The Hidden and Unused content of Civilization VI

[Potworny]

Artie and Frank are most likely some abandoned placeholders, but they still seem to be of very high quality. I imagine they could be reused for mods.

Potentially the most promising lead are those kiran_test clothing and face textures, if there is a way to find a model for them. These textures have .tex files attached to them, which read like this one:

Spoiler kiran_test_pete_clothing_BASE.tex :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

<AssetObjects..TextureInstance>

<m_ExportSettings>

<ePixelformat>PF_R8G8B8A8_UNORM</ePixelformat>

<eFilterType>FT_BOX</eFilterType>

<bUseMips>true</bUseMips>

<iNumManualMips>0</iNumManualMips>

<bCompleteMipChain>true</bCompleteMipChain>

<fValueClampMin>1.000000</fValueClampMin>

<fValueClampMax>0.000000</fValueClampMax>

<fSupportScale>1.000000</fSupportScale>

<fGammaIn>2.200000</fGammaIn>

<fGammaOut>2.200000</fGammaOut>

<iSlabWidth>0</iSlabWidth>

<iSlabHeight>0</iSlabHeight>

<iColorKeyX>0</iColorKeyX>

<iColorKeyY>0</iColorKeyY>

<iColorKeyZ>0</iColorKeyZ>

<eExportMode>TEXTURE_2D</eExportMode>

<bSampleFromTopLayer>false</bSampleFromTopLayer>

</m_ExportSettings>

<m_CookParams>

<m_Values/>

</m_CookParams>

<m_Version>

<major>1</major>

<minor>0</minor>

<build>0</build>

<revision>0</revision>

</m_Version>

<m_Height>2048</m_Height>

<m_Width>2048</m_Width>

<m_Depth>1</m_Depth>

<m_NumMipMaps>12</m_NumMipMaps>

<m_SourceFilePath text="//civ6/main/ArtDev/kiran_test/kiran_test_clothing2.psd"/>

<m_SourceObjectName text="BASE"/>

<m_ImportedTime>1957673510</m_ImportedTime>

<m_ExportedTime>1957673510</m_ExportedTime>

<m_ClassName text="Leader_BaseColor"/>

<m_DataFiles>

<Element>

<m_ID text="DDS"/>

<m_RelativePath text="kiran_test_pete_clothing_BASE.dds"/>

</Element>

</m_DataFiles>

<m_Name text="kiran_test_pete_clothing_BASE"/>

<m_Description text=""/>

<m_Tags>

<Element text="test"/>

<Element text="Leader_BaseColor"/>

<Element text="Leader"/>

<Element text="BaseColor"/>

</m_Tags>

<m_Groups/>

</AssetObjects..TextureInstance>

I does seem like these textures are tagged as belonging to a 'Leader', but it may well not mean anything important. Now, if there was a way to preview how the complete model for him looked like. Or at least make the assets from the expansions viewable in the asset editor. Does anybody have any idea about this stuff?

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Artie and Frank are most likely some abandoned placeholders, but they still seem to be of very high quality. I imagine they could be reused for mods.

Potentially the most promising lead are those kiran_test clothing and face textures, if there is a way to find a model for them. These textures have .tex files attached to them, which read like this one:

Spoiler kiran_test_pete_clothing_BASE.tex :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

<AssetObjects..TextureInstance>

<m_ExportSettings>

<ePixelformat>PF_R8G8B8A8_UNORM</ePixelformat>

<eFilterType>FT_BOX</eFilterType>

<bUseMips>true</bUseMips>

<iNumManualMips>0</iNumManualMips>

<bCompleteMipChain>true</bCompleteMipChain>

<fValueClampMin>1.000000</fValueClampMin>

<fValueClampMax>0.000000</fValueClampMax>

<fSupportScale>1.000000</fSupportScale>

<fGammaIn>2.200000</fGammaIn>

<fGammaOut>2.200000</fGammaOut>

<iSlabWidth>0</iSlabWidth>

<iSlabHeight>0</iSlabHeight>

<iColorKeyX>0</iColorKeyX>

<iColorKeyY>0</iColorKeyY>

<iColorKeyZ>0</iColorKeyZ>

<eExportMode>TEXTURE_2D</eExportMode>

<bSampleFromTopLayer>false</bSampleFromTopLayer>

</m_ExportSettings>

<m_CookParams>

<m_Values/>

</m_CookParams>

<m_Version>

<major>1</major>

<minor>0</minor>

<build>0</build>

<revision>0</revision>

</m_Version>

<m_Height>2048</m_Height>

<m_Width>2048</m_Width>

<m_Depth>1</m_Depth>

<m_NumMipMaps>12</m_NumMipMaps>

<m_SourceFilePath text="//civ6/main/ArtDev/kiran_test/kiran_test_clothing2.psd"/>

