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pda for my map

Forum Overview >> Farming Simulator 22

CategoryFarming Simulator 22
Created05.03.2022 09:59


David Foster (braveheart) 05.03.2022 09:59
can someone please tell me how a make a pda of my map when i make one the pda is huge and doesn't match anything on my map can some one help with this thanks

Adrian Droste (oggimaster) 05.03.2022 10:21
Your pda-map is 4 times the area of your real map. So the edges are 2 times longer.

The pda-map "overview.dds" is 4096x4096. The playable area is 2048x2048. This area has to be in the middle for the terrain border to align with your map. The rest of the pda-map you can do what you want.

###################
# #
# ++++++++++ #
# + + #
# + X + #
# + + #
# ++++++++++ #
# #
###################


#: your whole pda-map
+: your actual area where you can play
X: middle point

David Foster (braveheart) 05.03.2022 11:33
how do i make the pic 2048x2048 don't understand what your saying

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 05.03.2022 13:46
Use whatever image editor you are currently using to make your make your PDA. For example Photoshop, go to Image > Image Size and make it 2048 x 2048. 2048 is only if you are playing a standard size map, if the map is larger the PDA will be larger also. As Adrian was saying, this is the playable area, the PDA also has a border. Take that 2048 PDA you just made and put over top 4096 x 4096 design of your choosing.

It might be easier for you to tell us what steps you are taking to make your current PDA as well as the map size you are trying to make the PDA for and we can suggest what you need to do differently to get the PDA to the correct size.

David Foster (braveheart) 06.03.2022 02:09
i'm on a 4x map and i'm taking a pic of the map from a pda camera i created for my map in the editor which gives me an aerial view of the map i'm using print screen and then saving it as a pic then i go to it in my pictures file and edit it in paint.net i'm slowly learning how to change size of the pic using paint still learning it thanks for your help and any advice is appreciated thanks again

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 06.03.2022 04:28
Paint.net is not too much different. Either Control R or Image > Resize. Change the width and height in the pixel size area. 4X map the overall map size should be 8192 px and the inner playable area should be 4096 px. It's been a while since I played with Paint.net but it might be easiest if you start with your 4096 pda, then go to Image > Canvas size, anchor your 4096 to "middle" then adjust the canvas size to 8192 px. Then you can either color in your border or import another image as a new layer and use that as the background image.

David Foster (braveheart) 06.03.2022 12:46
thanks so much i have another problem that you can hopefully help me with i've got all my fields in a place and they are exactly where there suppose to be in game and show up fine except for when i switch to soil composition on view of fields theres 2 huge red squares underneath all the fields that represent unplowed areas i'm i doing something wrong because when i delete the fields from scenegraph and from map and then start the game up the huge red squares aren't there representing the unplowed areas but as soon as i put my fields back they show up again i've tried doing terraindetail with nothing like how you delete fields i've tried grass with nothing the way you delete textures to show just grass without texture if you can understand what i'm talking about please any advice would greatly be appreciated its driving me crazy cause i can't figure out why those huge squares are there when i don't see that on other maps thanks again

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 06.03.2022 15:43
Sounds like your infoLayer_plowLevel.grle (in your data folder) is the wrong size. I had this problem too at some point and it drove me bonkers for a hot minute. You're going to need the grle converter (assuming you do not already have it). You can find it in "downloads" on this website. Save it to a folder on your desktop, it gives you a hard time if you try to run it from another location. Once downloaded, drag your infoLayer_plowLevel.grle and drop it right on top of convert.cmd in the converter folder you just made on your desktop. Go back to your data folder and you will now have an infoLayer_plowLevel.png in there. Resize that file to 8192x8192px. Rename or delete the original plowLevel infolayer, it's not needed anymore. That's it, you're done. The game will do the rest for you.

NOTE: You may have to do this for limeLevel as well if you use it in game or plan to make your map public. Also, not all grle's get converted this same way, there is a slight difference in the process for infolayers and density maps that are editable within GE.

