HexFarm - Now with destroyables bridges

[zwzsg]

You can untick "randomize all" and use the many map options to control the layout.

I envisioned adding a type="string" map option where to write sets of tower coordinates and bridges indexes. Then realized it would be so complicated nobody would use it. I'm just a little plumbing away from it though, so I might still add it. If only to make my own mission maps with specials layouts. Or as a way to save/load/edit layouts that involve only one map option.

I briefly considered a ingame wysuiwyg interface to edit layout, but estimated that even if would be much more easy to use and as such much more used, it would be such a big project to code that the "use time by players" / "coding time by me" ratio could be even worse!

Reading a player provided bitmap to create a synced map layout would be an arduous task. There's steps in there I don't even know how or if it would be possible.

As for new skins, I'll take them, as long as they're not ugly or massive filesizewise. However, be aware that I doubt I'd make a new release just for a skin, and I don't plan on making a new version anytime soon. Luckily, skins don't even have to be in the archive to be distributed and installed!

[PicassoCT]

well, ill do one or two mountain variations. And some alien temple thingy. After that.. well see..



Its almost hex allready





yep, that snow is a troublemaker, and will have a redo..

[zwzsg]

The vertical repetition of texture is annoying. Maybe I should do stretching instead of tiling? Or maybe map the texture so the top half of texture is only used once at the the top of tower, and only the bottom half of texture is repeated afterward?

[PicassoCT]

optional stretching would be good... third pixel white means stretch it :D

[PicassoCT]

Or you could mirror it every second time.. but no, for the glowing version, stretching would be best..


v
^
v
^

[zwzsg]

Also, it does not look at all like an Himalayan summit caught in the dawn. Instead it looks like rods so hot they melt at the tip.

I suppose it could still make a nice skin themed around playing inside the core of a surging nuclear reactor. Or a burning steel wreckage. Except neither sound like safe grounds to play on.

[knorke]

i see faces on the icy one!

I envisioned adding a type="string" map option where to write sets of tower coordinates and bridges indexes. Then realized it would be so complicated nobody would use it.

yes, too complicated. It would need an editor and making layouts would take too long.
Making a new layout must be fast enough to do it between games.
How about something like this:

Code: Select all

-----------------------
-----------------------
--111------1-----------
--111----1211----------
---------12431---------
---------1311------11--
-----------1------1111-
-----------------------
-----------------------

every character represents a whatever-elmos-sized square and the number is the height. (so the above would be 2 small hills and a larger hill in middle)
Easy to edit and try out new layouts.

Another problem is, lobbies and autohosts kind of forgot about mapoptions and you can only set them with cryptic commands or not at all...

[PicassoCT]

http://springfiles.com/spring/tools/tex ... k-progress

[wolas]

I would love that all this magick-witchery could be used on some other maps too, imagine folsom dam-like map bam bridge destroyed = epic.

[zwzsg]

I made it so some skins can now use a different texture at the top :



Test Version : Hex_Farm_6.1.sd7.

[hoijui]

much nicer!

[jK]

hints:

• Spring.SetGroundDraw(false)
• Use the new gl.Texture("$info") to support F2 mode etc.

[zwzsg]

Spring.SetGroundDraw(false)

I used to do that. But it had some tiny graphical bug. My memory about what exactly is hazy, sorry, but AFAIK it was something about how it didn't render walls & wreckages, and maybe other things. So later I moved to using a transparent map texture instead.

Use the new gl.Texture("$info") to support F2 mode etc.

Are they writeable?






While you're here: Knorke recently discovered the fog cause tremedous loss of performance on his setup. I only use the fog with two skins, Pastoral and Geological, so it was easy to see the fog was the culprit. All other skins fade to black, which is done with a much simpler gl.Color({0,0,0,1}). But for Pastoral and Geological, I wanted a colored bottomless pit. I'm curious to know why is that his computer choke on the fog, while mine runs fine. Fog is done by layering a hundred translucent quads:

Code: Select all

	local function SkyboxAndFogVertices()
		-- The skybox:
		-- [...]
		-- Here I draw ten huge quad as a sort of custom skybox, removed in this extract to keep it short
		-- [...]

