Map editor for civilization 4. Creating a simple mod

7.5 from the editor

23.09.2015

Civilization 4

Publisher: 2K Games
Publisher in Russia: 1C
Developer: Firaxis Games
Website: Official site
Game engine: Gamebryo
Genre: Strategy
Game mode: Single player, multiplayer
Distribution: 2 CDs, 1 DVD

System requirements:

Windows 2000/XP/Vista
1.2 GHz
256 MB
64 MB with T&L support
550 MB

About the game

Sid Meier's Civilization 4 is a continuation of one of the most popular and successful series of global turn-based strategies.

At the dawn of their history, people often turned their gaze to the sky - to where the distant stars shine icy. And one day that power that sleeps for the time being inside a person promised that it would take him to this transcendental world. But to realize their dreams, people have to go a long way, thousands of years long - from the echoing dampness of stone caves to the well-tailored comfort of log villages, and then - to the cold of high-rise giants made of concrete, glass and steel. Man will have to learn to speak many languages, create culture and overthrow the gods. Barriers will not hold him back. There will be no doubt left. Civilization is coming.

Game plot

In the game you are given the opportunity to control one of the empires. You start the game in 4000 BC. e. with a settler and one warrior unit (or scout, if initial technology- Hunting), several more civilizations, native villages and barbarian tribes will also be with you. Before starting the game, you have the opportunity to choose the type of map (Pangea, several continents, island map, etc.), as well as its size, which determines the number of civilizations competing with you. Also, before starting the game, you can choose the climate and sea level, which affects the landscape of the generated map and the resources located on it. Each turn in the game is equal to a certain number of years, which depends on the game speed chosen by the player. In addition, there is a certain scale according to which the closer the player is to modern times, the fewer years in one turn and vice versa. At low game speeds, in the recent past, present and future, one year can pass in several moves. In the game you have several paths to victory. This is political, cultural, technological domination or destruction of all other civilizations.

Multiplayer

Civilization IV is the first game in the series to be designed with multiplayer in mind. The result is that Civilization IV is best game for multiplayer than ever before, the main features were the following modes: simultaneous move (very similar to RTS games), timed move (to force the crowd to hurry up with moves biggrin.gif), and move limit, where the point leader at the end of this number of moves is announced winner. Many people worry when they have to leave Online Games- the solution has been found! Turn on A.I Absorption, and if that person leaves, the game will continue and the computer will replace the player. If the player decides to return, they can take control again at any time. The Firaxis development team and testers have been playing multiplayer for over two years and the mode is now great.

There are so many innovations in multiplayer that it required two entries in the list.
Team games are now well thought out, and teams have new ways to communicate with each other, from sharing each other's screens (you can literally draw lines to show where to go, like they do in football) to making small calls to alert teammates team for important events happening around their map. Voice over IP support allows players to talk to each other while they play, whether this is for genuine communication and support or just simple conversation on abstract topics is a matter of taste.

But this is just the beginning of the multiplayer features in Civilization IV. New mode“Destroying two cities” means that as soon as you lose two cities, you lose.
"One City" means that you can only have one city.
"Always War" and "Always Peace" games limit you to one or the other. All of them can be mixed and matched to create the kind of game you want to play.

One particularly interesting game can be created by playing with teams and obstacles, so that there are two teams: one with the only person Set the easiest difficulty level (giving that player bonuses in all areas) and another with several players on normal (or one of the more difficult levels if you really want to make the game interesting) and try to beat him/her.

Fun: A really small map with a lot of players. Games for Twelve people, Civilization, take a lot of time when there is a lot of space. Put them all on a map the size of Rhode Island, and you'll see how much it takes to grow, and how the battle for every square becomes ever more intense.

Civilizations and leaders

There are 18 civilizations to choose from in the game, each with their own unique characteristics, units and leaders. Some civilizations have a choice of 2 (and in the Beyond the Sword addon even 3) leaders. These cute, almost living “boobs” demand that we conform to their social and religious views, and on occasion they will certainly recall dusty resentment. Diplomacy has become much more open - just hover over the name of the ruler of the aliens to see “in numbers” how he treats us and why. Espionage (yes, “Mata Hari Pedestrians” are at it again) is the preserve of incompetent negotiators. Creating obstacles during the construction of miracles and the opportunity to “spy” on enemy plans is not worth hopelessly damaged relationships. The picture is spoiled only by the annoying pestering of neighbors who react painfully to a categorical refusal.