<m_SourceObjectName text="BASE"/>

<m_ImportedTime>1957673510</m_ImportedTime>

<m_ExportedTime>1957673510</m_ExportedTime>

<m_ClassName text="Leader_BaseColor"/>

<m_DataFiles>

<Element>

<m_ID text="DDS"/>

<m_RelativePath text="kiran_test_pete_clothing_BASE.dds"/>

</Element>

</m_DataFiles>

<m_Name text="kiran_test_pete_clothing_BASE"/>

<m_Description text=""/>

<m_Tags>

<Element text="test"/>

<Element text="Leader_BaseColor"/>

<Element text="Leader"/>

<Element text="BaseColor"/>

</m_Tags>

<m_Groups/>

</AssetObjects..TextureInstance>

I does seem like these textures are tagged as belonging to a 'Leader', but it may well not mean anything important. Now, if there was a way to preview how the complete model for him looked like. Or at least make the assets from the expansions viewable in the asset editor. Does anybody have any idea about this stuff?

I think we would need to ask a modder with Sukritact-level skill if it's possible to attach these skins to a 3D model.

 

[bite]

I do like all the treasure hunting through the code you guys are doing

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

Artie and Frank are most likely some abandoned placeholders, but they still seem to be of very high quality. I imagine they could be reused for mods.

Potentially the most promising lead are those kiran_test clothing and face textures, if there is a way to find a model for them. These textures have .tex files attached to them, which read like this one:

I does seem like these textures are tagged as belonging to a 'Leader', but it may well not mean anything important. Now, if there was a way to preview how the complete model for him looked like. Or at least make the assets from the expansions viewable in the asset editor. Does anybody have any idea about this stuff?

Me thinks that Artie and Frank were art tests, to get a feel for the style the devs were going for in early testing, and just never taken out, plenty of AAA or big studio games have tons of unused content hidden away. Civ 5 also had references to cut Wonders (like the Panama Canal), and had references to changing unit and advsior icons (which was later reused for Brave New World).

 

[PhoenicianGold]

The face and the clothes I presented in the first post may actually be related to two separate models, so keep that in mind. The face file is called kiran_test_pete_skin_BASE, which would suggest its relation to Peter the Great, but the appearance seems completely different. On the other hand, clothing textures' names (kiran_test_clothing_.) don't point to anything specific. And I don't know where did these latin alphabet letters come from. Here's a better and uncropped version of the texture:

Spoiler :

View attachment 566383

I've also found more evidence pointing to a leader I didn't recognise. There are Asset files for them ('artie'; 'frank'; 'franky'; 'franky3'), which seem to refer to them as 'archie' or 'frank' or 'franky'. They even appear to have animations somewhere (01_FIRST_MEET and 02_DECLARE_WAR_FROM_HUMAN are specified, with names 'Panther' and 'DarkDank' attributed to them across different files - both of those can be found in the Animations folder). There are also geometry and material files for them which I don't know what to do about and skin textures. I couldn't find clothing for them.

Spoiler :

View attachment 566382

With my lacking programming abiities I'm completely overwhelmed by the amount of data there is, and I feel very inefficient with what I'm doing. I think there are enough jigsaw pieces to put something interesting together, but it's not something that I can do. The ''artie'' asset is probably something that should be easy enough to open with the Asset Editor, but I have no access to it at the moment. So, we currently have some leads to research with varying levels of difficulty. I need help from anybody that can find their bearings around these files.