Of course all of this is assuming that your problem is in fact the plowLevel being the wrong size :)

David Foster (braveheart) 07.03.2022 02:39
i don't see infoLayer_plowLevel.grle in my data file nor do i see the lime one either and i'm having trouble with the converter i did what you said and made a folder on the desktop and i try dropping infolayer stuff i do have into the convert.cmd like you said and nothing happens at all except the converter just disappears its says at the top C:\Users\dave' is not recognized as an internal command or external command so sorry for all this I'm 47 yrs old and new to a lot of this stuff just really want to get this map done and publish it and this is seriously the last think holding me up from it being error free so that maybe just maybe it will get put in the actual games modhub for all to use I really appreciate you helping me out and sorry to be such a pest with all this thanks again for your time and help

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 07.03.2022 03:13
No worries, I have a few years on you and one or two others here have us both beat by quite a few years :) If they are missing, you can copy them over from the game install itself. If you are using steam C:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Farming Simulator 22\data\maps\mapUS\data or C:\Program Files (x86)\Farming Simulator 2022\data\maps\mapUS\data if you downloaded direct. These are just examples of installation locations and may need to be adjusted accordingly. If you don't know where the install location is, right click on the FS22 icon and go to "properties" and you can find it there. Sounds like you probably have a "space" in your file path. Desktop is a safe bet but not a sure thing (I rolled the dice). "My downloads," "My documents," "C:\Users\dave is awesome\desktop" are all file paths that will be a problem. Find one without the space and you'll be ok. Even "C:/" will do just fine.

Trust me, your good. Not a pest and you'll have this working in no time. Just copy or cut/paste that folder over to C:/ or other compatible location and you'll be right as rain ... just follow the previous instructions. If it still doesn't work you're on your own. Kidding!! A bit of tweaking and you'll be golden, just let me know.

EDIT: This will only work with a new save game, an existing save will still have the giant red blocks on it. You may be able to delete infoLayer_plowLevel.grle in an existing save if you need to and the game will recreate it (Always make a copy). Also, these two files can be created by hand if need be, so no worries there either.

David Foster (braveheart) 07.03.2022 03:59
ok did all that and that didn't fix the issue do you think maybe map.dem is wrong or is there any other thing that might be wrong cause i got converter to work and followed your steps and still same annoying red and green blocks there is the mapUS for the game 4x i'm not sure i got this map from someone who i guess converted it to 4x cause its bigger than the mapUS i cleared and started with i wanted just a little bit bigger map so i got this one is it possible they messed up something in the map xml file thanks again for all the help

David Foster (braveheart) 07.03.2022 05:19
it only does once i place fields if i delete the fields from scene graph and from map it doesn't show the 2 blocks for needs plowing and needs lime it's only once i place fields do i not need to press get field sizes just wondering

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 07.03.2022 06:33
Sure, it's always possible, but if everything else is ok it can't be too far out of whack. I was impatient when FS22 dropped and downloaded the first blank card I found on the net so I could get started right away and it had a handful of issues that needed to be fixed, it was even missing the same two files we are working with. I also ended up with the same issue where the plow level was the wrong size and massive when viewed in game.

Bummer! So, it looks exactly the same, no change in size at all? If it changed even a little at least we would know we're on the right track. Even though I'm also on a 4X I use slightly different size settings throughout so it's possible my numbers just aren't working for you. I actually merged two maps of two different sizes and not everything went as planned, it needed some tweaking to say the least. We can check some numbers and try a few things. Have you tried altering the plow level size again, go one size bigger? Did you test it out on a new save game? You can go to the next size bigger, 16384, which to me seems stupid big for a 4x, but I don't know your setup so who knows. I've seen people do it. I know it seems illogical to go bigger but what you're really doing (in a nutshell) is increasing the resolution of the image and squeezing it down to fit a 4096 area and as a result it looks smaller. Kind of like changing the resolution on your computer monitor, jack it up to its highest setting and everything on the screen gets so small you can barely read it.

Pull up your map.i3d in a text editor and do a search for "lodTextureSize." What is it set at? 4096? Also look for unitsPerPixel on that same line. 2? If your numbers are different, that's fine, leave them as they are. If everything else is ok, it's likely the size settings are fine for your setup and changing them will open a whole new can of worms. I'm just interested in how the map is being scaled.

Open your map.xml and on the first line check what the map width and height is set to.

These two files only come into play when they are turned on in the game settings. Require lime and periodic plowing. Something to that affect. If I remember correctly, I initially had no change either. I had to turn those settings off, log off, and turn them back on when I logged back in. But I think that was for a current save, a new save game starts with those two disabled if I'm not mistaken. I know at least one of them is off in its default state. Speaking of which, have you tested the lime? Turn of periodic plowing in your settings and then go back to the map and check the lime state. If your situation is anything like mine was, you should have giant blue squares instead of red. That's not a guarantee however, just a hunch.

