12 — Other configuration files

Index · Basics

Besides the unit, technology, AI, map and scenario files of the other chapters, the game reads a number of smaller text files — not all of them with a .txt extension. All use the common format of 00 — Basics (// and /* */ comments, "strings", case-insensitive keywords) and are looked up through the mod system, so a mod replaces one by shipping the same path; files that accept USE can also extend the previous version with USE PREVIOUS.

Contents

1. Overview
2. Mods: info.txt
3. Game-wide settings
4. Graphics and sound
5. Language files
6. Player files
7. Files used only by the Cheats build
8. Game modes: Blitz, Standoff, Conquest

---

1. Overview

Game files (in the game folder; a mod may replace or extend them):

File	Contents	§
MODS/<mod>/info.txt, Seasonal/<mod>/info.txt, GameMode/<mode>/info.txt	Mod description	2
GameMode/Blitz/, GameMode/Standoff/, GameMode/Conquest/	The game modes' own mods	8
NewGameSettings.txt	Game-setup defaults of a game mode	8
DefaultMap.txt	Map and interface used by default	3
Limits.txt	Ranges of the game-setup sliders	3
Explodopedia.txt	The Explodopedia's tab and category icons and its start page	14
speed.txt	Game-speed steps	3
espionage.txt	Intelligence actions	3
AdditionalElements.txt	Extra pictures on the main menu, scroll speeds	3
model_info.txt	Faction model prefixes	4
Units/pollution.txt (optional)	Colours of fallout clouds	4
Units/Emulated/*.txt	Procedural explosion animations	4
*.MIDX, variant files, model descriptors	Unit pictures and 3D models	4
ogg/music.txt	Music for each game situation	4
UI/UI.txt	Interface sprite sheet	4
Lang/<language>/…	Translations, fonts, loading hints, premade decks	5

Documented elsewhere: Tech.txt and TechLevels.txt, ProductionEfficiency.txt (05), Tech_faction.txt (00), Units/*.txt (01–04), AI/ (08), MAPS/ (09), Scenario/ (11) and event scripts (Events Script Reference) and the tutorial missions in Tutorial/ (13).

Player files (in Documents/My Games/ICBM-Escalation) — §6.

Cheats build only — §7.

---

2. Mods: info.txt

The game collects mods from these folders, in this order: Steam Workshop items, the game's MODS/, the game's Seasonal/, the game's DLC/, and MODS/ in Documents/My Games/ICBM-Escalation. Each mod is a folder with an info.txt:

ICBM MOD "NIGHT MAP" DefaultOff Silent
StaticSwitch 2866
Version "1.0.0"
Description "NIGHT MAP, by badtatts"
ChangeLog "First version."
marker "Night"
after "Some Other Mod"

The first group is read once, in this order (a key out of order is not recognised):

Key	Meaning	Default
ICBM MOD "Name"	Required, first. The mod's name — also its first marker for IF and the name other mods refer to.	—
DefaultOff	The mod starts disabled.	enabled
Silent	Not listed among the host's mods in a multiplayer lobby.	listed
StaticSwitch n	Shown as an on/off switch on the main menu, labelled with UI string n, instead of in the mod list.	—
Seasonal [From "YYYY-MM-DD"] [to "YYYY-MM-DD"]	The mod exists only between these dates.	always
Version "x"	Version shown in the mod list.	1.0
Description "text"	Description in the mod list.	"No description"
ChangeLog "text"	Change log in the mod list.	—
Path "folder"	Data folder of the mod, if not the folder of info.txt (relative to the game folder).	the info.txt folder

Then, in any order and any number of times:

Key	Meaning
marker "text"	An extra marker for IF conditions in data files (00 §5).
before "Mod" / after "Mod"	Load order relative to another mod.
block "Mod"	When this mod is enabled, that mod is disabled.
Incompatible "Mod"	This mod is disabled while that mod is enabled.
Requires "Mod"	This mod is disabled unless that mod is enabled.
delete [file] "path"	Accepted, no effect.