Okay I've been looking at the clothing more closely and a couple of things pop out:

* That reverse L is the texture for his pants. The leader is wearing trousers. They have belt loops and he is wearing a belt, it is that black strip toward the right of the map.
* The big green bit is the torso of an overcoat, the long green bit is likely the arms of the overcoat, and I think that three-sided thing might be a popped collar (although it might be a cravat). The fact that they are separate texture maps and the general appearance of the torso section looks like the overcoat is a bit loose or baggy. It's also cuffless I think, like a military jumpsuit.
* The leader is wearing a round-ish hat. The top texture is very clearly visible in the top right corner, I can't decide what textures might form the brim but it does seem vaguely like a general or pilot cap, maybe if it were a bit poofier something medieval-looking. Whatever it is, it is round with a firm, fairly rigid crown. I think the strips on the far right side form the sides of the hat because they are the only textures which match it in color. However, I don't see a hat brim anywhere.
* There are two broader strips just below the hat that have a very different color/texture from anything else. Given that I don't see a shirt anywhere, I'm guessing these are the cuffs/collar of the leader's undershirt.
* There are buttons (two in the bottom left, one in the middle of the map), and the firaxis logo is on one of the buttons, which may or be bigger than the other buttons. They appear to be all made of felt rather than metal, given the Xs on the smaller buttons. The Firaxis one, therefore might actually be a fake button that is larger and to scale compared to the smaller buttons, but I can't be sure. ALSO, the buttons are in a very unique quatrefoil/rosette pattern, which might help us narrow down where in the world this came from.
* There is some sort of metal pin or badge to the left of the green cloak. I can't make out what the pattern is there but that seems to be a strong source of identifying who this might be.
* Lastly, the weird big are those gold strips along the left side. They look like if they were wrapped around a torus they would resemble something like a cuban gold chain. So the leader would have to be known for wearing a bit of bling.
* That yellow strip in the left hand corner looks suspicious.

Tldr: I see a man in military uniform: black general cap, black pants with belt, black shirt of a slightly different texture, green overcoat with a popped collar, potentially grey felt buttons. But he's also wearing a gold chain necklace that looks cuban-style.

Seems pretty clear to me that the leader is 20th or 21st century military leader, where we see overcoats, hats, and necklaces like that. But I can't reconcile in my brain where he is from. The hat seems very European but the chain feels very Latin American. Castro wouldn't have worn a hat like that and wouldn't be so old, and I don't think anyone in Europe would have worn a chain necklace. Any thoughts?

 

[8housesofelixir]

Tldr: I see a man in military uniform: black general cap, black pants with belt, black shirt of a slightly different texture, green overcoat with a popped collar, potentially grey felt buttons. But he's also wearing a gold chain necklace that looks cuban-style.

Your description of his clothing and the texture of his face reminds me of Churchill - although I don't think Churchill ever wear a gold chain necklace.

On the other hand, I remember some early humor that, the current in-game model of Teddy Roosevelt was originally for Winston Churchill, given the body shape of in-game Teddy can suit Churchill as well.

Interestingly, the in-game Teddy also has a gold chain on his body; not a necklace, but a gold pocket watch chain. And, like Teddy, Churchill did have a pocket watch chain on his jacket/waistcoat in numerous photos.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

OK, those flattened faces creep me the heck out . . .

 

[Myomoto]

OK, those flattened faces creep me the heck out . . .

The eyeballs are what does it for me.

 

[ripple01]

Frank-o?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Franco&usg=AOvVaw2tWw39ChqfBXk25cIyNZEK

Okay I've been looking at the clothing more closely and a couple of things pop out:

Tldr: I see a man in military uniform: black general cap, black pants with belt, black shirt of a slightly different texture, green overcoat with a popped collar, potentially grey felt buttons. But he's also wearing a gold chain necklace that looks cuban-style.

Seems pretty clear to me that the leader is 20th or 21st century military leader, where we see overcoats, hats, and necklaces like that. But I can't reconcile in my brain where he is from. The hat seems very European but the chain feels very Latin American. Castro wouldn't have worn a hat like that and wouldn't be so old, and I don't think anyone in Europe would have worn a chain necklace. Any thoughts?

 

[PhoenicianGold]

Your description of his clothing and the texture of his face reminds me of Churchill - although I don't think Churchill ever wear a gold chain necklace.

On the other hand, I remember some early humor that, the current in-game model of Teddy Roosevelt was originally for Winston Churchill, given the body shape of in-game Teddy can suit Churchill as well.

And, interestingly, Teddy does have a gold chain on his body; not a necklace, but a gold pocket watch chain. Like Teddy, Churchill did have a pocket watch chain on his jacket/waistcoat in numerous photos.

I could see Churchill-to-Teddy being the case. We do know that Washington was in pre-production planning so they would have had a reason to pivot toward Teddy. I'm less sure about the English half of that equation, though, since Victoria seemed pretty well-planned from the beginning. Also, there are some things about the face textures that don't feel like Churchill: a more prominent nose and a more defined chin.

