Xannepans creations

[xannepan]

Thanks for the feedback andisart! This is exactly what I need to make improvements!

I am glad you like how the rain and snow turned out and that the seasonal timing works! Also very happy to hear the performance was ok sofar.

Indeed rain and snow move a bit especiallty at the start of an effect (that's why for now I left the circular terrain marker in the beta version, to keep track of the center of the rainshower etc). Movement is influenced by a gravity property that helps the rain/snow to travel accross the terrain instead of having it at a steady location all the time. The consequence is that on steep hills and mountains movement can initially be very fast untill it has found a steady spot. Often that is indeed in valleys (as intended, albeit I cannot completely predict/control the behavior). There are different type of clouds. Those associated with rain and snow fall. These are very dense clouds and they behave as described.
Next to these there are different type of cloud decks which spread out over the entire map. The latter do not travel accross the terrain in the same way the rain/snow clouds do. I had to make some choices as to cloud density. Realistically a storm would have a very thick cloud deck with almost 100% density. Obviously you'd not be able to see anything of your city anymore in that case. So I had to limit cloud density. Consequently, also lightning looks a bit weird as if it is not associated with clouds sometimes.
I tried to have lightning appear only with the dense snow/rain clouds. But that really looked totally weird.

I have been trying to figure out the lightning strike rate. At least on my computer the strike rate on flat terrain is fine. On mountain like terrains indeed strike rate is too high. Unfortunately atm I have no idea how to control it Probably one of the many parameters in the effect dir that are still unknown.

Lightning flashes should actually also appear without lightning strikes already... But these are full screen flashes, not really within clouds. (Good idea though, not sure if it is possible)

For the snow cover I also did many experiments. I eventually chose for full map cover. If I limited the snow to appear to areas where snowfall (animated) appears only you end up with an ugly patchy terrain which looks weird. And even on turtle speed winter season doesn't last long enough to have the snowfall to appear everywhere (at most two snow patches). It is due to performance issues that I had to limit the extent of the snowfall (animation) area. Snow fall covering the entire map at once is simply not feasible.

I can try to limit the darkening to zoom 3/4/5. Not sure if it is possible but it's a good idea to experiment with.

I hear you on the Rainbow... but I'm affraid it's the best I can do within the possibilities of the game. I do have some plans to improve the texture and the ends of the rainbow.

Sorry to hear that celestial movement is not synchronous. Do you have any experience with the Ilive reader? In that case you could (1) open the jenx_aurora.dat file, (2) find the exemplars for Sunrise/set moonrise/set (3) Adjust the property which is called Prop Time Of Day. This property has two values (=represention an hour during the day, 24 hr clock) that control when an effect should start and when it should end. Especially, the start property is important for synchronization. If you want you can play with thee properties and see how it improves celestial movement (if you decide to do so I'd love to hear back from you on which values work best for you).

-The moon casting light would be cool, but I don't think I could make it realistic knowing the limitations of the effect dir. Reflection on water is something that may be possible though. I can create some random variation in the spot where the moon/sun rises.  Moon phases is also possible (in progress actually) but the phase the game selects would be random for each night. Sun phases as you suggest should also be possible, but are not on my priority list atm.

About the ctrl+x. That is strange. Did you type in "Effect " before the actual effectname?

Hope this helps!
-Alex

[[Delta ²k5]]

Great first beta! I enjoy watching the snow falling to the ground Stunnig that something like this can be done using Matlab
One thing which could be improved: when the clouds are very dense you could tone the light a tad down (not as much like on the snow storm, only a tad ) This is the only thing I gotta say about his beta simply great work!

Now the only thing we need would be some plugin to fix those wired timings in SC4 one day still covers months but I think that's not your part

[kbieniu7]

Wow, Alex, that's the purely pure awesomeness!

I've installed the mod and after a short game I have some remarks:

-like the Andisart said, thunders during the storms seem to occur a bit too often. As I opened the mountainous city, and the October has started, there beginned the bombing! There was a thunder after thunder (just those full screen) and I had a one great roar which was lasting whole November, even despite the fact that clouds had gone. The ones caused with a cheat had quite reasonable frequency.
- the effect of darkness is geogous! During the winter, with snow falling it creates breathtaking and mysterious atmosphere!
- After the bombing I had the year, with no effects at all. Then came the october with next bombing. I understand, this is the effect of probability?
- I was playing on large squares with dense-forested areas with about 10.000 citizens. Performace seemed to be almost untouched, just during a while after zoom changing. Only funnel cloud affected more.
- All of effect cheats work.

