More city buildings

[jamespetts]

Very nice! Nobody ice-skating on the pond, though?

[The Hood]

Wlindley, thanks for doing this.  Not sure why I never noticed it!  I'm adding the park to SVN now.

[wlindley]

I hope to have a few more bits this weekend... first:

Until we get some other graphics for the staging-post, perhaps we can use this image (instead of simply duplicating the basic-bus-stop) -- at least it has the right mail-and-goods icons.  Actually the StagingPost seems only to be in pak128.Britain-Experimental's bus-stops.dat... is that an oversight?

[The Hood]

I was never sure what the staging post was supposed to add above the existing stops, so I never included it in Standard.  Surely having a triple goods stop like that makes the smaller ones (e.g. just pax) more or less redundant?

[jamespetts]

The idea of the staging post was that it pre-dated 'bus stops as we know them: it can handle all goods, but has a low capacity, and is no longer available when, in the 1820s, 'bus stops are introduced. It should look distinct from a 'bus stop (i.e., no flag shaped 'bus stop sign), and literally be just a post in the ground. It should be quite easy to draw.

[The Hood]

Bus stops are already the lowest level I think...

[jamespetts]

Ahh, in Experimental, it is possible to set the capacity/cost precisely and independently from level.

[wlindley]

Exactly... The staging post has a capacity of 12, versus the standard bus stop of 25.

In any case, here's my candidate graphics for the Staging Inn:







and the updated code to replace the current in bus-stops.dat:

Code Select Expand

Obj=building
Name=StagingInn
# must be 1*1
type=stop
waytype=road
intro_year=1700
intro_month=1
retire_year=1844
retire_month=4
noconstruction=1
enables_pax=1
enables_post=1
enables_ware=1
NoInfo=1
Dims=1,1,4
level=3
station_capacity=100
station_price=40000
station_maintenance=2150
BackImage[3][0][0][0][0][0]=staging-inn-back.0.3
FrontImage[3][0][0][0][0][0]=staging-inn-front.0.3
BackImage[2][0][0][0][0][0]=staging-inn-back.0.0
FrontImage[2][0][0][0][0][0]=staging-inn-front.0.0
BackImage[1][0][0][0][0][0]=staging-inn-back.0.1
FrontImage[1][0][0][0][0][0]=staging-inn-front.0.1
BackImage[0][0][0][0][0][0]=staging-inn-back.0.2
FrontImage[0][0][0][0][0][0]=staging-inn-front.0.2
BackImage[3][0][0][0][0][1]=staging-inn-back-snow.0.3
FrontImage[3][0][0][0][0][1]=staging-inn-front-snow.0.3
BackImage[2][0][0][0][0][1]=staging-inn-back-snow.0.2
FrontImage[2][0][0][0][0][1]=staging-inn-front-snow.0.2
BackImage[1][0][0][0][0][1]=staging-inn-back-snow.0.1
FrontImage[1][0][0][0][0][1]=staging-inn-front-snow.0.1
BackImage[0][0][0][0][0][1]=staging-inn-back-snow.0.0
FrontImage[0][0][0][0][0][1]=staging-inn-front-snow.0.0
icon=> staging-inn-icon.0.1
cursor=staging-inn-icon.0.0

...those graphcs are derived from the 1910 automobile dealership and petrol station.  All the layers are in this file: http://www.wlindley.com/images/simutrans/1910-auto-industries.xcf

[jamespetts]

That looks excellent! I shall add that to the pakset when I have time - thank you very much. Do you think that you could remove the flag-pole type 'bus stop sign from the staging post graphic and re-upload that? It'd be very useful to have a dedicated staging post graphic, too, that doesn't look like a modern 'bus stop.

[The Hood]

I suggest the staging post stays out of standard then, but I will definitely include the new staging inn, it looks very good indeed!

[wlindley]

Very good! Here's a staging post, drawn in player colors:



And how both the staging stops look in the game:



EDIT: updated the staging inn icon, with the goods tags (you might have to refresh this in your browser):

[jamespetts]

WLindley,

thank you for that. Might I suggest that the staging post not be entirely player colour (as it is too bright and colourful for the paints available in the 18th century), but that it be brown and wooden, perhaps with a player colour tip? It would go better with the pakset then, I think.

[wlindley]

Right... Refreshed the post to be wood, with a small top board in primary player color, and (what would be, if you could see that small) a ring in secondary color below.

[wlindley]

One of the first things I noticed when I started editing graphics for pak128.Britain was that the stone station had extra images defined. Comments in the .dat suggest that, eventually, the plan is to have Simutrans support chained extension buildings the same way that platforms automatically draw "end" and "center" graphics, giving you the ramps at the end for example.

But until such time, there's nothing stopping us from having 1x2 and 1x3 stations, which look like this:



In my .dat file (below) I gave the 1x2 and 1x3 stations increasing levels (which are further multiplied by the tile-count) so while the 1x1 stone building has a capacity of 32 and monthly cost of 18c, the 1x3 station has capacity of 288 and monthly cost of 162c.  I believe this suits both the construction and the gameplay.

The graphics have long already existed in stone-building.dat and we just have to use them.

The ctrl+click "Select orientation to build station" dialog is somewhat broken on these, but the game itself draws them fine.

