Help Needed! Growable Spawn Algorithm

[boformer 3,169]

Right now I'm working on the algorithm that places the new large growables on the zoning grid.

Here is my concept:

• Before the plots are calculated, the mod will check which buildings are actually available for placement. This is limited by zone type, density, district style and wealth level
• It will also create a list of buildings that are very close to the spawn point to avoid repetition
• The initial building list is sorted based on different factors (avoid repetition, promote buildings with similar plot width and similar architecture style)
• A priority list of plot sizes is calculated based on the building list
• Now the algorithm tries to divide the available area into plots. The goals:
  • Prefer plot sizes with a high priority
  • Leave no unoccupied space
  • Create similar sized plots
  • Prioritize corner buildings (those have their own lists)
  • Avoid very narrow plots

The last step is very complex. That's why I need your help!

Print out this zoning map and draw the plots how you would want them. You can also do it in paint or photoshop

You can also try to visualize different scenarios: Imagine a building style would only contain 5x3 and 8x8 buildings, or only small 1x2 buildings.

The most important thing is that you mark the cells which are not used in a different colour.

Upload the results!

Here is a quick example:

Have fun drawing!

[Macronomicus 128]

The orange areas would be part of the nearby yards, I try to use plants and walls etc to expand yards so it looks like they go all the way to the road.  I usually leave even more empty but this is close to what id do.

[Avanya 2,605]

Uh, this is something I can help with!   I'm on it and will make a few different ones today. 

[pxljce 17]

Yup. When it comes to this project I'd say this also seems like something I can actually help with. I'll print out a few and get drawing/scanning. Uh no. Illustrator. Here's a few for starters and a template that will make doing it digitally easier?

Spoiler

 

  Edited May 2, 2016 by pxljce  
Update

[Macronomicus 128]

wow thats a lot!, lol I quickly used photoshop and my giant waycom pen tablet

[pxljce 17]

Giant tablet envy. I'm mouse-bound and anything in illustrator = happy. Hmmmm maybe I should make some more.

[Avanya 2,605]

Woop, I'm in the wacom tablet club  It's a bit old, but I love it and have had so much use of it. Anyways I made a bunch. If you need more or some specific shapes just say. I'm up for making more if needed  

Album here

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I treat my Surface like a laptop but I'm great with GIMP. I will do a "3-tile deep" version if it hadn't been done by the time I start.

 

Never mind, studying for Linear Algebra final

  Edited May 2, 2016 by OcramsRzr  

[boformer 3,169]

The width is more important than the depth.

the depth should also be maximized for backyards, just like the default algorithm handles it.

[Avanya 2,605]

I did one with 2 and 3 width only - I'll do more with similar width if this is more what you need. Or should it be more varied in the width? Should I try and go for similar area sizes (wide when the grid isn't that deep, narrower when it's all 8 deep) instead/aswell?

[boformer 3,169]

wow, the one you made looks really nice! That will be quite useful.

A version without size restrictions would be great. Maybe with a min size of 2x2.

surprisingly the amount of wasted space decreases with larger zones...

[Darf 1,439]

Here's 1 from me.

[Avanya 2,605]

2 hours ago, boformer said:

wow, the one you made looks really nice! That will be quite useful.

A version without size restrictions would be great. Maybe with a min size of 2x2.

surprisingly the amount of wasted space decreases with larger zones...

I'll make a few more tomorrow then

[boformer 3,169]

I will be on vacation until Sunday in the Netherlands!

[Mister Giggles 310]

I read the topic title as "Growable Sperm Algorithm".

Kids, this is what the internet does to you. It twists your very mind into seeing perverted, terrible things.

GET OFF BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! For my part, soon, I will degenerate into a Gollum-like creature and slip into the darkest caves of <Imageboard so astonishingly terrible it ends up automatically censored>, never to see the warmth of day again...

Edit: People are liking this post and following my account as a reaction to its existence. Requesting immediate banhammer before the infection spreads.

[Dubai Skyscraper 129]

I'm sorry if this was discussed before, but I didn't read all posts and threads related to this mod development. Anyways, I was wondering if the algorithm is going to 'produce' all possible plot sizes? For 4x4 plots we got 4² = 16 possible sizes, but with 8x8 plots we're having a maximum of 64 combinations already... am I right? That would make it hard for both modelers and players to design or grow a certain building. For example, if I wanted to grow a 7x8 building, I'd have to zone exactly this area to make sure the zoning algorithm doesn't divide the plot differently. Also, having more plot sizes means less variation for each individual size. This might lead to very monotonous looking cities.

