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Time for a completely new editor maybe?

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CategoryEditor
Created30.11.2020 22:23


illgib81 30.11.2020 22:23
Am i the only one who thought every time that the actual Giant editor it's more an exercise in computing than an actual user friendly map making tool?

It's my third attemp at making a map, until all of a sudden something odd happen and hours of works get lost.

Why instead of a binary and xml manual compiling system we can't simply have an ingame like system with drag and drop for vehicles and buildings, and an auto compiler from actual and easy to read/understand flag options into the editor itself?

Like instead of a binary system for the layer info, a simple "terrain chunk 1, 2, 3..." where every selection it's a buyable land in game.

A popup windows for vehicles options, a store like windod, with everything about the vehicles, so all the infos are automatically saved and store in xml or info files when we save the map.

A road building system based on splines, like the user made one, but that actually works whitout assles, a "Sims3 world creator like" were you draw the roads as splines and auto connect intersections.

It's not that impossible as every other devs give similar tools to modders instead of almost pro tools whitout that much of a documentations other that outdated and half informatives videos.

We can't only relay on users for help.

UnrealEd it's way easier, just sain', and it's a pain in the ass though!

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 30.11.2020 22:55
If the Giants devs can work with the GE, others can also. A new editor will only come if the devs need one.
Remember: you have bought the game, the GE is not official part of the distribution. It is published for free usage "as it is".

What you wish is a toy for rookies, but the GE is meant as serious tool for developers. At least some basic knowledge and experience is required. Without you'll create crap only.
Play around with 3D modeling software, eg. the free Blender. You'll see it is even much more complicated.

You have learned your lesson. Next time you might want to make regular backups of your project.

illgib81 02.12.2020 00:39
Well, i'm a 3d modeler regularly working with 3ds Max, i made several maps back in the days for Quake and Unreal, i thinkered whit latest Unreal and Unity Engine, i wouldn't call myself a "rookie".

I know the Giant ed it's a dev tool, but the point in modding it's to give users something user friendly and a bit more of help instead of "Look the videos".
We are users not game devs.
"If the Giants devs can work with the GE, others can also" means nothing, sorry.

I followed many times the tutorials and they told me almost nothing as they simply scratch the surface, leaving me whit non working maps.

What's wrong in something a bit easier though?

The game itself create xml files along saving, why we can't have the same thing in the editor?

I lost count of the time i tried to understand what's wrong in the vehicles.xml files (most of the time they simply doesn't work whitout any explanation, the only way i can make one it's copy pasting the vehicles.xml in the save folder) than building actual maps, that's not modding, it's struggling!

Why do i have to manually write a config file to tell the game where i want a store?
Why can't we have it into the editor itself, place the store and an option window whit a flag option "Load on new farm?" so saving the editor will compile the related file, as many others make.

And don't tell me the "change $data$ to data or else the game won't load the buildings and vehicles" stuff it's something intended, that's way overlooked.

I get the "as is" thing, every editor as, but that's way too much.

I dumped three almost finished maps alredy so far, everytime for some sort of bug or unknown error that made the map unrepairable.

Last i lost the farmland rollout in the layer info panel, still i don't know why, and before that no matter what i was painting the game loaded the Fellsburn farmland setup, ignoring my xml.

Sorry for the rant, but at this point i simply give up forever, it's too frustrating as is, everytime seems i'm making some progression something odd happen out of nowhere.

By the way, map editors were only sometimes the same tool devs used, most of the time it's a tailored app for modders.


Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 02.12.2020 12:31
>> We are users not game devs.
Also modders need to be some kind of developer. Without knowledge and further research one won't succeed.

>> The game itself create xml files along saving, why we can't have the same thing in the editor?
The i3d is nothings else than xml file with different suffix. You can edit as usually in a text editor. This allows changes far beyond the capabilities of the GE.

All in all the GE does its job, as you can see by the huge amount of very fine user created mods and maps.
However it is not meant as lightweight tool for beginners.

illgib81 02.12.2020 17:39
We are goin' nowhere.

So you'll despise a new version that help users making all the actual manual settings easily doable into the editor itself, so to avoid any possible error beign so heavily case sensitive, instead of manually modify with an high error risk rate as actual it's ?

That's what i'm saying, as most of the idea i'm giving are somehow present but not fully implemented.
The infolayer rollout have only a visual use, when it can have an actual use selecting different layers.
We could have a similar rollout menu for the different fields stages, instead of another misterious binary flag selection.

You wouldn't be happier if you only have to flag "Load into new farm" into a silo instead of placing, copy paste coordinates, change xml destination delete it, and load the game hoping it work? Most of the time it doesn't work.