I'm not keen on modding in SC, so I'm asking: is it possible to add new disasters to disaster menu? Could it be the way to create weather effects, which are possible to steer?

EDIT: At the moment I have the same thunder-bombing-Oktoberfest, but this time on the seaside.

[andisart]

Thanks for the feedback, Alex. Some things sound like there's no easy fix, but I guess that's the world of modding, right?
Too bad with the snow spawn instances and performance, it would surely have looked great.

About clouds, I forgot to mention that I thought it would be cool to have a cloud cover/blanket, where you cant see through only if you pop down to zoom 3, 4 or 5. That'd be a cool effect, but I guess the performance issues would apply here as well.

About the poll above, it's closing in on a tie, I just wanna say why would you not offer the option to have destructive force of the weather. It's such a cool idea imo. And who doesnt want it just uses the regular version.

I did try the cheats it with "Effect " in front, so it's weird they didnt work. But on the last page other readers have reported the cheats also not working.

Do know the reader, so will play around with those settings for time and report back.

[xannepan]

Something completely different. A small mod, but useful. No more Hole Digger and Raiser Lots needed.
This lot raises itself and then destroys itself. Perhaps I can even attach it to an onslope puzzle pieces so that it raises itself. Have to figure out how to avoid the destructive nature of the effect

http://youtu.be/oBq4dYppvdI

[Dantes]

Interessing mod, I love your smart movies 

[xannepan]

So I was thinking. What if I attach the god valley lake or rain tool to a plopable lot, same as I did for the raise-'n-destroy lot?

Well I turns with the rain tool, by placing the lot I can fill holes with water. And now here is the important discovery: the lot is not destroyed, and each time you open the game it regenerates the water! See crude screenshot.

Keep in mind: I am still not sure I can really pull this one off.. The water edges at the shore are a concern, not sure about creating ripples/sparkles/wave (don't think so to be honest). but surface waters does not seem to be impossible anymore either. The biggest threat is the time I can spend on this. Work is getting busier each day, and I am not going to give up my social life either . Finally I still have a huge amount of unreleased work I need tofinish someday..

[Swordmaster]

To be honest, this could be the discovery that beats them all. I think everyone will be really anxious to see if you can finally break that age-old pain.




Cheers
Willy

[w_swietwoot]

Really great stuff you're making. Breaking all the sc4 barriers! Wow!
This weather modd, water and leveler tools, those extra airplane automata, it doesn't stop.
I can't help with the technical stuff, but just wanted to say: keep it up!

[NCGAIO]

Well I turns with the rain tool, by placing the lot I can fill holes with water. And now here is the important discovery: the lot is not destroyed, and each time you open the game it regenerates the water! See crude screenshot.

Just to see if I understood it right ... this means that when you save the game the texture of water left by effect on the lot also is saved ?

If not that, which means "regenerates the water" ...

Keep in mind: I am still not sure I can really pull this one off.. The water edges at the shore are a concern, not sure about creating ripples/sparkles/wave (don't think so to be honest). but surface waters does not seem to be impossible anymore either.

The effects called by .exe has some parameters related to exemplar properties as reported in table wiki - Exemplar_properties - in this particular case in section # Watter...  now how to relate them to an additional effect is something that seems difficult to achieve ... but ...

The biggest threat is the time I can spend on this. Work is getting busier each day, and I am not going to give up my social life either

This was one of the reasons the compliments previous ... is a tedious work of trial and error, so don't have as leave to admire his perseverance.

But (everything has a but) the dangerous is that new ideas going emerging and as you said before  " the time is finite ", then maybe do not enough to make everything!

I hope that at the end your initial idea about editing effects return to the focus and go to MTS2, then would can continue if the real life exhaust it your time available.

[xannepan]

It does not save the texture. It fills the holes again (in an instance, so you hardly notice) the same way when you place the lot for the first time.

[Glazert]

Is it possible to join up the holes, effectively to make a stream?

[NCGAIO]

It does not save the texture. It fills the holes again (in an instance, so you hardly notice) the same way when you place the lot for the first time.

Ok! then when you use "hole-'n-destroy" it will lower the terrain and show the texture of the water?... or are you referring to a plane texture prop  over this depression !

If this is the case, it can use the effect of treatment stations for the animation effect on the texture of water.

..maybe could look up a olden S3d animation model that I left behind, so would have a truly animated water with water appearance flowing to streams or rivers.


Saw! what did I say! ... this game is an addiction and if you are careless he takes its time.