So, wouldn't it make much more sense to have the algorithm zone a smaller set of standardized plot sizes, for example even numbers ( 6x4, 6x6, 8x4, 8x6, 8x8 ) wherever it is possible?

[boformer 3,169]

3 hours ago, Dubai Skyscraper said:

I'm sorry if this was discussed before, but I didn't read all posts and threads related to this mod development. Anyways, I was wondering if the algorithm is going to 'produce' all possible plot sizes? For 4x4 plots we got 4² = 16 possible sizes, but with 8x8 plots we're having a maximum of 64 combinations already... am I right? That would make it hard for both modelers and players to design or grow a certain building. For example, if I wanted to grow a 7x8 building, I'd have to zone exactly this area to make sure the zoning algorithm doesn't divide the plot differently. Also, having more plot sizes means less variation for each individual size. This might lead to very monotonous looking cities.

So, wouldn't it make much more sense to have the algorithm zone a smaller set of standardized plot sizes, for example even numbers ( 6x4, 6x6, 8x4, 8x6, 8x8 ) wherever it is possible?

I'm planning something special to solve this problem:

The backyard expansion that is already present in the game will be extended to the sides. In the asset editor you have to define a plot size range for your asset.

Most importantly you are defining a width range. Then the editor will allow you to create a separate prop building decoration for every width in the range. The depth of the area displayed in asset editor will be 8 cells.

• So first you would define the minimum size with the existing dropdown menu, e.g. 2x2
• Then you would define the maximum width with a new dropdown menu, e.g. 5
• Now the asset editor would tell you to decorate the house for every width: First it would display a 2x8 plot, then 3x8, 4x8, 5x8

The asset you created would spawn on any plot that is at least 2x2 and not wider than 5 cells. A lower land value means that bigger plots are preferred, in high land value areas it would spawn in smaller versions (especially low-wealth low-density buildings follow that rule). When the land value is too high, the mod would prefer higher density buildings.

[Avanya 2,605]

22 hours ago, boformer said:

I will be on vacation until Sunday in the Netherlands!

Enjoy! I'll prob add a bunch more to the album I linked earlier. Some are a little funny, but hopefully some are useful too.

[Marc Collins 36]

On 5/3/2016 at 10:59 PM, boformer said:

I'm planning something special to solve this problem:

The backyard expansion that is already present in the game will be extended to the sides. In the asset editor you have to define a plot size range for your asset.

Most importantly you are defining a width range. Then the editor will allow you to create a separate prop building decoration for every width in the range. The depth of the area displayed in asset editor will be 8 cells.

• So first you would define the minimum size with the existing dropdown menu, e.g. 2x2
• Then you would define the maximum width with a new dropdown menu, e.g. 5
• Now the asset editor would tell you to decorate the house for every width: First it would display a 2x8 plot, then 3x8, 4x8, 5x8

The asset you created would spawn on any plot that is at least 2x2 and not wider than 5 cells. A lower land value means that bigger plots are preferred, in high land value areas it would spawn in smaller versions (especially low-wealth low-density buildings follow that rule). When the land value is too high, the mod would prefer higher density buildings.

 

Sounds like a brilliant solution to me.

[Kaschperl 92]

Here's my 50 cents

This is for low density residential with low land value. The idea is that roadsite tiles could be thought of as more valuable than tiles that have no road connection. In this scenario the land value is low so cims would prefer to get a property with more tiles in it that are next to a road. The spawn algorithm would look at the chunks of tiles at first and try to fit in squares that are as big as possible, with as many squares that vary in size as little as possible. In this case 1xX and Xx1 lots wouldn't be developed. If this were an area with high desirability and/or higher density one would of course try to make the lots deeper instead of wider, and divide very wide lots into narrower ones. However I'm not sure about that because that would, for example, prevent skyscrapers with large footprints in R-HD zones from spawning, so lot sizes would have to get bigger with increased land value. In a highly attractive low-density area where only richer cims would live the lot scheme would look similar to the one for low-density low-value, except deeper lots would have priority over wide lots.

However I can't say if this would be easy to do! Hope this wasn't too much talking