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Modpicker utility to load aidata and GL files from scenario folders
I have written a Visual Basic program that will allow you to have a mod's aidata and GL files in the scenario structure. It will also allow you to choose from the new civilizations provided by the mod when you start a new game. All you have to do is download and install my Modpicker utility and run it before you start CTP.
This should hardly be more work than starting CTP normally because Modpicker can launch CTP when you have selected the mod you want to play and it can also make shortcuts that will save the settings for the selected mod and launch CTP without further user interaction. The only thing you still have to do is use CTP's "select scenario" option when you want to start a new game with a mod.
There are two versions of Modpicker available; a small one for people who have the Visual Basic 5.0 run-time files installed on their computer and a large version that also contains the VB 5.0 run-time files. Just unzip the files in the zip into a temporary folder and run the setup program to install Modpicker in your CTP folder. I have included the Modpicker readme file in this post; it contains the urls where you can download Modpicker and gives more detailed instructions on how to work with Modpicker. Read it before you use Modpicker.
I have also mailed it to Markos, so that he can make it available for download from Apolyton. And now the readme:
By Paul van den Belt
Disclaimer and copyright
1) THIS MATERIAL IS NOT MADE OR SUPPORTED BY ACTIVISION
2) This file is copyright © 2000 Paul van den Belt
3) You may not modify this file in any way
4) You may not distribute this file via any electronic media without my permission. If you wish to distribute Modpicker you can ask my permission by sending an e-mail to paulvdb@home.nl .
5) I am not responsible for any harm on your computer caused by this file. Download and use at your own risk!
What is Modpicker?
CTP Modpicker is a Visual Basic program that helps to overcome some of the problems with CTP's handling of the scenario structure. Combined with the 1.21 hack, you can now put almost all your mod files in the scenario folder structure. Only the sound files still have to be put in the default folder structure when you use the combination of the 1.21 hack and Modpicker.
Modpicker will copy the civilisation.txt and civ_str.txt files from your scenario folder to the default folders so that you can choose from the civilizations provided by the mod when you start a new game. It will also change civpaths.txt so that the game will think that the aidata and GL folders of the mod are the default folders. This allows modmakers to put the aidata and Great Library files for their mods in the scenario folders.
What do I need if I want to use Modpicker?
If you want to use Modpicker you need Civilization: Call to Power patched to version 1.2 and the 1.21 hack. Modpicker also uses the Visual Basic 5.0 run-time files. If you already have the VB 5.0 run-time files you can download the small version of Modpicker. If you do not yet have the VB 5.0 run-time files you need to download the large version of Modpicker which includes those files. The large version of Modpicker can be found at http://members.home.nl/paulvdb/modpickl.zip (1.5 MB), the small version can be found at http://members.home.nl/paulvdb/modpicks.zip (289 kB). The 1.2 patch and the 1.21 hack can be found at http://apolyton.net.
Installation
Unzip the contents of modpickl.zip or modpicks.zip into a temporary folder and then run setup.exe. Setup will ask you where you want to install Modpicker. You should install Modpicker in your CTP folder; if everything went ok it should already have set the CTP folder as the default option. Otherwise you should manually set it to your CTP folder.
On the next screen you will be asked for a Start Menu group for Modpicker; the default is CTP Modpicker, but you can change that if you want. On this screen you will also find a checkbox that will allow you to create a shortcut to Modpicker on your desktop. Check this if you want to create a shortcut on your desktop.
Modpicker Setup will create a file called modpick.ini that will contain the last mod you used and the name of Modpicker's Start Menu group. Modpicker Setup will also make copies of your default game civilisation.txt and civ_str.txt. These copies will be named civilisation_game.txt and civ_str_game.txt.
When you have finished Setup you can delete the Modpicker setup files.
How to select a mod
When you start Modpicker you will see a list of all the mods that are installed in your scenarios folder. One mod will be highlighted. This is the last mod you used (as read from modpick.ini) or the original game if this is the first time you run Modpicker. You can use the up/down arrow keys or the mouse to select an other mod.
