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What can be changed?

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unmerged(2810)

unmerged(2810)

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Apr 9, 2001
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Has anyone managed to tease out what can be changed? I've just barely started looking at various text input files, and I can say that they're at least as elaborate as the 3d model files I've hand-edited from time to time.

One thing I would really like to know is how the map is handled. It looks like it's not tile-based, which means that boneheaded "map editor" approaches won't work. This bothers me not in the least. If the map is handled by means of coordinate-defined polygons with parameters for the polygons's traits in game defined in a text-format data file, then huzzah, huzzah, huzzah. That's about the best way I can imagine to have customizable maps for a game, since it would let one pretty much develop whatever map one wants.

Can anyone tell me?

Yes, I have fiendish aims, specifically to do all-out "fantasy" scenarios for this wonderful strategic engine.
 
I am almost totally sure that the map (and there is only 1 map, the world) is totally and completely unalterable. You can fiddle with provinces and armies and such, but the map is just one huge picture. They have some way to attach which provinces correspond to what part of the map, but I don't think you'd wanna hack that, even if I knew how they did it.:(
 
Originally posted by Dogface

If the method of defining what is a province, what is water, and what is terra incognita, and the attributes of provinces are not hard-coded and is held in a text-format file, then there is little to fear in taking a hack at things.

Crashes happen. That's what backups are for.
Click to expand...

take a look at provinces file. At the end of each line, there are numbers about position of cities, manufacturing, troops etc. maybe you will find some clues here.
 
Thanks, I'll try that.

Wouldn't it be nice if game designers would bother to document their data files rather than insist that users hack them out? After all, if the game gains any level of popularity, persistent rodents like us will ferret out their little secrets. That's inevitable. Firaxis realized this. There is nothing to be gained by keeping such information secret and a great deal to be gained by releasing it.

Indeed, if they want to pick up a few bucks, they could release a full set of datafile documentation and a minimal editor as a cheap supplement.

You guys at Paradox listening?
 
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