Now all of this is assuming that the problem is in fact an incorrect image resolution, which judging by your description, I believe that it is. If you're curious, you can go to your savegame folder in " documents/my games/etc etc./savegame #" (I'm sure you know where to find this) and convert the infoLayer_plowLevel.grle that's there and see what it looks like. More than likely it will be really dark and hard to see but it should look like your field layout (give or take), only bigger. It probably won't all fit into the image if it needs to be adjusted, but something should look recognizable as one of your fields. If it's too dark to see given your old age and all (joke) it can be lightened in paint.net with "adjustments > auto level." If you're ever unsure, it's a good way to see if the resolution is correct or not.

I'll stop here for now. Let me know how you make out :)

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 07.03.2022 06:43
In response to your next question, you shouldn't have to remove your fields from the scene graph or map. Leave them as they are and yes, make sure you run get field sizes, so the game knows what it's working with and make sure your farmlands.xml is up to date. It sounded like you were ready to launch so I assumed this was all set. GE or the game itself doesn't care at all about where you draw your fields or if you even draw them at all, that's mostly for you. It's looking for the field sizes that you laid out with countless blue polygons if that's the method you chose. So yes, make sure that's all current.

David Foster (braveheart) 07.03.2022 07:00
It's got to be the map I was working with because I'm on mapUS the sample map it gives you from game and it's not doing it so looks like I'm going to use the mapUS cause I have no clue how to make a bigger map I think the mapUS is going to be okay for my idea of my child farm/ranch I grew up on I've just got to remember how to put my few little placeable things back I kept all the progress from the other map for reference so I can go back and look at xml files and other important things I just got to figure out the PDA picture thing cause I got distracted from that doing the stupid field stuff Ed I really do appreciate all your help you are outstanding at this and I think Giants needs you on their payroll to help people like myself with issues like I had man thanks again and if I need anymore help or advice I'll post here Thanks again and God Bless

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 07.03.2022 07:19
No problem, that's your call of course. Keep in mind that when a map gets converted to a different size there are a lot of files that need to get converted as well. It's really easy to mess up but usually only a handful of things get missed and most things are an easy fix. If you're at the point I thought you were at, you were pretty much there, just a resolution problem with one or two images. Easy fix. I would expect the example map to be okay, it was done properly for that size map. If you really want that 4x map, we can make it happen for you.

Before you throw in the towel on that map, try out the last couple of things I posted and if it doesn't work, we can either narrow down the issue or you can move down to the 2km map. I honestly don't believe it was too broken unless you were not as far as long as I originally thought. Either way, I'm always willing to help and have no doubt that you'll have tons of fun on whichever map you publish.

BTW if anyone needs to be on their payroll it's Colin and Bilbo amongst some others. Without them and the work they do inside and out of this forum, I would have given up long ago. I'm still learning, just like you. I only focus on maps really, so some things make more sense to me and I'm further along in some areas but still frustrated and fumbling in others :)

David Foster (braveheart) 07.03.2022 07:55
oh yeah colin and bilbo have helped me out on a couple of placement issues they are great people as well your right up there with them though for sure i'm gonna try a couple those things and see if i can make it work thanks again

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 07.03.2022 07:57
Also, just a side note. I know you think the map is broken because when you remove the fields and test in game, the red blocks are no longer there. This is simply because you removed the fields and the game doesn't know there is anything that needs to be plowed. When you put the fields back in, the game sees them and knows they needed to be plowed. Not broken. The first problem is most likely the wrong image resolution that's making the plowable area look so big, and the second problem is ... well ... the fields need to be plowed. It's the mechanics of game so not broken at all, it's actually doing what it should be doing, it's just doing it bigger than expected.

Let me know if/when you ever feel like getting the 4X up and running and we'll whip it into shape. It can get extremely frustrating when things don't go as planned, as you know, and it's just better to take a break at that point and come back to it later.

The other piece of advice I can give is that when something is not working as expected, it's not a bug in the game or GE, 99.9% of the time it's something I'm doing wrong or overlooking. Always. Most times it's something so small and insignificant but easily overlooked and I usually catch it after I take a break and come back to it later. Usually I just work on a different area of the map for a bit. Sometimes I even start a whole new map for a change of pace because that part is the most fun for me, take a blank canvas and see it come to life!

I have a feeling you won't throw in the towel on that map so easily so just let us know when you want to give it another shot! You're too close to the finish line!