If we could have a visual menu that automates all those tedious stuffs wouldn't be better?

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 03.12.2020 01:04
Case sensitivity is in nearly all programming languages as well as in development tools. You must live with it. For XML you can use suitable tools to validate the code.

The GE is not "all you can eat" editor. Its main purpose is the linkage between 3D modeling software and the game engine.
Also in many FS affairs you must work with bitmasks. Learn binary, you will need it if you go deeper into FS modding.

A linkage from GE with game xml files (eg. defaultItems, densityMapHeightTypes etc.) is not intended. Simple reason is: the GE is backend, the game is frontend.

illgib81 03.12.2020 17:00
Out of curiosity, are you a Giants devs or a modder?

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 03.12.2020 18:07
I'm a developer, freelancer since >40yr, but not at Giants. ;)
Modding any games is just my leisure activity.

illgib81 04.12.2020 13:13
But, sincerly, you wouldn't be ok with some editor mechanics rework and simplifications?

Rollout menu instead of binary flags?
4 or more points field definition instead of three?
Scripting or engine function to help compile xml confing files by in-editor options?
An actual and official road building tool?
A "New map" option that set a terrain node, a sun and a standard camera?

Those are my main gripes with Giants Editor since Demolition Company, i find most of the tools useless or artificially hard for their real use.

You doesn't agree, but a map editor doesn't always imply that you must know scripting, modelling and other technical stuffs.

If you don't believe me try Unreal or unity, those are developing tools, but you could create huge thing whitout writning a single line of code, but i dare you call those "all you can eat" tool.

As is, giants editor seems like a swiss knife bottle opener without a corkscrew, and i used a lot of different maps editor, but that's the only one i'm struggling in easier tasks.

It's not difficult per se, the editor and the mechanics are straight forward, but uselessly complicated by too manual forced editing.
I'm ok with manual editing in mods, there's always emprovement out of it, but you can't relay only on that.

Let's face it, it's way too much "As is", there's no real documentation, they don't even give you anymore starter files pointed in the tutorial videos, they disappeared, how am i supposed, as a newbye, start making something if you don't give me the basic to make a map?

Yes, you can copy Fellsburn and modify it, but you think a new comer would be ok faced with the amount of infos in his face whitout knowing what means what?

If you're ok whit that, good for you, but you're not me or anyone else.
Innovation it's what lead to emprovement and enjoyment, modding it's not for everyone, but it shouldn't be an elitarist closed club for some chosen ones.

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 04.12.2020 15:55
Take it as fact: the better the knowledge and experience of a modder, the better are his products.
A modder with basic programming skills will have barely problems with the GE or XML or FS LUA scripting.
Such a toy for rookies as you wish will only lead to much more poor mods full of deficiency and errors. Honestly: we don't need more of such crap, there is already enough of it.
So learn it or leave it.

And like I mentioned earlier: a new or improved editor will only come if the Giants devs need one.
Also there are obviously only very few Giants staff on editor development. IIRC is the main author Stefan Geiger (Giants CTO). As you can imagine he has surely some other priorities.

illgib81 04.12.2020 17:19
You're avoiding my questions.

Unity and Unreal are toys for rookies?

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 04.12.2020 18:32
I don't know Unity or Unreal - neither games nor editor. So what should I answer?

Your questions in 2nd paragraph are self-explanatory if you had a little bit more know-how and experience.
- You need binary/bitmask values in many FS concerns. The GE even has a converting tool binary-hexadecimal-decimal. Use it.
- For a rectangle you need 3 describing points only. A 4th is nonsense and would perhaps lead to errors.
- The GE has a LUA API. Scripts you need you can program yourself.
- The roads are totally different in each map. These are shapes you have to create yourself or copy/import from elsewhere.
- Why a "new map" option? Delete all transforms except those you still need, flatten the terrain - ready. Or use an empty map template available all around the web.

If you want to make music like Eric Clapton you must learn guitar at first. There is no easier way.

illgib81 04.12.2020 20:45
I'm a drummer, and i had a teacher that thought me things, not "Do it yourself".

I take Unreal as an example because as complex they are, they indeed are more user friendly, and you can create almost anything whitout writing a single line of code ever.
Anything it's controlled by ui, and Unreal scripting works in nodes, but still there's a write script that everyone can use, but it's not the only way, Unity it's the same.
You have scripts loaded in the project, and you set script value into the program ui, not manually for every single file into an hex editor.
That way you get less compile errors, as you don't have to remember what you wrote in a file or another, the app itself compile all the related files.
You say that way Giant Editor will becom a kid toy?
I say it will finally become a real map editor and less a math degree test.


