Another question about Maps

[Colin]

Has anyone else noticed that when changing from underground to above ground or vica versa, the cursor can be off by as much as four tiles? This makes it very, well sightly more, difficult to align tracks in underground mode. When you return above ground to make the exit tunell the cursor  will not be where you expect it. I now make three exits the go back underground and pick the one that lines up.

The worst case I've dealt with was putting an underground rail link under a Cement factory. I wanted the line to be directly underneath the factory so that when I built the platform it would not generate a different name. The line ran absolutely true beneath the factory, but every time I built a platform it would give it a different name. I realised that the difference between above and below the ground at that spot was four tiles.

[Lord Vetinari]

This happens when you are building two levels or more below the surface in standard underground mode. That's because in standard mode the ground level is still the reference point, so if you are building right under it, the misplacement is minimal; the futher you go down, the bigger the misplacement.

If you want precise placement, use the sliced mode (CTRL+u or menu->display->sliced underground view; on some packs CTRL+u doesn't work).

[Colin]

This happens when you are building two levels or more below the surface in standard underground mode. That's because in standard mode the ground level is still the reference point, so if you are building right under it, the misplacement is minimal; the futher you go down, the bigger the misplacement.

If you want precise placement, use the sliced mode (CTRL+u or menu->display->sliced underground view; on some packs CTRL+u doesn't work).

Thanks for the info. One thing though, I do use ctrl+u and sliced underground view, and have built many underground systems using this. Unfortunately the miss-alignment still happens in this mode to the tune of one tile.

[Lord Vetinari]

Then it's weird. I've never seen anything like that in sliced view; for me it works as if you are building on flat surface. Which version are you playing? Can you post a screenshot?

[DirrrtyDirk]

@Lord Vetinari:
I think you are talking about slightly different things here...

@Colin:
I agree, the cursor (i.e. the little mouse arrow and the magnifiyng glass - or the build-cursor, etc.) itself  indeed moves around when changing levels, but the orange grid marker(s) on the ground should actually stay in position - at least they do here. So while you may still have to move the mouse a bit, you should be able to see where to point it at (of course you need to look an memorize the spot before you move the mouse).
And you can always check by the coordinates as well.

[Colin]

@Lord Vetinari:
I think you are talking about slightly different things here...

@Colin:
I agree, the cursor (i.e. the little mouse arrow and the magnifying glass - or the build-cursor, etc.) itself indeed moves around when changing levels, but the orange grid marker(s) on the ground should actually stay in position - at least they do here. So while you may still have to move the mouse a bit, you should be able to see where to point it at (of course you need to look an memorize the spot before you move the mouse).
And you can always check by the coordinates as well.

Hi Dirk,

You're right, I think Lord Vetinari was on a different track, if you'll parden the pun.

Normally if I'm building an end of underground track, I have learned that selecting the 'Dig' tool first, and lining it up with the end of the track, will give a close proximity at ground level. One tile either way. This also helps when Terra Forming. I found that just coming up from under the sea and building land where the cursor was usually built in the wrong place. Now I build two tiles either side of the cursor. Bit of a pain but hey! it works.

My original question about this was only to see if anyone else had experienced the problem.

[Nero]

My original question about this was only to see if anyone else had experienced the problem.

And you can always check by the coordinates as well.

Yes, Colin, it happened to me as well.
But checking the coordinates mostly solves the problem by using the sliced underground view.