David Foster (braveheart) 07.03.2022 08:15
what should the unitsperpixel number be mines a 2 and the iodtexturesize is 4096 is that right or does it need to be changed

David Foster (braveheart) 07.03.2022 08:22
it's not the fields that need to be plowed i know when it's the fields this is underneath the fields to big red squares for needs to be plowed and 2 big green squares for needs to be plowed which both are totally seperate from the fields plus the fields are starting out in game with something growing in them 90% of the time i start game up because i have it where you own whole map once you buy whole map for half a million so i think its something resolution problem or something wrote wrong in mapi3d file or xmlfile

David Foster (braveheart) 07.03.2022 08:26
and i am starting a new game every time haven't got to save on the map don't want to till map is right so i don't have to keep starting a new all the time and answer to question about if i've turned off periodic plowing yes turned it on and off and nothing

David Foster (braveheart) 07.03.2022 08:34
and sorry it does go away when i turn off periodic plowing off and no lime required off so does that mean xml file is wrong or resolution wrong or mapi3d wrong thanks again Ed i think we're slowly narrowing it down

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 07.03.2022 14:07
lodTextureSize and unitsPerPixel are both fine where they are. I didn't suspect they would be too different, if at all. I was just curious how the map was being scaled because there are a few values that would work there but it changes many of the other sizes. The big squares seem like they are separate from the fileds because they are not scaled properly and stand out. They are infoLayers, the same as you see for fertilizer state, harvested state, and what kind of crop is on the field. It's ok that's something is growing underneath them, you can do that, it will only effect the yield so you don't get as much from the field come harvest time. Think of it more like a suggestion. To get the very most out of that particular field, they are suggesting that you plow it. The same goes for lime, etc. For example, if you knew what field that giant red square represented and you ran a plow straight down the middle of it, you would see that change in the giant red square, it would have a blank area down the middle of it. They are all color coded and red is what they used for the plow state.

So the problem is still looking like resolution, this is good! Easy fix! From here, open the infoLayer_plowLevel.grle in paint.net and make the size 16384x16384, we'll start with that. I still have some reservations about that size, I'll admit. It's just too large and makes me think something else needs correcting. I really think it should be 8192. Let's start there anyhow, it won't hurt anything. You can also go down a size or two as well just to see what it does. The next two smaller sizes are 4096 and 2048. Never be afraid to experiment, you won't permanently break anything beyond repair and you can learn a lot in the process. Always keep a backup!

Also, did you check the height and width in map.xml? I'm just wondering if they are correct because I've seen incorrect values there and the map still looks fine. I'm not 100% on every single thing that will be affected when the wrong size is there, so better to err on the side of caution. Both values should be 4096.

If this doesn't work, no worries ... there are still things that can be checked and tweaked.

At the very least we want to make sure that all your fields are set. You painted them in with dirt (not required), or whatever you chose, and used them as a guide to lay down the blue polygons/squares and set the field areas and dimensions. About how many fields do you have, BTW? Scripts > Map > Get field sizes if you have not done already. I'm almost positive you have.

NOTE: A quick FYI about resizing. Before anything is ever resized, it's good to make a fresh copy and resize that (do this each time it needs to be resized) OR keep the image open in an editor and if the resizing does not work, undo your changes and try again. Always undo, don't just go up or down in sizes directly. Close the image when you get the size you are looking for. The reason for this is that if you keep resizing an image over and over, it will start to degrade. This could cause a problem where non-pixelation or the color correctness of the image is crucial. For example, I've seen this done on a farmlands.png where it picked up some kind of color artifacts from constant resizing and GE interpreted that as separate fields. All 256 of them! The edges of the fields all had a multi-colored fringe around the edges and it was near impossible to get rid of it all. So when possible, revert an image back to it's original state before you try again and avoid going directly from one size to the next, especially in larger increments like we are doing here.

