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**Mercator** · November 3, 2001, 08:12

_TOP TECH SECTION (Civilization Advances)

  4	char		"TECH"

  4	long		number of advances



  For each advance:

    4	long		length of advance data (104)

    32	string		advance name

    32	string		civilopedia entry

    4	long		cost

    4	long		era

    4	long		advance icon

    4	long		x

    4	long		y

    4	long		prerequisite #1

    4	long		prerequisite #2

    4	long		prerequisite #3

    4	long		prerequisite #4

    4	long		flags (binary):

								00000000

			enables diplomats			.......1

			enables irrigation without fresh water	......1.

			enables bridges				.....1..

			disables diseases from flood plains	....1...

			enables conscription of units		...1....

			enables mobilization levels		..1.....

			enables recycling			.1......

			enables precision bombing		1.......



			enables mutual protection pacts		.......1

			enables right of passage treaties	......1.

			enables military alliances		.....1..

			enables trade embargoes			....1...

			doubles effect of (wealth) improvement	...1....

			enables trade over sea tiles		..1.....

			enables trade over ocean tiles		.1......

			enables map trading			1.......



			enables communication trading		.......1

			not required for era advancement	......1.

			doubles work rate (of workers)		.....1..



_TOP TFRM SECTION (Worker Jobs)

  4	char		"TFRM"

  4	long		number of worker jobs



  For each job:

    4	long		length of job data (112)

    32 string		worker job name

    32	string		civilopedia entry

    4	long		turns to complete ⁶

    4	long		required

    4	long		required resource #1

    4	long		required resource #2

    32	string		order



_TOP TERR SECTION (Terrain)

  4	char		"TERR"

  4	long		number of terrains



  For each terrain:

    4	long		length of terrain data (111)

    4	long		number of possible resources

    3	byte		possible resources (binary)

			1 for the corresponding indexes of the resources

    32	string		terrain name

    32	string		civilopedia entry

    4	long		irrigation (food) bonus

    4	long		mining (shields) bonus

    4	long		road (commerce) bonus

    4	long		defense bonus

    4	long		movement cost

    4	long		food

    4	long		shields

    4	long		commerce

    4	long		worker job

    4	long		pollution effect



_TOP WSIZ SECTION (World Sizes)

  4	char		"WSIZ"

  4	long		number of world sizes



  For each terrain:

    4	long		length of world size data (80)

    4	long		optimal number of cities (corruption)

    4	long		tech rate

    24	string		??? (empty)

    32	string		world size name

    4	long		height

    4	long		distance between civs

    4	long		number of civs

    4	long		width



_TOP WCHR SECTION

  4	char		"WCHR"

  4	long		"number of world characteristics" (1)

  4	long		length of WCHR section (52)

  ...



_TOP WMAP SECTION

  4	char		"WMAP"

  4	long		"number of world maps" (1)

  4	long		length of WMAP section (256)

  4	long		number of resources



  For each resource:

    4	long		resource occurence



  4	long		number of continents

  4	long		height

  4	long		distance between civs

  4	long		number of civs

  4	long		???

  4	long		??? (0)

  4	long		width

  4	long		??? (-1)

  ...

  4	long		map seed

  4	long		??? (binary):

					00000000

			round world     .......1

			polar ice caps	.....1..

  



_TOP TILE SECTION

  4	char		"TILE"

  4	long		number of tiles (= width/2 * height)



  For each tile:

    4	long		length of tile data (22)

    2	short		river info

    4	long		resource

    1	byte		image

    1	byte		file:	0 = xtgc.pcx, 1 = xgpc.pcx, 2 = xdgc.pcx,

				3 = xdpc.pcx, 4 = xdgp.pcx, 5 = xggc.pcx,

				6 = wcso.pcx, 7 = wsss.pcx, 8 = wooo.pcx

    2	short		??? (0)

    1	byte		overlays (binary):

					00000000

			road		.......1

			railroad	......1.

			mine		.....1..

			irrigation	....1...

			fortress	...1....

			goody huts	..1.....

			pollution	.1......

			barbarian camp	1.......

    1	byte		terrain ⁷

    2	short		bonuses (binary):

					00000000

			bonus grassland .......1

			player start    ....1...

			snow-capped mts ...1....

			pine forest     ..1.....