Game modes are mods too, in GameMode/, applied automatically for the chosen mode — see §8. A map can bring its own mod as well (09 §13).

---

3. Game-wide settings

DefaultMap.txt

DefaultMap "MAPS/EarthRRUltra.txt"
DefaultUI "UI/UI.txt"

The map selected by default in the game setup, and the interface layout used outside a game. Both lines are optional, in this order.

Limits.txt

Ranges and step sizes of the sliders in the game-setup screen. Any line may be left out; times are in ticks (60 ticks = one game second).

Keys	Slider	Defaults (min / max / step)
MinEfficiencyTime, MaxEfficiencyTime, StepEfficiencyTime	Full nuclear efficiency from	0 / 720000 / 360
MinPeaceTimer, MaxPeaceTimer, StepPeaceTimer	Peace timer	0 / 144000 / 360
MaxNoNukesTimer, StepNoNukesTimer	No-nukes timer (at least the peace maximum)	216000 / 360
MaxConfigurableTimer, StepConfigurableTimer	Limited-escalation timer (at least the no-nukes maximum)	288000 / 360
MinCeasefireTimer, MaxCeasefireTimer, StepCeasefireTimer	Ceasefire duration	10800 / 54000 / 120
MaxPeaceTreatyTimer, StepPeaceTreatyTimer	Peace-treaty duration	108000 / 120
MinPermanentAllianceTimer, MaxPermanentAllianceTimer, StepPermanentAllianceTimer	Partnership time to permanent alliance	0 / 648000 / 360
MinPollution, MaxPollution	Contamination speed	0.25 / 2.25
MinGlobalProductionBoost, MaxGlobalProductionBoost	Production boost	0.25 / 4.0
MinGlobalScienceBoost, MaxGlobalScienceBoost	Science boost	0.25 / 4.0
MinCountdown, MaxCountdown	End-game countdown trigger	0.5 / 0.85
MinCountdownTime, MaxCountdownTime, StepCountdownTime	End-game countdown length	0 / 216000 / 120
MinAutoDeployTime, MaxAutoDeployTime, StepAutoDeployTime	Auto-deployment time	—
MinFullProductionAfterOccupation, MaxFullProductionAfterOccupation, StepFullProductionAfterOccupation	Full production after occupation	0 / 216000 / 360

USE is accepted. Inconsistent values are corrected (a maximum below its minimum is raised to it, steps below 1 become 1).

speed.txt

Speed   1 2 4 16
Divider 1 1 1 1 // ignored if the speed is > 1

ReplaySpeed 1 5 20 2000
Divider     1 1 1  1

The four game-speed buttons: Speed is the number of simulation steps per frame for each button; Divider makes a speed of 1 slower by running one step every n frames. ReplaySpeed/Divider are the same for replays. All four lines are required, in this order.

espionage.txt

EventProbability 6750.0

Action RevealUnit          weight 100 success_rate 5
Action RevealConstruction  weight 100 success_rate 10
Action RevealProject       weight 100 success_rate 5
Action StealTechnology     weight 100 success_rate 1
Action RevealUnitInReserve weight 100 success_rate 10
Action RevealTechnology    weight 100 success_rate 15

Key	Meaning
EventProbability f	How often intelligence operations are attempted (higher = more often); scaled by each faction's espionage spending and the number of factions.
Action <type> weight w success_rate p	For each operation type: its relative weight when an operation is chosen, and its chance of success in %. Types: RevealUnit, RevealConstruction, RevealProject (current research), StealTechnology, RevealUnitInReserve, RevealTechnology.