When you have selected the mod you want to play you can choose to save the settings for that mod and immediately launch CTP by clicking on the "Launch CTP" button. Pressing the "Enter" key on your keyboard or double-clicking on a mod will also launch CTP.
You can also save the settings for the selected mod and exit Modpicker without starting CTP by clicking on the "Save & Exit" button. This last option would mostly be used if you want to load a PBEM game and chose not to load .csg files with Modpicker.
Important: Modpicker will only copy some files to the civilizations files to the default structure and allow the aidata and GL folders to be read from the scenario structure. This means that when you want to start a new game with a mod you must still select a scenario in CTP.
If you click the "Cancel" button you will exit Modpicker without saving any mod settings. Pressing the "Esc" key on your keyboard will also exit Modpicker without saving any mod settings.
Loading .csg files with Modpicker
If you play PBEM games you know that you can start CTP and load the PBEM saved games with the .csg extension by double-clicking on the icon of the saved game. However, this works only with the original game. If you had previously used Modpicker to select a mod you should first run Modpicker again to save the settings back to the original game.
However, there is an easier way. Below the list of mods you will see a checkbox with the text "Load .csg files with CTP Modpicker". If this checkbox is checked double-clicking a .csg file will launch Modpicker, change the settings to "Original game" and then load CTP with your saved game.
Choosing a mod from the command line
Modpicker also allows you to save a mod's settings and launch CTP by putting the mod's name as a command line argument. For example, in Windows you would open the "Start" menu, select "Run" and type
[CTP folder]\modpick.exe [modname] to play with a mod. Replace [CTP folder] with the folder where you installed CTP and replace [modname] with the name of the mod as it is named in the mod's packlist.txt.
An easier way to do this would be to create a shortcut to Modpicker with the mod's name on the command line. You can easily create such a shortcut in the Modpicker Start Menu group or on your desktop by checking the appropriate checkbox. You can delete these shortcuts by unchecking the checkbox.
Uninstalling Modpicker
Should you ever wish to delete Modpicker from your system it is important to first set CTP back to its original state. You can do this by running Modpicker one last time and choose "Original game". If you chose to load .csg files with Modpicker you should uncheck the checkbox. Now you can uninstall Modpicker from Control Panel - Software.
As I mentioned earlier in this readme, Modpicker will change civpaths.txt so that it will treat your mod's aidata and GL folders as if they were the default folders. That means that if you want your mod to be compatible with Modpicker, you should put your mod's aidata and GL files in the scenario structure. This means that you will no longer have to overwrite the default aidata files and it will also put an end to the need to rename your GL files to prevent them from showing up in regular games.
For the GL files, you only need to put the changed files in your mod's GL folder; Modpicker will automatically copy gl.zfs to your mod's GL folder so that all GL texts will show in the Great Library. If your mod does not have a GL folder Modpicker will not make any changes to the GL folder entry in civpaths.txt and the default GL files will be used by CTP. Modpicker will look for GL folders at one of the following two locations:
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\[language]\gamedata\gl and
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\default\gamedata\gl
Since there are so many files in the aidata folders and most of them would be changed for your mod anyway, Modpicker will just assume that all aidata files are in your mod's aidata folder. This means that you should also include unchanged aidata files in your mod. If your mod does not have an aidata folder Modpicker will not make any changes to the aidata folder entry in civpaths.txt and the default aidata files will be used by CTP. Modpicker will look for aidata folders at the following location:
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\default\aidata
If you have added your own civilizations to your mod Modpicker will also be able to copy the civilisation.txt and civ_str.txt of your mod to the default folders so that people can choose from those civilizations when they start a new game with your mod. Modpicker will look for civilisation.txt at the following location:
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\default\gamedata\civilisation.txt
Modpicker will look for civ_str.txt at one of the following two locations:
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\[language]\gamedata\civ_str.txt and
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\default\gamedata\civ_str.txt
If you have any more questions about Modpicker you can e-mail to paulvdb@home.nl .
