database Types and Kinds

Types and Kinds System

In Civilization VII, all game entities are organized using a Type/Kind system. This is the foundation of the database structure.

Overview

• Kind: A category or class of game entity (e.g., KIND_UNIT, KIND_CONSTRUCTIBLE)
• Type: A specific instance within a Kind (e.g., UNIT_SCOUT, BUILDING_GRANARY)

Every Type must be associated with a Kind in the Types table.

Available Kinds

Core Kinds (from kinds.xml)

Kind	Description
KIND_AGE	Game ages (Antiquity, Exploration, Modern)
KIND_BELIEF	Religious beliefs
KIND_BELIEF_CLASS	Belief categories
KIND_CAPABILITY	Game capabilities
KIND_CITY_STATE_BONUS	City-state bonuses
KIND_CONSTRUCTIBLE	Buildings, improvements, wonders
KIND_GAME_SYSTEM_PREREQ	Game system prerequisites
KIND_GOLDEN_AGE	Golden age types
KIND_GOODY_HUT	Discovery/goody hut types
KIND_GREATWORK	Great work types
KIND_GREATWORKOBJECT	Great work objects
KIND_GREATWORKSOURCE	Great work sources
KIND_INDEPENDENT	Independent peoples
KIND_LEGACY_PATH	Victory legacy paths
KIND_PROJECT	Project types
KIND_RELIGION	Religion types
KIND_ROUTE	Trade route types
KIND_TRADE_SYSTEM_PARAMSET	Trade system parameters
KIND_TRADITION	Traditions and policies
KIND_TREE_NODE	Progression tree nodes
KIND_TREE	Progression trees
KIND_UNLOCK	Unlock types

Unit-Related Kinds (from units.xml)

Kind	Description
KIND_UNIT	Unit types
KIND_ABILITY	Unit abilities
KIND_GREAT_PERSON_CLASS	Great person classes
KIND_GREAT_PERSON_INDIVIDUAL	Individual great people
KIND_WMD	Weapons of mass destruction

Other Kinds

Kind	Description
KIND_CIVILIZATION	Civilization types
KIND_LEADER	Leader types
KIND_TRAIT	Traits for civs/leaders
KIND_YIELD	Yield types (Food, Production, etc.)
KIND_PLUNDER	Plunder types
KIND_KEYWORD_ABILITY	Keyword abilities
KIND_QUARTER	City quarter types
KIND_MODIFIER	Modifier types
KIND_NARRATIVE_STORY	Narrative event types

Creating New Types

To add a new game entity, you must first register it in the Types table:

XML Example

<Database>
    <Types>
        <Row Type="UNIT_MY_CUSTOM_UNIT" Kind="KIND_UNIT"/>
        <Row Type="BUILDING_MY_CUSTOM_BUILDING" Kind="KIND_CONSTRUCTIBLE"/>
        <Row Type="TRAIT_MY_CUSTOM_TRAIT" Kind="KIND_TRAIT"/>
    </Types>
</Database>

SQL Example

INSERT INTO Types (Type, Kind)
VALUES
    ('UNIT_MY_CUSTOM_UNIT', 'KIND_UNIT'),
    ('BUILDING_MY_CUSTOM_BUILDING', 'KIND_CONSTRUCTIBLE'),
    ('TRAIT_MY_CUSTOM_TRAIT', 'KIND_TRAIT');

Type Naming Conventions

Types follow a naming convention based on their Kind:

Kind	Prefix	Example
KIND_UNIT	UNIT_	UNIT_WARRIOR
KIND_CONSTRUCTIBLE	BUILDING_, IMPROVEMENT_, WONDER_	BUILDING_GRANARY
KIND_CIVILIZATION	CIVILIZATION_	CIVILIZATION_ROME
KIND_LEADER	LEADER_	LEADER_AUGUSTUS
KIND_TRAIT	TRAIT_	TRAIT_ROME
KIND_ABILITY	ABILITY_	ABILITY_AMPHIBIOUS
KIND_TRADITION	TRADITION_	TRADITION_CRAFTSMANSHIP
KIND_YIELD	YIELD_	YIELD_FOOD

Type Tags

Types can be categorized using the TypeTags table:

<TypeTags>
    <Row Type="UNIT_SCOUT" Tag="UNIT_CLASS_RECON"/>
    <Row Type="UNIT_SCOUT" Tag="UNIT_CLASS_NON_COMBAT"/>
    <Row Type="BUILDING_GRANARY" Tag="FOOD"/>
</TypeTags>

Common Unit Class Tags

Tag	Description
UNIT_CLASS_COMBAT	Combat units
UNIT_CLASS_NON_COMBAT	Non-combat units
UNIT_CLASS_RECON	Reconnaissance units
UNIT_CLASS_MELEE	Melee combat
UNIT_CLASS_RANGED	Ranged combat
UNIT_CLASS_CAVALRY	Cavalry units
UNIT_CLASS_SIEGE	Siege units
UNIT_CLASS_NAVAL	Naval units
UNIT_CLASS_AIRCRAFT	Air units
UNIT_CLASS_COMMAND	Commander units

Common Constructible Tags

Tag	Description
FOOD	Food-related
PRODUCTION	Production-related
GOLD	Gold/economic
SCIENCE	Science-related
CULTURE	Culture-related
MILITARY	Military structures
RELIGIOUS	Religious buildings
UNIQUE	Unique to a civilization
AGELESS	Persists across ages

Querying Types

To find all types of a specific kind:

SELECT Type FROM Types WHERE Kind = 'KIND_UNIT';

To find all tags for a type:

SELECT Tag FROM TypeTags WHERE Type = 'UNIT_SCOUT';