Battles

Compared to previous parts, the battles have undergone significant changes.

Now each combat unit has an experience parameter. By participating in battles, a unit gains experience points and, as the level increases, can spend it on studying one promotion, for which it receives a badge. Some structures and paradigms also provide experience. In later addons to the game, experience points during production can also be given by an outstanding personality - a general settled in the city. It does not matter whether the unit was defending or attacking; in any case, upon victory, it is awarded experience points. But it is worth remembering that air units do not accumulate experience (this was implemented only in the Beyond the Sword addon), and it is also not given for bombing or in the case when an enemy unit retreated. Not every unit has all the promotions, some can only be obtained by fulfilling a certain condition, while others can only use certain units.

When the game first came out, some boxes contained two identical CD-ROMs and could not be installed.
The game is open to modification - game files are mainly stored in XML format, and after release a full toolkit was released for the game.
Mini-videos with Wonders of the World have reappeared in the game.
Each leader in the game has its own soundtrack in the diplomacy window.
The theme song, titled "Baba Yetu", was specially composed for the game. It means "Our Father" in Swahili.
The game's composer was Jeff Briggs.
There are no random events in the game at all. They only appeared in the expansion.
Unlike previous games in the series, barbarians have their own cities.
The game's AI no longer acts as if it knows the map from the start.
For the first time in the series, the religion system has changed. Now there are many of them and they are tied to the study of specific technologies.
For the first time in the series, “great people” appeared. They provide significant bonuses to choose from: constructing buildings, increasing city productivity, instantly learning technology, and others.
The voice of the game is Leonard Nimoy. Spock from Star Trek.
There are 86 types of research in the game. Against 81 in the last part.
There are seven different religious movements in the game.
There are 32 types of resources in the game.
Ranked play ends in 2050 if no victory conditions are met.
The game was released for only two platforms: PC and Mac OS.
The game begins in 4000 BC.
The game was released in ten languages: Chinese, Polish, German, French, English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Russian.
The music that plays when building a theater in the city is borrowed from the game Sid Meier's Pirates!, where the player dances with the governor's daughter in a luxuriously furnished room.
When a player makes a decision that another leader likes, the other leader will sometimes respond with “Did you ever know that you’re my hero?” You're everything I wished I could be" from the song "Wind Beneath My Wings".
In the window for selecting the size and type of map for the new game, a rotating planet with a seemingly random shape of continents is depicted. It is actually an inverted map of the Earth, with the oceans shaped like the Earth's continents.
Elvis Presley appears in all games in the series. In Civilization IV, it is indicated by the clothing of Great Talents in Industrial and modern era and the miracle “Rock and Roll”.
In the window informing the player about achieving Modern Age, the Soren digital clock shows 05:23. This is a reference to Soren Johnson, the lead designer and AI programmer for the game, and 5.23 is May 23rd, his birthday.
There are a total of six preset world scenarios in the game. One of them is the American Revolution.
There are 33 Wonders of the World in total.
The chief game designer of Sid Meier's Civilization 4 is Soren Johnson.
The version for Mac OS was released later - June 30, 2006.
There are 18 civilizations to choose from in the game.
The game uses the GameBryo engine.
There are a total of 41 different promotions in the game.
Now each combat unit has an experience parameter. It affects the combat ability of troops - they receive special features, for example, bonuses to damage when defending in cities.
There are six types of victory in the game: by points, by conquest, by dominance, by culture, by diplomacy and victory in the space race.
The localizer of the game was the Logrus company.
The total circulation of the series, not counting the fifth part, totals more than 6 million copies.

