Palace View Modifications PalaceView.txt

[tom2050]

I haven't actually tested this yet, but should be very promising to modify Palace View graphics to make them pretty much anyway wanted.

It's interesting it references names by CULTURE here.

Initially I thought the X,Y coordinates could not be modified, but apparently the PalaceView.txt file does allow this, which means by setting the X,Y to 0,0 for every image, you can place everything exactly where you want it by making a 1024x768 sized graphic.

I can now go back and perhaps remake the COMM3 Palace View, to make it how I originally wanted to, which is much more versatile and unique.

Also allows you to specify the order the pcx are drawn over one another, although they are pretty much in order, except for one of them being out of place.

Also not tested, are that it allows up to 32 screens per culture (instead of the current 17 it uses). Buttercups guide confirmed 29 events that cause Palace View popup, so it's very possible 3 more events are available that were not found previously. See buttercups thread here outlining those events. I think this is some nice confirmation that it may be possible.


The one part of the txt file that is somewhat unknown (to me at least) is the RULES section.
Example:
What are these? 17 digits each, and 17 of them (one for each culture). There are 17 palace buildings, so I would imagine a rule (row) corresponding to each screen file (palace building) to enable the screen (enable it to be placed). Being also 17 columns would lead me to believe that those also relate to each other somehow.

#COMMENT
; Rules are flags corresponding to each of the screen files required to enable the screen
#PVRULES_AMERICAN
00000000000000000
00000000011000000
00000000011000000
01000000000000000
00100000000000000
00001000000000000
00010000000000000
00000100000000100
00000010000000100
00000000000000000
00000000000000000
00000000010000000
10011000001100000
10000000001000000
00000000000100000
00000000000001000
00000000000000100


Since it says they correspond to each screen file, I listed the corresponding screen files below.

Only similarity I see at first is that the rows with all 0's.. I believe the game allows you to place any of those first (the lawn, the steps, or the middle section). And then the first 'right' and 'left' piece I think can be added after that (and those 2 rows are the same).

The remaining left and right pieces, seem to have a '1' that steps it's spot up a bit. Same with the other middle pieces. Seems like a build order.

WIth this, the build order can be modified to however we prefer it. You could theoretically have 4 towers and build them only upward (8 levels each).

#PVRULES_AMERICAN
00000000000000000 (PALACE00.pcx) tp00lawn1
00000000011000000 (PALACE01.pcx) tp01right1
00000000011000000 (PALACE02.pcx) tp02left1
01000000000000000 (PALACE04.pcx) tp04right2
00100000000000000 (PALACE05.pcx) tp05left2
00001000000000000 (PALACE06.pcx) tp06left3
00010000000000000 (PALACE07.pcx) tp07right3
00000100000000100 (PALACE08.pcx) tp08left4
00000010000000100 (PALACE09.pcx) tp09right4
00000000000000000 (PALACE10.pcx) tp10middle1
00000000000000000 (PALACE03.pcx) tp03steps1
00000000010000000 (PALACE11.pcx) tp11middle2
10011000001100000 (PALACE12.pcx) tp12front1
10000000001000000 (PALACE13.pcx) tp13lawn2
00000000000100000 (PALACE14.pcx) tp14middle3
00000000000001000 (PALACE15.pcx) tp15lawn3
00000000000000100 (PALACE16.pcx) tp16middle4

I'll post more as I verify. And with the ridiculously easy way to enable Palace, Rank, and City view screens , I think there is alot of cool stuff in store for us Civ 3 peoples!

 

[register]

fixed

 

[Blue Monkey]

Very promising. If this pans out you've opened a whole new arena of creative modding.

 

[register]

I tested your ideas yesterday and it's working, palace and city views. RankView working also when just copy a folder ad pasted to Conquest/Art. When rank is shown at the end of the game, in small round box saying "pathetic" or "wise" or whatever after that I have to only click on a cross right bottom corner and finish old game or start new game but in that moment game is crushing. Maybe you will find where is the problem and how to fix it.

 

[tom2050]

register: I am unsure why the game would crash at that moment. I have not had that issue happen. Perhaps a file was missing causing the crash?

Great news.. modification of the PalaceView.txt file has been fully figured out. It is actually quite easier than it appeared, and now the Palace View buildings can be manipulated to be in any way desired. Their build order and queue, graphic sizes and image location, screen draw priority, and even buttons can all be modified. This is very exciting. Since Firaxis has so kindly given complete control over this function, epic games can be very nicely modded.

Unfortunately, adding additional palace buildings does not work (the .txt states up to 32). When attempted, the PalaceView will no longer open. Seems they hardcoded it.

Too bad it cannot work for scenarios (when loaded under New Game option). I tried, and custom scenario's do 'load' just fine, but it is a really strange thing. The game starts, the entire 'world' screen that shows your units and terrain is completed fogged (as well as the map), you can click to go next turn forever, without the game crashing. You can access like normal the menu screens and so forth. Seems since it will not load a custom map, it just starts in a void!

