map) are automatically showing up as disabled and only the most recent one is enabled. Weirdly I've found that the most recent mod must be disabled first in order for me to be able to load my saved incomplete map into WB again. This may or may not also be the case for creating a new game from the edited map.

But now that I finally have my map ready to go -- who can edit an entire map in one sitting without saving at intervals? -- only the very first, Untitled test copy of the map that I saved is showing up when I try to create a new game. I can view my work in WB, but what's the point of a custom map if you can't play a game on it?

That is definitely one of the most irritating aspects.

 

[Lordfar]

Only problem for me is that it iss much much too easy to win EVERY time in Deity, with any civ and any map... Why can it not be harder, or make an extra hardest level.. I am not the only one, people write that they go Always War, and giv themself handicaps, but really with so many difficulty levels whey cant the hardest not be harder.
And, it seems that no matter what then my science grow much faster than the AI after the renaisance, no matter what I do or not do.
really...