Using a scenario map within Modbuddy

[Christopher Poet]

Okay, so here is a potentially noobish question, but how do I use Mod Buddy to make a scenario map work? I can't find a clear guide on youtube and your lists of topics on the main page have so far been fruitless in proving a simple and straight forward guide to how I am supposed to do this and upload it to steam. Does anyone have an answer to this?

 

[LeeS]

Most people just add the map to the mod, set it's "Import Into VFS" to "false", and have the user copy the map from the mod to their ~\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\Maps folder. They then select the map in Advanced Setup, click "Back" once the map is selected, and then click on the little button called as I recall "Play As Scenario" that would then show on the normal modded-game set-up screen.

You can rework the game set-up screen to load a custom set-up page and the like, but this requires a lot more work, a re-written lua and xml file for the set-up screen, and perhaps more that I am not thinking of at the moment.

You can look in the 1066 Firaxis Scenario (assuming you have it: if not, just look at one of the others) to see what you need to do to make your mod automatically select the map when the mod is enabled. As well as all the other stuff you need to do as examples of re-working the game database to make a scenario: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\assets\DLC\DLC_04\Scenarios\1066Scenario

I don't think many people have really gone the "full-on" route with custom set-up pages, custom victory scenes, and the like. Gedemon's TSL system is one example of a modded "full-on" scenario, but his code for the game set-up lua files is pretty complicated.

So far as I know there is no tutorial for Scenario Creation, either as a general tutorial or for the specifics of what you need to do in ModBuddy.

 

[Christopher Poet]

Most people just add the map to the mod, set it's "Import Into VFS" to "false", and have the user copy the map from the mod to their ~\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\Maps folder. They then select the map in Advanced Setup, click "Back" once the map is selected, and then click on the little button called as I recall "Play As Scenario" that would then show on the normal modded-game set-up screen.

You can rework the game set-up screen to load a custom set-up page and the like, but this requires a lot more work, a re-written lua and xml file for the set-up screen, and perhaps more that I am not thinking of at the moment.

You can look in the 1066 Firaxis Scenario (assuming you have it: if not, just look at one of the others) to see what you need to do to make your mod automatically select the map when the mod is enabled. As well as all the other stuff you need to do as examples of re-working the game database to make a scenario: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\assets\DLC\DLC_04\Scenarios\1066Scenario

I don't think many people have really gone the "full-on" route with custom set-up pages, custom victory scenes, and the like. Gedemon's TSL system is one example of a modded "full-on" scenario, but his code for the game set-up lua files is pretty complicated.

So far as I know there is no tutorial for Scenario Creation, either as a general tutorial or for the specifics of what you need to do in ModBuddy.

I do not mean to sound rude or anything, but I do not understand any of this. I know how to open a scenario in game. What I do not understand, yet, is how I turn the map into a mod through mod buddy. Is there not a step by step guide somewhere that makes this clear and easy to follow? I don't need anything fancy right now. I just want to be able to test my map out and make sure it is balanced and works. Then get ready to upload a release to steam and here. But I do not know how to do that. At all.

 

[Rob (R8XFT)]

Moderator Action: Moved these posts from the Modding Wiki thread to their own thread within the main Creation and Customisation forum.

 

[Chrisy15]

You can play Maps which are in your Maps folder. If you want to test the map then you just place the .civ5map file in your Maps folder. When it comes to distributing the map you'll have to copy it into Modbuddy and package it into a .civ5mod file; however as Lee said you can't actually play the map from the MODS folder, and so users will need to copy the .civ5map out to the Maps folder. Modbuddy doesn't open maps.

 

[Christopher Poet]

You can play Maps which are in your Maps folder. If you want to test the map then you just place the .civ5map file in your Maps folder. When it comes to distributing the map you'll have to copy it into Modbuddy and package it into a .civ5mod file; however as Lee said you can't actually play the map from the MODS folder, and so users will need to copy the .civ5map out to the Maps folder. Modbuddy doesn't open maps.

I was under the impression I should be able to test the map just fine as long as it was in my Civ 5 maps folder but it never shows up on the map list. It is the right file name and everything, but the option to use the map was not there. I will try that out again later. What I do not understand is how I package this with Mod Buddy. I tied this earlier thinking I was supposed to use the MAP PACk option when you first open Mod Buddy but that did not work. All I am asking for is a step by step clear layout of how I am supposed to do that and I am not finding a guide online.

EDIT: The following two images show my current problem with testing the progress on my map As you can see, the file, Mediterranean 400bc is in the right folder but is not displaying as an option in the game.

Ingame Screenshot: https://imgur.com/tXjy3jF

Folder Location Screenshot: https://imgur.com/OfB6Ict

 

[LeeS]

What is the Description of the map under the Description tab of Worldbuilder when the map is loaded, because you have two maps being shown as "Mediterranian Playable" in your ingame screenshot.

To add an existing file from somewhere on your computer into a Modbuddy Project, you use SHIFT+ALT+A which will bring up a dialog where you select the existing file. Alternatively, left-click the name of the Mod under the Solution Explorer window and this will allow you to then click "Add" > "Existing Item" to bring up the dialog.

To create the X.civ5mod package you do "Build" > "Build Solution". This will create a "Packages" sub-folder within the project folder and place the X.civ5mod file therein. It will also create the mod into the game's MODS folder.

 

[Christopher Poet]

What is the Description of the map under the Description tab of Worldbuilder when the map is loaded, because you have two maps being shown as "Mediterranian Playable" in your ingame screenshot.