    2	short		??? (-1 = nothing, 75 = barbarian camp)

    4	long		??? (-1)

    2	short		continent



_TOP CONT SECTION

  4	char		"CONT"

  4	long		number of continents (water and land)



  For each continent:

    4	long		length of continent data (8)

    4	long		type (0 = water, 1 = land)

    4	long		number of tiles of continent



{end file}

Notes

1. A string must always have 0x00 as its last byte. So a 64 byte string only has place for 63 characters, followed by 0x00. Even more,the string automatically ends at 0x00, even if it appears somewhere in the middle of the originally intended string.

2. Most sections translate pretty straight-forwardly to a tab in Civ3Edit. The name in brackets is the name of the editor tab.
The sections in this file appear alphabetically ordered by their 4 character identifier.
A superfluous section, i.e. one that uses the Civ3 defaults, can be left out entirely. So for a simple map, all sections up to the WCHR section can be left out.

3. I've tried to keep the value descriptions as close as possible to those used in Civ3Edit. For explanations of the values I refer to the excellent Civ3Edit help system.

4. References to other items (e.g. items in a drop-down box or radio button list in Civ3Edit) are often done by the zero-based index number of the position of that item in its section. -1 Usually means it doesn't refer to anything (e.g. the "None" option in a Civ3Edit drop-down box). Further on, only details for data differing from this standard will be explained.

5. For data mentioned in binary, only the used bits are mentioned. When multiple bytes are being described, the data is shown grouped per byte. In that case, only the used bytes are shown, the remaining bytes are filled with zeros. In any case, for things that appear in checkboxes in Civ3Edit, 1 means it's checked, 0 means it isn't.

6. The "turns to complete" is modified by the movement cost of the terrain. The value given in this section applies to terrain with a movement cost of 2 (e.g. Forest). Terrain with a movement cost of 1 is worked in half the time, terrain with a movement cost of 3 needs 50% more turns to work.

7. A byte, split into the first 4 and the second 4 bits.
The first 4 bytes are the "real" terraintype (0 is Desert, 1 is Plains etc. BUT: Bonus Grassland, Snow-Capped Mountains and Pine Forest are NOT separate terrains, they're merely a variation on Grassland, Mountains and Forest, respectively).
The second 4 bytes are the "base filler" terrain. This is especially used for Forest, which can be placed on top of different "base filler" terrains.

Credits

Gramphos
MagForceSeven
Mercator
Nero Would
Tventano

**MarkG** · November 3, 2001, 08:22

most certainly

we need threads like this to include all info and avoid repetive questions

**Mercator** · November 3, 2001, 08:31

Thanks

**Gramphos** · November 3, 2001, 10:21

Actually there is more to the BICs then the maps, and each section follows a specific pattern (except the CULT section, which seam to be different

)

Each section of the file starts with a 4 byte string identifying the section. After that (except CULT) a long containing the number of that type, and after that the type begins. They start with a long telling the lenght of the following spirit.

And the thing in you note 1 is actualt a length of the data header.

I'll see if I can post the RACE format soon.
(I have it in Swedish

)

Also ALL references to a specific thing (resource terrain, what so ever is made to the ID – 0xFFFFFFFF = None)

The ID is the number in row after the initial name. Start count from 0.

**Gramphos** · November 3, 2001, 11:44

-- RACE format removed from this post --
The Format can be found in the first post

**Mercator** · November 3, 2001, 13:46

Originally posted by Gramphos
Actually there is more to the BICs then the maps, and each section follows a specific pattern (except the CULT section, which seam to be different

)

hehe, I know

I´ve added everything I´ve been doing today. Sorry for the plenty of dots nearer the end, but it did get kinda tedious. The format is remarkably simple, and most sections map directly to a tab in the civ3 rules editor.

I haven´t added your stuff yet (well, not the parts I didn´t find as well)

**Gramphos** · November 3, 2001, 13:57

Originally posted by Mercator
hehe, I know

I´ve added everything I´ve been doing today. Sorry for the plenty of dots nearer the end, but it did get kinda tedious. The format is remarkably simple, and most sections map directly to a tab in the civ3 rules editor.

I haven´t added your stuff yet (well, not the parts I didn´t find as well)

Well, I know a lot of those formats without having the editor, and I know most of what you posted before, but my copy tool only uses the civ stuff (It had to read the names, and to get to them it had to read cities, leatders and ao on, so I made it read everything.) and the main format. +the Cult format (to be able to skip over it.)

**Gramphos** · November 3, 2001, 14:21

For the citizens:
After the plural string the following comes
4 byte Prerequire
4 byte happy facese
4 byte science
4 byte trade

**Mercator** · November 3, 2001, 17:08

Your things have been added. I vaguely checked most of it, you mixed up one or two things, and I changed some names to the names used in the rules editor... Great job!
It looks like we´re on our own though. But then again, this format isn´t nearly as vague as the civ2 formats were.
Oh, and you sound like you already know the BIC file format. Is it some kind of standard?