Where to get:

DESCRIPTION OF CAPABILITIES: Scenario Editor designed for creating new and editing existing scripts Age of Empires 3. You can easily create your own unique game world, populate it with various NPCs, place buildings on the map, and immediately play a freshly created scenario. It will take no more than an hour to implement a simple idea. The advantages of the editor are ease of learning and ease of use. We were unable to find any shortcomings or outright mistakes.

PRACTICE: The editor's interface is structured as follows - the top area of the application is occupied by the main menu, next to it is a convenient toolbar, which contains many different functions. The lower sector of the Scenario Editor contains parameter windows for the selected tool. The entire remaining field is the 3D view window in which the level is converted. The camera is moved around the map using the cursor arrows or the mouse, and zoomed using the mouse wheel.

Creating a new script in AoE3 Scenario Editor can be divided into several successive stages:

Landscape modeling;

Arrangement of various objects on the map (NPC, buildings, vegetation, etc.);

Writing various script scenes;

Setting the parameters of the current scenario;

Testing your development.

VERDICT: Age of Empires 3: Scenario Editor is a powerful editor that allows you to almost completely change the world of AoE3 or create a unique game universe from scratch. Average level complexity, ease of learning and possibilities not limited by anything except your imagination!

Addition to AoE 3 EDITOR

Where to get: From our DVD

DESCRIPTION OF CAPABILITIES: New AoE3 Editor 1.1 - update for the scenario editor of the game Age of Empires III. This package includes more than 80 innovations. Listing all the know-how would take at least several magazine pages, so we will note, for example, only two of them - a new menu has been added Wall, designed to simplify the placement of various walls on the map, as well as the ability to load saved games into the editor. Full list you can see the changes immediately after installing the add-on package in the subdirectory N3E.

VERDICT: An excellent collection of add-ons for Scenario Editor. We recommend using this development to all those who want to save their time when creating a new scenario for Age Of Empires 3.

Civilization 4 plugin for 3DS Max

Where to get: From our DVD

DESCRIPTION OF CAPABILITIES: A few months after the release of the fourth "Civilization", the developers, at the numerous requests of game developers, released a number of plugins for 3DS Max, allowing you to add your own models to the game. The utilities also allow original units to be loaded into Max Civilization 4. These tools fully comply with “civilizational” standards - they allow you to attach various types of animations to the model, change the scale of the object, and record rotations. Owners of 3DS Max 6th and 7th versions will be able to use the developers’ creation.

PRACTICE: To master the process of creating and editing Civilization units, you must be fluent in a modern graphics package - 3DS Max. All work on developing a new object for Civilization 4 can be divided into several successive stages:

Creating a unit model. It is important not to forget about the hierarchy of objects, various dummies (dummies), the presence of which is mandatory for the functioning of the unit. Since no help file was included with the tools, there is only one the right way to understand the above - import the standard model from “Civilization” into “Max” and see which dummy-kovs are vitally important and what they are responsible for; how to properly configure the hierarchy.

Animating the created object. The topic of animating models created in Max has been discussed more than once on the pages of the magazine, and in the April issue of Mania a video tutorial from specialists was published “ K-D LAB" - creators " Perimeter».

Model export. Everything here is extremely simple - select the menu item in 3DS Max File/Export and in the window that appears, indicate the object name and format. Since we are talking about creating a unit for Civilization 4, select the appropriate type and click Ok. In the window that appears, configure additional parameters for exporting the model and click the Ok button again.

To view original objects, the basic set of official utilities includes a special viewer NIF-files - SceneViewer. It is worth noting that in addition to displaying various forms The program is equipped with a number of functions that are not typical for standard viewers. For example, the ability to add a number of more models to the current NIF.

VERDICT: An excellent set of official plugins designed for creating/editing Civilization 4 model files.

Civilization 4 SDK

Where to get: From our DVD

DESCRIPTION OF CAPABILITIES: The long-awaited Software Development Kit for the fourth "Civilization". It contains the source code of the main DLL-game files, allowing modders to change or completely rewrite the world Civilization 4. It is quite easy to understand the program code - the developers did not skimp on comments, as a result of which even a user who is not familiar with coding can understand the purpose of a certain function, method or class. For example, how do you like the idea of rewriting the artificial intelligence system or completely changing the game interface?

