offworld trade and resources

[Deliverator]

I'm not thinking that homeworld should appear amoung the stars above Arrakis - but rather you make some sort of separate window or viewport for it on the left-hand side.

 

[koma13]

This is true. I first thought you plan to place planets spinning around Arrakis...

 

[Deliverator]

OK Koma, let's test out this crazy idea. I was going to make a planet NIF and then I remember the worldpicker. This basically does what we want already - displays a spinning planet NIF.

So, I've made two test planets out of the worldpicker stuff. Caladan just uses some standard world picker textures, but I've made a custom Geidi Prime using the Emperor planet textures (I knew they'd come in useful!). If the idea works, I can obviously put more effort into the textures.

You can probably lift the interface code out of the World Picker and put the viewport in the top left hand corner of the homeworld screen. Then the unit pool list can go below.

I have great confidence in your interface python abilities!

 

[koma13]

You can probably lift the interface code out of the World Picker and put the viewport in the top left

World picker and main menu isn't python

Caladan just uses some standard world picker textures, but I've made a custom Geidi Prime using the Emperor planet textures

Caladan:

Spoiler :

I had to remove some nodes from your nif files and the continents have player color, but it's working.

Geidi Prime:

Spoiler :

Here is another try :

Spoiler :

 

[davidlallen]

I like the planet bigger, as in your "another try". However, in this case, please arrange the exit and launch buttons next to each other, to ensure people can find them.

 

[Ahriman]

Hmm, tough call; there are aspects of both that I like. I like the large full view of the planet in the third one, it makes the connection to the homeworld feel much stronger.

But I like the slightly larger view of the city and its surrounding area too to help identify them, and I like the hovering Heighliner and the little animation coming down from it when you pressed the launch button (would be even more awesome if a little frigate could fly from the Heighliner down to the city).

Is there a way we could try to capture some of each of these?

I don't really care for the Guildsmen, they look a bit silly.

Maybe we could take the first one, and adjust as follows.
Make the left third of the screen a box; at the top is the unit purchase selection, below it is a large version of the homeworld planet in space like in your third view.
Then use the rest of the screen to be like the first picture, with the Heighliner.

Something like the attached picture.

 

[Deliverator]

Cool stuff, koma.

I imagined a layout pretty much like Ahriman's diagram, but with the planet and the unit list switching places. A 1-third / 2-thirds split should allow the planet to be a reasonable size.

I notice a couple of things about the NIF.

1) The atmospheric halo has gone, was this causing a big problem? It helps in particular with Geidi Prime since it is basically a black planet against black space otherwise. Also, it looks like the detail layers have gone. Maybe you hacked the NIF up...
2) The planets look very slightly chopped of at the bottom.

Otherwise, great effort for getting it this far.

 

[Ahriman]

I imagined a layout pretty much like Ahriman's diagram, but with the planet and the unit list switching places.

This would be fine with me.

 

[koma13]

Make the left third of the screen a box; at the top is the unit purchase selection, below it is a large version of the homeworld planet in space like in your third view.
Then use the rest of the screen to be like the first picture, with the Heighliner.

imagined a layout pretty much like Ahriman's diagram, but with the planet and the unit list switching places. A 1-third / 2-thirds split should allow the planet to be a reasonable size.

I just make it half/half. I can also experiment making it dynamic, with ratio depending on mouse x position.

I notice a couple of things about the NIF.

1) The atmospheric halo has gone, was this causing a big problem? It helps in particular with Geidi Prime since it is basically a black planet against black space otherwise.

Well, currently I have imported the planet nifs as unique buildings. Problem is I can't rotate nifs in python. I had to remove atmosphere because it had wrong position.

Also, it looks like the detail layers have gone. Maybe you hacked the NIF up...

Maybe... Or there is an error in CIV4ArtDefines_Building.xml.

2) The planets look very slightly chopped of at the bottom.

I can fix it.

I like the hovering Heighliner and the little animation coming down from it when you pressed the launch button (would be even more awesome if a little frigate could fly from the Heighliner down to the city).

I can play effects but I don't know how to create them. But there is a nice selection of effects already included in Dune Wars. I got pretty distracted when trying them out a few weeks ago

Spoiler :

Another way of displaying the nifs inside homeworld screen would be adding a "planet" unit. Then we could control different homeworlds in CIV4UnitArtStyleTypeInfos.xml. Maybe I try that...

 

[Deliverator]

Can't do any more right now, but the rotation in the NIF itself. If you can post a working version at some stage then I can play with rotating the NIF with the atmos glow so that it looks right. The detail layer and the atmosphere will make it much more dazzling...

 

[Deliverator]

Well, currently I have imported the planet nifs as unique buildings. Problem is I can't rotate nifs in python. I had to remove atmosphere because it had wrong position.

I noticed when checking the planets in SceneViewer that they don't directly face the camera by default. It should be possible for me to edit the NIF to fix this.