Roads can be made out of splines dues their nature, what's wrong in an in editor tool for those?
I had to relay to user made script that worked only some times, or adapting an external modeled one, with all the wrapping issues it can give.
I bet Giants had their own tool for roads building.

Considering many maps have non square fields, and even for a simple romboid form you need two or more transform, group, you can understand why 4 nodes can help. think all the odds shaped fields in Fellsburn, the simplier one need 3 transgroup, simply to add 1 45 degree border.

The new map can easily create the fundation for a map, the actual metod works, but can lead to error if you don't know what you're doing, and it's pretty easy to delete or breake something.

Everything leads to the main point, the editor don't have any official real tutorial or guidelines, only generic videos pointing general informations.
Nowhere there's a sheet for fields or layers binary values, for example, the only one i seen were written by a user who took the struggle to write it down in the forum.

"As is" doesn't mean "That's it, it's all up to you, we don't tell you anything about".

And i repeat, if you're ok good for you, but considering a lot of people give up doing map, i might consider some improvement in the editor to simplify some of the most problematic options.

There are alredy rollout menus, why can't we have for all those binary values?
We can choose grass and crops grow state by rollout, but not field state or farmlands layer.
Serious?

What if landscaping were only doable via script? You woudln't ask for a system like the one we have?

I'm only asking for emprovement of what's alredy there.

I really don't understand your "No way" attitude, let's just stop that elitarist attitude "I'm fine, git gud" and realize that everyone have different needs, and that's not your game, but of everyone, and everyone have right to create something not only a selected group of chosen ones.
More modders doesn't mean less quality, try to think how many people out there could be good modders but are held back from the steep curve and the not so collaborative community.

I made some maps for Viscera Cleanup, the first one was a real struggle as Udk3 really isn't that user friendly at first, but it let you experiment whitout real dangers, and the community were of great help, we share ideas and solutions, everytme someone find something new or a different way to make something, it's shared with everyone.

I have to say that rarely i seen the same help here, and it's a pity 'cause it could lead to a better enjoyiment for everyone.

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 04.12.2020 21:22
I don't intend to repeat myself over and over again. In my opinion all is said.
Get familiar with the GE and the game engine's characteristics and you will have barely problems.
All you need is the will to learn. All modders have begun with first steps.

There are thousands of very fine mods around what attests the feasibility.
But also quite bad mods. And it is to be expected that such crap will increase massively if every little child can play with an editor without knowledge and comprehension.

illgib81 04.12.2020 23:50
What's wrong if everyone can mess whit it?
Nobody's forcing you to play all the "crap" around though, nore will decrease the quality of the other alredy aknowledged modder.
I really don't get your attitude so negatively against any possible improvements.
You really would get mad if Giants decided to make rollout menus effectively useful instead of only visual guiding in farmlands layer selection?
If someone finally decide to make a script that translate coords in the editor into the relative xmls?
i can't believe you would really hate those addons if sometimes they can really come.

And maybe i'm not clear enough, i'm not saying the editor it's hard, i'm saying that's pretty dumb to write down everything manually to have a farmhouse to spawn ingame when it could be made into the editor itself, since the script i'm talking about it's alredy into the game itself when you save your farm, if it can compile all the needed files when you make a new mod from game, why can't it make the same whit a compiler or along saving?
It actually write infos into the map.i3d, it shouldn't be that hard to compile the same infos to the most important xmls.
I really don't get, again, what's wrong with thtat idea, it can speed up the map creation for everyone.

The tool it's what it is, but it lack the most basic functions that every map editor should have, and only modders came in help with amateur scripts and tools.

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 05.12.2020 02:37
Bad mods are nothing else than spam - they steal the time of users to check the usability. Do you really like spam?

Many arguments you have written attest your ignorance. Only a few examples:
- The editor will never build streets automatically. These are shapes which must be created in a 3D modeler. The GE cannot create shapes (apart from primitives).
- Bitmasks are very different depending on map design. A scroll-down menu is useless in many/most cases.
- The GE doesn't know about external XMLs. It is a pure standalone editor, only regarding the i3d dependent stuff.

Now for me: end of discussion. It is not constructive if you have too less knowledge.

Espen K. (estyx) 06.12.2020 19:41
Really, BBeutlin? Attacking people verbally because they have different opionions than you?
It only seems to me that you want to gatekeep people from modding an awesome game...