[noahclem]

Wow. This is huge. Hope you're able to figure it all out 

[AngryBirdsFan436]

I downloaded your weather mod and it's GREAT!! But can there be some other stuff like hurricanes ranging from Category 1 to Category 5? That would be awesome!

[xannepan]

I downloaded your weather mod and it's GREAT!! But can there be some other stuff like hurricanes ranging from Category 1 to Category 5? That would be awesome!

Possibly... but how would you imagine a hurricane would look like? Just let me know your ideas and I can try, although in all honesty for now I will be focusing on getting out some bugs, trying to improve some functionallity, and making so effect optional.

I do have an update on the surface water experiments.

I can make it work but there are limitations.

The way it works is as follows: you first have to use the terrain brushes to model a lake or river. Then you place a lot in the river/lake and it will be filled up with water (applies only to the lake/river in which you plop the lot). You can have multiple lakes/rivers on different levels. As long as the lot is left in place, water will be permanent. Destroying the lot will get rid of the water once you save and reopen the map. Water will then only be destroyed for that particular lake/river.

Now the limitations:
1) Care should be taken there are no gaps in the lakes/rivers.. otherwise the water will leak out and fill up the entire city. Destroying the lot will get rid of the water again after reopening it. BUT there are limitations (see #2 and 3)
2) The water really acts as water. Meaning you can build bridges over it. HOWEVER, the bridges will be destroyed once you reopen the city. So this is a serious limitation that cannot be solved I think.
3) Placing water is semi destructive. Existing roads will be destroyed but it seems that buildings are not... so You can have an underwater city in fact. Don't get your hopes up: it doesn't look very wel because of the LODs around buildings
4) Shorelines are jagged, less smooth as the actual game water.
5) You can place harbors etc on the water, they will generate boats etc, BUT... the boats appear underwater, at the actual game water level. No clue how to solve it, not sure it can be done.
6) For the same reason sparkles/waves will not appear at the water surface.
.. probably some more limits that I haven't encountered sofar.

Despite the limitations I do think it will be possible by a combi with auto hole digger effects, to make use of this discovery. e.g. I think canals with real water can become a reality someday (same water textures as the actual game water textures)

[noahclem]

Fascinating stuff on the surface water 

It's a shame about the bridge destruction. It sounds like the bridge destruction is somewhat similar to what happens with the "zero sea level" cheat--does that mean all bridges and tunnels are destroyed or only the ones next to the surface water? If roads in the water area are also destroyed that would mean a "zero-slope" bridge setup wouldn't be an effective workaround, leaving only "fake" bridges using overhanging props and subway transitions. But am I correct to understand a road adjacent to the water wouldn't be destroyed, alloying for dam/reservoir setups? It's too bad there's not some way to make the water effect happen before the tile is loaded, similar to the way adjusting sealevel can be used to edit things underwater without destroying bridges and tunnels. Doesn't sound like something possible though.

The depth of automata problem doesn't sound very practically solvable but boat lots should work I would think.

Just my two cents, keep up the good work 

[NCGAIO]

The depth of automata problem doesn't sound very practically solvable but boat lots should work I would think.

Just my two cents, keep up the good work 

"I think" (1) that position of automata sea level has no solution! Maybe the one reason for the shipwreck of old experiences to use Ferries as  transport network. Point to Point


even the elevation of the model in relation to the axis of height for a given transport (eg ATEX) causes  offset to x, y in view of the game so it  also is not solution.

Maybe it was possible to continue using the old trick of goaskin to transport with a more modern face

  - Mod Canal Addon (CAN-AM)


Note : (1) in the case of simcity is always good to say "I think" before someone comes up with something new.

[xannepan]

Note : (1) in the case of simcity is always good to say "I think" before someone comes up with something new.

Hahaha.. That is indeed very true... 

[xannepan]

I have decided to attach the alpha version of the surface water mod here so you can experiment with it a bit, and perhaps give me some feedback. Use with care

Here is how it works:
1) Unzip in your plugins folder. 2) Open your game and a map/city. 3) Use the terrain tools to dig some holes and/or canyons etc. 4) Then in look in the park menu for the water placement lot. 5)  Plop the lot in any of the holes or canyons you just created. 6) Place multiple lots in the same hole/canyon if you want to raise the water level.

You can now save your city and return to it. All surface water will be preserved. Delete the lots you placed and the water will be gone, but only after you save and reopen.

Limitations are mentioned in one of my previous post... But perhaps you will find out some new possibilities too, that I haven't though of.

One of the things that I find most interesting is that you can now have surface water with the same texture as the actual game water textures. Perhaps this would allow to make more realistic canals etc.

Looking forward to your feedback