Removal of GOTM "features"

[Mark Anthony]

I downloaded and installed the GOTM add-ons for my Vanilla CivIII v1.29f, but have decided I will likely not participate in the GOTMs at this time. A few of the Add-on features I like, but many of them I would like to turn off or remove. I'd like the lobsters and shrimp to return to whales and fish, I'd like the circles under units which I am not yet controlling to go away and as for those little blue and yellow "pralines" which are littering my plains and grasslands...

Is there a way to turn off specific features from the GOTM pack or must I un-install it completely. And how would I do either of those? Or should I just comepletely remove CivIII and re-install?

 

[Puppeteer]

The circles and pralines are CivIII preference settings independent (mod-wise) of the GOTM install. When loading others' saves (like in GOTM) you inherit their preferences. Control-P or the icon to change these. Circles are "team color discs" and pralines are "show food and shields on map" if I recall correctly. You might also check animations, "show moves" and "renegotiate deals" in preferences as these tend to get changed and many (like me) are particular about how they're set.

For seafood and other mods check the uninstall instructions...I'm sure they're in a file or in a post somewhere. I believe you'll need to restore your original pediaicons.txt file and a terrain bonus pcx file. I do recall that the vanilla mod was more invasive than PTW or C3C because it lacks custom files per scenario at least for some of the files.

Anyway if all else failes, uninstalling the game, deleting the program folder and reinstalling will always work, but it shouldn't come to that.

 

[Tone]

I used AlanH's all in one installer a while ago to upgrade my version of vanilla to work for GOTM/SGOTM but I still see whales and fish in a regular game. Nevertheless I hope the following helps.

To uninstall the lot, I looked in my C:\Program Files\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III folder (maybe Atari rather than Infogrames Interactive for you?) and there are some GOTM folders, including a ReadMe folder with some info on the package, and an unistaller. To get rid of all the upgrade, run this.

If the features you like are not in preferences but are part of the GOTM mod, you could mess around with the Art folder to just replace the offending graphics with the originals from the Before GOTM folder but if you are on dodgy ground, I would PM AlanH and see if he can help (if he hasn't seen this thread already!)

 

[AlanH]

It sounds like you are using the old GOTM mods, which are not compatible with current GOTMs, so unless you want to play random games using bluebox GOTM scenario, or old GOTMs prior to about GOTM 31, you are using the wrong mod.

The All-in-One GOTM installer linked in my signature sets you up to play the current GOTMs, and is compatible with standard games as well as GOTMs and SGOTMs, with no changes required. As Tone says, it puts all the replaced files into a folder called "Before GOTM", so if you don't like the little smiley faces and blips on the resources icons you can revert the resources to standard just by swapping resources.pcx and resources_shadows.pcx from there into your \Art\ folder to replace the GOTM versions. Copies of the standard resources files are also installed in a folder called \Art\resources storage\Standard resources

HTH. Let me know if you need any more info.

 

[DaveMcW]

It would be nice to have a standardized "GOTM preference set" that every game uses. That would eliminate most surprises when the game is opened.

(And I could memorize the sequence to reset them the way I prefer. )

 

[Xerol]

I second this motion. The settings in a recent game really hurt me because whoever made the game had "Cancel orders for friendly combat unit" and I didn't notice that I was telling my workers to start roading an Iron six turns in a row.

 

[AlanH]

I'm not sure whether this is going to help much. Unless the set is what you want you'll have to visit the prefs screen anyway. And even if it matches exactly, could/should players rely on it being followed accurately in every game? Game designers are only human, and there's no way to automate the prefs settings to eliminate human error as far as I know.

I was once hit by a game where stop at end of turn was disabled. That way you lose a turn of research unless you get to the F6 screen before all your units have moved Since then I try to review the prefs as soon as I open the game.

 

[LKendter]

Unless the set is what you want you'll have to visit the prefs screen anyway. And even if it matches exactly, could/should players rely on it being followed accurately in every game?

Well this is one of my hopes for C4. Don't keep preferences with the game, but preferences for your machine. I feel they totally failed to think about PBEM and SGs.


With C3C I usually get reminded quickly that preference are wrong. I try to check my first turn even with SGs.