Graphical Quibbles...

[Lord Tirian]

Might you be interested in redoing the buttons for the SMAX factions? The CyCon currently doesn't have one at all, and some other like the Angel and Pirate one show some weird white pixels at the sides. Here are possible source files:

Done. I also noticed that the compression, while generally pretty good, does mess up round symbols with fine lines, namely the Usurper button. I used an uncompressed version of it, hence the Usurper button is twice the normal size (but they're not used very often and very small anyway, so I think that's acceptable). I also redid the Believers button as uncompressed version, because it suffers from the same problem (you see these blocky elements around the inner ring - the attached version is much "cleaner").

Cheers, LT.

 

[Maniac]

Thanks!

 

[GeoModder]

An old request: two greenhouses next to eachother.

@Lord Tirian: I tried to add the flashing lights from the unity pod to the front doors of both greenhouees, but for some reason the node doesn't want to change location. The light itself can be moved, but it seems to flash at a bit of a random spot every 6 seconds then.
The reason I wanted to add those flashes is that I've learned a few tricks to let a improvement show as worked (those flashes appear) when a citizen is placed on it in the base screen, and vice-versa.

 

[Lord Tirian]

@Lord Tirian: I tried to add the flashing lights from the unity pod to the front doors of both greenhouees, but for some reason the node doesn't want to change location. The light itself can be moved, but it seems to flash at a bit of a random spot every 6 seconds then.

It's because of the way I did the animation - I didn't like the look of lights that just flash in and out (i.e. purely with transparency) - instead I have the lights being very, very, very tiny, then expanding massively, then shrinking again.

As a result, the position of the node is controlled by the animation as well - if you look into the NiTransformData of the flashing light, you'll notice under "Translations", the keys all contain the (same) position of the node for different times. By changing these as, you can move the light around.

Also: You're going to animate the various improvements? Cool!

Cheers, LT.

 

[GeoModder]

Thanks for the info.
I'm going to try adding existing animations from other models to at least the greenhouses.
Unfortunately in the case of firaxis animations that means a column of smoke. Not really appropriate for a scifi mod, so I'm limited to those rare "flashy" animations like you made.

 

[Maniac]

Thanks for the greenhouses!

 

[Lord Tirian]

Just a bit of a preview - before I worked on the Psion and Locust, I started to work on a new hovertank - one that resembles the original SMAC hovertank, but only kept working on it on the side. Now, the model and the texture are finished. It still needs animations (and this may take a while), but I wonder what you think of the model right now... and whether you have suggestions.

For example, I think it may be too glossy (though I like the current teamcolour set up very much).

Cheers, LT.

 

[The_J]

Looks cool .
A bit like a big, weird, hovering vacuum cleaner (but i have no idea, how the original tanks looked, i don't know anything about SMAC).

 

[GeoModder]

The model looks great.
Just my 0.02 €, but I feel the teamcolor would look better if it was restricted to the back part that is currently teamcolored. On the frontside: those indentations on the side leading up to the cockpit, is that the socalled ladder to let the pilot enter his cockpit? If so, I'd make them a bit smaller. As ladder they'er a bit out of proportion with the cockpit. If not a ladder, I'll shut up about it.

 

[Maniac]

I believe they are exhaust vents of some kind. Besides they just look cool.

I love how they look. If I moved the Hovertank to a new Monopole Magnetics or Superfluids tech (what do you prefer, Lord Tirian?), these graphics would fit for the unit.

 

[GeoModder]

I believe they are exhaust vents of some kind. Besides they just look cool.

I love how they look. If I moved the Hovertank to a new Monopole Magnetics or Superfluids tech (what do you prefer?), these graphics would fit for the unit.

Magnetic Monopoles! Hands down!
But what are you going to do with Magnetic Acceleration then? Those two sounds so similar...

 

[GeoModder]

Maniac, a question.
Did you tinker with how the graphics engine and the game interact in SDK?
I'm trying to let the greenhouse switch graphics whether it is worked or not by a base citizen, but the game keeps giving me the standard graphic I refer to in artdefines_improvement. It doesn't seem to read the PlotLSystem file...
If you haven't tinkered with that, the only other reason I can think of off-hand is that Firaxis only made its own improvement classes adjustable in the graphics engine.

