Branch "Yields" - Base Setup: Yields, Professions, Buildings, Experts, ... [IMPLEMENTED]

[raystuttgart]

... removing the intemediate step of having to produce tools that have so many alternative and competing use-cases, is probably a significant step towards a more competetive AI!.

I thought so as well.

Of course there will lots of room for improvements!

Yeah, especially since there are now going to be so many production chains to chose from.
(But the AI improvement Nightinggale and myself implemented for 3.0.1 considering "Terrain Restrictions" Production Buildings should also aleady help.)

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We need to give it a try.

 

[raystuttgart]

Currently working on creating the 2D art which I need to integrate the new buildings.
(City Screen graphics and buttons.)

 

[Kathy]

@Kathy:
I attached all our Trade Goods Unit grpahics from WTP. There is Cloth and Coats in there.
I also attached other stuff, because maybe it might be useful for your mods.

I started with the taylor building. But when I asked for the tradegoods, I thought you already had an graphic for this goods which would have made it easier to attach them to the buildings.

 

[raystuttgart]

I started with the taylor building.

Awesome thanks.

I thought you already had an graphic for this goods which would have made it easier to attach them to the buildings.

Now I have, but it is only 2D.
(I do not have anything in 3D.)

This is an Image.
(An archive with the DDS is asttached as well.)

 

[raystuttgart]

I have also tried to prepare graphics for a "Peanut Roaster".
They are not perfect, but it is the best I could come up with so far.

The archives with the 3D graphics are attached.

My tries to create "Bags of Peanuts" - I modified textures of "Bags of Coffee" for that.)
(I am not skilled enough to create something new from scratch - like e.g. baskets myself.)

Spoiler :

This is how the Yields look ingame.
(The DDS files are attached as well.)

Spoiler :

These are building graphics I found in Medieval Conquest mod - I also played a bit with them.
(They are themselves modified versions of the "Tobacco Trader".)

Spoiler :

The Buildings themselves would be ok for me as a "Peanut Roaster". But all further improvements are of course very welcome.
The only thing they would still need is to have scenery items like bags of Peanuts and if possible also baskets of Peanuts.

@Kathy:
Could you please add some bags and baskets with something looking like Peanuts to it?
If you would want to add further improvements to it, that would of course be awesome as well.

 

[Kathy]

So, here is my first try with the taylor buildings.

 

[raystuttgart]

So, here is my first try with the taylor buildings.

What I see so far is really cool.
(It is probably all I need considering changes. )

Solved, see below.
(The DDS for the coloured coat stacks had an issue.)

Spoiler :

However it complains that some textures fail to load.
(It seems to be the textures of the new clothes you added.)

Edit:
If it is the unmodified texture of the Coats that are missing I could add it myself.
I am simply not sure if that is the case or if you already created something different.

 

[raystuttgart]

@Kathy:
I already solved this myself.
Problem was simply that the files had not been saved as proper DDS DXT1.
(So after I opened in DXTBmp again and converted everything was fine.)

The buildings are great now as they are.
Thanks again for your effort.

Spoiler :

 

[Kathy]

Yes, this problem with the wrong DXT-Type occurs sometimes, I do not know, why. Maybe I did a wrong click during saving the new textures.

 

[raystuttgart]

Yes, this problem with the wrong DXT-Type occurs sometimes

No problem it was easy to correct using DXTBmp.

Also, I made a few new changes in the textures now.
(Attached everything as rar in case you want to use or take a look.)

• The colours of the coat stacks were a bit too bright for my taste and I also tried to get some "texture" in there
  
• I also wanted to differentiate the houses a bit more (considering colour scheme) from existing "Dyer" / "Weaver".

Again, thanks a lot for the help.

Spoiler :

 

[raystuttgart]

Generally I really feel that 3 rows in City Screen as well would be the best solution.
But I need to know if it really works or if it looks so ugly that we can not do it.

Since I simply do not know yet, if City Screen will work with 3 rows or only with 2 rows, I will go for the "safe solution".
I will add 6 Yields so we will have 96 Yields, which can be divided by 3, 2 and also even division by 4 would work.

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The 3 Yields I really want to add for gameplay reasons:

• Everyday Clothes, --> For the Tailor Buildings created yesterday
• Festive Clothes --> For the Tailor Buildings created yesterday
• Pottery --> For the Pottery Building (will give Clay some additional usage)

These 3 Yields I add for "Screen design" reasons to stay "symmetric" *:

• Milk --> I will implement this Yield to be produced in existing Stables by Profession "Milk Maid" / Expert "Milk and Cheese Maid" (needs Cattle / Sheep / Goats, but does not consume them)
  
• Cheese --> To be produce to be produced in existing Stables by Profession "Cheese Maid" / Expert "Milk and Cheese Maid"
• Kautschuk --> a rare "luxury resource", similar to Silver, simply a plant instead. (No expert of its own. Most likely will also use the "Maple Sirup Collector" as its Expert.)

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* Do not worry, I have nice gameplay ideas for them as well.

Especially Milk will do something the mod has never done before:
It will require another Yield (Cattle / Sheep / Goats) without consuming it.

