Boats and Ships...How do you make them float?

[Ajax]

I would like to know how to make things "float" on game water, regardless of the depth.  Several people have made ships and other things that are at the appropriate water level when ploped regardless of the depth of the sea floor.  I tried using the reader to look at the properties to see if I could figure it out for myself, but I can't seem to find anything to point me in the right direction.  There are some props by PEG (scows) and Simgoober (paddle boats) that I would like to modify in this manner.  Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
James

[Swamper77]

Usually, the creators of the boats that "stay level no matter what depth" have made the model into a building. The game doesn't allow buildings to be below the ground level. To the game, the sealevel is the ground level for lots that are plopped on the water.

-Swamper77

[Ajax]

Thanks for the quick reply.  I understand what you mean about sealevel being "ground" level for buildings.  Since the models I want to use are props, does that mean I'm out of luck with what I want to do?  Or, is there a way to change the props into buildings?  Sorry if that's a dumb question...usually I just work with what's available in LE, and have not done much modding with the reader.

Thanks!
James

[RippleJet]

Use the Plugin Manager (PIM) to create a building out of a model.

Btw, PEG made a tutorial, How to Float Your Boat.

[Ajax]

Wow, that didn't even occur to me.  I haven't used the PIM in probably 4 years or so.  If I remember correctly, the models can't be in a sub-folder of plugins for them to appear in PIM.  I'm guessing I just need to make them a landmark and then go from there.  Thanks for your help! 

James

Oh, and thanks for the link to PEG's tutorial.

[Ajax]

Ok, maybe I got a little too excited that using the PIM would be a simple fix to my situation.  As I mentioned before, I would like to make the PEG scows float on game water.  All his stuff is in .dat files, and when I open the PIM, it doesn't indicate any models.  This is not the case with other .dat files that I have looked at.  The PIM seems to be able to locate the models within the file.  But, when I select a model to move over to a landmark, I think the PIM is trying to make the entire .dat into a landmark building.  I don't know if that is the case, but it sure seems to be taking a long time for the PIM to process that model, and then it wants to name the .SC4Desc file the same name as the .dat file, not the name of the model.  Is there a way to extract just the models out of the .dat for use in the PIM?  And, what about PEG's models that don't even appear?

Boy, I hope all that made sense, and I really do appreciate the help and suggestions.

Thanks,
James

edit: I just realized I bumped my own thread after eagerly hitting the post button.  I don't recall what the rule is on this, but I apologize for this. 

[Andreas]

edit: I just realized I bumped my own thread after eagerly hitting the post button.  I don't recall what the rule is on this, but I apologize for this. 

Well, since your last posting was a few hours ago, I don't consider this as bumping your thread, but merely adding another, independent posting.

Regarding PEG's DAT files: Usually, Pegasus only includes the files that are needed for the game in his DATs, this means he gets rid of the XML file that holds the information about a model. The Plugin Manager reads this XML file for the model name, the building dimensions and the ID. So if the XML is missing, you'll have to create a new building exemplar file manually. This requires some modding skills, the knowledge how the game files are organized, and how to use the Reader.

Here's what you can do: Put a BAT model (it doesn't matter which one) in your plugins folder, open the PIM and drag it to the "Landmark" category to create an SC4Desc with a Landmark exemplar file. Close the PIM again, open the SC4Desc file with the Reader, and open PEG's DAT file with another instance of the Reader. Highlight both exemplar files and copy the values of the following properties from PEG's file to your new file:

- Exemplar Name
- Occupant Size
- Resource Key Type 1

This should be enough to re-assign PEG's scrow model to your new Landmark exemplar file. Save it, close the reader and open the Lot Editor. Pick a landmark lot (I suggest using the Sphinx, since it has only one single prop on it that can be removed easily). Replace the sphinx model with your scrow "building", and edit the lot as desired.