David Foster (braveheart) 08.03.2022 04:58
i have 5 fields in total and the 2 huge squares never have anything growing in the its my fields that do which is fine its just those to huge squares saying needs plowing and needs lime but nothing ever grow in those 2 squares i did the rize thing to 8192 and the 16384 didn't work and i even tried going down like you said and still nothing and i do the fields like you were saying with the blue layout and square out my field with corner01_1 then corner01_2 and so on do you think it might be instead of me repeating the process every step i'm just making a duplicate of the first field and moving and adjusting it to next fields size i'm changing the corners and the fieldMapIndicator # and the and field number to the next field number of course but i'm duplicating it none the less this is so driving absolute crazy was up till like 7 this morning trying everything because the idea i had to use the sample mod map was a bust anyway couldn't get rid of the farmland at all no matter what i tried there and it was still showing the map set up for elmcreek as far as each piece of land that you can buy for elmcreek anyway that was a waste so i really have no choice to get this fixed somehow or just give up all together on the game after been a fan since 2015 when they first started but i'm sorry no one has made a map i really like and the maps that came with game sorry say suck so please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 08.03.2022 07:36
Okay, so changing the resolution of the infoLayer had no effect which is strange because we do know that they are the plowLevel infoLayers, given you can turn them off and on with the periodic plow settings. Perhaps we're not testing them correctly, but we can come back to that. Nothing will ever grow in the "red squares" because they are not fields. They do however, represent one or possibly two of your fields. They should sit directly on top of your fields and be the exact same size and shape. When you say they are huge, I'm naturally assuming the resolution is off, which it still may be. I'm also assuming your fields are perfectly square or rectangular, or at least two of them are. If your existing fields are all growing you're all good in that area, no need to worry about them. Seems like you did a good job creating them. Have you gone into the map.xml yet and check the sizes there? Check the width and height on the first line, they should both be 4096. I'm not really thinking this is the issue but I want to make sure all the sizes are correct because I'm unsure of all the areas it would affect if they were not.

I should have been asleep hours ago, I have an early appt in the AM after I drop the kiddo off at school. So for now, double check those sizes in the map.xml. If you do any more testing make sure you are either deleting the old infoLayer, or be sure that you are overwriting the existing one because something should have certainly changed in size. We will find out why it didn't in the morning and get it fixed. I'm still thinking that 8192 is the size you need for that particular infoLayer so if you do any testing, do it at that size. Also, since it's a higher resolution than the original, we can see when it does have an effect. Have a look inside both error logs, for the game and GE and make sure it's not trying to tell us there is problem that we are not aware of.

Don't let this get you frustrated, it's not worth it and turns into lost time. If you get to that point just work on something else for a bit. Plant some flowers or trees, tidy up bit with some detail work, things like that. Keep productive with things that are not giving you an issue and when I get back here in the AM I will do some testing and we'll have some answers. I'm sure this is nothing major and probably something simple being overlooked. It sounds like everything else is working fine so you're doing a great job so far. Check on those few things and I'll get back in the AM.

David Foster (braveheart) 08.03.2022 09:30
ok i tried something i deleted all fields and used terraindetail to delete the 5 fields i placed by using terraindetail groundtype plowed and then used the terraindetail tool with groundtype plowed but did not make a fields transform group or anything like that to actually make fields and then loaded map and the 2 huge red squares were there above where i used the terraindetail groundtype plowed to place the fields and the fields were never put in the scenegraph at all to game didn't know those are fields do you think its maybe something i'm doing wrong when using terraindetail tool and selecting groundtype plowed but keep in mind those 2 huge squares are no where close to the fields i created it literally looks like there the same size of the entire map just with an empty space straight down the middle of the map hopefully you understand what i mean maybe i'm using the terraindetail tool wrong all i know i've tried every resolution issue and the mapxml is 4096 both width and height so i just honestly think its bugged map someone screwed up majorly or i'm not using the terrain tool right i don't know what else i could possible do

David Foster (braveheart) 08.03.2022 11:16
okay new discovery its only doing this after i place 4 fields once i place anything over 4 fields that's the 2 squares or 1 huge square because i placed 4 small square fields and then last 1 i made was a huge field 900 on the terrian tool and when i loaded the map it was 1 huge red square which in turn told me that its what ever amount over 4 fields that its using that last field or set of fields as the mask for needs plowing and needs lime or something like that cause i can run it with just the 4 fields and no red squares if i'm making any since just something i discovered

David Foster (braveheart) 08.03.2022 11:22
is it possible that my farmland.xml has the wrong channel amount its a 6

