Quick Modding Questions Thread

[Radio Noer]

I added a new civic to the game just above the decentralization. But as a new game starts, decentralization still is selected as default. I already gave it a prereq tech. What am I doing wrong?

You have to change the default civic in CivilizationInfos iirc.

 

[nfw]

Is there something that let me upgrade my units in my vassal's cities?

 

[dacubz145]

Are you not allowed to? Never tried it but that is suprising since I know you can place planes in vassel cities

 

[DataByne]

How do flavor units work? I see that they're not set up like UU, so how does the game know to switch up the unit graphics?

 

[The_J]

That's done via civilizations\CIV4UnitArtStyleTypeInfos.xml.
There are the styles defined, and for every style there's the unit mentioned and what graphics should be used as replacement.

 

[DataByne]

How do I change the loading screen images? Is it XML?

 

[The_J]

What exactly do you mean? The main menu (e.g. the globe; that's XML)? Or whatever gets displayed before you come to the main menu (where it's written "[Modname] loading XML", etc.; that can't be changed).

 

[Voyhkah]

I think he means the image that is shown when a game is loading or starting, the one behind the green bar and the advice.

 

[DataByne]

That's the one! The loading screen after you've set up a game and the world is building.

 

[The_J]

Ah, that one.
The file has to be a .dds, and it's referenced in Art\ArtDefines_interface.xml via MAINMENU_LOAD, MAINMENU_LOAD_WARLORDS, MAINMENU_LOAD_BTS and MAINMENU_LOAD_CLASSICAL (depending on which main menu you use; not sure why there are 4 entries ).

 

[DataByne]

Cool, thanks again

 

[DataByne]

Hmm... I hope this is a quick question. I want to add a new era, but I can't seem to find the art files that are used when a new era is reached. Nor can I find references to them in CIV4EraInfos.xml. Is it easy to change them/add a new one?

 

[The_J]

...god...don't mess with that!

You'll have to add entries for everything in the Buildings\CityLSystem.xml and PlotLSystem.xml. Additionally you'll have to change the UnitInfos.xml, because the era dependent art defines rely just on the numbering of the eras (means: early art defines entries = era 1 + 2, middle art define entries = era 3 + 4, late art define entries = everything afterwards).
Next, you'll have to change the TechInfos.xml, because the AI can't deal with it if an era is missing in there.
And the LeaderHeadInfos.xml will need additional music entries.

mmhh...don't know if more is needed...but that's already really enough.

Edit: ...did you check what's written on the top of the EraInfos.xml ?

 

[DataByne]

Ha yeah, I knew it would be a lot based on that, but I couldn't find how the game knew to show that compass image for Renaissance or the watch for Future. I wanted to add a post future era eventually, pain though it may be.

 

[DataByne]

Ok, I now know that the images I was talking about are movies (found in Assets/Art/Movies/Era), but where are these referenced? Is it Python?

 

[The_J]

Mihgt be, don't know atm. But you also don't have to know that .
because you can just replace the files in your mod. The era "movies" are also just .dds files, and are located in Civ4\Art\Movies\Era.
Just create an Art\Movies\Era folder in your mod, and create .dds images with the same names like the original .dds files. That will override the normal era movies.

 

[platyping]

CvEraMovieScreen

Since he intends to add a new era, he has to modify this

 

[DataByne]

Cool, thanks to both of you!

 

[DataByne]

Ha, perhaps one last question on the subject, where is the information for "iEra" drawn from in CvEraMovieScreen.py? It doesn't seem to be in the XMLs, so is there a counter or something?

Spoiler :

class CvEraMovieScreen:
"Wonder Movie Screen"
def interfaceScreen (self, iEra):

 

[The_J]

The variable must be coming from another file, where the function is acutally called...er...but no idea which one that is.