[Tutorial] In-Game Cheats, Modding, & Debugging Using Console Commands

[StarDuster]

The following may be used to "cheat", modify, and/or debug any currently running Civilization IV game "on-the-fly". I have not tested/used all of the console lines. Feel free to tinker with them but always remember to save your current game first!

Warning: This procedure involves editing a game file. Be sure to create a backup copy of the "CivilizationIV.ini" file before proceeding.

Use a text editor (such as Notepad, do NOT use Wordpad) to edit the "CivilizationIV.ini" file located in "C:\Documents and Settings\[Your Windows Log On Name]\My Documents\My Games\Civ4\"

Open the file and search for the line of text "CheatCode = 0". Change this line to "CheatCode = chipotle". Save the file. Now start a game and press "~" during game play to display the console window.

The following are a list of console lines along with their functions. The description of the console line will appear in bold black letters while the console line itself will appear in bold red letters.

Some commands require you to enter variables (such as an amount of gold or x-y coordinates). A brief description of the variable will be found within [ ] brackets in the console line.

Also, keep in mind that the following commands are case sensitive.

Example:
Set player's gold (0 is active player) - Player.setGold [player number=""] [value]

Therefore, to change your gold to 5000, you would enter the line:
Player.setGold 0 5000

Pretty simple huh.


Effect - Code
Display all console window command lines - help
Stop music - Sound.noMusic
Reload audio scripts - Sound.reload
Stop Soundscape from playing - Sound.stopSoundScape
Play sound - Sound.play string [filename]
Finds entities with black emissivity - Graphics.FindBlackPlotsAndCities
Hide attachables - Graphics.HideAttachables
Force light update on all entities - Graphics.ForceLightingUpdate
Rebuild terrain and lighting - Graphics.ReBuildTerrain
Set Hill scale - Graphics.SetHillScale [floating number=""]
Set Peak scale - Graphics.SetPeakScale [floating number=""]
Set water plane height - Graphics.setWaterHeight [floating number=""]
Set render depth for quad tree - Graphics.quadTreeDepth [integer]
Toggle water - Graphics.toggleWater
Display terrain - Graphics.displayTerrain
Toggle grids - Graphics.toggleGridMode
Dump texture palette - Graphics.showTexturePalette
Set texturing - Graphics.setTextureMode
Set wireframe - Graphics.setWireframe
Morph the globeview count times - Profile.morphGlobe [integer]
Rebuild city indicated number of times - Profile.rebuildCity [x coordinate=""] [y coordinate=""] [integer]
Rebuild plot indicated number of times - Profile.rebuildPlot [x coordinate=""] [y coordinate=""] [integer]
Dump animation information to debugging window - Profile.dumpAnimLog
Set minimum time to capture spikes. (set to 0 to disable spikelock) - Profile.setSpikeThreshold [milliseconds]
Dump console command history - Console.History
Write HTML documentation for the current console commands - Console.CreateDocumentation [filename]
Clear the console - Console.Clear
Display current logging status - Log.status
Toggle logging - Log.toggle
Clear the log file - Log.clear
Erase units and cities from map - Map.empty
Fill map with units and cities for performance testing - Map.fill
Replot Goodies - Map.generateGoodies
Replot Bonuses - Map.generateBonuses
Replot Features - Map.generateFeatures
Replot Rivers - Map.generateRivers
Erase Rivers, Features, Bonuses and Goodies - Map.eraseGameElements
Replace Rivers, Features, Bonuses and Goodies - Map.replaceGameElements
Change the active landscape info - Map.setActiveLandscapeID [landscape number=""]
Erase all plots - Map.erasePlots
Reload Game Text xml files - Xml.reloadGameText
Reload Civ4TerrainSettings.xml - Xml.reloadLandscapeInfo
Reload Civ4ArtDefines.xml - Xml.reloadArtDefines
Toggle output of texture loads/accesses to debug output - Game.toggleTextureAccessInfo
Force AI to play for indicated number of turns - Game.AIPlay [integer]
Create sequences associated with the selected unit - Game.createSelectedUnitKFs
Free sequences associated with the selected unit - Game.freeSelectedUnitKFs
Save WorldBuilder save description file - Game.saveWorldBuilderSave [filename]
Toggle Animation Test Tool - Game.toggleAnimationTest
Show GFC directory chooser - Game.gfcDirChooser
Show GFC file dlg window - Game.gfcfiledlg
Show GFC test popup - Game.testGFC [integer]
Show test popup - Game.testFont bool bEnable
Show the Python test popup - Game.testPythonPopup
Show test popup - Game.testPopup
Scroll to the bottom - Game.scrollBottom
Scroll to the top - Game.scrollTop
Clear the listbox below - Game.clear
Display the help popup - Game.helpScreen
Toggle debug mode - Game.toggleDebugMode
Debugging - Game.showWBPalette bool bCreate
Compute md5 checksum for the directory tree specified - App.calcFolderChechsum [directory]
Set debugging value - App.setMooseDbg1 [integer]
TGA full screen shot in Screenshot folder. (requires "AllowScreenShots=1" in "CivilizationIV.ini") - App.takeFullScreenShot
TGA screen shot in Screenshot directory. (requires "AllowScreenShots=1" in "CivilizationIV.ini") - App.takeScreenShot
Set maximum frame rate. (0 to disable) - App.setMaxFrameRate [floating number=""]
Update existing value in the ini file - App.setIniFile [group key=""], [key] [value]
Crash game - App.crash
Return the application link time - App.getBuildTime
Test player unit iteration - Player.testUnitIter [integer]
Change players gold. (0 is active player) - Player.changeGold [player number=""] [value]
Set players gold (0 is active player) - Player.setGold [player number=""] [value]

These are all of the commands that I am currently aware of. I will add more as they are discovered or come to my attention. If you are aware of any that are not listed here, please feel free to share them.

