Source Code?

[jmelnick]

I am a little confused here....

With the release of "Gods and Kings" coming up, people have been speculating that Firaxis is going to release a source code.

I have a couple questions about this thing.

1. What's so special about the source code?
2. What will it allow modders to do that we can't now?
3. Is it the same as the DLL?

 

[Androrc the Orc]

I am a little confused here....

With the release of "Gods and Kings" coming up, people have been speculating that Firaxis is going to release a source code.

I have a couple questions about this thing.

1. What's so special about the source code?
2. What will it allow modders to do that we can't now?
3. Is it the same as the DLL?

We would have much more modding capability when it is released. We would be able to change much of the internal workings of the game. It has been promised to come out for Civ5 for some time now. And yes, it's the source code of the DLL that is meant when that is talked about, which means it wouldn't work for MACs.

 

[jmelnick]

And yes, it's the source code of the DLL that is meant when that is talked about, which means it wouldn't work for MACs.

Why wouldn't it work for Macs? Isn't it the same game so it would have the same source code?

 

[Androrc the Orc]

Why wouldn't it work for Macs? Isn't it the same game so it would have the same source code?

I think Macs don't use DLLs?

 

[The_J]

How code runs depends on the operating system (Windows, Linux, MacOS).
Programs which runs on one of these will not work on the others, because the basic structure is different.
To make a program run on another OS, it has to be ported, means someone has to take the source code (of the whole game), adjust it for the other OS and create a running binary file out of it (in case of Civ5 Aspyr is doing that).
Making it compatible is difficult, because some of the concepts are different. e.g. .dll is a Microsoft format, and the concept itself is unknown on Macs (in contrast to XML, Python or Lua, which work on these), therefore it can't be ported and has to be integrated in the equivalent of the .exe on Macs.
-> No .dll modding on Macs :/.