This could be something that Antal I bet may have been able to figure out, too bad he's not still around.

I will post the methods of modifying the PalaceView soon.

 

[tom2050]

Thanks Blue! Hope this helps people make some cool new Palace Graphics!
I was thinking, one could even take a photo-realistic picture of actual palaces, splice the graphics up, and then make a new "Palace graphic" out of it.

Modifying the PalaceView.txt
There are 4 Parts of the PalaceView.txt file
1) Order images are drawn on the screen
2) The "Rules" (what determines the build order)
3) The X,Y coordinates the images start at on the game screen
4) Path locations to the PCX that display the "Buttons" to change between different culture graphics

Note: 1, 2, and 3 all coordinate together, so each 'row' corresponds to the other 'rows'

1) Order images are drawn on the screen
There is one for each culture (Amer, Euro, Med, Mideast, Asian)
They look like this:
#PVFNAME_MEDITERRANEAN
17
roman\PALACE00.pcx
roman\PALACE01.pcx
roman\PALACE02.pcx
roman\PALACE04.pcx
roman\PALACE05.pcx
roman\PALACE06.pcx
roman\PALACE07.pcx
roman\PALACE08.pcx
roman\PALACE09.pcx
roman\PALACE10.pcx
roman\PALACE03.pcx
roman\PALACE11.pcx
roman\PALACE12.pcx
roman\PALACE13.pcx
roman\PALACE14.pcx
roman\PALACE15.pcx
roman\PALACE16.pcx

The images at the bottom of the list, are drawn in FRONT of the images at the top of the list. I recommend putting them in numerical order (put the 03 back in it's place) if you plan on making all new Palace Graphics.
EDIT: When I tried to put more than 17 graphics, it didn't work, but I cannot remember if I updated the "17" number to "18" during my attempt.

2) The "Rules" (what determines the build order)
The fun one! Easy once you get the hang of it.
#PVRULES_MEDITERRANEAN
00000000000000000
00000000011000000
00000000011000000
01000000000000000
00100000000000000
00001000010000000
00010000010000000
00000100000000100
00000010000000100
00000000000000000
00000000000000000
00000000010000000
10011000001100000
10000000001000000
00000000000100000
00000000000001000
00000000000000100

So what do all these 0's and 1's mean? Looks confusing, but actually very simple.
If you have 17 buildings listed in the 1st section, then you will need 17 digits in each row here also.
Each row corresponds to it's building listed in the 1st section.
All zeros (00000000000000000) - means the building has no prereq's to be built. It can be built right away!
Everything else follows this simple formula: There are 17 digits (each representing other buildings from PALACE00 to PALACE16). If a "1" is placed in the spot of that building, then that building is a prerequisite. It must be built first.

Take the 2nd row (which is Building PALACE01.pcx)
00000000011000000 - The first 0 is PALACE00, and the last zero is PALACE16. So the spots with the 1's are PALACE10 and PALACE03. So this is saying in order to build the PALACE01 building, you must first build PALACE10 and 03. (note that because Firaxis made things confusing and moved PALACE03 out of it's spot, it throws the numbers off, this is why it's like that).

Take the 12 entry (which is Building PALACE12.pcx)
10011000001100000 - The 1's are in the spots of PALACE00, PALACE04, PALACE05, PALACE03, and PALACE11 (note that because Firaxis made things confusing and moved PALACE03 out of it's spot, it throws the numbers off, this is why it's like that).

Easier one, take the 4th row (which is PALACE04.pcx)
01000000000000000 - This requires PALACE01 to be built first.


That is pretty much it! Rearrange to your liking.

3) The X,Y coordinates the images start at on the game screen
The X locations first, and Y locations, for each of the 17 buildings. Firaxis probably tried to save space by doing this, but the images are pretty small anyways generally. I recommended setting these all to 0, and create all images of size 1024x768 if creating brand new Palace Buildings. It will make it much easier to modify!

#PV_SPRITE_XLOCS
0
650
0
720
0
218
666
200
652
270
0
280
103
122
298
0
339

#PV_SPRITE_YLOCS
522
360
360
0
0
379
379
190
190
360
482
264
281
0
0
413
0


4) Path locations to the PCX that display the "Buttons" to change between different culture graphics

Allows you to change the button graphics, that let you switch to each different Culture. One good thing, is that if you do not want to allow mixing and matching different culture graphics, you don't have to. You can create a full Magenta graphic for each of these buttons. One one magenta graphic, and have all of these point to that image.
That way each 'culture' can only build it's own 'culture palace'.

#PVICONS_MEDITERRANEAN
Roman\buttons\regrom.pcx
Roman\buttons\orgrom.pcx
Roman\buttons\blurom.pcx

That's it! This may have been known before, but couldn't find anything, so figured I would throw it out there. Can see a working .gif preview of what this can do (changing orders and graphic sizes) here.