 

[koma13]

Here is a small patch for the homeworld screen. It adds the planet nifs created by Deliverator, splitting up the screen:

Spoiler :

I wasted a whole day trying to center the city view on the right side of the screen. It's not perfect, there is no simple connection between pixel and plots.

EDIT: New download, updated for DuneWars 1.53!

Download:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2ndmzmzztm1

Deliverator, if you want to add more homeworlds, you can simply do that in CIV4UnitArtStyleTypeInfos.xml. For reference you can look up Geidi Prime.

 

[Ahriman]

Looks good!

Remaining comments:
The Launch message/button could be a bit bigger, its easy for new people to miss it.
Maybe some kind of vertical frame separating the left from right, like the framing in your third example in post 144?
The refresh rate of the pool (in-game, not graphic) seems to very, very slow, or not even replenishing at all.

 

[koma13]

I just have seen Deliverator released a new Patch 1.53. I have updated the new homeworld screen to make it compatible. Please (re-)download the patch, now called 2.02.

Looks good!

Thx for feedback.

Remaining comments:
The Launch message/button could be a bit bigger, its easy for new people to miss it.
Maybe some kind of vertical frame separating the left from right, like the framing in your third example in post 144?

Well, I am still planning a few things:
- redesign of the launch button
- more unit informations
- esc close the screen

The refresh rate of the pool (in-game, not graphic) seems to very, very slow, or not even replenishing at all.

There was some error completly disabling most homeworld mechanics/ai except human interface in recent versions. I fixed it in the new homeworld patch.

 

[Ahriman]

I just have seen Deliverator released a new Patch 1.53. I have updated the new homeworld screen to make it compatible. Please (re-)download the patch, now called 2.02.

Thanks, was wondering why my game was crashing

 

[Deliverator]

Here's a another patch for the homeworld screen. Graphical only changes to improve the planet graphics.

I've managed to get the atmospheric glow and the backdrop working right for the planets. I'd like to be able to change the direction of the light source so that more of the planet is in shadow - that would be cool - I'm guessing it's not possible though since we are using the unit graphics engine?

I also tried to add rings to Kaitain like in the movie, but I couldn't get it convincing enough. May try again. Also, it might be interesting to add some moons to some of them like Tleilax in the movie. That many moons might be overkill though.

I prefer the starfield animation that is built into the NIF to the current swirling one, for a couple of reasons (i) it is better syncronized to the revolution of the planets and (ii) I can make a different starfield backdrop for each civ to add further variety. Is it possible to remove the swirling stars from the left-hand side and fix the little gap at the top where the NIF is cut off. If the NIF starfield has to be stretched then I can fix that.

I've produced 6 of the required planets and plugged them in. (Using CIV4UnitArtStyleTypeInfos.xml was a very clever thought Koma.) See screenshots - all taken in game from the homeworld screen.

Any ideas for Wallach IX and Ix appreciated. Can't remember if the Fremen have the screen...

I have some thought's on livening up and adding a bit more information to the screen - but I'll put together a mockup first.

 

[davidlallen]

I always thought of Ix like Trantor (Asimov) or Coruscant (Star Wars) : completely covered by cities. Image searching finds ...

Trantor (animated)
Coruscant 1
Coruscant 2

Can't say I really love any of these specific ones.

I also tried to add rings to Kaitain like in the movie, but I couldn't get it convincing enough. May try again. Also, it might be interesting to add some moons to some of them like Tleilax in the movie. That many moons might be overkill though.

It's probably better without. Both of those screenshots fail the reality test for me. I don't think you can get rings that close to a small planet, or that many large moons either.

Can't remember if the Fremen have the screen...

They do, at least there is no code which prevents it. But there probably should be something different. They don't interact with the guild to import Fremen from the south pole, or wherever their reinforcements would reasonably come from.

 

[Ahriman]

I always thought of Ix like Trantor (Asimov) or Coruscant (Star Wars) : completely covered by cities.

In the prequel books, Ix is actually completely subterranean; the surface is fairly idyllic, the cities are all underground.

"In the Prelude to Dune (1999-2001) prequel novels, Ix is a beautiful planet with no development on the surface, and practically no one goes above ground. The developed part of Ix is subterranean, mainly consisting of labs and factories."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C'tair_Pilru

Kindof implausible, but at least semi-canon.

They do, at least there is no code which prevents it. But there probably should be something different. They don't interact with the guild to import Fremen from the south pole, or wherever their reinforcements would reasonably come from.

The mechanic still works, buying units for gold.
It would also give them a way of still purchasing a handful of vehicles and aircraft, despite not being able to build these normally in their cities.

 

[davidlallen]

The mechanic still works, buying units for gold.

I agree. But the underlying graphics of a heighliner and a transport effect are wrong. If the screen were more customized somehow for Fremen so the guild doesn't show up, that would be perfect.

 

[Ahriman]

I agree. But the underlying graphics of a heighliner and a transport effect are wrong. If the screen were more customized somehow for Fremen so the guild doesn't show up, that would be perfect.

Agreed. Maybe a nice desertscape or something? There must be some nice screenshots from the movie.