I use a method similar to the Science Advisor Tutorial for creating the techtrees with arrows in my mods:
1. As a first step I make a screenshot of the techtree I want to change (even if this is an era 1 techtree of the standard Civ 3game).
2. Than I make a photomontage containing the things I want to add or to change in the game. I know the techbox sizes for containing 1 item up to six items and insert them into a copy of the screenshot. It is helpful for my motivation to copy into those techboxes the images of the items they should contain.
3. In the next step I insert and adjust copies of the arrows in that photomontage. This also allows to create easily very special forms of arrows.
4. Than I copy and paste parts of the background of this techtree over the techboxes and remnants of former arrows that are no longer needed.
5. In the next step I insert that template of the new techtree into the inlet of a copy of the advisor graphics for the techtree in that era. First I insert the bigger rectangle part of the photomontage and than the smaller right part of the techtree. A good help for adjusting both parts are arrows that are cut by the two parts.
6. Than I start the game to see how the new techtree is looking when playing the game. I make a screenshot about the current situation of the modified techtree in the game and mark needed adjustments to the arrows in red colour (per example enlarging them by some dots) and needed adjustments in the biq (per example in the tech x and y coordinates) in blue colour. When these adjustments in the advisor screen of the techtree are satisfying, the work is completed.
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Here is an example about changing the complex techtree of Era 3 in the RARR mod:
This was the
photomontage for the techs in era 3 of that mod (here I needed a very thin and fitting special arrow from the techbox Internal Combustion to the techbox Airships):
Here is a control screenshot of the reworked advisor graphics of era 3 in the mod RARR:
Text in the
post belonging to that screenshot:
Different to former screenshots, which showed a graphical photomontage for a concept of the new techtree of era 3 in RARR, the screenshot below was taken from the existing new RARR 1.9 on my pc after pasting the concept with the wiped out techboxes into the era 3 industrial-new graphic for the new techtree. Blue circles show still needed work in the editor (mostly fixes of x/y coordinates of the tech boxes or units/improvements to add or to change, per example battlecruisers and early WW2 tanks). Red circles show still needed graphical work in the industrial-new techtree graphic in era 3 (mostly fixed arrows).
