Implementation of city wall tiles - a preview

[Dark Sheer]

Since Weasel Op has always questioned about the useability of walls in a scenario I will try to show how it can be used.

This is how I would like to implement it in my own ROTK scenario. First, this set of city wall tiles are a new one as I had to reduce the height of the wall by 11 pixels so it can fit into the hills gfx file.

This has to be done using two Landmark terrain tile set. At this moment I am using both LMMountains & LMhills.

What I have done is use LMMountains tiles for walls and make them impassable. Then I use LMhill tiles for the gate/choke points. In order to make the AI defend the gate/choke points I make them a victory location (notice the little red flag in the preview screen ). This way we can have real seige warfare in CivIII. You want to take a walled city? Then you need to rush the gate!

And as to the various building in the city, I am using the various city tiles to represent them. This way I can have up to 4 different types of building in a city (town, walled town, city & metro). So after breaking down the gate you still need to take the buildings one by one.

So what do you guys think of the idea?

Comments and suggestions please.

 

[jamesundquist]

That Is perfect. 1 of the neatest things ive ever seen.

Is it able to be downloaded at this point and time?

 

[Civinator]

This is a great idea. And Dark Sheer, it´s great that you are back .

Now, if you combine this with the invisible cities, you have lots of different looking locations to conquer inside the citywalls, as you are no longer limited to the small number of citygraphics.

 

[Dark Sheer]

That Is perfect. 1 of the neatest things ive ever seen.

Is it able to be downloaded at this point and time?

I should be posting the revised wall tiles set after some touch-up. Should be latest by tomorrow (Or rather tonight my time ).

 

[Dark Sheer]

This is a great idea. And Dark Sheer, it´s great that you are back .

Now, if you combine this with the invisible cities, you have lots of different looking locations to conquer inside the citywalls, as you are no longer limited to the small number of citygraphics.

First of, what invisible city?? Am I missing something here?

Second, I thought you were a member of CFC as long as I am. How come it shows your join date as May 2005?

I think I need to get some sleep

 

[Civinator]

1st: Chance the graphic in the cities file (at least that for the smallest city size) to transparency (magenta). Now the graphic of the city is transparent and you can see the resource on that tile in a full working city. As the number of resources you can add is much bigger than the number of graphics for a city, you have much more options to let a city graphically appear on the map (not only the three sizes plus walled in each era). You can have dozens of different looking cities in that way, but of course also dozens of different buildings (that act like cities and can spawn out units by the improvements that are contained in these invisible cities; p.e. horsemen from the stable in your screenshot).

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=118833

2nd: Sometimes I´m mixed up with civanator. But my nick name at CFC is civinator. I took this name because my normal nickname Blue Lion is blocked at CFC.

3rd: May be the AOE tower -units are also a nice combination with your citywall-terrain.

 

[Dark Sheer]

1st: Chance the graphic in the cities file (at least that for the smallest city size) to transparency (magenta). Now the graphic of the city is transparent and you can see the resource on that tile in a full working city. As the number of resources you can add is much bigger than the number of graphics for a city, you have much more options to let a city graphically appear on the map (not only the three sizes plus walled in each era). You can have dozens of different looking cities in that way, but of course also dozens of different buildings (that act like cities and can spawn out units by the improvements that are contained in these invisible cities; p.e. horsemen from the stable in your screenshot).

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=118833

2nd: Sometimes I´m mixed up with civanator. But my nick name at CFC is civinator. I took this name because my normal nickname Blue Lion is blocked at CFC.

3rd: May be the AOE tower -units are also a nice combination with your citywall-terrain.

Ok, sorry for mixing you up with Civnator.

I have just read your thread on the invisible city thingy and its one of the best idea on modding that I have come across ever!! I am surprised no one give you feedback of any sort in the thread.

Now not only can I have unlimited buildings in the city (no that I need that many different buildings ) I also do not have to worry about the city growing! And best of all, no metro = no pollution!!

Now that you have given me the idea of invisble city, we can also have invisible roads! All you need to do is make all the road tiles magenta (duh! ) then make six resources for road tiles (6 for 8 directions cause N=S and E=W). Of cause you can have more road tiles to make it look nicer like road over hills, road over jungle etc.! Goodbye messy roads in the mod! And the same goes for railroad too! This way we can even make a tunnel when laying railroad over hills and mountains! (See? Give me a good idea and I will return you with a few more )

And I would suggest making the road & railroad resources bonus resources so it won't show up in the city screen showing you own 100s of road/railroad.

 

[Civinator]

I have just read your thread on the invisible city thingy and its one of the best idea on modding that I have come across ever!!

To hear such words from you make me blushing. Your tutorial how to do a convincing unit for civ 3 was the first article in modding civ 3 that I had ever read. So you are something like a legend for me.

