From: Ordania-DM@cup.portal.com (Charles K Hughes)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
Subject: CIVILIZATION - Want to...?
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 11:48:45 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)

  CIVILIZATION - What a great game! :)

        Want to go back in time?
        Want to play a different civilization?
        Want to make the game easier or harder without starting over?
        Want to give civilizations more appropriate names?
                (We all know that the Barbarians are A**holes, why not
                let the game know it too? :)
        Want to really speed up scientific research?
        Want to give yourself (or another civilization) lots of cash?
        Want to reduce the number of civs in your current game?
                Or increase it?
        Want to play with a couple of friends?
        Want to change the computer players' tax/science/luxuries ratio's?
                Or your own?
        Want to know some of the ways the computer cheats?
        Don't want any of this?  Or wish the Civilization thread would
                no longer bother you?  (Stop reading this now. :)

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Here's how to do it:
        First off, a few helpful hints:
                1) use a HEX editor (BEAV, available on the net is a good
                        choice)
                2) always remember that ALL numbers in the game are
                        represented by 2 byte LSB,MSb format numbers
                        in the .SVE files.  (At least, this seems to be
                        the case. :)
                3) most numbers have an upper limit, either game imposed
                        or compiler imposed.  For instance, you can't have
                        more than 32000 in cash - that's game imposed.
                        Even if you could have more than 32000, you couldn't
                        have more than 32767 because 1 bit of the 16 bits
                        used for each number is used to indicate that the
                        number is negative - this is compiler imposed.
                3) make backups of your .SVE files before changing them.
                4) never give a computer a break - if a computer player
                        annoys you, go into the save file and do some of
                        the things that I say below NOT to do.  The computer
                        won't realize what has happened right away, and
                        you'll hurt that civilization, and you'll feel
                        lots better.
                5) spread this around, maybe someone will add information
                        to it.

Ok, here's the format for each question:
        (question)
                (byte start address in HEX to change in .SVE file, length
                        in decimal)
                (valid range in decimal if known)
                (explanatory text)

And here are the questions again:

        Want to go back in time?
                8,2
                before 4000BC has worked, after 2200AD may also work
                Changing the current year allows you to play the game
                        forever and achieve phenemonal scores.  

        Want to play a different civilization?
                2,2
                the range is 1-7.  choosing 0 would make you the barbarians.
                Now you can change to whatever civ is winning at the moment
                        or simply see what each one of them can see.  This
                        does screw up the little map on your main screen,
                        but you can live with it. :)  NOTE: This number is
                        very important for other questions.  For any
                        question that applies to multiple civilizations
                        (more cash, more lightbulbs for science, etc)
                        you need to multiple this number by the number of
                        bytes used for each civ's set of values, and add
                        it to the byte start address.

        Want to make the game easier or harder without starting over?
                A,2
                the range is 0-4.
                This is the difficulty rating.  A 0 is for Chieftain and
                        a 4 is for Emperor.  I haven't tested anything
                        above 4, I shudder to think what the game might
                        do, considering how badly it cheats on 4.

        Want to give civilizations more appropriate names?
                This one is special, because it really encompasses three
                        similar areas.  
                10, 14  - This is for the Leaders' names
                80, 12  - This is for the PLURAL spelling of the civ name
                        (We all know that the Barbarians are A**holes, 
                        why not let the game know it too? :)
                E0, 11  - This is for the singular spelling of the civ name
                Any character you like, plus the following special ones:
                        # = Stick figure
                        $ = coin
                        ^ = check mark
                        { = wheat stalk
                        } = trade arrows
                        \ = diamond
                        | = shield
                        ~ = light bulb
                        _ = sun
                If the new name is shorter than the allowed space, the next
                        byte at the end of the name should be a 0 (this
                        prevents junk remaining from the previous name
                        from showing up).

        Want to really speed up scientific research?
                148, 2
                0-lots :)
                This figure must NEVER exceed the amount required for the
                        next advance.  If it does, you'll never get the next
                        advance.  The amount required for the next advance
                        is based on the difficulty level (0-4), and how
                        many advances you already have (invented, stolen,
                        or found makes no difference :).  The number of
                        lightbulbs needed for each new advance is:
                        (difficulty level+3)*2*(# of advances you already
                        have).  NOTE: In the beginning advances are slightly
                        harder at the low difficulty levels (weird, huh?)
                        AND after 0 AD the number doubles (i.e. add a *2
                        to the equation above).

        Want to give yourself (or another civilization) lots of cash?
                138, 2
                -32000 (or so) to +32000
                Don't make this number a negative - you'll lose EVERYTHING.
                        This number won't go above 32000, so spend money
                        if you start to get close to it.

        Want to reduce the number of civs in your current game?
                        Or increase it?
                93BC, 2
                0-6
                The range is only 0-6 because the Barbarians always exist,
                        and there can only be 7 civilizations.  If you drop
                        this number down to 0, the computer will probably
                        ignore all the civilizations except yours and the
                        barbarians.

        Want to play with a couple of friends?
                By playing with the number of civs, and changing the 
                        player civilization number, you should be able
                        to play a multi-player game.  NOTE: Due to the
                        required save, edit, and reload steps such a game
                        will take a LONG time to play.

        Want to change the computer players' tax/science/luxuries ratio's?
                        Or your own?
                0738, 2 - This is the tax rate
                8BB4, 2 - This is the science rate
                0-10 combined total
                The ratios are determined in the following order: tax,
                        science, luxury.  Taxes are checked first, and
                        the value is subtracted from 10.  Then science
                        is subtracted from the new value.  The resulting
                        value is placed in Luxuries.  NOTE: Taxes are 
                        generated first, so if you set taxes at or above 10,
                        science and luxuries gain NOTHING no matter what
                        the numbers show.  This can be verified by hitting
                        the F5 key.  
        
        Want to know some of the ways the computer cheats?
                Triremes never sink when away from land.
                Caravans, as they are produced, instantly become trade
                        routes with the city of another computer player.
                The computer player can spend a little money to partially
                        build an item.  (It may also only pay non-military
                        construction costs, but I haven't verified this.)
                At Chieftain and Warlord levels the computer players are
                        penalized compared to the player.
                At Prince level the computer players are equal to the 
                        player.
                At King and Emperor levels the computer has a decided
                        advantage (28% faster advances, 20% cheaper to
                        build items, 20% fewer food storage rows [makes
                        faster populations] at Emperor level)
                When a player uses a diplomat to sabotage a city, if 
                        production is destroyed, the computer can change it
                        to another unit immediately.
                The computer player can change production AFTER an advance
                        is discovered, before the city produces for that 
                        turn, buy the remaining shields for the new unit
                        and PRODUCE IT ON THAT TURN.  (The answer to this 
                        is to give yourself lots of cash.)


        Don't want any of this?  Or wish the Civilization thread would
                        no longer bother you?  (Stop reading this now. :)
                Well, I did tell you to stop reading this quite some time
                        ago. :)

Brought to you by Charlemagne, Emperor of the World (several times over :)
        also known as: Charles_K_Hughes@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games