AdditionalElements.txt

Element "Images/ICBM_night-mode.png" 0.25 0.33
Scroller TechTree 1.5 ResearchQueue 1.0 General 1.2

Key	Meaning
Element "picture" x y	Draws a picture on the main menu; x, y are its centre's offset from the screen centre as a fraction of the screen size. Repeatable.
Scroller [TechTree f] [ResearchQueue f] [AvailableUnits f] [ConstructionUnits f] [ConstructionQueue f] [General f] [DestroyedCities f]	Mouse-wheel scroll speed multipliers of the lists (General multiplies the map scroll speed). The parts are optional, in this order.
USE "file"	Includes another file (mods add elements with USE PREVIOUS "AdditionalElements.txt").

---

4. Graphics and sound

model_info.txt

PREFIX "NA"
PREFIX "EU"
[END]

The faction prefixes that maps can give a faction with ModelPrefix (09 §4). For a faction with prefix XX, every picture and model is looked for first under the folder XX/ (e.g. NA/Units/IMAGES/…) and then at its normal path; each prefix also creates the technology PREFIX_XX (05). The order of the lines numbers the prefixes (from 0) for variant files below. USE and IF are accepted; the file ends at [END].

Units/pollution.txt

Optional. CloudColor c, FalloutColor c, FlashColor c — colours of contamination clouds, fallout and the flash, in this order.

Emulated explosions (Units/Emulated/*.txt)

The procedural mushroom-cloud animations that explosions refer to with Emulated "file" (03). Sections and keys are read in the order below; a key out of order is not recognised. Every section and key is optional.

Section	Keys
(before the first section)	Size f, Angle f — preview values, ignored by the game
[BASE]	Draw, Size, then ImageMov "file", WhiteMov "file", LOD n, MaxHeightMult, RotationSpeed, GrowthSpeed, StemWidthMult
[WATER_RING]	Draw, then ImageMov, WhiteMov, LOD, FrameWidth, ElementSizeMult, CrownHeight, CrownSize
[HAT]	Draw, then ImageMov, WhiteMov, LOD, ScalingFrame, XYRatio, GoUpSpeed, FalloutScale, FalloutZSpeed, FalloutLengthSpeed, YellowTint, FireRing Yes/No
[RING] (up to three: lower, top, third)	Draw, Size, ShiftY, then WhiteMov, LOD, FirstAppearFrame, FadeInFrame, StartDecolorFrame, SpeedMult, ElementMult, Intensity, ShrinkSpeed, BothPositive
[LIGHT]	Draw, Scale, ProgressSpeedMultiplier, ColorProgressSpeedMultiplier, MinHeight, MaxHeight, StartCol c, EndCol c

A section that is absent is not drawn. ImageMov/WhiteMov default to the textures named in the comment at the top of the shipped files.

The table names the original keys only. 03 §6 has every setting, including the later ones and the [WILSON] and [AURORA] sections (between the last [RING] and [LIGHT]), with defaults and shipped values. The ICBM Explosion Simulator (ICBM_ExplosionSimulator.exe, 03 §6.10) plays these files and edits them; it saves its changes into Documents/My Games/ICBM-Escalation, where the game looks first.

Pictures and models

Picture index (*.MIDX) — what a unit's Movie (and other picture keys) point to:

Size 1
"units/images/airborne/abstract/SOF_AIRCRAFT.png"

Form	Meaning
AutoRotate (first line)	The picture is rotated with the unit's heading.
★ Scale f (at the start, before or after AutoRotate)	A unit's picture drawn f times bigger than its DrawSize gives (0.1–10): a picture drawn bigger or smaller in its frame than the unit's first one (an upgrade's, a faction's own) shows as big as the first. Not the abstract icon.
Size n + n "picture" lines	An animation of n frames (one frame = a still picture).
Indexed [Prefix "path"] [Ext "png"] Size n [ExtraPerFrame n] [StartFrom n] [Every n]	Frames numbered Prefix000.png, Prefix001.png, …, with 128/64/32-pixel versions in sub-folders.
SplitBitmap "sheet" [Size] n + n Clip x y sx sy	Frames cut from one picture.
YShift f	Vertical offset of the picture.
Overlay "picture" x f y f sx f sy f speed n	An animated overlay.