		-- The fog
		local u=1.5/(TextureWidth or 4096)
		local v=2.5/(TextureHeight or 1024)
		for y=y1,y0,(y0-y1)/100 do
			gl.Color(1,1,1,((y-y0)/(y1-y0))^2)
			gl.TexCoord(u,v)
			gl.Vertex(x1,y,z1)
			gl.TexCoord(u,v)
			gl.Vertex(x1,y,z2)
			gl.TexCoord(u,v)
			gl.Vertex(x2,y,z2)
			gl.TexCoord(u,v)
			gl.Vertex(x2,y,z1)
		end
		gl.Color(1,1,1,1)
	end



		if UseSkyboxAndFog then
			gl.Blending(true)
			gl.BeginEnd(GL.QUADS,SkyboxAndFogVertices)
			gl.Blending(false)
		end

[jK]

Spring.SetGroundDraw(false)

I used to do that. But it had some tiny graphical bug. My memory about what exactly is hazy, sorry, but AFAIK it was something about how it didn't render walls & wreckages, and maybe other things. So later I moved to using a transparent map texture instead.

It doesn't render grounddecals in that case. Still keeping the engine drawing is no option. Cause you make the `hidden` parts of the terrain very bumpy (to make it unpassable) this makes ROAM going crazy and eats whole CPU & RAM. So better disable engine terrain drawing and use typemaps to make areas unpassable (yes, Lua can change square's groundtype).

Use the new gl.Texture("$info") to support F2 mode etc.

Are they writeable?

No? o_O

Fog is done by layering a hundred translucent quads:

You are killing the GPUs bandwidth (=pixelfillrate). Use the ground fog gadget included in map blueprint.

[zwzsg]

It doesn't render grounddecals in that case.

No grounddecals is ok, it's even somewhat desirable since grounddecals gets stretched in ugly ways over cliff, and reveal the spikes there when they extended to the bottom. Plus possible tearing between it and my texture.

However, not seeing the wall you just built, or the wreckage that block units, was really problematic, and something I really had to find a way around.

Then I just tested and apparently in Spring 91 the bug about new feature being invisible when SetDrawGround(false) is no more.

Use the new gl.Texture("$info") to support F2 mode etc.

Are they writeable?

No? o_O

They I fail to see of what use they would be in the context of that map.

(you make the `hidden` parts of the terrain very bumpy (to make it unpassable) this makes ROAM going crazy and eats whole CPU & RAM. So better disable engine terrain drawing and use typemaps to make areas unpassable (yes, Lua can change square's groundtype).

I know. In fact, this very map does use Spring.SetMapSquareTerrainType extensively. The void is set as a zero speed zone. However, the units would still glady drive into it. They won't get out, but still want to go in. So I would end up with piles of units getting stuck on the border, and a tar pit isn't the effect I was looking for.

Somehow, units are more afraid of slope than of no speed, so I use spiky terrain in addition to null speed. It's better, but not enough. The pathfinder still drive units into the void. So I have the gadget place any units found in the void back on nearest tower/bridge if there's one nearby (and explode the unit if it's too far into the void). It's still not enough and units still manage to end up far into the void. But at least now it happens seldom, or in heavy traffic jam, instead of losing half your units each time you cross a bridge.

Also, buildings can still be constructed in null speed zone, but not over spiky terrain. Well, at least in common mods where every building has a MaxSlope.

If you know extra terrain type tags to truely make an area impassable and unbuildable, please speak up.

[yanom]

How does the lua for this work? I'm trying to make a similar procedurally-generated map for my own game. How do you put lua scripts inside the map?

[zwzsg]

How do you put lua scripts inside the map?

In this HexFarm map, I am using a gadget in \LuaRules\Gadgets\
This is the wrong way to do it.

The right way is to put the gadget in \LuaGaia\Gadgets\

Make sure you have the two tiny draw.lua and main.lua inside your \LuaGaia\

[yanom]

How do you put lua scripts inside the map?

In this HexFarm map, I am using a gadget in \LuaRules\Gadgets\
This is the wrong way to do it.

The right way is to put the gadget in \LuaGaia\Gadgets\

Make sure you have the two tiny draw.lua and main.lua inside your \LuaGaia\

oh, so maps can have LuaRules and LuaGaia folders just like mods do? Cool!

I am trying to make a map that's regenerated every time you play that's based on the Perlin noise function for terrain.

[zwzsg]

oh, so maps can have LuaRules and LuaGaia folders just like mods do? Cool!

LuaRules is meant for mods
LuaGaia is meant for maps

[bobthedinosaur]

So I guess there is a bug fix due for the next release?

Also if possible I guess either the option to have no bridges or maybe have a game mode detection for no bridges (would that work?) options would be greatly appreciated for floating island style maps.