View Single Post in: Discussion: Lot Size, Orientation, Rotation, etc.
#422
19th Oct 2007 at 6:03 PM
19th Oct 2007 at 6:03 PM
[LA/LE - UI & versions tests], [Row-houses], [lot-neighbo[beach lots]urhood terrain sync.], [roads & portals],
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
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... I assume that this occurred because your house was originally built too close to the road for the lot to be shrunk at the front. Am I correct? I suppose that the more reasonable test is to build the house before expanding. If you expand on all sides, then shrink on all sides, the house should remain in it's original position. .... |
I'm sorry about this. The time I typed this was when I had "memory-leak" probably due to my over-excitement on the row houses I made... that Iforgot I built the house right at the border of the road and so it's reasonably on the road now after shrinking all sides... That's just my mistake, and so LE didn't make a mistake there but me. :red face:
[lot-neighbourhood terrain sync.]
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
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... I keep wishing that there were a "magic" value, like 0, that would tell the game to adjust the lot terrain (edges) to match the neighborhood, rather than its usual behavior of matching the neighborhood terrain to the lot. However, I have yet to see any actual evidence of such a value. Too bad... it really would be nicer if that were the default for lot edges. Why else did EA/Maxis leave a two-tile unbuildable space at the edge of all lots? I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong... niol?) that a real lot template accomplishes this by having no terrain array, which allows the lot to take its terrain directly from the neighborhood. If I'm right, then this is obviously not feasible for existing lots. .... |
Lol, this we have to build some hotel lots in BV to test out. Why?
The hotel lot templates are some used and built lots with lots of crappy data like 3D arrays, 2D arrays, all that a normal built user lot has. They're "not typical" templates. That's why I worry when it comes to hotel lots...
Just imagine if the game engine copies and merges the data from these templates to the newly made lots... 
Hopefully, that's not the case. 
Quote:
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[SmoothingUnderNewLot] ; Parameters controlling the smoothing of the lot area when a new lot gets plopped. ; ; When the angle (in degrees) between two neighboring terrain vertices is less than this, the elevation of the higher vertex ; is lowered by a small amount and the elevation of the lower vertex is raised by a small amount. If the angle is less than ; this, elevations of the two vertices do not get modified. ; Default 18 SmoothingTalusAngle=45.0 |
lol from my view point at the time I first read it in the past, it means the numeric values "do not get modified" while the "graphical smoothing" will fix the graphical positions. Surely, that can be wrong, and more interpretations are welcome.
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
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... However, I was under the impression that moving a lot would also deform the neighborhood terrain. Since the standard procedure is to move the expanded / shrunk lot, doesn't this convince the game to adjust the neighborhood terrain to match the lot terrain, thus removing the odd blue disconnects? .... |
Yet, removal the fixating levellor lots can cause a roll-back of the terrain twisting for some regions but not all... This I think one has to play around with it more especially in N001 neighbourhood with various vertex angles. There seem some smoothening functions that blurs the whole scene. So, there is not a completely absolute change always, and that's why you see i was talking about using some lots to fixate the neighbourhood terrain of the planned plain.
Lol, may use a modified camera script to access those defaultly unreachable regions. I'll attach my own modified version just for those who are curious about what I see in a neighbourhood when the MTS2 allows it. :D
Can't remember all the camera mods... There're a few more, but i just recall them, so google or TS2wiki them.
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
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... Perhaps the LotExpander should usually attempt to smooth the terrain, and provide an advanced feature which turns off this smoothing? ... |
More options to check can always increase the functionalities of a tool, please do... Thanks..
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
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... - Why buildings cannot be built within two lot tiles of the sidewalk.? ... |
Actually, that's the last lot row along the lot edges including the all the linings and their areas. Diagonal walls can be built on the last second lot rows.
Quote: Originally posted by Inge
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... it seems to me that the game moulds new virgin lots to the terrain ... |
true... for every newly made lot without a visit ans save, the lot package file is null. so, you want the new virgin lot activated by the LE? :D
Quote: Originally posted by Inge
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... If the player wanted a smooth lot they would probably have made it smooth to begin with, and the problem would not arise. If they had a rough lot they would probably be dismayed to find it smoothed. This doesn't seem an intuitive solution. ... |
Lol, but making it as an advanced option to check if one wants it (as Mootilda suggested) doesn't conflict with the assumptions. BTW, some users may wanna do this on built lots either by themselves or someone else. And this can open up some more possibilities.
[roads & portals]
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
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... - Why portals behave so badly on non-level terrain. ... |
Portals are just like many objects that they need plain terrain to function.
[beach lots]
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
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... 2) Use the height value from a specific point along the (new) front of the lot. Probably the mid-point of the new front of the lot would be the most reasonable value. Problem: this would move the terrain for the entire lot up or down from it's original height. This could prove disastrous for beach lots, which (I assume) require a specific height at the back of the lot. ... |
Can there be 2 specific heights for beach lots?
Lol, I find your OT is really interesting and may be relevant somehow! :D
Attached files:
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Moi_NeighborhoodCamera.rar (1.7 KB, 4 downloads) |