And everything would be great, but one thing is frustrating: the developers have not released a full-fledged toolkit for creating mods.

VERDICT: SDK for the fourth “Civilization”, which allows you to adjust all game parameters. We recommend this development, first of all, to users familiar with the basics of programming.

NifSkope

Where to get: From our DVD

DESCRIPTION OF CAPABILITIES: Nifscope 0.81 - graphics program, designed to open NIF files (this model format is used in games based on the engine NetImmerse/Gamebryo), viewing and editing them. The utility is exclusive in its own way and has no analogues. In particular, the Nifscope tool is widely used for viewing and editing models The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.

PRACTICE: The program interface is simple and convenient. The main editing area consists of a 3D view window, which displays the loaded model, and an edit field containing many object characteristics. It should be noted that there is a convenient toolbar, which contains only the most necessary functions for work.

The main value of the utility is the ability to import/export a loaded object into .OBJ, which is understood by all modern 3D graphics packages, for example, 3DS Max. Let's look at this program function in more detail.

Load a custom NIF file, for example from TESIV. In the edit field, select NiTriShape and right-click on it. From the menu that appears, select Mesh/Export .OBJ and save the object with the new extension. Now you can safely launch your favorite 3D graphics program that supports the .OBJ format and edit this element. To import your modified model into a NIF file, export it to .OBJ format via 3DS Max. Next, return to the Nifscope utility, select the item again NiTriShape and repeat all the above manipulations with a small amendment - in the menu that appears, this time you need to select the item Mesh/Import .OBJ.

The program is practically devoid of shortcomings, and who will notice them against the backdrop of many useful functions. The development may be of interest to all users who are faced with the need to change objects represented by NIF files.

VERDICT: A unique program of its kind for working with game models in the .NIF format.

QuakeEdit

Where to get: Installed with the game

DESCRIPTION OF CAPABILITIES: QuakeEdit designed for editing original and creating new levels for Quake 4. From the time of DOOM 3 The editor has improved - many small very useful functions have been added.

PRACTICE: To load the editor, you need to start the game with the key +editor. To do this, first create a shortcut to launch Quake 4. Then right-click on it and select the item in the menu that appears Properties. In the window that opens, in the “object” field, add the command +editor. Click on the button Papply for the changes to take effect. After launching the shortcut, the game will load, and only then the application will switch to editor mode.

The editor's filling is good old Q3Radiant, so modders who are already familiar with the basics of mapmaking for Quake should not have any particular difficulties. For beginners, we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the materials on creating levels for DOOM III, which have already been published in “Gaming”.

The QuakeEdit interface is structured as follows: the right area of the editor is occupied by a 2D view window in which the map is developed. The left half of QuakeEdit is occupied by a small 3D view window, an inspector window, and a ruler that allows you to edit the height of selected level elements. Moving around the map in the 3D view window is carried out using the cursor keys. To change the camera angle, use the keys A And Z. To change the camera height, use the keys D And C.

The development of any map for Quake begins with the creation of a so-called brush. After the “blank” is ready, it is converted into a game room by selecting a menu item Selection\CSG\Hollow. Next, the box level is textured, various pickups, monsters, architectural elements are added to the map, and finally, the player’s starting position. The result of the work done is a working map, which can be tested as follows: you need to save the level through the editor to the installed directory Quake 4-q4base\maps, then - start the game, call the console using the key combination Ctrl+Alt+~ and enter the command in the command line that appears map and the name of your card, for example: map alpha_level.

QuakeEdit is far from the only editor that comes with the fourth Quake. There are also a number of utilities that allow you to change various game resources - sounds, models, PDA files. Activation of programs is carried out using the console, called up in the game by a key combination Ctrl+Alt+~. List of basic utilities with brief description is given below.

-Sound Editor(console command - editSounDS). Sound editor, allows you to change original and add new format files .OGG;

-PDA Editor(console command - editPDA). The utility is designed for editing PDA files containing various data (texts, sounds, video messages) received on the main character's PDA during the game;

-Articulated Figure Editor(console command - editAFs).A simple program with an intuitive interface, designed for editing existing characters and creating new ones. The utility allows you to change parameters such as NPC height, weight and a number of other attributes;

-Script Editor.The name speaks for itself (the console command is editScripts) - the utility is designed for writing various scripts, in particular, videos on the game engine.

