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A19e Nitrogen - UNSTABLE


Damocles

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I dont know if Darknes Falls uses special biome-definitions (the colors on the biomes.png) additional to vanilla. A17 vanilla only know 5 biome-colors.

 

If its does, you could manually edit in those colors after generating the world.

 

I use PS/Krita to add them in afterwards, but it take some work to get them right. 18 I heard either raised the numbers of colors or it will be unlimited I think. The biomes rules in the biomes.xml is going to do the rest of the work later, which is why i suggested just appending colors for the biomes.png to existing biomes. You can then match the custom biome to the closest comparable stock biome during generation and it will biomes.xml will do the rest when the map is loaded in the mod.

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Its certainly possible to add special cases.

But first I will work on an update to A18, as there are probably several changes to it.

 

Additional biomes could be also added in a way by another modder for the current version, by editing stamps (colors) such as the "TEST_256_ABS_CraterBiome.png" or "TEST_256_ABS_DESERT_2_Biome.png"

I plant to make the stamps more configurable, so new ones can be added and configured.

 

Then a modder can add new biome-stamps for specific scenarios such as DF, wich then just needs to be copied into the NitroGen asset folder.

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When I generate a world I do not have the compo-pack prefab, any reason?

I don't know why my road looks a bit weird in town https://imgur.com/a/PbOsywo

I'm using the tool for the first time today, its awesome.

 

Make sure you put compopack into your prefabs folder

Use the parser tool to scan the prefabs folder and then edit it the way you want or...

download the prefab lists the McTaco generated.

Place the generated prefablist.txt into X:\thepathto\NitroGen\resources

Just look here on the forums for NitroGen + McTaco

and yes Nitrogen is a cool tool... I love it.

It helps to mess around with all the settings. You're gonna get krappy generations here and there but that just luck of the draw

as for the cramped roads make sure to use the medium or wide roads as Ive done here...

preview-Map.png

Edited by bigstep70 (see edit history)
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Make sure you put compopack into your prefabs folder

Use the parser tool to scan the prefabs folder and then edit it the way you want or...

download the prefab lists the McTaco generated.

Place the generated prefablist.txt into X:\thepathto\NitroGen\resources

Just look here on the forums for NitroGen + McTaco

and yes Nitrogen is a cool tool... I love it.

It helps to mess around with all the settings. You're gonna get krappy generations here and there but that just luck of the draw

as for the cramped roads make sure to use the medium or wide roads as Ive done here...

preview-Map.png

 

I use the mod War of the Walker, seem that lots of the prefabs are not in compo-pack. Not too sure what I'm doing there since its the first time I use that tool and never used parser tool. Sometime I suck like that especially after a long day at work.

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I use the mod War of the Walker, seem that lots of the prefabs are not in compo-pack. Not too sure what I'm doing there since its the first time I use that tool and never used parser tool. Sometime I suck like that especially after a long day at work.

 

You can find prefab lists for War of the Walkers in the according GitHub repository (link is on this thread's main page), as I created some a few weeks ago.

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Much as I appreciate having huge cities and interesting map layouts. I just came across a half-finished prefab in my starting area.

As in green arrows and purple crosses that are in no way supposed to be there. Wrecked my immersion, so I'm binning the world.

 

Is there any fix for this, or am I binning Nitrogen too?

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Much as I appreciate having huge cities and interesting map layouts. I just came across a half-finished prefab in my starting area.

As in green arrows and purple crosses that are in no way supposed to be there. Wrecked my immersion, so I'm binning the world.

 

Is there any fix for this, or am I binning Nitrogen too?

 

You can delete those POIs from the prefablist.txt (delete or comment out the line in the textfile)

In the ingame editor, you can look though all POIs to see wich ones you dont want to have included.

Just remember the POIs name, and then search for it in the list.

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AbeTheBlackFox some of the pois are too big to be placed next to each other so if you go into the nitrogen/resources folder and look for the config.txt, then look for POI_MIN_DISTANCE_TO_OTHER. increase this in small increments untill you no longer see pois intersecting each other.

I think the default is 5... I have mine at 18 and i rarely if ever get incomplete/sliced/intersected pois

Look around and mess with the config.txt. It made a great difference for my world generations by just tweaking a few of the "hidden" NitroGen settings. Don't give up on it so easy. It took me a good deal of time to get decent worlds generated and I still get trash once in a blue/blood moon...lol

Edited by bigstep70 (see edit history)
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How would I add stamps to NitroGen? Also, is there any reference for how they should be designed? For instance, I've created this 512x512 stamp which consists of some mountainous terrain, with a valley in the centre: https://mega.nz/#!298TRS4J!qGYrJaW0MSv54SNAmJFfDz3Oa6PWLUKh99uWHkd8AVg

 

If I wanted to add that to the pool of stamps used by NitroGen, how would I go about doing that?

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When A18 is out, I will have a look at the tool again, making the stamp loading configurable.

 

In the current version, you would have to replace on of the included stamps (using the same filename).

The stamps are hardcoded currently.

 

Its loads (RGBA 8 bit) png files for the stamps.

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When A18 is out, I will have a look at the tool again, making the stamp loading configurable.

 

In the current version, you would have to replace on of the included stamps (using the same filename).

The stamps are hardcoded currently.

 

Its loads (RGBA 8 bit) png files for the stamps.

 

That would be great. Being able to add our own would be a godsend for adding much needed variation.