[This message has been edited by Paul (edited May 06, 2000).]
This should hardly be more work than starting CTP normally because Modpicker can launch CTP when you have selected the mod you want to play and it can also make shortcuts that will save the settings for the selected mod and launch CTP without further user interaction. The only thing you still have to do is use CTP's "select scenario" option when you want to start a new game with a mod.
There are two versions of Modpicker available; a small one for people who have the Visual Basic 5.0 run-time files installed on their computer and a large version that also contains the VB 5.0 run-time files. Just unzip the files in the zip into a temporary folder and run the setup program to install Modpicker in your CTP folder. I have included the Modpicker readme file in this post; it contains the urls where you can download Modpicker and gives more detailed instructions on how to work with Modpicker. Read it before you use Modpicker.
I have also mailed it to Markos, so that he can make it available for download from Apolyton. And now the readme:
CTP Modpicker 1.3
By Paul van den Belt
Introduction
Disclaimer and copyright
1) THIS MATERIAL IS NOT MADE OR SUPPORTED BY ACTIVISION
2) This file is copyright © 2000 Paul van den Belt
3) You may not modify this file in any way
4) You may not distribute this file via any electronic media without my permission. If you wish to distribute Modpicker you can ask my permission by sending an e-mail to paulvdb@home.nl .
5) I am not responsible for any harm on your computer caused by this file. Download and use at your own risk!
What is Modpicker?
CTP Modpicker is a Visual Basic program that helps to overcome some of the problems with CTP's handling of the scenario structure. Combined with the 1.21 hack, you can now put almost all your mod files in the scenario folder structure. Only the sound files still have to be put in the default folder structure when you use the combination of the 1.21 hack and Modpicker.
Modpicker will copy the civilisation.txt and civ_str.txt files from your scenario folder to the default folders so that you can choose from the civilizations provided by the mod when you start a new game. It will also change civpaths.txt so that the game will think that the aidata and GL folders of the mod are the default folders. This allows modmakers to put the aidata and Great Library files for their mods in the scenario folders.
What do I need if I want to use Modpicker?
If you want to use Modpicker you need Civilization: Call to Power patched to version 1.2 and the 1.21 hack. Modpicker also uses the Visual Basic 5.0 run-time files. If you already have the VB 5.0 run-time files you can download the small version of Modpicker. If you do not yet have the VB 5.0 run-time files you need to download the large version of Modpicker which includes those files. The large version of Modpicker can be found at http://members.home.nl/paulvdb/modpickl.zip (1.5 MB), the small version can be found at http://members.home.nl/paulvdb/modpicks.zip (289 kB). The 1.2 patch and the 1.21 hack can be found at http://apolyton.net.
Installation
Unzip the contents of modpickl.zip or modpicks.zip into a temporary folder and then run setup.exe. Setup will ask you where you want to install Modpicker. You should install Modpicker in your CTP folder; if everything went ok it should already have set the CTP folder as the default option. Otherwise you should manually set it to your CTP folder.
On the next screen you will be asked for a Start Menu group for Modpicker; the default is CTP Modpicker, but you can change that if you want. On this screen you will also find a checkbox that will allow you to create a shortcut to Modpicker on your desktop. Check this if you want to create a shortcut on your desktop.
Modpicker Setup will create a file called modpick.ini that will contain the last mod you used and the name of Modpicker's Start Menu group. Modpicker Setup will also make copies of your default game civilisation.txt and civ_str.txt. These copies will be named civilisation_game.txt and civ_str_game.txt.
When you have finished Setup you can delete the Modpicker setup files.
User manual
How to select a mod
When you start Modpicker you will see a list of all the mods that are installed in your scenarios folder. One mod will be highlighted. This is the last mod you used (as read from modpick.ini) or the original game if this is the first time you run Modpicker. You can use the up/down arrow keys or the mouse to select an other mod.
