Farming

[yrizoud]

Sharing my tests for additional tiles, in order to not invade this thread.
I really want to focus on tiles that provide additional tactical choices, not just flavor.

These bales of hay make sense, and typicall provide small cover. Can be refined more, pixel-wise, but I first want to check that they "work" ingame.
The standard LOFTemps provide the right shapes to draw these cylinders.
Can somebody tell me if it's possible to add more loftemps ? Is it then complicated to coexist with other terrains which do the same ? I'm currently using Volutar's MCDEdit.

[Hobbes]

Can somebody tell me if it's possible to add more loftemps ? Is it then complicated to coexist with other terrains which do the same ? I'm currently using Volutar's MCDEdit.

Currently it is not possible to add more LOFTtemps, you'll have to make do with the vanilla ones.

[yrizoud]

Argh, this means I really have to check and define the voxel model first, and draw afterwards.

[ivandogovich]

The urban "hedges" block LOS, so maybe you can use the loftemps model from that.

[Solarius Scorch]

While the LOFT list is finite, I've never had the problem of being unable to find the right one, and I made dozens of tiles. Sure, some approximation is often necessary, but as long as the new MCDs aren't any less detailed than vanilla terrain, I consider them good enough. And I was always able to achieve this.

[yrizoud]

Well, there seems to be demand for voxel COWs, now  Ǝ---

[Solarius Scorch]

Well, there seems to be demand for voxel COWs, now  Ǝ---

Pity all units are cylinders anyway.

[Hobbes]

Well, there seems to be demand for voxel COWs, now  Ǝ---

As said above by Solaris you can get approximate 3D representations of most objects using the available LOFTtemps. And most players won't see and know how the voxels differ from reality.

[yrizoud]

Sheep. Use them for flummy and flammable cover. Unless one of you weirdos create an explosive variant.
I'm not sure if I should group things, or store them as the smallest MCDs / PCKs that include graphics likely to appear in the same block.

[Solarius Scorch]

Sheep. Use them for flummy and flammable cover. Unless one of you weirdos create an explosive variant.
I'm not sure if I should group things, or store them as the smallest MCDs / PCKs that include graphics likely to appear in the same block.

Sheep as tiles?

[yrizoud]

It's what people asked in the other thread.
At least, aliens won't shoot animals for no reason, the player won't have to wait for 20 animals to move every turn, cattle won't randomly appear and move in buildings, and XCOM agents won't be blocked when a chicken is guarding a door.
Also, long animals like horses and cows work very bad as units : as you said, cylinder hitboxes, and forced to be modeled as 2x2. As tiles, they can be 2x1 with mostly correct LOF, and mapmakers can place them logically.

[Solarius Scorch]

It's what people asked in the other thread.

Okay, which ones?

At least, aliens won't shoot animals for no reason

Why no reason? They the the same reason as for killing people: terror, meat, genes.

the player won't have to wait for 20 animals to move every turn, cattle won't randomly appear and move in buildings, and XCOM agents won't be blocked when a chicken is guarding a door.

All legitimate points. But still...

Also, long animals like horses and cows work very bad as units : as you said, cylinder hitboxes, and forced to be modeled as 2x2. As tiles, they can be 2x1 with mostly correct LOF, and mapmakers can place them logically.

It's doesn't really work that badly, especially since the player is not supposed to shoot them. I have a big wolf unit with the same issue, but it's not looking weird at all.

In my opinion this animals as tiles solution just doesn't work at all, sorry. I'd much rather not have any.

[Xtendo-com]

Animals as tiles will looks like lifeless obstacles rather than alive unit.

At least, aliens won't shoot animals for no reason

Terror mission in farm. But... As I understand without modifications to source codes animals will counts as civilians

[Solarius Scorch]

Animals as tiles will looks like lifeless obstacles rather than alive unit.
Terror mission in farm. But... As I understand without modifications to source codes animals will counts as civilians

Yeah, but you can give them a value of 0 or 1, so they aren't (as) important to protect.

[yrizoud]

Okay, which ones?

No names! But cows was really not what I expected to be asked.

In my opinion this animals as tiles solution just doesn't work at all, sorry. I'd much rather not have any.

It may be less distracting if for example horses are kept in stalls - but then they will be scenery, not part of the playable geometry, and I find it much less interesting, possibly a waste of precious tiles.
Anyway, the graphics will be there, so anybody's free to experiment with exploding sheep.
At this step, my goal is not to design a specific farm replacement, farm expansion, or farm alternative; but to give any mapper more tools to do it.