 

RWG apparently uses 16 bit raw files, as do all game engines that have a terrain system. Would you be able to add 16 bit support for stamps when you're going over the program?

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That would be great. Being able to add our own would be a godsend for adding much needed variation.

 

RWG apparently uses 16 bit raw files, as do all game engines that have a terrain system. Would you be able to add 16 bit support for stamps when you're going over the program?

 

I have to check how using 16 bit stamps would work with the used image processing.

Stamps also need to use an alpha-layer for smooth blending, not just the hight-data.

 

I can add an option to import 16bit hightmaps as final maps without loss in precision (that then get populated with the streets and POIs). Those terrains could be generated in a separate terrain editor, and then can get some scaling parameters to fit it into the typical 7DtD dimensions.

 

I also want users to create their own stamps. And 8bit pngs are much easier to create for most people in a standard GFX editor.

Currently there is a converter tool included (DTMtoPNG) to create 8bit PNGs out of a 16 bit raw hightmap.

Edited by Damocles (see edit history)
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Hey Damocles,

 

I'm really looking forward to the new version of your tool for Alpha 18! Thanks for your excellent work, I appreciate your tool in every way! I am currently working on a tool for myself to generate real locations in combination with Nitrogen from geodata / elevation data and data from OpenStreetMap (roads, biomes, waters, buildings). My hometown, a small village with 1000 inhabitants in Austria with a medieval castle, I can recreate recognizable already thanks to Nitrogen. With Alpha 18 I will then drive around in my hometown by bike and motorbike as in the past in real: D but in addition with zombies :D Sorry for the not perfect (automatically translated) English, best regards

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I already analysed their RWG. Its a bit different than my approach on placing stamps. And the had someone really spend time on collecting nice terrain stamps.

They look like some work went into them.

 

Roads are also more adaptive to the terrain than in the old version. (Funnily they have some similar problems making them smooth as I have experiences in edge cases)

 

Lets see if they also make the biome-distribution more diverse.

Currently its always the same biome-layout.

 

Next is to see what POIs where added/changed, and updating my list.

 

-----

 

Nitrogen maps work fortunately (no changes to the file formats). The prefab-list is not up to date, and several POIs get ignored (some might have changed dimensions since a17 too).

Best is to copy over a main.ttw file from an existing RWG A18 map, replacing the included one.

Edited by Damocles (see edit history)
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I already analysed their RWG. Its a bit different than my approach on placing stamps. And the had someone really spend time on collecting nice terrain stamps.

They look like some work went into them.

 

Roads are also more adaptive to the terrain than in the old version. (Funnily they have some similar problems making them smooth as I have experiences in edge cases)

 

Lets see if they also make the biome-distribution more diverse.

Currently its always the same biome-layout.

 

Next is to see what POIs where added/changed, and updating my list.

 

-----

 

Nitrogen maps work fortunately (no changes to the file formats). The prefab-list is not up to date, and several POIs get ignored (some might have changed dimensions since a17 too).

Best is to copy over a main.ttw file from an existing RWG A18 map, replacing the included one.

 

Fabulous, you don't have to do a complete rewrite.

 

How big are the stamps used by RWG? 256x256? 512x512?

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Fabulous, you don't have to do a complete rewrite.

 

How big are the stamps used by RWG? 256x256? 512x512?

 

They use stamps in about 2048x2048 and 4096x4096 in 16 bit resoultion.

(But not that many). So instead of using small local stamps, the generator selects parts of the large stamps.

Has advantages and disadvantages.

They get selected according to the local biome and blended together.

In the xml are the blend rules.

 

Unfortunatly its only a single biome map, that is always the same. Wich I think should be improved.

Also the biomes are just to large. (Endless burned forest .. no thanks)

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Alpha 18 (test) version:

NitroGen for Alpha 18 (test version)

 

Includes the new POIs, and fixed some smaller issues in the prefab-list.

 

I guess it's fast.

 

10000 x 10000 map: 3 min 39

 

12000 x 12000 map: 6 min 31

 

16k x 16k : 22 min 18

 

(all default settings)

 

what are the main differences between your generator and the one within the game?

 

Congratz, great tool!

Edited by argeos
added 16k map time (see edit history)
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I guess it's fast.

 

10000 x 10000 map: 3 min 39

 

12000 x 12000 map: 6 min 31

 

(all default settings)

 

what are the main differences between your generator and the one within the game?

 

The main difference is probably, that its an external tool. So I dont have to load all the Unity engine and Game assets into memory.

Also the way the terrain is "stamped" is different (using smaller stamps, running over Javas Graphics Renderer)

 

The road placement is also different how its processing.

 

... And I keep code as free of overhead as possible... I used to develop games for those old cell-phones (when they had buttons).

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They use stamps in about 2048x2048 and 4096x4096 in 16 bit resoultion.

(But not that many). So instead of using small local stamps, the generator selects parts of the large stamps.

Has advantages and disadvantages.

They get selected according to the local biome and blended together.

In the xml are the blend rules.

 

Unfortunatly its only a single biome map, that is always the same. Wich I think should be improved.

Also the biomes are just to large. (Endless burned forest .. no thanks)

 

So the stamps are for whole regions, rather than geographical features? That's got some merit, but far from ideal. The best combination would be to use 1024x1024 and maybe 2048x2048 stamps as a canvas of sorts, with 256x256 and 512x512 stamps used to add detail, such as valleys, mountains, craters, and such.

 

Being 16bit is objectively better, however. Allows for much more detail in the terrain.

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