Here's the applicable update for stations/stone-building.dat --

Code Select Expand


Obj=building
Name=StationStoneBuilding2
copyright=Kieron
type=extension
waytype=track
enables_pax=1
Dims=2,1,4
NoInfo=1
Level=2
intro_year=1825
retire_year=1920

BackImage[0][0][0][0][0]=stone-building.0.2
BackImage[0][0][1][0][0]=stone-building.0.4
BackImage[1][0][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.5
BackImage[1][1][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.2
BackImage[2][0][0][0][0]=stone-building.0.3
BackImage[2][0][1][0][0]=stone-building.0.5
BackImage[3][0][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.4
BackImage[3][1][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.3

Icon=> button-stone-building.0.0
Cursor=stone-building-cursor.0.0

---

Obj=building
Name=StationStoneBuilding3
copyright=Kieron
type=extension
waytype=track
enables_pax=1
Dims=3,1,4
NoInfo=1
Level=3
intro_year=1825
retire_year=1920

BackImage[0][0][0][0][0]=stone-building.0.2
BackImage[0][0][1][0][0]=stone-building.0.0
BackImage[0][0][2][0][0]=stone-building.0.4
BackImage[1][0][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.5
BackImage[1][1][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.0
BackImage[1][2][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.2
BackImage[2][0][0][0][0]=stone-building.0.3
BackImage[2][0][1][0][0]=stone-building.0.1
BackImage[2][0][2][0][0]=stone-building.0.5
BackImage[3][0][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.4
BackImage[3][1][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.1
BackImage[3][2][0][0][0]=stone-building.1.3

Icon=> button-stone-building.0.0
Cursor=stone-building-cursor.0.0


[The Hood]

I've just added the staging inn, thanks.  I'd probably rather leave the 1x2 and 1x3 stations out of the official release until such time as the code is changed to allow them to work in the same way as platforms, in order to reduce menu clutter.  In the meantime, people can always download them from here.

[wlindley]

Two castles, thinking of the Tower of London, to be coded as Monuments so only one of each will be built per map --





And using the same new images, three variations on the stone church: small (without church-yard), regular, and Cathedral.

[jamespetts]

Beautiful! A much needed addition. One very small matter: would it be possible to make the yard ibm the cathedral bigger?

[wlindley]

OK... updated Cathedral, also added University and two Colleges.







Not quite playable yet (some incomplete definitions, causing problems with rotations) but here it is so far:

http://www.wlindley.com/images/simutrans/stonechurch3.pak

[AP]

Those are awesome - endless architectural potential! Suggest the cathedral tower needs to be taller - it's always taller than the pitched roof of the nave. You made a tall one on the 'university' image, that'd do!

[greenling]

wlindley
The Cathedral,The University and the two Colleges Be Looking good out.
And the Photo be came in My Screen shot gallary!

[jamespetts]

Splendid!

[The Hood]

Lots of great stuff.here (though I'm getting this.on my phone so more detailed comments later). Two things I've noticed are the cathedral nave looks a little narrow and secondly I hope there will be snow images for all of.these (and the church and shops) as I'm hoping to so a fully snowed up release in time for Christmas.

[AP]

the cathedral nave looks a little narrow

That's because it hasn't got any Aisles. If you took the Trancept component (lower-roofed bit at right angles forming the cruciform plan) and halved , then attached it to the side of the nave, that would do the job. Most cathedrals have both North and South Aisles. The butresses then just move outwards.

Just found this basic church-terminology plan online: http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/parishholding/llandaff/l353-en/images/copy_of_Churchplansmall.jpg/image_preview

[wlindley]

Thanks, guys... Hood: Snow will come soon, after the stonemasons finish (grin)

Question on .pak encoding though -- makeobj turns my 270K .png file into a 2.6 MB pak!  I have built this to maximize re-use of tiles, but it seems makeobj inserts all the repetitions instead of using pointers?  Surely that could be improved?

All the buildings simply re-use tiles from this one image:



(Note: the castle walls [upper-rightmost] extend beyond the usual base boundaries, so they will match up with the corner towers; the vestry [1.2, 1.3] likewise overlaps into the "tile behind." Instead of using TileCutter, I'm having Simutrans itself do all the hidden-line removal.)

Should I write a separate request to improve makeobj?  That could make a huge difference especially in a big set like Britain.

[jamespetts]

An extension request seems sensible to me. Whether it's practical to code is another matter, but no harm in asking.

[The Hood]

Definitely support any changes to improve makeobj and reduce paksize by removing duplicate images.

[alexbaettig]

WOW. I am all excited about these graphics!!!! Finally a mood improver in these bleek autumn days!!!

[The Hood]

A few other thoughts/ideas for using these graphics:
1) Both the town where I live and the town where I work have part-ruined castle keeps (the central square tower) in gardens but no external walls (or maybe the odd ruined bit)
2) Many English towns have ruined town walls in parts
3) We could even define some old town halls using some of these (the colleges in particular look a bit more like town halls?)

[AP]

The turret with the hut on the roof - the hut looks a bit odd. Maybe a cupola or something would look better?

[The Hood]

Yes - either further towers with crenulations for the castles or some kind of spire/dome for the church types.

[AP]

For that matter, one could also do variant stone colours, if there were a way to ensure consistency for each town. Presumably a simple photoshop filter could be applied to the base image to get yellow sandstone/red granite etc.

[The Hood]

Climates would be one way to do what you suggest using existing features

[wlindley]

OK on the towers... a couple options in progress.

If I read this correctly, pak128.Britain respects climates, it's just that right now all buildings exist in all climates?  And "climate" is determined solely by altitude?

[jamespetts]

A pakset can't disable climates, really, but can define the altitude ranges for climates to be silly (and thus mean that some or all climates don't get used). Pak128.Britain only does this with the desert climate, I think (as there aren't many deserts in the UK), so that should be fine. Climate is based on altitude ranges set in the climates dialogue (and I think that defaults are set in simuconf.tab).

[wlindley]

progress so far



PNG and DAT files