bic file setup help needed

planetfall · February 12, 2002, 17:38

I am playing with different editor changes to see which makes the most fun for game play. Let's assume I only have 2 bic files, here are my questions:

Is there an easy way to see which bic file is being used in a game?

I usually save my games at the end of each era. With many civ3mod.bic files, it is hard to remember which file was used with game##.

I presume the unix strings commands on the ???.SAV file will give the name of the bic file users. Is there a windows 9X way of finding out the file name of the bic file?

Is the bic file only read at game load?
If I change a bic file between ERA's, will the game keep the old values, or the new. For example, after many games and thinking about ironclads, a movement of 4 seems way too high. If I reduce it to 2, to match the slowness of moving those ships historically, will the current game reflect change, or only new games using the edited bic file?

thanks

Libertarian · February 12, 2002, 17:59

My understanding, subject to correction and based on memory, is that once you have saved a game, parameters are then saved in that file. Thus, a change in civ3mod would have no effect if you reload and continue play. Civ3mod.bic is used to launch all games except those that are loaded from the "Load Scenario" selection.

Gramphos · February 12, 2002, 18:09

If you have started as a scenario the entire BIC is aved within the save, otherwise it uses civ3mod.boc

planetfall · February 13, 2002, 10:52

Thank you. Confirmed changing the bic file during play of a saved file does not effect that running game. You are right other post that you could change bic file and it would effect running game is incorrect.

Now I will have to try exiting and restarting saved game and see if that makes any difference. It might be it only reads the bic on loading the game.

Dry · February 13, 2002, 12:19

Quote:

Originally posted by planetfall
Thank you. Confirmed changing the bic file during play of a saved file does not effect that running game. You are right other post that you could change bic file and it would effect running game is incorrect.

That is not so simple.
As long as you do not change the civ3mod.bic file, you are right, nothing can happen to your saved game (you can even throw away/lose your .bic file).

If your scenario file did only contain a map and did not change the 'default' rules, then I noticed following.
Reload a saved game with a modified civ3mod.bic file will not change:
- the color of the civilizations
- ?
but will well change:
- CSA
- Leaders' name (title,...)
- ?
For other things (unit characteristics, optimum # cities, ...), well I don't know, I haven't done that yet.

dr.charm · February 13, 2002, 12:33

I know that changing civ3mod.bic *will* change:

available gov'ts (even if the necessary tech was already discovered)

all unit capabilites (AF, DF, Movement, actions)

While I'm not sure, I suspect that certain changes could crash the game, for example if you made a particular unit unable to be carried in a boat, and there was one in a boat in your saved game, but I haven't tested that yet.

The important thing to change games in progress is to: just start a new game, don't load a scenario and then change the name or the new mod you want to use to civ3mod.bic (or just edit the settings of the civ3mod.bic).

Cheers,

Dr. Charm