On topic I thoroughly agree with Editor and modding (tools) in general needs a hefty facelift.
Giants Software seems to forget that they owe a large portion of the popularity of this game series to all the modders that have come and gone over the years, spending countless hours making mods. Be that maps, vehicles and stuff, and things that radically improves on the already existing base game (like seasons).
There is no way for modders to create a thriving community when Giants themselves dont put the effort into it. Take this forum for instance, its so basic you cant even create a simple formatted code snippet in a post.
There is no communication from the developers, if you are lucky MAYBE you will get a response to a question.
The Lua documentation is severly lacking, and by that I mean SEVERLY. Want to find something on the LUADOC page? Good luck.. you are better off downloading Giants Debugger and search the documentation through there instead.
Want to look at some odd function in lets say Placeable? Tough luck we just removed the code lines because we dont want you do see some rudimentary code that would have helped people.
So then you are left with 2 options: Try reverse engineering the function parameters and see where that takes you (usually a deep rabbit hole), or give up.

New modders are confined to search old posts, asking on multiple forums, inspecting already existing mods etc. to get their feet wet, instead of having a community forum with easily available resources to guide them (made by both the community AND Giants). Is it really so bad to actually HELP someone who wants to learn?

I for one applaud you for starting a constructive discussion, illgib81. I do hope that Giants take notice, or heck even reply to get the discussion rolling and make some positive changes. Time will tell..

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 06.12.2020 20:33
You forgot to mention one little thing.

The FS is one of the most modding-friendly games on the market.
For most games, also and especially in the AAA league, modding is hardly possible. If it is, you won't get any support from the developers at all. There is no documentation or development tools. Just like everything else, it has to be done by users themselves.

I don't like the claims of some users who demand "we want everything - and we want it right away". Unfortunately, this mentality is widespread today.

What is wrong with starting small and learning from scratch? When I modded the first games, I had to work with a hex-editor in the executable code. It only became more comfortable when game data was stored in external files that you could edit. With the widespread use of XML it became really easy.

Nevertheless, know-how and experience still belong to modding. The more complicated a game is, the more you have to learn to create useful mods.

Espen K. (estyx) 06.12.2020 20:59
You clearly are missing the whole point of the discussion illgib81 wanted to start.
This is not about the past, it's about the way forwards into the future.
Imagine having a easy way for all kinds people who play Farming Simulator to make maps, let them be creative and share it with the community.
Solid documentation that can the built up by both the community and Giants.
No-one here has demanded "we want everything - and we want it right away", we are asking for a dialog. A chance to actually grow both parts of Farming Simulator.

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 06.12.2020 21:11
Yes - I have seen many maps or mods from these people who are thinking they are modders.

Honestly: I'm happy that it is still quite difficult and requires a solid base of know-how. Else we would be spammed by millions of crap mods.

btw:
Only thing I really miss in the editor is a clipboard exchange between two editor windows to avoid external files.

Derek Squire (dezza069) 08.12.2020 23:18
"Honestly: I'm happy that it is still quite difficult and requires a solid base of know-how. Else we would be spammed by millions of crap mods"

Exactly.

illgib81 25.12.2020 20:18
Well, as i alredy pointed out, Unreal it's not prett yuser friendly, still it have thousands of official documentation and tutorials, devs and users are friendly and really helpfull.
I made three maps for Viscera cleanup detail, Udk3 it's a real pain technically compared to Giants, but still i never struggled placing my own modeled and rigged models, static meshes and custom blueprint scripts, i even had several times help from the dev himself, and the comunity it's astonishing helpful, no one ever think that only some people should mod, every new comer it's welcomed and helped improving himself instead of gatekeeping.

So sorry, but despite your 40 years in developing, you know about nothing on how videogames mod comunity really works.
And it amaze me that you've never used Unreal or Unity, they are standards since many years.
And both build internally roads system from splines, it's a pretty simple math operation like booleans.

I don't want a toddle puzzle game to paint maps, i want something that can make what i wanna make whitout finding workaround to simply place a tree.

I have to place a tg then set vehicles type into an xml to have a simple car parked at a road side.
Really?

By the way i confirm my first impression, the comunity here it's unhelpful at most.

/thread

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 26.12.2020 07:16
Would be nice if you didn't keep comparing apples to oranges.
The Unreal engine and its tools is totally different to FS/GE requirements.
So as many other games use another development environment, according to specific game engine.

illgib81 26.12.2020 17:13
Udk it's indeed a complete deve tools, but it's a level editor inself for many games, so as it was Hammer for Quake engine based games, and Build3d years before.
All share similar tools, basic modeling options and all the stuffs needed to build and code a map.