VERDICT: QuakeEdit is a good, and most importantly, the only level editor for Quake 4. It allows you to create both full-fledged single and multiplayer maps. High level of complexity, but almost limitless possibilities.

Quake 4 SDK

Where to get: From our DVD

DESCRIPTION OF CAPABILITIES: Some time after the release Quake 4 the developers created the so-called SDK(source code and many ready-made developments). After studying a number of examples, you will be able to figure out how this or that element of the game is made, and after analyzing the source code, you will be able to create your own tools for editing the fourth “Quake” (for this, of course, you need to have a good understanding of programming).

VERDICT: An excellent set of examples of various utilities that come with Quake 4, plus the source code of the game engine, once you understand it, you can create your own editors and professional modifications.

Call of Duty 2 Mod Tools

Where to get: From our DVD

DESCRIPTION OF CAPABILITIES: Great news for all modders: the promised tools for the best action game about the Second World War have been released - Call of Duty 2. A whole set of editors, united under the name Call of Duty 2 Mod Tools, fell into the tenacious clutches of gamers. The distribution contains various plugins for Maya, a powerful map editor CoD2Radiant, tools for compiling levels and others useful programs. Call of Duty 2 Mod Tools allows you to completely remake the game - put new character models into the engine, develop a number of non-standard maps, tweak some settings... Detailed documentation allows you to understand the most complex programs tools.

Many people think that with a scrupulous approach you can find many errors in almost every editor, but if we are talking about the whole toolkit... We hasten to convince you of the opposite: the creators tested Call of Duty 2 Mod so scrupulously that the toolkit is practically devoid of bugs.

PRACTICE: Let's look at the main utilities:

1. Maya Plugins- a number of plugins for Maya, one of the most popular 3D graphics packages, which allows you to create models, attach allowed types of animations to them and export the resulting elements to the format of objects used by Call of Duty 2. This issue is discussed in more detail in the documentation supplied with the SDK . If you speak English, then you can master the process of creating models for Call of Duty 2 in a matter of hours.

2. The editor deserves the most attention CoD2Radiant. It is designed for creating single and multiplayer maps. When you first launch the application, you need to specify the path to the project file cod2.prj, located in the folder \bin installed tools. The program interface is intuitive. There is a convenient toolbar at the top. At the bottom there is a field that is a kind of log in which all user actions and error warnings are recorded. In the middle there is a field consisting of two windows: the right one is a 3D view and a library of various textures used in the original game; left - 2D view in which a new level is being developed. There is also a ruler designed to adjust the height of the selected element.

Let's study the internal structure of CoD2Radiant. The tool is based on the good old Q3Radiant, hence all the ensuing pros and cons of the program. The positive aspects of the utility include ease of learning, ease of use, and the presence of many useful functions that are usually absent in similar developments. But there were some downsides. The main editor compiles levels containing a large number of objects very slowly.

3. CoD2 Compile Tools- a program for compiling created levels and their subsequent installation in Call of Duty 2. The utility has a convenient interface: the left field of the editor is occupied by the map manager, and the right wing of the application is filled with various parameters for compilation, lighting... If you wish, you can test it after completing the compilation process your development.

4. Editor EffectsEd designed for editing various types of effects used in the game, for example: camera shake, glow, clouds, particle system... A large area of the application is occupied by the 3D view window, in which effects are viewed. Below it is a field in which the so-called segments (components of each effect) are displayed. The entire right side of the editor is occupied by a window containing many tabs in which parameters can be edited - size, speed, effect color. You can master EffectsEd in literally 15 minutes.

5. Utility Asset Manager designed for creating and editing records with data about murder weapons, NPCs, and vehicles. The program's interface is very simple - just one form, on the surface of which there are many different fields and labels describing them. To get started in the editor, you first need to download or create new file records with extension .gdt. After this, you can either adjust the parameters of existing elements by double-clicking on them with the left mouse button and changing the necessary attributes, or create new ones - guns, vehicles, characters.