Faction variants — instead of a picture or model file, a unit can point to a text file:

Default "Units/IMAGES/Tank.MIDX"
Variant 0 "Units/IMAGES/Tank_NA.MIDX"
Variant 4 "Units/IMAGES/Tank_RU.MIDX"

Variant n is used for factions with the n-th prefix of model_info.txt (counting from 0); others use Default. Without such a file, the XX/ folder rule of model_info.txt applies.

3D model descriptor — a model may be a small text file naming the model file (MODEL "file.fbx") and its animated parts (TURREL, BARREL, HEAD, WING, EXHAUST, MISSILE, ELEMENT entries). ★ Scale f (0.1–10) draws the model f times bigger than the unit's ModelDrawSize gives, its hit spots and launch points with it: a model that is thinner or smaller than the unit's first one (an upgrade's, a faction's own in its XX/ folder) shows as big as the others. ★ Pivot Center makes the model turn around, and stand on the unit's spot with, the middle of its bounding box seen from above instead of its file's origin (for a model whose origin is near one end); Pivot x z is that far from the middle, across and along, in lengths of the model (−1–1). Middle after either also takes the middle of its height instead of its file's origin (for a projectile, which flies centred on its spot: Pivot Center Middle). Its shadow, exhaust, launch points and hit spots follow. A file in the pack is changed by putting the edited copy at the same path in the game folder.

ogg/music.txt

"Peace" = "Peace Is Our Profession.ogg"
"Tension" = "Warheads Wide Awake.ogg", "Twitch In The Dead Hand.ogg"

"Situation" = "track", "track", … — the music tracks (in ogg/) for each game situation: Open, Peace, Tension, Conventional Invasion, Huge Invasion, Nuclear Sting, Battered Peace, Victory Sting, Apocalyptic Violence, End Game. Situation names are exact (case-sensitive).

UI/UI.txt

The interface sprite sheets:

Source "UI/UI_2048.png"
Element Info_Top, 0, 0, 614, 60
Offset 12, 4, -2

Key	Meaning
Source "picture"	A sprite sheet; the Elements that follow are cut from it. Repeatable.
Element Name, x, y, width, height	One interface element (the names are fixed by the game; a quoted name adds a new named element).
Offset id, x, y	Drawing offset of an element.

A map can use its own layout file with UIToUse (09 §8).

---

5. Language files

Each language is a folder Lang/<language>/ (Eng, Rus, …):

File	Contents
codepage.table	Locale "name", the fonts (BasicFont, ItalicFont, BoldFont, CondensedFont, AltFont — .ttf/.otf in the game folder), their sizes (FontSizes, ItalicFontSizes, BoldFontSizes, CondensedFontSizes, AltFontSizes, twelve values each, smallest to largest), then Uppercase and "lower" High "UPPER" letter pairs, then END.
UI.lng	Interface strings: <number> LANG "text", ending with END. Numbers are the string IDs used everywhere (Name ID, Text ID, UI_STRING(…)).
tech_t.lng	Technology names and descriptions: "key" LANG "text".
unit.lng, city.lng, scenario.lng	Same "key" LANG "text" form, for unit, city and region, and scenario names.
explodopedia.lng	The Explodopedia's texts: category and research field descriptions, explosion texts, general information articles (chapter 14).
loading.lng	Loading-screen hints: one "text" per hint, ending with END. Loading-screen pictures are taken from Images/loading/ (.jpg/.png).
videolinks.txt	Links opened from the menus, e.g. MainMenu "https://…", ending with END.
UNIT_NAME/default.txt, UNIT_NAME/<prefix>.txt	Premade unit decks (below).

All string files accept USE (e.g. USE PREVIOUS "LANG/Eng/UI.lng") and IF; a later entry with the same key replaces the earlier one. A mod reserves its own range of numeric IDs to avoid collisions.

