User Guide

MODS
Sid Meier’s Civilization IV has been designed to be the most
moddable version of Civ ever. For the first time ever, we will
be providing you, the player, with all of the tools we use inter-
nally to make the game what it is. Depending on your skill
level, you will be able to do as much as you want to make the
scenario or mod of your dreams. There are four levels to fit
anyone’s level of experience and comfort:
XML
Anyone that is comfortable editing a text file can easily jump
in and use the XML (Extensible Markup Language) files to
easily change game text and simple rules.You could rewrite all
of the diplomacy text, add a new Civ, or simply tweak the
combat or movement value for a unit.
Python
If you are somewhat comfortable with simple scripting, you
can add events to the game.You could make a certain square
give your units experience points or have an “Earthquake”
destroy a mountain range.
World Builder
You can access the World Builder interface anytime from the
game. Here, you can edit the map, placing terrain, rivers,
resources, and improvements as you see fit.You can also drop
units or cities on the map.You can even adjust the size of cities,
place starting locations, or edit starting technologies before
saving the map out as a simple scenario you can share with
your friends,
Game and AI SDK
In early 2006, we will be delivering this incredibly powerful
tool that will allow experienced programmers to “get down to
the metal” and tweak the AI or how the game functions.
These descriptions are just the tip of the iceberg. Check the
game folder for last-minute updates as well as documents
detailing how to use these features and other exciting things.
Also, keep checking the Civ IV home page for new updates,
fan-created content, and new official mods.
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AFTERWORDS
BY SOREN JOHNSON
Opportunities like this don’t come along every day.
Many, many years ago, when I was probably ten years old, I used
to spend the lazy days of summer imagining games with my
cousin, Kjell. One week, we wrote up a design for a game about
the history of the world. You could create a new world from
scratch! And you could play as the Chinese, or the Romans, or the
Americans! There would be diplomacy, and combat, and technol-
ogy, and exploration. Wow, that would just be the coolest game
ever – imagine if someone ever made that for our little Apple or
Commodore computers!
Of course, we weren’t the only ones dreaming of such a game.
In fact, there was a palpable sense after Will Wright’s SimCity that
someone just had to take the next step to include the whole
world. It was no surprise that Sid Meier – an already famous game
designer – was the one who made it happen. Civilization was born
in 1991, and the world was hooked.
I started playing the game heavily my first year of college.
Somehow, the game was both everything that I had hoped for and
also an inspiration for what else might be possible. Being a game
about all of human history, nothing was off-topic. Shortly after my
graduation, Firaxis Founder & CEO Jeff Briggs gave me an oppor-
tunity to help out with his design for Civilization III. It was a fan-
tastic experience – one I could never have been prepared for – and
we brought some great new elements to the series, especially
resources and culture. However, as soon as the game made its
rounds, creating a new generation of fans, the questions began:
“What about Civilization IV?”
Well… that’s a fair question.
There are a thousand ways to make a game about all of civi-
lization – we only get to make one of them. To begin with, we
wanted to make a game that stood on its own. Although the game
was a sequel, everything in the design was up for grabs.The code-
base began from scratch, so we could choose which elements of
the series should be kept and which parts could be left behind.
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