VERDICT: A set of utilities that allows you to create a completely new game based on Call of Duty 2 Mod Tools.

NIF Texture Replacer

Where to get: From our DVD

DESCRIPTION OF CAPABILITIES: TR v1.8a (Texture Replacer for .NIF files) - a small utility designed to replace textures in one or more NIF files TESIV: Oblivion. The program does not have a graphical interface - all actions must be performed via the command line. Despite the author's assertion that he does not like to compile various kinds of documentation, the utility is equipped with a very useful and detailed help, which provides the necessary information about the command line options, syntax and various actions: replacing a texture, deleting it, displaying all the pictures contained in the file .

VERDICT: A simple utility for replacing textures in TESIV: Oblivion NIF files, working via the command line. We recommend using this tool to all modders.

Civ IV Modding Basics

Quite often, while playing, you may want to change some things in the game. Often possible changes are insignificant, and strictly limited by the game developers, then at best some in-game graphics can be changed, or a minor detail can be added. Sometimes the possibilities for modding a game are enormous, and a mod may appear that completely changes the game, often more interesting than the game itself. And these mods extend the life of the game for many years.

The Civilization series of games has always been extremely popular among modders; the number of scenarios and mods created for it is enormous, and a direct consequence of this is that the possibilities for changing the game have increased with each new part. Civilization 4 has enormous potential for change and development, and proof of this is the huge number of mods, including such unique modifications as Fall from Heaven, which completely changes the game.

In this post I will describe the initial basics of changing the game, and give some simple examples of modification.

Modding levels.

There are 4 levels of Civilization 4 modding:

World Builder

Built-in game editor, which is primarily intended for creating maps and individual scenarios. You can create your own map or scenario in it without any problems, but new units or technologies cannot be created through it.

This is the most widely used level of modding, the capabilities of which allow you to change basic game settings, but are not required to use it special knowledge, and its capabilities allow you to create a full-fledged mod. Add new units, or technologies, or completely change the path of development of civilization, this is done without any problems through XML. Graphics changes are also made primarily via XML. However, many things cannot be changed through XML alone, such as creating a new ability for units, or changing the maximum number of players, these things are solved at other levels of modding. This tutorial will focus primarily on it.

The programming language used in Civ4 for "second level" code. Its use provides the modder with the ability to change the interface, or to make a resource or unit appear at the right time in the right place. It is quite possible to realize many ideas through it. But there are still limitations, for example, you cannot change many game settings, make mountains available for processing again, or change the AI.

First of all, the main level of the game code allows you to almost completely change the game. Add new types of territory, rewrite AI, or change the very essence of relations between civilizations. For more complete information you can read.

Moreover, it is extremely important that all these levels of modding are closely intertwined with each other, and you can only get a truly unusual mod by using them all.

Introduction to XML Modding.

XML is structured text, so any plain text editor, like Notepad, is suitable for editing xml files

allows you to make the necessary changes, but it will be more convenient to use specialized programs. Most suitable for editing XML files Civ4, lightweight and simple program. It allows you to view and edit data in tabular form, which makes it easier to understand.

Some information about working with XML files can be found in the article

XML game files are located in the Assets/XML folder, in the main game folder. You can edit them right there and launch the game with the changes made, but you shouldn't do this.

Creating a simple mod.

First, let's create a mod that will allow you to have an unlimited number of national wonders in the city, increase the frequency of events by 2 times and allow the scout to move across impassable landscapes. In the main game folder we find the Mods folder, then create a folder in it with the name of the mod, for example Mod.

Note: If Beyond the Sword is installed, then the main game folder is Beyond the Sword, and not Sid Meier's Civilization 4.

Then create in this folder Mod, folder Assests, and in it XML. After creating these folders, you can download this mod, but of course there will be no changes in the game, since nothing has been changed in it yet. Then copy it to this folder XML the necessary files from the corresponding folders of the game itself. I have this D:Program FilesFiraxis GamesSid Meier's Civilization 4Beyond the SwordAssetsXML.