When you have selected the mod you want to play you can choose to save the settings for that mod and immediately launch CTP by clicking on the "Launch CTP" button. Pressing the "Enter" key on your keyboard or double-clicking on a mod will also launch CTP.
You can also save the settings for the selected mod and exit Modpicker without starting CTP by clicking on the "Save & Exit" button. This last option would mostly be used if you want to load a PBEM game and chose not to load .csg files with Modpicker.
Important: Modpicker will only copy some files to the civilizations files to the default structure and allow the aidata and GL folders to be read from the scenario structure. This means that when you want to start a new game with a mod you must still select a scenario in CTP.
If you click the "Cancel" button you will exit Modpicker without saving any mod settings. Pressing the "Esc" key on your keyboard will also exit Modpicker without saving any mod settings.
Loading .csg files with Modpicker
If you play PBEM games you know that you can start CTP and load the PBEM saved games with the .csg extension by double-clicking on the icon of the saved game. However, this works only with the original game. If you had previously used Modpicker to select a mod you should first run Modpicker again to save the settings back to the original game.
However, there is an easier way. Below the list of mods you will see a checkbox with the text "Load .csg files with CTP Modpicker". If this checkbox is checked double-clicking a .csg file will launch Modpicker, change the settings to "Original game" and then load CTP with your saved game.
Choosing a mod from the command line
Modpicker also allows you to save a mod's settings and launch CTP by putting the mod's name as a command line argument. For example, in Windows you would open the "Start" menu, select "Run" and type
[CTP folder]\modpick.exe [modname] to play with a mod. Replace [CTP folder] with the folder where you installed CTP and replace [modname] with the name of the mod as it is named in the mod's packlist.txt.
An easier way to do this would be to create a shortcut to Modpicker with the mod's name on the command line. You can easily create such a shortcut in the Modpicker Start Menu group or on your desktop by checking the appropriate checkbox. You can delete these shortcuts by unchecking the checkbox.
Uninstalling Modpicker
Should you ever wish to delete Modpicker from your system it is important to first set CTP back to its original state. You can do this by running Modpicker one last time and choose "Original game". If you chose to load .csg files with Modpicker you should uncheck the checkbox. Now you can uninstall Modpicker from Control Panel - Software.
Information for modmakers
As I mentioned earlier in this readme, Modpicker will change civpaths.txt so that it will treat your mod's aidata and GL folders as if they were the default folders. That means that if you want your mod to be compatible with Modpicker, you should put your mod's aidata and GL files in the scenario structure. This means that you will no longer have to overwrite the default aidata files and it will also put an end to the need to rename your GL files to prevent them from showing up in regular games.
For the GL files, you only need to put the changed files in your mod's GL folder; Modpicker will automatically copy gl.zfs to your mod's GL folder so that all GL texts will show in the Great Library. If your mod does not have a GL folder Modpicker will not make any changes to the GL folder entry in civpaths.txt and the default GL files will be used by CTP. Modpicker will look for GL folders at one of the following two locations:
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\[language]\gamedata\gl and
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\default\gamedata\gl
Since there are so many files in the aidata folders and most of them would be changed for your mod anyway, Modpicker will just assume that all aidata files are in your mod's aidata folder. This means that you should also include unchanged aidata files in your mod. If your mod does not have an aidata folder Modpicker will not make any changes to the aidata folder entry in civpaths.txt and the default aidata files will be used by CTP. Modpicker will look for aidata folders at the following location:
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\default\aidata
If you have added your own civilizations to your mod Modpicker will also be able to copy the civilisation.txt and civ_str.txt of your mod to the default folders so that people can choose from those civilizations when they start a new game with your mod. Modpicker will look for civilisation.txt at the following location:
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\default\gamedata\civilisation.txt
Modpicker will look for civ_str.txt at one of the following two locations:
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\[language]\gamedata\civ_str.txt and
[CTP folder]\scenarios\[your mod]\default\gamedata\civ_str.txt
If you have any more questions about Modpicker you can e-mail to paulvdb@home.nl .
[This message has been edited by Paul (edited May 06, 2000).]
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