New terrain types and features?

[Knasp]

A while back I managed to use Modbuddy and add a new feature (copied and modfied the marsh feature's code in the xmls), which I could then place on my map in the Worldbuilder. The map loaded fine, and the feature worked fine in the 3D view, but the feature was invisible in the Strategic View (feature label and yields showed up, just not the 2D icon).

I've tried searching the forums and I haven't found any mention of adding new terrain or features. So my questions are:

1. What are the current limits to modding when it comes to adding new Terrain types & Features?
(Apart from Canals, which I've just read about)

2. I suppose the AI wouldn't be able to use or manage to do anything useful with new terrain/features?

3. Is it possible to remove (disable?) terrain/features from the base game? Could you have the game generate a map using only your added terrain & features?

 

[Deliverator]

1. What are the current limits to modding when it comes to adding new Terrain types & Features?
(Apart from Canals, which I've just read about)

Terrains: I'm not yet sure that it is possible to create new Terrains as the list of Tundra, Grassland, Plains, Desert and Snow seems to be quite hardcoded into the art defines. So I'm not sure whether you could create a new Terrain such as Savannah, create the textures for it and have everything work from a gameplay/graphics perspective. It is however possible to completely reskin all the terrain as in my Fungal Biome mod.

Features: Features are really the most unlimited they have ever been in the series. If you look at the Natural Wonders in the base game or mods such as Terra Mirabilis they are all special cases of Features. Features can be simple models, collections of models either placed randomly (like forests) or positioned deliberately. Most interestingly Features can be multi-tile and alter the base terrain heightmap (see Natural Wonders and Oases for example). Features can add "stickers" called Decals to the terrain to alter its appearance (e.g. Marsh). There is no limit to the number of features that can be created.

2. I suppose the AI wouldn't be able to use or manage to do anything useful with new terrain/features?

The AI would be as good or bad as dealing with modded Features as they are are with any other Features. The AI should take into account the yields and potentially yields of tiles when determining city placement and district placement extra. It might be bad at this right now but if it improves there should be no difference in its awareness of base game or modded Features.

3. Is it possible to remove (disable?) terrain/features from the base game? Could you have the game generate a map using only your added terrain & features?

You can remove alter Features using Fire Tuner but for ones such as Natural Wonders/Oases that alter the terrain heightmap you will need to reload your save before you see the effects. If you wanted to create a game using your new Features or only your new Features you would probably need to create or alter one the existing map scripts to place them. This is not true for Natural Wonders which have their own placement code that is called from all mapscripts - so modded Natural Wonders do get placed.

Your issue with not being able to see the Feature in Strategic View is probably because you haven't set up the Features.artdef to have the SV icon correctly. I normally reuse one of the base game icons initially until I have time to create a custom SV icon.