OK, so where do I begin?

[duck_thing]

Hi folks, just finished downloading the CivIV SDK and I'm anxious to start fiddling around! Is there a resource that gives hints as to where to begin (ideally, I'd like to find something that just lays out basic info like: what parts of the game are found in which files, and how are they related to one another).

I've got a lot of programming experience, and I'm very comfortable with VC++ and with writing add-on/mod code (although I haven't done so since Q2/VC++ 6.0, it's like riding a bike IMHO), so I'm not asking anybody to hold my hand or to write code for me.

It looks like the source code in the SDK is very cleanly written and pretty well commented, so if I have to just dive in headfirst I certainly can, but I would appreciate any hints as to where to begin for some of the basics of modifying the gameplay experience.

Much thanks and I look forward to posting here a lot more

[MMC]

Your best bet would probably be to
a) Read the stickied threads in this forum (Labelled "Top:")
b) Goto http://modiki.apolyton.net - not much info on there, but there might be the odd snippet that's missed elsewhere.
c) Goto http://civ4wiki.com - more info than the Modiki, but still incomplete.

[duck_thing]

Thanks MMC. Didn't see what I was hoping for in the sticky threads, but I guess I might have just missed it. I'll take another look. Thanks again.

[Peter Triggs]

Re: OK, so where do I begin?

Originally posted by duck_thing
It looks like the source code in the SDK is very cleanly written and pretty well commented, so if I have to just dive in headfirst I certainly can, but I would appreciate any hints as to where to begin for some of the basics of modifying the gameplay experience.

It's getting better commented as each version/patch comes out.

The Python scripting language exposes many of the underlying C++ classes, so if you look at Locutus's Python documentation you can get something of an idea of what's going on under the hood.

But, still, I don't know of any general available documentation of the code in the SDK. Is there any particular area that you're interested in?