Tutorial: adding new terrain tiles with hex editor

[Blue Monkey]

However, the plant forest feature would only plant normal forest, not LM forests. I guess I could swap the pcx files for them, having the normal forests be piles of rocks or ice and the LM forests look normal.

Is there anything I am missing here? Would this work?

You've got it correct; swap the pcx

Oh, and can you really make LM pine forests in addition to the normal LM forests?

The pine forests are rows within each of the forest pcxs. - The editor will assign then the same value as whatever named forest they are part of.

 

[againsttheflow]

The pine forests are rows within each of the forest pcxs. - The editor will assign then the same value as whatever named forest they are part of.

I'm not sure, I wasn't able to figure out a way to assign any sort of LM terrain to use the pine forest rows in the LM forest .pcx. I may be missing something...

 

[Blue Monkey]

I'm not sure, I wasn't able to figure out a way to assign any sort of LM terrain to use the pine forest rows in the LM forest .pcx. I may be missing something...

If you want all the LM forest to be pines, then just cut and paste from those rows over the other other kinds of trees.

 

[againsttheflow]

Right, but going by the original question I had thought you were referring to a way to get LM pine forest in addition to the other.

 

[Thrust123]

Thanks for the info.
Is it required to make any changes in the text files when you add a new terrain (as one has to do when you add new units) ?

 

[Blue Monkey]

Thanks for the info.
Is it required to make any changes in the text files when you add a new terrain (as one has to do when you add new units) ?

Not sure what details you have in mind. If you rename a terrain (for example "savannah" instead of grassland) you would want to edit the civilopedia text. If you are talking about other text files, the ini files and so on, it would be much better to use Quintillus' editor than to try to edit "by hand". Quintillus encorporated embryodead's work into his editor, which has a good interface and handles all the hexediting for you. Using it you can add new terrain types (to the limits of the game engine), set their values, specify graphics to be used and create/edit maps using them.

 

[Blue Monkey]

to add a bit to the above - We can use terrain types that already existed somewhere in the game code but weren't actually implemented. We can't add more terrains the way we add as many units as we want. Quintillus' editor allows access to the maximum number of terrains. Even then we are limited to the pcx files the game actually recognizes (no way to expand what you see by adding additional files). When you rename terrain (or change the graphics) you are only doing so in terms of what the player sees. To the game engine pine forest is always pine forest - no matter what graphics you use or what it is called in the civilopedia.

 

[Thrust123]

Thanks, I think I get the idea. I've been studying some mods like Hegemon and Escape from Zombie Island that have new terrain types and all I really need at this point is a second "coastal" type terrain with exactly the same graphic files as the standard one has, only difference is that I will want the movement cost to be larger through the new one.

 

[Thrust123]

to add a bit to the above - We can use terrain types that already existed somewhere in the game code but weren't actually implemented. We can't add more terrains the way we add as many units as we want. Quintillus' editor allows access to the maximum number of terrains. Even then we are limited to the pcx files the game actually recognizes (no way to expand what you see by adding additional files). When you rename terrain (or change the graphics) you are only doing so in terms of what the player sees. To the game engine pine forest is always pine forest - no matter what graphics you use or what it is called in the civilopedia.

Ooops, you are right. I see that no more terrain types can be added and unfortunately there isn't a Land Mark Coast Terrain which is precisely what I need because I want two coast types, the regular one, and a second one with more movement point cost penalty

 

[Blue Monkey]

There is LM Coast iirc - via Quintillus editor. There is not a single "Coast" pcx file - the coast tiles are scattered across several of the terrain files. It may be that its movement cost is tied to the standard coast's values. In many cases LM vs. standard values are linked - some can differ but some are locked to the standard. I don't recall which off the top of my head.

 

[Thrust123]

I tried changing the LM Coast values that appear on the right when you select Coast in the editor (in the TERR tab) , but when placing tiles of that type on the map all I get is the regular LM Sea type tiles.

 

[Thrust123]

Ok no need to reply to this, Vuldacon has kindly sent me a tutorial on how to do it and it seems to be working, ie; I now have a landmark coast type with different movement penalties than the standard one