To add an existing file from somewhere on your computer into a Modbuddy Project, you use SHIFT+ALT+A which will bring up a dialog where you select the existing file. Alternatively, left-click the name of the Mod under the Solution Explorer window and this will allow you to then click "Add" > "Existing Item" to bring up the dialog.

To create the X.civ5mod package you do "Build" > "Build Solution". This will create a "Packages" sub-folder within the project folder and place the X.civ5mod file therein. It will also create the mod into the game's MODS folder.

Thank you for the quick info on how to use Mod Buddy! I will not forget that any time soon. However, I am still having a problem getting my map to be playable in-game. The other maps you are seeing currently on that list are not from my mod and come from other mods. Mediterranean Playable is the original map created by someone else who let me use it to make my scenario. (Credit for the map is given in the mod description). Anyway, that is his original map. My map is supposed to be titled and displayed as the Mediterranean_400bc. Side note, one of those Mediterranean Playable maps is an outdated version of the other. I need to delete that...

EDIT: Correction, I have no idea why a second Mediterranean Playable map is being displayed in-game. The description for my own mod is as follows:

Mediterranean 400bc aims to take you to the time of the rise of the Roman Empire and the fall of the Persian empire, allowing you, the player, to decide how history will unravel. Will you play as the Legendary Roman Empire and restore Rome's glory? Will you play as the Greek City states, defeat your rivals and give birth to a new empire? Will you play as the Persian Empire and conquer the undefeated greeks? You now have the power to rewrite history!

Special thanks to Ἀχέρων for giving me permission to use his map: Mediterranean Playable!

EDIT 2: So, I just decided to play the first of the two Mediterranean Playable maps listed in-game and it turns out to be the mod I made. Not sure why it's not displaying the right name, but it isn't. That is definatly something that needs fixing.

 

[LeeS]

Open the map in WorldBuilder and check the description tab of the map. It probably says, as I suspected "Mediterranean Playable" as the name of the map.

The description of your mod that you enter in ModBuddy has nothing at all to do with the description of the map contained within the Civ5Map file.

The text you add to the map in the description tab in WorldBuilder also has nothing at all do with the filename of the map, so if you copy an existing map-file by saving it with a new filename, you will still have the original description data of the original map within your new map file.

 

[Christopher Poet]

Open the map in WorldBuilder and check the description tab of the map. It probably says, as I suspected "Mediterranean Playable" as the name of the map.

The description of your mod that you enter in ModBuddy has nothing at all to do with the description of the map contained within the Civ5Map file.

The text you add to the map in the description tab in WorldBuilder also has nothing at all do with the filename of the map, so if you copy an existing map-file by saving it with a new filename, you will still have the original description data of the original map within your new map file.

Yep, that was the case. Thank you for pointing this out. I have changed this and updated the rest of the mod. So, it should all work out just fine now! Fingers crossed xD

 

[Christopher Poet]

Say, I have another question. So, to update the mod I made for this, I was told to do as follows.
Right-click in left menu - Add - Add Existing Item - Locate updated map - Add and allow overwrite - then rebuild.
However, when I do click on rebuild, I get three errors showing as follows:

C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Firaxis\ModBuddy\Civ5Mod.targets(40,9): error MSB3231: Unable to remove directory "C:\Users\ageof\OneDrive\Documents\Firaxis ModBuddy\Mediterranean_400bc\Mediterranean_400bc\..\Build\Mediterranean_400bc\". The directory is not empty.

C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Firaxis\ModBuddy\Civ5Mod.targets(40,9): error MSB3231: Unable to remove directory "C:\Users\ageof\OneDrive\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\Mods\Mediterranean_400bc (v 1)\". The directory is not empty.

C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Firaxis\ModBuddy\Civ5Mod.targets(40,9): error MSB3231: Unable to remove directory "C:\Users\ageof\OneDrive\Documents\Firaxis ModBuddy\Mediterranean_400bc\Mediterranean_400bc\..\Packages\". The directory is not empty.

EDIT: Oddly, the map still updated despite these errors but are these errors something I need to be concerned about?

 

[LeeS]

Were any of these folders (or any files within them) open and active in any browser (iincluding any pending and open modbuddy dialog-box) or editor of any kind? If so, you would get an error something like those you are reporting.

Modbuddy is not quite as friendly as it could be. I never over-write an existing file within a mod while in modbuddy. I would delete from within modbuddy the stale version of the map from the modbuddy project and then re-add the updated version you have made in worldbuilder rather than directly over-writing the old with the new from within modbuddy.

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Also be sure when running modbuddy that FireTuner, WorldBuilder, and Civ5 itself are not running at the same time, since this often causes problems in "Building" the mod.

 

[Christopher Poet]

Were any of these folders (or any files within them) open and active in any browser (iincluding any pending and open modbuddy dialog-box) or editor of any kind? If so, you would get an error something like those you are reporting.

Modbuddy is not quite as friendly as it could be. I never over-write an existing file within a mod while in modbuddy. I would delete from within modbuddy the stale version of the map from the modbuddy project and then re-add the updated version you have made in worldbuilder rather than directly over-writing the old with the new from within modbuddy.

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Also be sure when running modbuddy that FireTuner, WorldBuilder, and Civ5 itself are not running at the same time, since this often causes problems in "Building" the mod.

No, none of the other files within the mod were open in anything. I am careful not to do that for the sake of causing the least amount of issues possible. I never tried it that way though. I will give it a shot on the next update and see how well that works, but i thought I would ask here to be sure this was not going to be a problem. Thank you for the info! I will let you know if the errors persist.