I was also thinking an older version of Stalin, perhaps. The jewelry is really throwing everything off, though. (And Stalin didn't have blue eyes).

Another thing we need to note is that the hair is never going to be on the texture map. Just because the leader looks bald doesn't mean he didn't have hair, or a moustache, or a beard.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

The talk of military uniform makes me wonder...Napoleon?

 

[8housesofelixir]

I could see Churchill-to-Teddy being the case. We do know that Washington was in pre-production planning so they would have had a reason to pivot toward Teddy. I'm less sure about the English half of that equation, though, since Victoria seemed pretty well-planned from the beginning. Also, there are some things about the face textures that don't feel like Churchill: a more prominent nose and a more defined chin.

I was also thinking an older version of Stalin, perhaps. The jewelry is really throwing everything off, though. (And Stalin didn't have blue eyes).

Another thing we need to note is that the hair is never going to be on the texture map. Just because the leader looks bald doesn't mean he didn't have hair, or a moustache, or a beard.

I still think the gold chain thing can be a pocket watch chain though, since I personally cannot remember any early 20-century western leaders wearing a gold necklace in the public, but I can recall a handful of leaders with a pocket watch chain on their belly in the photos.

The lacking of hair really makes things hard to figure out.

 

[PhoenicianGold]

I still think the gold chain thing can be a pocket watch chain though, since I personally cannot remember any early 20-century western leaders wearing a gold necklace in the public, but I can recall a handful of leaders with a pocket watch chain on their belly in the photos.

Yes it might be something like a pocketwatch, although I see no evidence of a vest or undershirt, making me think that the overcoat is buttoned up. In which case it probably isn't a watch chain.

I do agree that the link pattern seems very similar if not identical to Teddy's watch chain.

 

[Potworny]

Okay, I am getting somewhat familiar with the Asset Editor (and I've found the more advanced Asset Browser). I think that I can confirm that the clothing and face textures belong to one model - the Asset Browser recognizes them as KIRAN_TEST_PETE. So I suggest that we call our mysterious flathead Pete. The alphabet on him and the roughness of it doesn't make me think that he is a modern leader though. I've been looking for geometries for him, but had no luck. I've found some other, including the Father and Daughter from the cinematic and a foundation for Hermitage. There are also textures for some knald, ''s'' and popeye, the last of whom actually has a model:

Spoiler :

Another fun thing: Artie and Franky are actually beautiful!

Spoiler :

https://imgur.com/a/ehpOist - apologies for the quality, I had no other option but to record them with my phone

Also, I need help with opening assets from the Expansions 1 and 2. Somebody could probably also find a way to reuse what we already have. Do you reckon that any of our wonderful modders would be interested in our research and and discoveries? I know I'd certainly be interested in their expertise on the subject of Pete :v

 

[Potworny]

To add a little bit of spice to my life I've decided to search in the actual game files instead of the downloadable assets. Sure, there were some English quotes by Sigrid Undset and John Steinbeck in Polish audio files, but nothing too crazy. I used Notepad++ to search for Genoa though, and found a little bit than I expected. First off, the mentions of Genoa still exist to this day, better yet, it's listed among playable civs, instead of being mixed with city-states:

Spoiler Genoa on the list :

That's pretty weird, considering that the list doesn't even include the Aztecs, so that seems to be the most base-base game list, without anything planned as a DLC. So I have no idea what Genoa is doing here. It makes sense for the devs to want to include it after the success of Venice, but if it was so, it was cut in a very inconsistent and hard to understand manner. It's actually not the last mention of it though, as there are some files connected with both major expansions that list Genoa. Not only that, they mention loyalty pressure icons for it. Seems like our cute merchant republic clings to the game files and doesn't want to let go:

Spoiler Genoa in Ep1 and Ep2 :

All this stuff related to Genoa and to Flatface Pete looks like it was censored - some things point to their existence but parts of it are missing. In case of Pete - why are there face and clothing textures but no geometry? In case of Genoa - why are there references to an icon but there is none? Either I'm missing something or there is a reason for why they are not there. And there still is only one Italian city state. Bizzarre. I'm starting to think that Genoa was something that some party at Firaxis wanted to put into the game, but its inclusion was postponed indefinetly. I suppose that's my main theory now and it would possibly explain why Genoa keeps on appearing. And Flatface Pete may be its leader.

