Custom Port

[Diamax]

Hello guys!

I wonder how could I make a custom port in OE, I want my port to be like straight, not like the default one that is in an angle, and looks more like a triangle.

I was looking around OE, and I didn't see any gras texture with sharp straight edges that I could use to make my port, so it would be square tile with the port facing one of the sides, instead facing one of the corners.

So, I guess my question would be, how do I make a tile that is half grass, half water, or 3 quartes gras, and one quarter water, and how would I place the port structure on that tile, because it seems that the port structure cannot be separated from that angle tile.

Basically I want the port structure to come straight on my tile, but I don't know how to make that tile, or where to find it, and place the port structure on it.

Thank you!
Marius

[Bogie603rd]

I'm not very good at explaining, but i'll try my best:aok

 Okay, first of all, we all know a port is placed by water... so the tiles by water suddenly stop at a certain point, right? Correct, I understand what your trying to make, but until the pros come in to assist you, i'll tell you what I know.

 The actual port design was at that particular angle so it could "snap-on" to the tile and not require a complicated process of snapping tiles into the actual object design. (Ex. if you have a 90 degree angle where the tile stops, that's the best place to put the default design, and thats why the object was created in that style, to snap-on to the edges of a tile.) Confusing already, right?

 Anyways, my best suggestion, try using that same 90 degree angle turn radius, because if there is any place in your custom-built object that does not have a ground tile in it. That spot will be "transparent" to the TE's placement location. So, for example, if you left the whole right section empty, then placed the custom-object in your map using the TE. The TE would automatically place water, ground, and trees where there are no objects / custom-built ground tiles.

 So that would fix your problem of attempting to place water in one certain area, since the TE would automatically place it there if the spot is empty and there is NOTHING ontop of that spot. (I KNOW, I barely know what i'm talking about! )

 So, my suggestion, make the custom object, and where you want the water to be, leave that spot empty, I don't know what to tell you about the grass though! You might want to look around for the "ground structure" of the port somewhere. Such as I used "lafldg0" for my map's airfield design.

(I hope I made it confusing enough!:aok )

[Diamax]

Hi Bogie!

Well actually you gave me some direction, which is always good. because now I will try my initial idea of just rotating the whole thing, before I didn't know that the editor would place water in places that there is nothing, I thought I would have to create that somehow for the custom tile. So I will rotate the whole defaul port tile, and hopefully the editor will place water where it should be and grass, or trees or whatever ground stuff in the small areas that would need that. I'll be posting the outcome...

Thank you for explanations Bogie!

[Bogie603rd]

Sure thing, glad you understood! Also, I know it works, because when I tested my first custom airfield. I forgot to place the "lafldg0" tile first so I had a "Ground Structure" blocking the trees. When I tested the design, there were trees EVERYWHERE...

[Diamax]

Well I've made my port from scratch in OE, with nice edges. I mean I rounded them up so much there is no way to see the triangle underneath cuz I put grass shapes everywhere, and after that I added evrything tower, radar, fuel, ammo, and I even added two runways or planes, plus all necessary hangars.

Everything nice and pretty in the OE, placed in TE, as part of the terrain, however in TE I can see that the shape that I've made spans a lot more than one square (I knew it spans more, I just didn't know how much more, because in OE is no way to  the complete picture, like zoom out as you need). The port I've made it spans like half more square on one side and half on the other, but in TE all works and shows pretty, very round edges and stuff where they need to be.

Save, buld the terrain as usuall, but when I go in the game to test my newly made port as soon as the terrain loads, the game crashes. Yhat happens with this lates and rounded version of the port that I made. When I use the earlier version... I actually should say the default one that I just rotated, even tough its corners span beyound the square tile, it works, but those straight edges look pretty ugly (nice wording lol), as the editor/game places water all around, and it makes the edges stand out.

Now I'm wondering... did I do something wrong when I placed all those shapes (tower/radar, ships on the water, etc) when I made my custom shape? or maybe there htere is something that I didn't do/place? or the problem lies with the placement of those grass shapes that I use one on top of other to round those unnecessary corners and edgees?

Hmmm... all that took me hours and hours to make everything look just as I wanted, and now is not even working... I mean yes the TE doesn't complain, but the game just won't take the terrain.

Any idea?

Thank you!

[Diamax]

Is there a way to cut those edges out so the fit nicely in the square? so it would actually be a square shape?

[Diamax]

Hello Bogie!

I took all the aditional grass out and left the triangle by itself with all the shapes that I added myself in (like I said I made the port from scratch), and still the game crashes when I want to load that terrain, so it seems to me that there is something with the objects that I placed in my port... now I wonder what did I do wrong, maybe I forgot to add something?, or maybe I added something that shouldn't be there?

Right now in my custom port I have the following objects:
1 Tower
1 Map Room
1 Hangar
1 Fighter Hangar
1 Bomber Hangar
1 Vehicle Hangar
1 Runway (rwy1)
2 Rearm
Guns all around
Several Ammo
Several Fuel
Several barracks
Structures (water tower, ships)

Do you see anything missing?

[Diamax]

Started from the beginning, this time I use the default port, I modified it (added some more stuff like a runway, hangars, etc), and nicely placed some of the grass tiles underneath it by using the "Set Index" in the OE.

I repositioned the port by rotating it before placing those grass tiles, added all the stuff, and now everything works nicely, the only exception is that when I want to take off with a plane, the plane spawns somewhere on the field instead on the runway. I tried to use those Entry points, for bomber, but I couldn't even see, when I was placing them, it was like there was nothing... so this is the only thing that I would like to make work right now, everything else is fine.

Any idea on how could I get this last thing working?

Thank you!

[Bogie603rd]

Just got back from a short trip away from the BB.. lol... Anyways, let's see. Your condition sounds somewhat like mine.

 Anyways, everything seems fine, although you might consider doing the map room from the TE, not placing it in the actual shape design in the OE. Also, don't try using Spawns in the OE, Blauk and I have both tried without success. What you do, is go into the TE, name the "entpnt" as Boat Entry. Then, use the arrow to line-up the spawn so that you spawn in the direction you want to fly. Then, re-name the "entpnt" as bomber entry, or Fighter Entry

 Now, to fix your problem with the map crashing. When you go into the OE, load your map again. Now, let's go to: File>Tile Properties.

 Now, make sure the following is selected:
"Is Square Tile Object"
"Display Terrain Under Tile"

 This is what you DO NOT want to have Selected if it is (and it is) a field object:
"Is Terrain Cell"

That fixed it for me on my "Airfield" design. Hope it works for you too!:aok

[Diamax]

Hello Bogie!

Man, your sugestions are more than welcome, and appreciated. However right now I'm done with making terrains for a while, because it is time consuming and I have to focus on some other things, in real life, but at some point I know that I will be coming back to this to experiment the things that you put down here.

In the mean time I'll just host games, and when I have time I'll be getting back on this, because spawn points was one thing that I tried before, and couldn't make it work, so  now it is good that I have a reference, for when I'll be making terrains again, and the thing with making those tiles, you really posted news for me.

Thank you very much Bogie!

[Bogie603rd]

, drop by my arena sometime, my name is always on the first line (Ex. Denholm's Teams "Style Game" (Map Name) )