Also Kautschuk as "non metal luxury resource" might also be interesting.
(It will also balance the "South" a bit vs. the North.)

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Also, now I really really really try to stop adding trabable Yields ...
Infact I was was really fighting a bit with myself to add the last 3 or not: Milk, Cheese, Kautschuk.
(Now however I kind of like that idea to have all options in Screen design.)

------

But yeah, I know that nothing is perfect.
I am still "experimenting" to find the best solution.

In modding most is also simply "personal taste".
Everything could be done in some other way.

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I know, that this sounds like I am going crazy with Yields.
And partially it might be true, but I also want to optimize the constraints for screen design.
(e.g. Europe Screen, City Screen, Advisors, ...)

If I would have known that both City Screen and Europe Screen can work with 3 rows, I would have stayed with 93 Yields (can be divided by 3 only).
But since I do not know, I am not going to take a risk and will have 96 tradable Yields (which can be divided by 2, 3 and 4).

 

[raystuttgart]

@Kathy
Could I ask you another favour?

I know I am annoying you already almost like you would have already agreed to become a team member of WTP.
(Which you are of course very welcome to become - but I know that you are still busy with your own mod of course.)

I would need a graphic for a "Milk Maid" and would like to use graphics not already used.
The graphics I have in mind are a bit "provocative" but I also actually think that is a bit of funny.

Could you please give the "Milk Maid" the bottle and the bucket of the "Expert Breeder"?
(If you have other ideas for a "Milk Maid", you are of course welcome to create something more interesting.)

Milk Maid:

Expert Breeder, which has the bottle and bucket.

 

[Kathy]

I will do the milk maid and the peanut roaster, but not this weekend. I will have to see when I find time for it.

 

[raystuttgart]

I will do the milk maid and the peanut roaster, ...

Thanks a lot.

... but not this weekend. I will have to see when I find time for it.

No problem, that is currently not highest priority since I first have to work on the Yields themselves.

 

[raystuttgart]

I have now also created the 2D work for the Tailor buildings.
(Buttons and City Screen. It is attached in the rar, in case somebody wants to have it.)

 

[raystuttgart]

I have integrated now the last 6 Yields.

So I am now fully ready to integrate / configure Professions and Buildings.
(For which I already have all graphics prepared, so it is really simply XML.)

Milk & Cheese:

Concept:

Spoiler :

The concept for it is actually quite interesting, since it is a concept not existing so far.
Milkmaid:

It is an "Indoor" job woring in "Stable Buildings".

• Cattle --> Cattle + Milk (So Cattle is not consumed)
  
• Sheep --> Sheep + Milk (So Sheep is not consumed)
• Goats --> Goats + Milk (So Sheep is not consumed)

Chees Maker:

It is an "Indoor" job using the "Granary Buildings".

• Milk --> Cheese

Images of the Yields:

Spoiler :

The Clothes produced by Tailor in Tailor House:
(Requiring Wool Cloth / Coloured Wool Cloth or Cloth / Coloured Cloth as raw materials.)

Spoiler :

Kautschuk:
(Raw, rare luxury resource.)

Spoiler :

Pottery:
(Produced of Clay)

Spoiler :

The City Screen right now:
(Happy Trading. )

Before you ask:
That stuff is not yet balanced.
(I am still integrating base content.)

 

[raystuttgart]

Ok, found a bit of time to integrate the Bonus Resource Kautschuk Trees.
(3D Graphics are from Civ4BTS - not sure anymore which mod I found them in.)

 

[Kathy]

So, the milkmaid was quite easy, you can find it attached. I hope all parts are visible.

 

[raystuttgart]

So, the milkmaid was quite easy, you can find it attached. I hope all parts are visible.

Thanks a lot.

I will test it tomorrow.
(Already a bit tired today.)

 

[raystuttgart]

@Kathy:
What you did is great - this Milkmaid is awesome.

However, there is a problem with the posture, because the Unit puts one hand on the hip.
(The bucket thus overlaps with the foot, which looks very strange. Deutsch: Fuß und Eimer überschneiden sich in der Grafik.)

Could you thus please put the bucket in the other hand?
(And simply remove the bottle - I fear it will look strange in the hand on the hip as well.)

Also, please use the Unit I attached in the archive of this post because I have modified / fixed it to work for Civ4Col.
(The version you had created crashes Civ4Col. It is related to this post. But you could not know that because it is very Civ4Col specific.)

As explanation:
Sometimes Civ4BTS Units working without issue in Civ4BTS crash Civ4Col but when you add Skin Partitions as @MightyToad explained, they do not crash anymore.
(That is why we normally use the "_fx" versions in Civ4Col. Those seem to always have thos partitions and thus work in Civ4Col.)
As far as I understood, it is related to Civ4Col using an updated graphics engine and not needing / having ShaderNifs anymore.
This is not always necessary, often Civ4BTS work out of the box in Civ4Col, but when crashes occur, doing what @MightyToad posted usually helps.

 

[Kathy]

Here is the amended Milkmaid.