Some ideas for mods and some questions about making mods

[tanypredator]

UPD. I think about adding a new particle system - new fire in this case - had anybody tried this?

And I also want to make grapes in my second mod, so I tried to understand the tree example and I have few questions. There is one texture .png file with both winter and summer appearance of branches. How does it chooses one of them? And would it work if I change the form of the tree - for grapevine must be bended and horizontal at the top. Does it use Material\Billboard\BillboardMaterial.rsc to change between winter and summer appearance?

[tanypredator]

From what I know it is only possible to have an open fire
when a house is burning.
If your FirePit should catch fire the little people will
quickly put the fire out so it will be a weird situation. 

I thought that it might be so. But I couldn't find any code about this behaviour. The only thing that I've found was resource\Template\Common.rsc where the amount of water (and time) for putting the fire out is described. That's why I have thought about adding a new particle system. And the other problem is that it seems to be that I can't add "warmth" to anything but houses.

[Tom Sawyer]

And the other problem is that it seems to be that I can't add "warmth" to anything but houses.

That could be the way to realize your idea. To define it as a residence. Citizens are going to the next residence to warm up and thats a fact of core game I think. For a residence you can set the params of fuel and citizens have to bring firewood to it... As "fire" you can use the chimney smoke effect. Look at the Minibuilding mod. There is a campfire with standard smoke but as a "hunting lodge". Unfortunately, someone has to live on your fire to make the smoke effect.

[kid1293]

@tanypredator - A new particlesystem is possible but how to make it stay?
I've tried _addOnCreate, _addOnNotify, _visible - nothing.

Maybe as @Tom Sawyer    said you have to live there or have someone to tend
the fire to make the smoke stay.

[tanypredator]

So I should  either make some tent aside the fire pit as a house, or make this fire pit a workplace. That is a way, but that limits either realism or   aesthetics. And anyway I would have to use smoke or to edit fire effect - it is too large. I'll work on it. And there may be one more posiibility - to add new particles effect in blender to the model itself, but I strongly doubt it would work.

[kid1293]

The fire seems limited to burning buildings.
I don't know about replacing smoke particle animation with fire
but it should work just by referencing the other. Maybe the
compiler wants resource files, then you hit the wall.

Another way could be a church, always attended and brings comfort.
(Holy circle - sorry, couldn't help it.)

To your idea of making a new particle system - count the velocity of the particle
and the lifetime of it and you get an estimate how big the fire will grow.

[tanypredator]

Yes, to change fire parameters is what I'm going to try now (when I have time). But I'm not sure if I can use only FireSmall.rsc in my mod folder, referencing to FireMaterial.rsc and FireTexture.rsc in \resource.

And what I'm thinking as another way is to make particles a part of the model. I mean that as I can see, animation of trees and animals is inside their models.

[kid1293]

Don't use FireSmall.src.
copy it / rename it / link it
I PM you a code for a church with smoke changed to fire
and a modified fireparticle-file the fire needs tweaking
but you get the picture.

Picture:

[tanypredator]

Great!

copy it / rename it / link it

That is what I meant, only not sure about "link".

Why church? Would it need worker? If the fire effect may be achieved without a worker, it may be left as decorative (only I'll try to make a better model), and a tent with fire made separately to make it warming (not sure I'll do that, I want to go forward to grapes and a new blooming tree).

[kid1293]

I tested some and it looks like a 'building' has to
be occupied for the smoke to come.
It must have been written in the game-engine and we can not change it.

To be honest: the fire does not look too good. Maybe better to stay with
a modified smoke-file...?

[tanypredator]

kid1293, yes, though I'll try different positions of "smoke" point. And probably I have to make either a tent with a fire pit with smoke, or a little temple construction with a little fire (if I could make it to look better). This last may be in combination with my "temple with flowers" idea. Anyway, thank you very much. I'll try to make something more beautiful as fast as I can.

[kid1293]

You're welcome

Have a nice modding journey!

[Tom Sawyer]

I tested some and it looks like a 'building' has to be occupied for the smoke to come. It must have been written in the game-engine and we can not change it.

@kid1293, thats right. The game knows 2 events for buildings to start a particle system: burning (index0) and working (index1). The index is used in the particle definition from the template of the building as you know. So we could make different effects for every kind of building and event. But the events themself are core game and must be triggered to start particles. A residence is working if inhabited. Tany can make a fire as a residence with 0 apartments and maybe it could work to warm up, but no particles would be there.

[kid1293]

@Tom Sawyer
Are these indexes triggered by specific points
(pointsdefinitions like smoke / fire) ?
I guess it is so because when I attach a fire to a smokepoint
it burns just like does not know where it is.

@tanypredator and Tom
Sorry for interrupting this thread. Shouldn't we have a new
modding thread with a small focus on Blender?

I'll check back later this evening and read what you have to say.

[tanypredator]

Shouldn't we have a new
modding thread with a small focus on Blender?

I think it would be great! Blender's manual is not so bad, but there are some moments specific to making models for Banished, and useful hints that you, experienced modders, can give to noobs