And I would suggest making the road & railroad resources bonus resources so it won't show up in the city screen showing you own 100s of road/railroad.

Dark Sheer, please don´t make the whole civ3 game magenta, as we would have a problem in seeing some action on the screen.

The problem is - so it is reported- that civ 3 can only bear a certain number of bonus resources but that it can handle a much bigger number of strategic resources.

Edited: Of course here I have mixed up the terms. Correctly it must be: a certain number of strategic/luxury resources (32 max.) but that it can handle a much bigger number of bonus resources.

And for the names of the "invisible" cities and the chancing of names of these cities when taken by an other civ (p.e. from Massilia when hold by the Romans to Marseille when hold by the French), I did find a much better and very simple solution since my old article in may 2005.

 

[Kyriakos]

Very nice My graphics dysmorphic syndrome prevents me from liking it more
Perhaps making it darker, and posting a preview with the firaxis euro-terrain could improve it?

 

[Dark Sheer]

To hear such words from you make me blushing. Your tutorial how to do a convincing unit for civ 3 was the first article in modding civ 3 that I had ever read. So you are something like a legend for me.

Now you are making me blush!

The problem is - so it is reported- that civ 3 can only bear a certain number of bonus resources but that it can handle a much bigger number of strategic resources.

From my understanding, the more bonus resources, the more rare each one becomes. Which, I believe its due to the cap for the total of number of bonus resources that will appear on a map. However, that only applies if you are generating a random map! Since we are placing the resources ourself in a mod it shouldn't matter. Can someone correct me if I am wrong?

And for the names of the "invisible" cities and the chancing of names of these cities when taken by an other civ (p.e. from Massilia when hold by the Romans to Marseille when hold by the French), I did find a much better and very simple solution since my old article in may 2005.

Please do share your new ideas!

 

[Dark Sheer]

And where is Weasal Op by the way?

 

[Civinator]

Please do share your new ideas!

O.K. In short, as I don´t want to "highjack" your thread about the citywall-terrain:

For the wrong A.I. city names under the correct city resource names the city-name list for Rome would be: 1st Roman founded city, 2nd Roman founded city..and so on. So the city can even be easily identified in the Espionage menue and the text the AI writes in the citybox under the correct city name is correct too.

The correct changing of "resource city names" wasn´t proofed in game yet.
Write on the top of the city resource "Massilia" (the name of the Roman city at that location). At the bottom of the city resource you write "Marseille".
Now you can position the city graphic in the cities folder some pixels higher or deeper than normal. The roman city graphic is positioned deeper than normal so that it hides "Marseille" and shows "Massilia" for the Roman looking city. The French or normal European city graphics are positioned a little bit higher than normal, so that they hide "Massilia" and show "Marseilles" for the than normal European lookin city. The same with Istanbul and Constantinople and so on. But this must be tested...

 

[Dark Sheer]

Here is another way of implementing the wall, as checkpoint.

Checkpoints (关&#21475 is something very common in China since before the warring state period (BC) until even Qing (1900s). They are usually build at narrow mountain pass to serve both as a military chokepoint and a point to control/check the incoming and outgoing populace. And alot of famous battles are fought at the various checkpoints during the Romance of the Three Kingdom period so a scenario of ROTK without checkpoint will be incomplete.

Checkpoints are sometime abandoned when the Kingdom grows are lost control of certain cities so they are not always functional. They are also sometime part of the Great Wall of China.

Here is how I would implement it. Again, in order to make sure the AI will defend/attack it, it will be make a victory point location.

 

[Mirc]

Those are fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love especially the first one.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Now all we need is someone to make the RPG mod.

 

[WildWeazel]

And where is Weasal Op by the way?

Home for spring break.

I like your ideas. Since the walls are impassable except for the gates, IMO these walls would be more appropriate than the ones that are falling down.

 

[Dark Sheer]

Home for spring break.

I like your ideas. Since the walls are impassable except for the gates, IMO these walls would be more appropriate than the ones that are falling down.

About time you show up!

I have released these walls (the perfect version with no ruins) with three different versions of which two of them is needed to work together to create multiple gate cities and mountain pass.

I am glad you finally sees how the walls can be implemented.

 

[TVA22]

Excellent DS 很有用!

 

[W.i.n.t.e.r]

Cool idea DS - great to see that there are still so many new things to be tweaked in CivIII

 

[Dark Sheer]

TVA22: Long time no see. Glad you are still around.

Winter: There will always be things to tinker & tweak. All we need is a little stimulation to our brain.

On a side note, maybe not that useful. While I was tinkering I notice that resources.pcx file can support/recognised up to 12 icons wide (as compared to the original file supplied by Firaxis that is 6 icons wide). I think in the pass we have been extending the lenght of the file downwards, so this might be of interest to those who has alot of resources. A wider and shorter file is easier to the eyes.