 

[kandalf]

App.Crash

 

[StarDuster]

aaah yes. app.crash - a must-have requirement for any Windows-based game

 

[tbear2520]

OK, I have a problem when trying to do anything in the console. Here is a screen shoot of the error message. Any ideas? I have uninstalled and reinstalled Civ 4. My version is the latest. All current patches have been applied.



Any help, PLEASE!!!

 

[Junuxx]

I haven't tried it myself but I think it's case-sensitive tbear. The B in generateBonuses needs to be in upper case.

Very useful tutorial by the way.

 

[StarDuster]

I haven't tried it myself but I think it's case-sensitive tbear. The B in generateBonuses needs to be in upper case.

You are correct Junuxx and thank you for bringing that to my attention. I will add that note to my original post.

Very useful tutorial by the way.

Thanks

 

[tbear2520]

While I agree that the thing is case sensitive, I don't believe that that's my issue. Here's another screen shot.


Any help? Thanks

Clearly I have a map open

 

[Junuxx]

There's someone with the same question on apolyton.
The answer might appear here soon:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=145047

 

[apowell]

You appear to be trying to call a function. Try adding parentheses after the name:

map.generateBonuses()

or something similar.

Python function calls are a lot like C. The name of the function is just a pointer to the address where the function starts. Or so my memory tells me.

Cheers

 

[Blkbird]

You appear to be trying to call a function. Try adding parentheses after the name:

map.generateBonuses()

or something similar.

Python function calls are a lot like C. The name of the function is just a pointer to the address where the function starts. Or so my memory tells me.

But if an AttributeError occurs saying "Object has no property named XYZ", then that includes any methode. So there definitely isn't anything - "callable" or not - of that name.

But "Map" clearly isn't equal to "map", is it?

 

[iSkratch]

aaah yes. app.crash - a must-have requirement for any Windows-based game

I've noticed that Civilization 4 seems to quite often decide to demonstrate this "feature" at random times while playing, how nice of them!

Also, see the bottom of this page for some more useful ones, although a couple don't seem to work.

 

[Craig_Sutter]

I've been trying to get the cheat to work in World Builder as well... I type ~ and get the input screen for it... however, any command I type in gives no result...
after the >>: I type in help and hit enter, and get 'help' is not defined...

So I can't even get the help command to work, let alone any of the others.

I know nothing about python, or how to enter commands... am I missing something obvious to someone more knowledgable about programming.

 

[ensignyu]

Well, I'm not sure if it's been mentioned anywhere else, but for me, hitting shift-tilde (shift and ~) brings up a Python interpreter console (notice the >>, as opposed to the single > used by the cheat console) that tbear mentioned. Very handy for debugging Python mods.

 

[ensignyu]

I don't know anything about the European version, but I think some site mentioned control-shift-c for some unclear purpose. Try that.

 

[Granias]

WTH i cant get the console screen up i press [SHIFT-#] (which makes ~) and also tried just pressing #. I have checked my .ini file a million times and it still doesn't work!! I have the european version of the game that might have soomething to do with it. If someone could tell me what noobish error i am making it would be very helpful as i am trying to add python into my mod and being able to test functions would be very handy.

I've got the European version to and it works for me. Are you sure SHIFT-# makes the ~? Try pressing the button without shift.

 

[Silica_Pathways]

Fill map with units and cities for performance testing - Map.fill

Doesn't work. Says "done", but nth happens

 

[Snerk]

It doesnt work. I have edited the civilizationIV.ini file,
then i says i have to press ~ to acces the console window.
But nothing happends when i press ~ !
The idea is to press ctrl + alt + "the button with the ~ symbole on" when your in a game right? well nothing happens, can someone help?

 

[mikezang]

How can I use same function in python files?

 

[StarDuster]

I've been trying to get the cheat to work in World Builder as well... I type ~ and get the input screen for it... however, any command I type in gives no result...
after the >>: I type in help and hit enter, and get 'help' is not defined...

This isn't for the World Builder.

Now start a game and press "~" during game play to display the console window.

It is for in-game use...and yes, it does work. I have been using it for months (US vanilla version).

 

[espartaco]

This is very simple if you have the Python code on hand.
Example to give money to player 0 (the human):
in the Python console (invoked with shift-~ as explained before) type:
player = gc.getPlayer(0) [hit ENTER]
player.setGold(5000) [hit ENTER]

that's all!

there are many many methods to call using your new variable 'player' (or whatever name to choose above).