Premade decks (UNIT_NAME/*.txt) — the unit names offered for a faction prefix:

DECK_NAME "United States Pre-Made Deck"
Unit "Missile_Silo"
"U_Missile_Silo" NAME "Blast Door Silo"
END

DECK_NAME "name"; then for each Unit "Unit_ID", pairs "technology" NAME "display name" — the name the unit shows once that technology (of its upgrade line) is known. default.txt is the deck for factions without a prefix.

---

6. Player files

These live in Documents/My Games/ICBM-Escalation and belong to the player, not to a mod:

File	Contents
GRAPHICS.txt, hotkeys.txt, autopause.txt	Graphics, key and auto-pause settings — edited with the configurator ICBM_CFG.exe or the in-game options.
NewGameSettings.txt (optional)	Not written by the game. If you put one here, it is used instead of the game mode's game-setup defaults, in every mode (§8).
DECKS/	Unit decks saved by the player.
SAVES/, SAVES_MP/	Saved games (09 §11).
MAPS/	Generated map files, which take priority over mods (09).

---

7. Files used only by the Cheats build

The Cheats build reads these when generating map data (09); the normal game never opens them:

File	Read by	Format
Border drawing (.svg)	ProcessBorders ReadSVG	vector drawing of the region borders
Point-and-edge file (V7_split.txt)	ProcessBorders EditPoints, GenerateSplit Load	09 §9
Segment centre points (V7_split.bin.points.txt)	GenerateSplit … SplitCenterPoints	09 §9
Mask outlines (.svg, .svg.view.png)	EditSVG, WaterMap … Generate … SVG	09 §3
Terrain picture (.png)	TerrainTypeMap … Generate from	picture in the Terrain colours

The Cheats build writes its scenarios with the normal save format (10 §2). AIConfig.txt (input of AICache … generate) and the mask, city and relocation generators work in both builds (09).

---

8. Game modes: Blitz, Standoff, Conquest

New Game offers four choices: Blitz, Standoff, Conquest and Campaign (UI strings 3342–3345, descriptions 3346–3349). A multiplayer host picks one of the first three, and the players who join switch to the host's mode. Each of the three is a mod in the game's GameMode/ folder, with the usual info.txt (§2). The game turns it on by itself when the mode is chosen and turns it off when the game ends; it never appears in the mod list.

Which files win

A game-mode mod is searched before the mods the player enabled. A map-specific mod (09 §13) is searched before both:

map-specific mod  →  game-mode mod  →  enabled mods (in their order)  →  game folder

The first file found with the requested path is used. A file that starts with USE PREVIOUS "path" reads the next one down the chain, so changes stack:

• Standoff and Conquest extend the base files with USE PREVIOUS. Your mod's changes to the same files still apply in these modes, with the mode's changes on top.
• Blitz replaces its files completely, without USE PREVIOUS. In Blitz, your mod's versions of Tech.txt, Units/Units.txt, Units/Missiles.txt, Units/Radars.txt, Units/explosion.txt, the AI files and the other files Blitz ships are not read: such a mod changes only the other modes. Files that Blitz does not ship (for example Limits.txt or espionage.txt) are still read from your mod.

Where the mode's folder comes from. The game looks for GameMode/<mode>/info.txt like any other file: first in Documents/My Games/ICBM-Escalation, then in the enabled mods, then in the game folder. The mode then reads its files from the folder where that info.txt was found. A mod that ships its own GameMode/Blitz/ folder (with info.txt) therefore replaces the whole Blitz folder. Copy every file of the original folder into it and change what you need; keep the ICBM MOD "BLITZ" name, so that IF markers still work.

Achievements are not awarded in Blitz.