Then, first, we will increase the frequency of events and the number of national wonders in the city. Open the copied file GlobalDefines.xml, we find the necessary parameters there. Information about all CivIV XML parameters can be found at.

To increase the frequency of events we find EVENT_PROBABILITY_ROLL_SIDES and change the value to 50, the lower the value, the more often events will occur, in in this case 2 times more often.

Then we find in ModAssetsXMLUnits file CIV4UnitInfos.xml, we find a scout in it, he is designated there as SCOUT, he, like any unit, has many parameters. Most of them start with b, this first of all means that the values can be “1” - yes and “0” - no.

In this case we are interested bCanMoveImpassable, which allows the unit to move through impassable territory. Change its value to 1.

Save the file and launch the new mod. As you can see from the screenshot, the scout calmly stands on the top of an impassable mountain and looks at the distant shore.

Please upgrade to 2.0.9!
Most important changes:

2.0.8 to 2.0.9
- Added some new Buttons
2.0.7 to 2.0.8
2.0.6 to 2.0.7
2.0.5 to 2.0.6

Btw: Most of the functionality of the TeamReveal Plugin can be reached with a right click on the drop-down-menu that let"s you chose the teams.

Downloads:

(2.0.9)

3rd Party Icons & Buttons

Included Plugin Versions

Editor 1.3.1
CreateCoast 1.0
Remover 1.0
RiverPlace 1.0
TileToText 1.0
LandscapePlacer 1.1 (Current: Version 1.2.0)
TeamReveal 1.0

To run the software you might need to install this from microsoft:
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package

Other Plugins/Versions:(just extract to mapview directory)

Pic2Map - Convert Pictures to Maps (download and put into mapview dir)
- Use *.jpg files .. you can use other types but that will probably look really horrible ;D
- Currently the map size created will be 128 in width and you cannot change this. I hope you can live with this for now.

Please be aware of the fact that MapView does not understand *.wbs (civ/warlords/colonization/bts etc.) files 100%. But this will be looged. You can currently not alter all values but A LOT of things can be done.

If you have little feature wishes i can probaly write a plugin very fast. So ask for it!

When you know how to do it you can add render/gui support your a feature or bonus of your own mod within seconds. But even if you don't, MapView will be able to use it anyway.

Feature List:

Maps up to 400x400. (enought?)
Fast OpenGL Renderer
Plugin System
Full mod support. Some restrictions exist, read the FAQ.
Warlords and submods
BTS and submods
Bonus
Terrain
Features (no variety)
Improvements
Cities
Units
Rivers
Players
Teams
Renderer an be taught how to render new bonuses, features etc.
GUI can be taught to display correct buttons for new bonuses, features etc.
Copy, Cut & Paste
Layers
Move Layers
Flip layers horizontal/vertical
Merge layers

Render support files for mods:

Video Tutorials:

Make MapView show custom buttons for mod specific Features, Bonuses, Improvements, Routes ... and UNITS

Things you should know:

Starting positions aren't adjusted when flipping layers.
Rivers on the most south or most east edge of a layer are not flipped 100% correct.
... things the FAQ mentions
Floodplains look like Jungle! .. Could someone please create a nice graphic for it and share?

FAQ:

How do i use the TeamReveal Plugin?
Basicly you use the left mouse-button to "paint" reveal and the right mouse-button to "paint" hidden areas.
A right click on the team-selection drop down will bring up a context menu with a few further features. The option to completely hide the whole map from all teams can be reached via the "Plugins->TeamReveal x.x" menu.
Why are there so many? - Buttons?
Questionmarks are harmless.
The main goal of MapView is to have a few restrictions possible. It works with almost any mod and can place and delete things i couldn't know about when i wrote the program. MapView is also able to be taught by the users, buttons can be created and adjusted. The questionmark just means no one has ever created a button for a specific terrain/bonus/feature/route/uni for improvement. You could easily create some buttons if you wanted to, check out the video tutorials.
The application crashes on startup, what to do?
Try starting MapView without plug_editor.dll to be present in the App folder. If it works now there is some issue with an xml file i don"t handle. Use this version of the editor to find out which file is causing the error. Please upload the file somewhere and send me a PM.
The application crashes when changing to another mod?
Use this version of the editor to find out which *.xml file is causing the error. I probably have an unhandled case. Please upload the file somewhere and send me a PM.
Why is some terrain black
This indicated that the file has no terrain. This can happen when using cut. It"s not bad tho. That way you could save yourself some bonus settings or similar and then easily paste it into your current map project without modifying the terrain.
How do you navigate? Scroll and zoom?
Whenever you hold down "SPACE" you can use the left and right mouse button to navigate and zoom. Even if you have a tool selected. It"s similar how 3d software works so it should quite familiar for a few people and once you know it it should be pretty natuarl.
The toolbar entries of the mod is incorrect
MapView requires everything to start with the usual identifier. BONUS_, FEATURE_, LEADER_ and so on. Some mods (like American Revolution) don't work like that (AMREV_BONUS_SOMETHING etc.)
How to delete Bonus, Features, Routes, Improvements?
Use the eraser and click on ANY bonus, feature, route or improvement. If you last clicked on a bonus, bonuses will be erased etc.
How to delete Cities and units?
Whenever you click on a tile containing units or a city the "Tile inspector" will show those types. You can right click on a unit or city and delete it. Units can also be deleted by pressing the delete key on your keyboard.
How to delete River?
Make sure you are enabled the riverplace tool. Hold down the right mouse button while moving the mouse.
You can delete a whole river from source to mouth by holding down shift and then left-clicking on a river.
Some textures look wrong
Make sure all files in the directory /Texture// have the same dimensions. If this happens when you use an unmodified version please report it.
What do the question mark symbols on the map mean?
This is when the render engine didn't find a picture that has the same name as the feature, bonus, improvement or route.
You can easily create your own art work. Check the video tutorials to learn how to do this or check the SDK folder for template files to start creating the files for your personal mod.
Where do i need to install the Plugins to?
The plugin itself has to be in the same folder as the application executable. Usually /MapView/. You should be fine when extracting the plugin to this folder.
How do I disable a plugin?
1. Rename the plugin so it doesn"t start with "plug_" anymore
2. or just remove it from the directory

Changelog:

Application:
- 2.0.0 to 2.0.1
  - added zlib1.dll to the package
  - included LandscapePlacer Plugin to the package
  - removed unnecessary files and folders i forgot to remove
- 2.0.1 to 2.0.2
  - Editor 1.1 now ships with the application
  - Fixed a bug about hills and peaks beeing reversed (Thanks to ayse)
- 2.0.2 to 2.0.3
  - Editor 1.2 now ships with the application
- 2.0.3 to 2.0.4
  - Fixed bug that made almost everything appear in white and repacked
- 2.0.4 to 2.0.5
  - Included Buttons for Stock Units
  - Improved parsing/saving
- 2.0.5 to 2.0.6
  - MapView now checks for updates on Application start. (Plugins as well as MapView itself)
  - Added Warlords specific saving procedure.
- 2.0.6 to 2.0.7
  - The app took ages to start when working offline due too many connection timeouts to wait for. Improved that.
- 2.0.7 to 2.0.8
  - Fixed issues that made MapView crash when changing to certain Mods. This should be much better now.
  - Added a grid to the renderer, can be toggle in the menu.
- 2.0.8 to 2.0.9
  - Added some new Buttons
  - Took out things i forgot to disable for 2.0.8
  - You can now delete cities with the eraser tool

Editor:
- 1.0 to 1.1
  - Clicking on the Toolbars (Feature, Route, Bonus, Improvement, Unit) will now automatically activate the pen when you just used another plugin like RiverPlace or LandscapePlace. Pensize will stay as you selected.
- 1.1 to 1.2
  - Had to recompile due to drastic api changes.
- 1.2 to 1.3
  - Added landmass selection
- 1.3 to 1.3.1
  - Fixed from description for the box selection tool in the selector drop down menu
Landscape Placer
- 1.0 to 1.1
  - Peak and Hills were reversed, fixed that (Thanks to ayse)
TeamReveal
- 1.0
  - first release