Unit-related JSON files

Units.json

This file should contain a list of all the units, both military and civilian, that you want to use in your mod.

Each unit has the following structure:

Attribute	Type	Default	Notes
name	String	Required
unitType	String	Required	The type of the unit. Must be in UnitTypes.json
cost	Integer	-1	The amount of production required to build this unit. The production needed is always positive
movement	Integer	0	The amount of movement points the unit has by
strength	Integer	0	The melee attack and defensive strength of the unit. If this and rangedStrength are omitted or 0, the unit will be a civilian
rangedStrength	Integer	0	The ranged attack and defensive strength of the unit. If omitted, the unit cannot ranged attack. If used, strength must be set too.
religiousStrength	Integer	0	The religious attack and defensive strength of the unit
range	Integer	2	The range from which ranged attacks can be preformed
interceptRange	Integer	0	Air units attacking within in this range will be intercepted
requiredTech	String	none	The tech required to build this unit. Must be in Techs.json
obsoleteTech	String	none	After researching this tech, the unit can no longer be build. Must be in Techs.json
requiredResource	String	none	Resource that is consumed by building this unit. Must be in TileResources.json
upgradesTo	String	none	Unit that this unit can upgrade to when it is available. Must be in Units.json
replaces	String	none	If this unit is unique to a nation, this is the unit it replaces. Must be in Units.json
uniqueTo	String	none	The nation that this unit is unique to. Must be in Nations.json
hurryCostModifier	Integer	0	If this unit is bought for gold, its price is increased by so much percent
promotions	List of Strings	empty	A list of all the promotions the unit automatically receives upon being built. Each promotion must be in UnitPromotions.json
uniques	List of Strings	empty	List of unique abilities this unit has
replacementTextForUniques	String	none	If provided, this will be displayed instead of the list of uniques. Can be used for better formatting.
attackSound	String	none	The sound that is to be played when this unit attacks. For possible values, see Sounds
civilopediaText	List	empty	See civilopediaText chapter

UnitPromotions.json

Link to original

This file lists the available unit promotions.

Each promotion must have an icon, except progressions ending in " I", " II", " III" (no IV V VI allowed) are rendered by looking up an icon without those suffixes and adding stars.

Remember, promotions can be "bought" with XP, but also granted by the unit type, buildings, wonders and such. They are preserved when a unit upgrades, therefore special properties of nation unique units that can be inherited when they upgrade should be in a promotion, not uniques/stats in the units json (example: Slinger withdraw).

Each promotion has the following structure:

Attribute	Type	Default	Notes
name	String	Required	See above for "I, II, III" progressions
prerequisites	List of Strings	empty	Prerequisite promotions
column	Integer	Optional	Determines placement order on the promotion picker screen. Name is historical, these coordinates no longer control placement directly. Promotions without coordinates are ensured to be placed last. (…)
row	Integer	Optional	… In base mods without any coordinates, promotions without prerequisites are sorted alphabetically and placed top down, the rest of the screen will structure the dependencies logically. If your mod has a "Heal instantly", it is suggested to use row=0 to place it on top
unitTypes	List of Strings	empty	The unit types for which this promotion applies as specified in UnitTypes.json
uniques	List of Strings	empty	List of unique abilities this promotion grants to the units
civilopediaText	List	empty	See civilopediaText chapter
innerColor	List	empty	Color of the icon
outerColor	List	empty	Color of the background

UnitTypes.json

Link to original

This optional file is used for defining new types of units. The names of these can be used in unitFilters, and these types determine what domain the unit moves in: over land, over water or through the air. If the file is omitted, the following are automatically added: Civilian, Melee, Ranged, Scout, Mounted, Armor, Siege, WaterCivilian, WaterMelee, WaterRanged, WaterSubmarine, WaterAircraftCarrier, Fighter, Bomber, AtomicBomber, and Missile.

Each unit type has the following structure:

Attribute	Type	Default	Notes
name	String	Required
movementType	Enum	Required	The domain through which the unit moves. Allowed values: "Water", "Land", "Air"
uniques	List of String	none	List of unique abilities this promotion grants to units of this type