Modular Buildings Mod thoughts

[boformer 3,169]

Yesterday @TimTheTerrible[NL]

asked me a few questions about Sub-Buildings Enabler and modular buildings, such as train stations with varying platform counts.

Right now "modular" just means that there are multiple separate buildings which are hard to align correctly, just like network puzzle pieces in SC4. The modules are cluttering the menus of the game.

SBE's purpose is the grouping of multiple small buildings into one large building. Only the main building is displayed in the menu. The mod only executes on startup, not while buildings are placed. There is no way to customize the placement of the building.

It would be possible to add a building customizer window similar to the NetworkSkins window. And with that, different options could be selected, for example the platform count of a train station, or the configuration of an airport terminal. Technically, asset creators would supply multiple SBE XML files, and the player can choose between them.

Advantages: Only one menu item, simple placement and only a single selectable building that can easily be removed and bulldozed.

The mod could go even further: There could be an option to place airorts without integrated runways, or to place buildings without the integrated props and trees. The stats of a building could also depend on the selected placement option.

That comes very close to SimCity's modular buildings.

[Tim The Terrible 586]

Wouls this be similar to SimCity 2015 modular buildings? (placement-wise)

[R3V0 909]

What about a list ? Meaning you select the main building, a menu pops up, listing all modules related to this building. Like a pallet player chooses which modules he likes to build from this window. It would require no preset from asset makers thus increases the versalitily. 

That being said, I don't have any clue such thing could be impletented in the game

 

[boformer 3,169]

3 hours ago, Tim The Terrible said:

Wouls this be similar to SimCity 2015 modular buildings? (placement-wise)

No. You click on the building you want to place. While in placement mode, a little options window pops up. Options could be anything. Dropdowns, chechboxes...

So you configure the sub buildings layout (and possibly other things) before you place the building.

1 hour ago, R3V0 said:

What about a list ? Meaning you select the main building, a menu pops up, listing all modules related to this building. Like a pallet player chooses which modules he likes to build from this window. It would require no preset from asset makers thus increases the versalitily. 

It still requires presets because not every module can be placed everywhere. Of course that would also be possible and has some advantages, but also disadvantages.

[Tim The Terrible 586]

27 minutes ago, boformer said:

No. You click on the building you want to place. While in placement mode, a little options window pops up. Options could be anything. Dropdowns, chechboxes...

So you configure the sub buildings layout (and possibly other things) before you place the building.

1. So you place the main building + modules once, after that there is no way to delete separate modules?
2. And who decides the layout: author or player?
3. How many variations of layout would be possible?

[Badi_Dea 476]

Invisible 'snap point' object in the asset editor, then an XML file that references all of the snap points in the asset listing the other assets that are capable of connecting to that snap point?
I hope the distance from a road can some how be bound to the primary 'root' asset, so the modular bits can extend back quite some distance.

 

If you pull this off... oh man, its great things! The amount of time and dedication you put in to this game, and the community, it's just amazing. You're good people @boformer, Thanks for all you do!

[boformer 3,169]

2 hours ago, Tim The Terrible said:

1. So you place the main building + modules once, after that there is no way to delete separate modules?
2. And who decides the layout: author or player?
3. How many variations of layout would be possible?

1. Yes
2. The layouts (or options) are defined by the author, and the player can select one
3. 10? 30? I don't know. There could be multiple dropdowns or checkboxes per building.

1 hour ago, Badi_Dea said:

Invisible 'snap point' object in the asset editor, then an XML file that references all of the snap points in the asset listing the other assets that are capable of connecting to that snap point?

That would be an option, but I think it would be too hard for asset creators, and it's not easy to implement.

That's why I would prefer fixed presets set by the asset creator.

[Acc3ssViolation 81]

Sounds like you could also use this to create variations of the same building while only taking up one menu item by having an option for each variant which only shows that variant's sub building. And having the main building's mesh be nothing.