David Foster (braveheart) 08.03.2022 13:05
okay 1 other thing i found out it's not the problem with the placing over 4 fields it's only if i put 1 field or 2 fields in this certain part of my map for some reason just idea of what i have going on i have 1 4 lane road going straight down middle of map which divides 2 sides i have bga and animal dealer on 1 side of road and store and gas station on other side of road 3 large fields on bottom of map ( I made a camera with Y axis 4000 and X axis -90 to get air view so the bottom of map is side with store and gas station ) ok right across from the store is animal dealer and across from gas station is bga right behind the bunker silos starts 2 large fields to right side of map it's the left corner with nothing in it right now anytime i put fields there is when the huge red square or squares pop up in game i did have a bare spot on other side of road that was going to put the farm house and animals in game so i decided to try and put a field in that area and not in the other corner like i was doing and for some reason it worked no squares which is fine just wondering if you might know why that's doing that could someone made this map and pieced it together with a small piece or something in that corner that is causing it to do that and is there maybe a solution to fixing it i have a farming sim discord i started not to long ago that only has my son and I in it would like you to join if possible so i could share my screen with you and show you what i'm talking about just let me know if that's cool and i'll shoot you the link thanks again and sorry if i've been the one keeping you up with this stuff

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 08.03.2022 15:17
Okay, a couple things here. First, the map is not bugged or anything like that, I think you're in really good shape actually. Second, I think there is some confusion around the process of making fields and what exactly the infoLayers and these "red squares" are. Once we get a few things explained and cleared up here, this is ultimately going to make more sense to you.

We'll start with infoLayers and the plow state, and this holds true for all the other infoLayers. Most importantly, they are supposed to be there. Our goal here is not to make the "red squares" disappear. That will only happen once you actually plow the field, which is why it changed when you used the terrain detail tool to draw in a "plowed field." The squares basically ARE your fields, or a representation of them. They should be the same size and sit directly over top of your existing fields. They are all "layers" the game is using to provide you with information about your fields, hence the term "info layers." The first layer is the field, and then (in no particular order), plow state, lime level, weeds, stones, etc. all stacked in layers on top of each other. When looking at your map if any of your fields are full of stones, you'll see yellow dots all over the field, if the field is full of weeds, it will be a different color like purple or blue (I can't recall), if the field needs lime put down it will be green or blue, and if the field should be plowed it shows up red. The colors were just an example, they are probably different in game. You can view these different states (if they are turned on in the settings) in the map function and selecting the state you want to view in the map legend. It's no different than using the map to see what is growing in a particular field. If there is corn growing the field will look orange, grass will look green, etc. etc.

The field states will change and/or come and go as you progress through the game. Right now, you are seeing red squares because the fields need to be plowed. If you were to hop in your tractor, hook a plow up to it, and continue to plow the entire field, the red square will now be gone because you just plowed that field. If you only plow half of the field, only half of the red square will go away. The red square will stay gone until a few growth/harvest cycles have passed and then it will come back at some point because the field needs to be plowed again. If you finish plowing the field, you might be left with a blue or green square because the field also needs lime put down on it. Get in your tractor again, hook up to a spreader and apply lime to the field, and now the blue square is gone. If you don't do a great job and miss some spots, you will see only the missed spots show up in blue or red.

Hopefully this is making more sense now. Like I said, the red squares are supposed to be there, but they should be the exact same shape and size of your existing fields and should sit directly over the top of them. If you don't want to have to plow your fields every so often, go into settings and turn off periodic plowing. The same goes for lime. When those settings are turned off the squares will also be turned off because the field does not require plowing or lime anymore.

Okay, so now hopefully you have a better handle on infoLayers and plow states and should be able to tell if the layer is the correct size/resolution or not. Red squares are there but they are the same size and shape as the fields underneath, we are good to go. If they are massive and take up the entire map and you know you don't have a field that big (or small), it needs to be resized.

Next is fields. When you create your fields you don't have to paint them in with the terrain detail tool. In fact, you don't have to paint them at all if you really don't want to. The terrain detail tool is only if you want a particular crop or field state to exist on that field when the game starts. You don't have to choose which crop goes into which field or whether it's plowed or cultivated at 45 degrees or anything else for that matter. This is only if you require these specific conditions for some reason. You can paint in your fields with plain old dirt and that's really all you need, and you don't even need that. When the games starts it will look at your field dimensions and create the field for you. It will also randomly choose what crop is growing in that field. You draw the fields in only so you have a visual indication of where your fields are, and so you have a guide when putting down those blue polygons when you create the fields. You draw them in so you don't accidentally put a barn inside one of your fields or anything like that. If you are coloring in all of your fields with the terrain tool, this could be A LOT of extra work depending on how many fields you have, which is not so bad in your case. As an example, you could lay down all of the blue polygons to create your fields and color in your field areas with grass when you're done so it's no different than it's surroundings, but when the game starts your field will be right there where you created it, with a crop already growing inside of it. It's obviously best to draw your fields in so you know where they are.

