This is an interesting question. See you can use a custom mod to place features and then use the mission script to export all features. Then via the gaia of a map place all of your features.
Which of course begs the question, are the lua placed more or less effiecient?
some mappers may not be compforable with the suggestion for a feature placement game package but i can assure you if luagaia features are just as or more effiecient then the spring mapconv features... I will use a gundam feature placer mutator(it'll get released btw). So, what do you mappers think about the idea?
Feature placement via gaia or mapconv.
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What it would be is that the features would get created like walls.. you build the unit it imdiately dies and places the feature. You would have a unit that can build the span of the map. All features would be avaialble as gaia features are not limited to 255.
I can add in all of lathan's features and mine. It would be a feature placement megamod. After that all you have to do is run the mission helper script and build all your features where you want them. They would be then saved by the save feature option. If you guys are on board for this I WILL DO IT!
I just need to know if there will be a performance cost for this method. Because if there is no cost and I can create a way for the mappers to place features in engine where they can eyeball it out then hell, I'll get right on it!
I can add in all of lathan's features and mine. It would be a feature placement megamod. After that all you have to do is run the mission helper script and build all your features where you want them. They would be then saved by the save feature option. If you guys are on board for this I WILL DO IT!
I just need to know if there will be a performance cost for this method. Because if there is no cost and I can create a way for the mappers to place features in engine where they can eyeball it out then hell, I'll get right on it!
so, of the guys who read this thread I have had positive responses. I have some real life stuff to do for a bit. When I return, I will be ready to hit this HARD. So, please, post what you would like to see, what would make it easy for you as a mapper to use. I will, when I return, try my best to fulfill the requests.
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LathanStanley
- Posts: 1429
- Joined: 20 Jun 2005, 05:16
DO IT! you have my FULL support.
and probably anyone's who has also made features...
wouldn't the mapping system require a floating point decimal locater for each feature? rather than an X,Y color coordinate? or does the mapping system just visually use the color for compilation, and then give each color dot a point decimal??
keep that in mind smoth, if you get yourself into making an SM4 map, its going to make everyone crazy
even if it works ubar wtf wow the spring community are whiners...
and probably anyone's who has also made features...
wouldn't the mapping system require a floating point decimal locater for each feature? rather than an X,Y color coordinate? or does the mapping system just visually use the color for compilation, and then give each color dot a point decimal??
keep that in mind smoth, if you get yourself into making an SM4 map, its going to make everyone crazy
even if it works ubar wtf wow the spring community are whiners...*posting from a hotel. *
No, the features would be placed via the load unit/feature code of lua lathan(look at a lua mission for reference),. this completely ignores the mapconv. With this, all you would use is mapconv for smt conversion, past that the rest is all lua. That means this would also work with sm3.
you logged off before I could explain it to you the other night but it would be placement entirely in game. At the moment I am on a trip though so I have been drawing out different interface layouts etc. I have to decide on how I want to do it first then I have to read a bunch of lua scripts to see how somethings are done.
I am taking a bunch of pictures on this trip and making notes about natural rock formations and colors to improve my mapping skills. I also am looking at nature and what kind of features exist in real life, it is stunning how much STUFF is on a mountain. Anyway, yeah probably a big no duh to most people but I wanted to get a really good understanding.
Anyway, I may or may not post over the course of this trip. However, when I can I will check this thread to see what thoughts are written here-in and I will try and add them into the design.
So far I am thinking of 2 main classifications of units:
Features
trees, crystals, spore colonies etc, the sort of generic shit that exists in a map.
Units
Mobile units, building units and their corpses.
within these classifications we will have 2 sub classifications, "live" and "dead." Live units/features are ones that have bos or cob scripts. Dead units/features are ones without scripts that exists as static features.
Past that I think I will start with a small routine handler. For example. you place a live unit and select it. Some lua buttons would display orders that can be qued for the unit. When you are done queing orders, you can click a "write" button. This would be used to export the lua orders(allowing you to setup paths for cows, birds etc quickly and where you really want them to go in game)
One snag I see is that I see no rotation parameter on the creation of a unit, did I miss this? Does it even exist?
No, the features would be placed via the load unit/feature code of lua lathan(look at a lua mission for reference),. this completely ignores the mapconv. With this, all you would use is mapconv for smt conversion, past that the rest is all lua. That means this would also work with sm3.
you logged off before I could explain it to you the other night but it would be placement entirely in game. At the moment I am on a trip though so I have been drawing out different interface layouts etc. I have to decide on how I want to do it first then I have to read a bunch of lua scripts to see how somethings are done.
I am taking a bunch of pictures on this trip and making notes about natural rock formations and colors to improve my mapping skills. I also am looking at nature and what kind of features exist in real life, it is stunning how much STUFF is on a mountain. Anyway, yeah probably a big no duh to most people but I wanted to get a really good understanding.
Anyway, I may or may not post over the course of this trip. However, when I can I will check this thread to see what thoughts are written here-in and I will try and add them into the design.
So far I am thinking of 2 main classifications of units:
Features
trees, crystals, spore colonies etc, the sort of generic shit that exists in a map.
Units
Mobile units, building units and their corpses.
within these classifications we will have 2 sub classifications, "live" and "dead." Live units/features are ones that have bos or cob scripts. Dead units/features are ones without scripts that exists as static features.
Past that I think I will start with a small routine handler. For example. you place a live unit and select it. Some lua buttons would display orders that can be qued for the unit. When you are done queing orders, you can click a "write" button. This would be used to export the lua orders(allowing you to setup paths for cows, birds etc quickly and where you really want them to go in game)
One snag I see is that I see no rotation parameter on the creation of a unit, did I miss this? Does it even exist?
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LathanStanley
- Posts: 1429
- Joined: 20 Jun 2005, 05:16
I don't know if there is a rotation parameter, afaik, they all get spawned facing "south"...
and ok, I can understand its a "post scipt" that loads the features after the map is loaded...
but, will that bog down computers like the .giveall command? what if there is ~4,000 features on the map like blacklake?
hmm, all interesting thoughts, I'll be in and about if you need my help with anything smoth, and I'm trying to get a little work in on the texturemapping of those buildings, getting them finished up... Its just, sooo much work...
and ok, I can understand its a "post scipt" that loads the features after the map is loaded...
but, will that bog down computers like the .giveall command? what if there is ~4,000 features on the map like blacklake?
hmm, all interesting thoughts, I'll be in and about if you need my help with anything smoth, and I'm trying to get a little work in on the texturemapping of those buildings, getting them finished up... Its just, sooo much work...
it's cool, I am posting from wyoming btw, and no, I doubt it would be too bad on loading. I am suprised trepan has not posted in this thread yet. I have tried to do some lua work while I was in colorado but my dev version of spring that I downloaded wouldn't work on my laptop for some reason... gonna redownload it tonight. As a note I have taken over 200 megs of photos and I will be taking more when I get to yellow stone and the tetons(SP?)
we have terrain ALL wrong here. This trip has been interesting.
we have terrain ALL wrong here. This trip has been interesting.