**Gramphos** · November 3, 2001, 18:22

Originally posted by Mercator
Your things have been added. I vaguely checked most of it, you mixed up one or two things, and I changed some names to the names used in the rules editor... Great job!
It looks like we´re on our own though. But then again, this format isn´t nearly as vague as the civ2 formats were.
Oh, and you sound like you already know the BIC file format. Is it some kind of standard?

I see it now. I don't use them in my program, so I didn't care more then that they existed. (How can you mix up one thing?) Was it only the Noun<->Adjective for civs, or was it anything else.

I'm also happy that you confirmed all those I was not sure about. (I only had a picture of Romans and one of Barbarians)

Regarding the format:
No I've not seen it before, but most of it is some sort of default for binary formats. (Even thou the 4 byte strings in the start of each section is something new.) If I would make a binary format I would always specify the length of everything that could possibly change length (also if only in later versions). I would also try to keep things in the same way all over the file, and I would do it the easiest way, and it seem to be exactly how Firaxis has done it.

**Gramphos** · November 3, 2001, 18:31

BTW - the resource on a map is the index just as any other reference. (Resources can be added you know.)

**Mercator** · November 3, 2001, 19:04

Originally posted by Gramphos
(How can you mix up one thing?)

The thing could be a pair of things.

Was it only the Noun<->Adjective for civs, or was it anything else.

I think that was it.

I'm also happy that you confirmed all those I was not sure about. (I only had a picture of Romans and one of Barbarians)

Yes, I am not entirely sure about the barbarian RACE_... though. Maybe I´m just mistaken, but somehow it looks a bit different from the others. I haven´t looked into it too much though. The only serious difference I can tell right now is that the barbarian "city names" are rather tribe names.

Regarding the format:
No I've not seen it before, but most of it is some sort of default for binary formats. (Even thou the 4 byte strings in the start of each section is something new.) If I would make a binary format I would always specify the length of everything that could possibly change length (also if only in later versions). I would also try to keep things in the same way all over the file, and I would do it the easiest way, and it seem to be exactly how Firaxis has done it.

Oh I see...
Is the format I use good enough, by the way? And a difference between our "styles", I use the "remaining length" as a name for those numbers, because I feel like those numbers themselves are also part of the data... But well, as long as it´s clear.

And yes, Firaxis has at least done a great job over here.

**Gramphos** · November 3, 2001, 19:42

Originally posted by Mercator
Yes, I am not entirely sure about the barbarian RACE_... though. Maybe I´m just mistaken, but somehow it looks a bit different from the others. I haven´t looked into it too much though. The only serious difference I can tell right now is that the barbarian "city names" are rather tribe names.

As far as I can see it is the same. It has culture -1 and no leaders ruler, rulertitle and animations specified. The structures are still there, just filled with 0x00.

Oh I see...
Is the format I use good enough, by the way? And a difference between our "styles", I use the "remaining length" as a name for those numbers, because I feel like those numbers themselves are also part of the data... But well, as long as it´s clear.

Yes it is clear. I prefer to see the length numbers as a part of the mainformat, telling the length of the following structure, (as it is how I usually program myself when making binary formats.) First I decide what I want to save. Then I build up sub formats for those, and as some of them contain variable length things I add a length of it in the beginning of the structure. Sometimes when I work with smaller structures I sue short or even bytes for the structure length, but have a continue code that can be used to continue on the earlier structure after read that code. Those codes do I usually see as a part of the main file format, and not as a part of the sub formats. And also that they don't contain any useful data if you don't want to skip over those structures.

And yes, Firaxis has at least done a great job over here.

Yes, they have made a very simple format. I wonder if they wanted us to hack it or if they just were to lazy to make it complicated

**MagForceSeven** · November 3, 2001, 21:36

Rivers

I've been looking into the short from the map section that is labeled as river information. The first byte of the short (or the second byte in the hex editor, isn't Little Endian irritating?) doesn't seem to have any influence. If it is set to anything other than 0x00 it brings up an image from the Territory.pcx terrain file. The other byte on the other hand seems to be a bitwise flag, that I am messing around with now that I am done with school for the week.

How are you supposed to get the width and height of the encoded map if all the file give is width/2*height?

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Civilization III BIC file format

Civilization III BIC file format

File Format

Notes

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