My plan for now is to search for our keywords (e.g. 'kiran', 'kiran_test_pete', 'artie', 'frank' and now 'genoa'). It's rather slow, as I don't currently have access to my own primary computer. 'kiran_test_pete' still intrigues me the most. And I still don't know what to do about it.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

That's pretty weird, considering that the list doesn't even include the Aztecs, so that seems to be the most base-base game list, without anything planned as a DLC. So I have no idea what Genoa is doing here. It makes sense for the devs to want to include it after the success of Venice, but if it was so, it was cut in a very inconsistent and hard to understand manner. It's actually not the last mention of it though, as there are some files connected with both major expansions that list Genoa. Not only that, they mention loyalty pressure icons for it. Seems like our cute merchant republic clings to the game files and doesn't want to let go:

The Aztecs have their own DLC file because they weren't automatically included for everybody right at the start, only those who pre-ordered the game.

I still feel like for some reason they decided not to include a city-state civ right off the bat in the base game so they took it out and brought in Norway, which was originally going to come with the Viking Scenario DLC. At least it's the most plausible theory.

 

[PhoenicianGold]

To add a little bit of spice to my life I've decided to search in the actual game files instead of the downloadable assets. Sure, there were some English quotes by Sigrid Undset and John Steinbeck in Polish audio files, but nothing too crazy. I used Notepad++ to search for Genoa though, and found a little bit than I expected. First off, the mentions of Genoa still exist to this day, better yet, it's listed among playable civs, instead of being mixed with city-states:

Spoiler Genoa on the list :

View attachment 566571

That's pretty weird, considering that the list doesn't even include the Aztecs, so that seems to be the most base-base game list, without anything planned as a DLC. So I have no idea what Genoa is doing here. It makes sense for the devs to want to include it after the success of Venice, but if it was so, it was cut in a very inconsistent and hard to understand manner. It's actually not the last mention of it though, as there are some files connected with both major expansions that list Genoa. Not only that, they mention loyalty pressure icons for it. Seems like our cute merchant republic clings to the game files and doesn't want to let go:

Spoiler Genoa in Ep1 and Ep2 :

View attachment 566576

All this stuff related to Genoa and to Flatface Pete looks like it was censored - some things point to their existence but parts of it are missing. In case of Pete - why are there face and clothing textures but no geometry? In case of Genoa - why are there references to an icon but there is none? Either I'm missing something or there is a reason for why they are not there. And there still is only one Italian city state. Bizzarre. I'm starting to think that Genoa was something that some party at Firaxis wanted to put into the game, but its inclusion was postponed indefinetly. I suppose that's my main theory now and it would possibly explain why Genoa keeps on appearing. And Flatface Pete may be its leader.

My plan for now is to search for our keywords (e.g. 'kiran', 'kiran_test_pete', 'artie', 'frank' and now 'genoa'). It's rather slow, as I don't currently have access to my own primary computer. 'kiran_test_pete' still intrigues me the most. And I still don't know what to do about it.

One curious thing I would note is that the clothing file makes no reference to Pete. So we don't have a hard confirmation that flat-faced Pete was intended to be dressed that way or if the clothing was just intended to be test clothing.

And, for that matter, we don't really have a hard confirmation that flat-faced Pete was intended to lead a civ or if he himself was just a test face. He doesn't appear to have been intended as a Genoese leader, as none of the Pietros who were doges were particularly important.

 

[Potworny]

One curious thing I would note is that the clothing file makes no reference to Pete. So we don't have a hard confirmation that flat-faced Pete was intended to be dressed that way or if the clothing was just intended to be test clothing.

Actually, the Asset Browser recognizes two instances of kiran_test clothing, one of them refers to them with the 'pete'. That's why I assume they are two parts of the same model:

Spoiler :

I must admit though that linking this model with Genoa is more of a reach. The theory that our Pete may perhaps have been a leader comes from my ridiculous jersey theory from 2016, which I have presented in the first post of this thread. While the assets we have upright state that they are made for testing purposes, they seem to be of incredibly high quality. And having these high quality textures and no model makes me, let's say, suspicious.

BTW, franky is also reffered to as 'keanhead'; artie as 'trident' or 'archaeologist' - this is particularly interesting as there is a .wig file called LEAD_SPACE_Archaeologist

Also, I have to appreciate how many test files there are just for Gilgamesh's beard

 

[Myomoto]

I wonder why if they had worked on Genoa to be in the game since vanilla they didn't bring them in during any of the expansions.

 

[AltVindetta]

Ngl that outfit you describe seriously reminds me of Jotaro... devs testing and fans of Jojo's?