 

[Maniac]

Nope I didn't edit that. There is no graphics engine code in the SDK.

Switching graphics completely? Is that how other improvements like the windmill are given an animation when worked?

 

[GeoModder]

Nope I didn't edit that. There is no graphics engine code in the SDK.

Switching graphics completely? Is that how other improvements like the windmill are given an animation when worked?

Nope, graphics like the windmill and the mine swich on or off with their animations (.kfm file thus).
In Cultural Citystyles I managed to let the game link to a different graphic file when worked or not (the plantation improvement). I used the bImprovementWorkedOnly attribute in PlotLSystem to achieve that. When the improvement was worked ingame I refered it to a graphic file where I had attached a smoke niNode. When inactive, I refered it to a graphic file where I hadn't attached this smoke niNode.
I might have another trick in my sleeve, but that takes a bit more preparation in the xml. No guarantees yet...

 

[Lord Tirian]

I love how they look. If I moved the Hovertank to a new Monopole Magnetics or Superfluids tech (what do you prefer, Lord Tirian?), these graphics would fit for the unit.

Cool! And what name I like better...? Hard, both things sound cool, but I think I prefer Monopole Magnetics, because:
a) It's a homage to the magnetic monopoles from SMAC.
b) They already have a very nice tech icon that fits perfectly.
c) The discovery of monopole (even artificial or "simulated" ones) would be a huge thing for physics, so being around the "big" things like Superstring Theory and Antimatter seems to be better fit.

Cheers, LT.

 

[GeoModder]

I've done it. I managed to let the greenhouse switch outlook whether it is worked by a base citizen or not.

See screenshot attached. The northern -and western greenhouse uses a texture which shows plants in it (greenish sides). the northwestern greenhouse uses the old texture and shows thus only blue glass.

The method I use (at this stage) let the greenhouses choose a random spot in its plot. It might happen that a greenhouse on a plot with a resource graphic on it automatically chooses a spot around it instead of sitting in the middle of the resource. But I need further testing for that.

@Maniac:
First of all, is this a method you're okay with to depict worked/unworked improvements? It's not animated, but a player can see in a glance what is worked and what not. No point continuing on this if it doesn't suit you.

 

[GeoModder]

@Lord Tirian:
I have a request on your solar collector model. Would it be possible to create .dds files for this model without the sun reflecting of the mirror? The idea is that the texture with the sun reflected is used when a base works the collector, and the texture without when the collector isn't worked.

 

[Maniac]

First of all, is this a method you're okay with to depict worked/unworked improvements? It's not animated, but a player can see in a glance what is worked and what not. No point continuing on this if it doesn't suit you.

Sounds cool. Me I'm just worrying if this method might be more resource intensive than adding animations.

I think the greenhouse should remain in the center of the plot though. Otherwise problems arise with greenhouses on ridges etc.

 

[GeoModder]

Sounds cool. Me I'm just worrying if this method might be more resource intensive than adding animations.

I think the greenhouse should remain in the center of the plot though. Otherwise problems arise with greenhouses on ridges etc.

Well, the same type of graphic is used, only with another texture file. The game must call up another file when a greenhouse is worked, that's all. Does that add much to resource use?

As on keeping the greenhouse centered, that might prove more difficult. At the moment I can ensure that one of the states (worked or not worked) is centered by simply letting the game call up the graphic in artdefines_improvement instead of PlotLSystem.
It seems the engine doesn't recognize entries in the 4x4 nodes of PlotLSystem if there's no animation file included. And the game will crash if I just put some random .kfm path in an entry. But I'll do some more tests if I can find a workaround, or let the 4x4 node recognize non-animation entries.

Btw, are you happy with a smoke column coming out of the condenser when worked? It seems appropriate, and I have an animation for that one.

 

[Maniac]

Well, the same type of graphic is used, only with another texture file. The game must call up another file when a greenhouse is worked, that's all. Does that add much to resource use?

I don't have a clue. :-s

Btw, are you happy with a smoke column coming out of the condenser when worked? It seems appropriate, and I have an animation for that one.

Hmm. Isn't emitting (water?) vapour the opposite of what Condensers are supposed to do?