What each mode changes

Mode	GameMode/… files	Effect
Blitz	Tech.txt, TechLevels.txt, ProductionEfficiency.txt, Units/Units.txt, Units/Missiles.txt, Units/Radars.txt, Units/explosion.txt, Units/Emulated/*.txt, AI/ (SupportTypes, NuclearTypes, DefenceDef, GroupsConquest, StrategyConquest, Conditional, MissileCategoryMapping), Lang/*/tech_t.lng, MAPS/EarthRRUltra.txt, MAPS/IronCurtain.txt	A separate, simpler game: its own technology tree, units, weapons, sensors, explosions and AI, and its own versions of two maps (they hide the base maps of the same name while Blitz is on).
Standoff	NewGameSettings.txt, Limits.txt, Tech.txt, Units/Units.txt	Faster economy: production ×1.35, science ×6, espionage ×3, with slider ranges production 1–4 and science 3–8. Also: a 10-minute peace timer and 15-minute no-nukes timer, no instant tech sharing with allies, regions destroyed below 1 % of their population. Tech.txt adds an empty technology GDP_MOD; the matching VirtualCity change in Units/Units.txt is commented out.
Conquest	NewGameSettings.txt, Limits.txt, Units/explosion.txt, Maps/Events/CommonAI.txt	The base economy, scored as Conquest with no end-of-game countdown (TimeToFinish 0). The same timers as Standoff, no instant tech sharing, regions destroyed below 1 %, surrender below 10 % population. Pollution from explosions is scaled by 0.2 (PollutionMultiplier), with the contamination slider set to 0.1–5.0. CommonAI.txt adds event blocks for a gradual escalation (DisableMassDestruction() and the blocks that re-enable weapons when they are used against a faction); SetCommonAIEvents() does not call them.
Campaign	—	No game-mode mod: the base game's data, plus each mission's own map-specific mod (11 §8).

Tutorial missions also run without a game-mode mod.

A saved game remembers its mode (GameMode 3342 … 3345 in version.num); loading it turns the same game-mode mod on again.

NewGameSettings.txt

The defaults of the game-setup screen for a mode. The game reads it when the setup screen opens and when Reset to default is pressed. The map's own lobby defaults (09 §7) are applied after it, so a value set in the map file wins. The keys are those of 09 §7, plus:

Key	Meaning
ScoringMode Default\|Survival\|Genocide\|Conquest	Scoring (names instead of the numbers of 09 §7).
AIDifficulty VeryEasy\|Easy\|Normal\|Hard\|VeryHard\|Insane	Computer players' difficulty.
StartInAlliance, AllowObservers, EqualizePopulation, EqualizeGDP, RandomSide, RatedMatch Yes\|No	The matching switches of the setup screen.
TotalPointsToDistribute f, MaxPointsToDistribute f	Points for buying the starting setup.
MinAllowedRating n	Lowest rating that may join a rated multiplayer game.
PauseTime ms	Pause time each multiplayer player may use, in milliseconds.
ContaminationSpeed f	The contamination-speed slider (the map file calls it PollutionSpeedCoeff).

The file ends at END. USE PREVIOUS "NewGameSettings.txt" (as in the shipped modes) first reads the previous version, if any. Reading stops at the first unknown keyword, and the rest of the file is ignored.

A NewGameSettings.txt in Documents/My Games/ICBM-Escalation is found before every mod, so it replaces the game modes' files in every mode.

Making a mode-specific change

• Change one mode only: a regular mod cannot target one mode. Put an IF around the change in the data file instead — the game-mode mods' names are markers like any mod's ("BLITZ", "CONQUEST", "Standoff Mode"; 00 §5).
• Change the game-setup defaults of a mode: a plain NewGameSettings.txt in your mod is not used, because the mode's file is found first. Ship a complete copy of the mode's folder (above) with your changed NewGameSettings.txt, or set the defaults in the map file (09 §7), since the map's values win.
• Change Blitz: ship a complete copy of GameMode/Blitz/ with your changes (above).
• Change one map only: use a map-specific mod (09 §13).