Adding New Citizens

[problem_child]

I tried to add a new type of Citizen to a scenario called "Ruling Class", which was to add 1 point to science (Scientists add 1 to science) and 2 points to commerce (taxmen add 1 to commerce) but to add -2 to happiness (Entertainers add 1 to happiness).

The idea was that the Ruling Class citizens would offer considerable advantages in science (rich ariostocrats and borgoise type folk that like to fund the Arts, and from whose ranks spring lots of Oxbridge/Ivy League educated smartasses, backed by their rich families that help pay for things like the Faculties new lecture theatre and so on). In addition to that, being everything from Feudal-lords to fat-cat factory-owners, they would contribute much more revenue to the governments coffers then your average blue-jean Joe per year. However a 'Ruling Class' is always going to cause resentment amongst 'the rest' of society, and thus the -2 Happiness effect.

And yes- before you mention it I realise that a 'Ruling Class' citizen is just the same as two taxmen, one scientist and two entertainers... (to zero the minus two happiness) but then you are getting the effect of five citizens for the price of one...

So the ruling classs citizen was to become available with the discovery of Feudalism, and I used the taxman key so the game would know what they are supposed to look like. I played a game, discovered feudalism... rushed to have a look at my shinney new privaleged caste... and CRASH, the game just wont have it.

WHY!?

I was so looking forward to watching how the AI would use them... but everytime I tried to make them work it just causes and illigal stack fault or something. I also changed the names of the other citizens just to see if the game was just against the idea of editing citizens in principal or something-

Entertainers->Politicos
Taxmen->Middle Class
Scientists->Academics

The game accepted these changes, but just wont allow me to add a fourth without crashing.

Please Help me, Somebody, Please!

[stonewall]

I don't have much experience modding, but..

Maybe the negative is throwing the game. I know the editor has negative numbers built into that value selector, but none of the built in citizens use a negative. Have you tried a game with only the built in citizens but change their values to negative. This would let you know if it is something with your citizen or just negative values.

[Willem]

You have to add another graphic for your new citizen in the popHeads.pcx file. You'll find the file in Art\Smallheads. The game is looking for a graphic that doesn't exist and crashes.

[badams52]

Sounds like a very interesting addition you have going there, but you would be better served asking the question here in the creation forum or files forums.

[Egbert]

A very good idea. I am going to try it next time I am playing around with mods. Thanks.

[problem_child]

stonewall, thanks for the suggestion, I did try leaving the happiness effect for Ruling Class at zero, to make sure it wasn't the negative throwing the game off but... didn't work.

Willem, the key I mentioned before is what tells the game where to find the graphics in smallheads, (or rather, which head in that index of heads to use). I simply set Ruling Class's key as the same as that for Taxman, which should not have caused any problems... unless it turns out I was wrong and that key isn't all you need to tell the game which head to use (I'm non-plussed as to what file you do need to change in that case though, it doesn't seem to be like adding a new unit where you have to do a little file-fiddling or something)

Anyway.. I've moved on now, I'll leave the citizens as they are and make do with changing the Tank graphic from Sherman to the T-55, and the Infantry graphic from the British Infantryman to the American, and a couple other things... just to keep things thrilling and new so to speak.

[Willem]

Originally posted by problem_child


Willem, the key I mentioned before is what tells the game where to find the graphics in smallheads, (or rather, which head in that index of heads to use). I simply set Ruling Class's key as the same as that for Taxman, which should not have caused any problems... unless it turns out I was wrong and that key isn't all you need to tell the game which head to use (I'm non-plussed as to what file you do need to change in that case though, it doesn't seem to be like adding a new unit where you have to do a little file-fiddling or something)

There is no key, all you have to do is add another row of graphics to the end of the file. You're just making an assumption that simply isn't true. And I've already told you which file it is you need to alter, and where to find it.

Trust me, that's your problem. I ran into the same thing and that's how I fixed it after another poster told me what I'm telling you now. I've added two new citizens to my game, and both are working fine now after I made that change.

[problem_child]

Okay Willem, I'll try that. But how does the game know to use the new row? There's nothing in the file to identify the new graphic, is it simply a numbers game? (#new citizen type assumed to be the #new row) maybe you cold post a copy of your altered small heads file?

[Spiffor]

I think the game recognizes a new citizen when it is in a "box" the same shape than the "boxes" which surround other citizen faces.

Simply, copy/paste a row, delete the drawings with the boxes and replace them. I think that's the ticket (I haven't added citizens in about a year, so my memory is cloudy on this one)