If you DO NOT color the fields with the terrain tool and only use dirt for example, when the game starts it may or MAY NOT put a crop into that field and that field may or MAY NOT be plowed. It 's completely random. So if you let the game choose, you might only see a couple red squares saying the fields need to be plowed, or you might see that ALL or NONE of the fields need to be plowed.

I think that initially you should not paint anything in with the terrain detail tool. Just leave them as they are and let the game decide. This way you will know that everything is working as intended with the fields. It's possible to paint in the fields with the terrain detail and everything looks fine, but it won't be once you try to work the field. Personally, I never paint them in with the terrain tool unless I have a good reason too. Like the corn maze on the Elmcreek map. It's not an actual field, but they painted it in with the terrain detail tool so it will always look like a corn field/maze and not a cotton maize one day, and sorghum maze the next.

So now hopefully this is all making more sense to you now. With what you know now, do you think the plowLevel infoLayer needs adjusting? Is it the same size and directly over top of the field like it's supposed to be? We'll take this a step at a time to get it all sorted out for you.

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 08.03.2022 15:33
BTW, I have no problems with checking out your discord, but it won't be until much later that my availability is enough that I can actually get on it. All of these posts I'm squeezing in between my regular work for the day :) I have a feeling we will have everything sorted way before then.

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 08.03.2022 17:58
One thing quick that stands out to me is that you say there are two big squares with a line down the middle, almost the size of the entire map. What that is telling me is that it's treating the entire map like one big field and the line down the middle is the 4 lane road that you say you have running down the middle of your map. This could be a couple of things. It's possible it could be the way the infoLayer was resized. If you go to your data folder and look at the infoLayer_plowLevel.png, what color is it predominately? Does it look mostly black, or mostly white? It doesn't seem to be subdividing the rest of the fields which could be that there was an issue with the way the fields themselves were created. It may not be recognizing those fields at all, or it is recognizing them and they are already in a plowed state. This is much of the reason I don't paint my fields with anything but dirt. It could look like you have working fields but when in reality the game has no clue they are there. If you go into the game and on the map screen try to purchase those fields, do they show up in blue as available for sale? How about your farmLands infoLayer? Have you marked out all of your individual fields/farmlands? The entire map should be covered with land that is either sellable/purchasable, or land that is never for sale. Is your farmlands.xml complete and up to date?

I think we may be getting closer to narrowing down what is going on here.

David Foster (braveheart) 09.03.2022 01:49
It's not anything to do with the fields and the needs plowing or needs lime I know the fundamentals of how all that works trust me I've played the game since 2015 and was raised on a huge farm in Hardin Texas so I understand everything about field processing and sowing trust me the squares or square only show up when I place huge field or fields in this one area of the map for some reason and it's not the road going down the middle thing either because the squares are always going in different direction than the way the road is running it's only when I place 1 huge field or 2 huge fields in this certain spot of the map for example if I place 1 field there it's 1 huge square or if 2 huge fields in that area 2 huge squares end up being there as long as I don't put anything there it ends up being fine no squares anywhere because the way I have it right now is working fine in game and I have 6 huge fields with no huge red squares anywhere so it's fine and at least working and I still have a huge area like I wanted for farm house and animals and some production things I am going to place in game for myself and for whoever else that may download map was just wondering if there might be a solution to whatever that problem may be it would be so much easier if I could just show you what I'm talking about so you can see this weirdness for yourself and Ed thanks again you really don't know how much I appreciate all this especially with you working and juggling all this help in between man thanks again here's my discord info so maybe I can share my screen to the discord and I can show you this craziness https://discord.gg/2wv3kV25 I might be in my sons discord so if you join just shoot me a message and I'll hop in there thanks again

Ed Propsner (crotchfrog) 09.03.2022 02:50
Just covering all the bases and making sure we're on the same page. It wouldn't be the first time I've gone down the rabbit hole because of assumptions and misunderstandings. It definitely is difficult piecing some things together more than others. I lean in certain directions depending on the info available. For example turning off periodic plowing or lime gets rid of the squares, there's only one thing that can really be.

Once I get little one settled here I might have a few to check out what you have going on over there.


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