Artdefines

[Chiyochan]

so I've been toying around with the art defines xmls, and I've found i can scale the size of the objects in a city, I have a few questions regarding this as I am not an expert and shotgunning this is giving me a head ache

!. Can structures that aren't buildings be removed or scaled in size?
@. is there a way to increase the total number of objects that will show on the map?
#. is there a way to remove objects entirely from the map so that even when scaled incredibly small, they take up no resources or building slots?
$. is there a way to modify the cobblestone floor that the city rests on?

unrelated
%. is there a way to perfectly square the camera overhead? everything i do seems to give it a slight tilt in a diagonal direction ^ v

 

[turingmachine]

so I've been toying around with the art defines xmls, and I've found i can scale the size of the objects in a city, I have a few questions regarding this as I am not an expert and shotgunning this is giving me a head ache

!. Can structures that aren't buildings be removed or scaled in size?
@. is there a way to increase the total number of objects that will show on the map?
#. is there a way to remove objects entirely from the map so that even when scaled incredibly small, they take up no resources or building slots?
$. is there a way to modify the cobblestone floor that the city rests on?

unrelated
%. is there a way to perfectly square the camera overhead? everything i do seems to give it a slight tilt in a diagonal direction ^ v

Most of those are done in the CIV4CityLSystem and CIV4PlotLSystem files I think...

 

[Chiyochan]

has anyone spent any time modding CityLsystem? these XML files are no where near the userfriendlyness of others I find it really complicated. I'd like to make it so non wonder buildings don't show up,

 

[Tholish]

0. I think this should have been in the main creation and customization forum. There's no mod component here. But to answer your questions.

1. Which structures that aren't buildings? You mean the generic buildings or do you mean improvements?
2. No idea
3.

You can use an Empty.nif for them in ArtDefines.

<BuildingArtInfo>
<Type>ART_DEF_BUILDING_MOONCOLONY</Type>
<LSystem>LSYSTEM_4x4</LSystem>
<bAnimated>0</bAnimated>
<fScale>2.0</fScale>
<fInterfaceScale>0.35</fInterfaceScale>
<NIF>Art/Empty.nif</NIF>
<KFM/>
<Button>,Art/Interface/Buttons/Buildings/ApolloProgram.dds,Art/Interface/Buttons/Buildings_Atlas.dds,3,1</Button>

My theory is that the big plots like 4X4 are on the outskirts, so by telling invisible buildings to go there I prevent there from being a vacant lot.


4.
The cobblestones is a dds, something "lot"(there are several). A nif has stuff in it that refers to the dds, so you can change that line in nifscope and include your substitute dds and the altered nif in the art directory of your mod. Stuff like this. Or else you can substitue your own art and give it the name the nif is looking for. Or you can alter some of this stuff. Like if I wanted to use modern streets in the renaissance, I might try this

<ArtRef Name="decoration:all_city_lot_3x1.nif">
<Attribute Class="Era">ERA_ANCIENT,ERA_CLASSICAL,ERA_MEDIEVAL</Attribute>
</ArtRef>
<ArtRef Name="decoration:ren_city_lot.nif::3x1">
<Attribute Class="Era">ERA_RENAISSANCE</Attribute>
</ArtRef>
<ArtRef Name="decoration:mod_city_lot.nif::3x1">
<Attribute Class="Era">ERA_INDUSTRIAL,ERA_MODERN,ERA_FUTURE,

<ArtRef Name="decoration:all_city_lot_3x1.nif">
<Attribute Class="Era">ERA_ANCIENT,ERA_CLASSICAL,ERA_MEDIEVAL</Attribute>
</ArtRef>
<ArtRef Name="decoration:ren_city_lot.nif::3x1">
<Attribute Class="Era">ERA_PREHISTORY</Attribute>
</ArtRef>
<ArtRef Name="decoration:mod_city_lot.nif::3x1">
<Attribute Class="Era">ERA_RENAISSANCE,ERA_INDUSTRIAL,ERA_MODERN,ERA_FUTURE

(To do this you have to make a Prehistory era, of course. I don't know what would happen if you just deleted the line that uses the ren lot.)
Then I would repeat it for all the other "leafs" in addition to the 3x1: the 1x1, 1x2,1x3,2x1,1x2...