Giants Ed somehow lack some thigns that almost every other tool around have by default.

If you're fine with it as it is, good for you, but leveling everyone to yours likes it's not the right answer.
Nore the fact that mods still happen means that a rewamp or a real update wouldn't be welcomed from everyone.

If you're ok to keep bashing nails with a wood stick instead of an actual hammer, good for you.

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 26.12.2020 23:05
If you cannot imagine the differences between a 3D-shooter and something like farming sim, it's hopeless to discuss about.

illgib81 27.12.2020 04:18
Udk an fps shooter?
You don't even know what you're talking about.
Unreal it's not a game, but an engine, as Unity and Giants, all of them are dev apps, and all of them work as level editor.
Know your stuff before commenting.
And by they, since when the game genere makes a difference when we talk about editor user friendliness?
So a farming sim need a pro tech degree user to make a map, but an advanced fps/rts/whatever can be made by anyone?

I can't even...

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 27.12.2020 05:05
OMG - again you don't get the point at all.
Unreal as well as Unity are game engines developed primarily for ego shooters. This is from requirements totally different to a building or economy sim.

illgib81 27.12.2020 14:24
"Unreal as well as Unity are game engines developed primarily for ego shooters"
Here you're showing your completely ignorance on the matter.
Sorry dude, you know absolutely nothing on game devs if you think that Unreal and Unity are shooters only engines, since they are estabilished standards in game developing for every known platform.
We can make an absoultely 1:1 of Fs in both engines.

And Giants it's an engine on it's own, and Giants Editor it's the dev tools to "create" game contents in the named engine.
You know who do the same? Guess for yourself.

I'll let you in your medievil shack fiddling with stones and sticks, i'll keep my "toddler toys" that everyones but you are using for anything.

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 27.12.2020 17:26
Bullshit! Look into Wikipedia for Unreal or Unity engine game examples. 99% are action games, shooters.

Even more bullshit is
>> We can make an absoultely 1:1 of Fs in both engines.
Apart from animation handling these engines miss all important things from economy upto bio sim.

It's getting too tiresome for me to discuss here with naive, ignorant children who have never been involved in serious game development.
From my side: end of discussion.

Shawn E Carter (ShawnDaGeek) 27.12.2020 18:14
What hurts me is this is the only post that shows up when i search:

texture array outside map
text texture array used outside a map (Guideline Item 7.8)

Should i even dare asks what this means for the map inspection tool? :-( Reading this whole posts kinda killed my drive and inspiration lol.


illgib81 27.12.2020 21:29
Shawn, i feel ya mate XD

-

I guess Giants made Farming Simulator 20 with cardboard and not Unity for all the mobile devices.
Maybe economy and bio system are something so out of the world and advanced that only Giants managed to create them.

Anyway, i agree with your last sentence:

/thread

illgib81 29.12.2020 00:47
Fyi guys, i remember i saw that game some times ago, here an easy example of a unity Farming sims simple clone.

https://www.pacogames.com/driving/the-farmer-3d?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=flashgames.it&utm_campaign=adstxt-block

Despite the barebone overall, all the mechanichs are there, hell cars move when i hit them and are not rock solid as the Giant's one's.

Now, let's think about:
Exchange the low poly models with high poly ones, and the overall art style with hires assets, some code ferine, and you have an easy Farming Sims clone, all in Unity.

If i could access games data i could try for myself, as the core game it's all here.

Just a funny note from someone who knows nothing on game devs.

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 29.12.2020 03:36
Apply to Giants if you think you can do better.

Giants CTO Stefan Geiger has long ago justified why they use their own graphics engine instead availables. Amongst others, on the one hand, important functions for the FS are missing, on the other hand, there is too much overhang of superfluous functions.

Shawn E Carter (ShawnDaGeek) 29.12.2020 16:57
(c[_] cheers everyone, we need to make the best with what we have so we can make this entire community as a whole better. From live streaming to mod dev and model art. This will intern help the devs not only learn from us but acquire more of the needed assets "fn money, not a billion dollar game" to give us more to make more. Toxicity just needs to go.

A new editor with ability to paint splines and roads would be awesome, and core game flight physics lol.

Please direct feature requests to the appropriate forums. https://gdn.giants-software.com/forum_category.php?categoryId=9

Colin Smith (WrinkleysRule) 29.12.2020 17:28
Not sure what you mean by "paint Splines" but maybe this might help.

https://farmerboysmodding.com/index.php?/forum/19-mapping/

illgib81 30.12.2020 13:31
They are usefull tools indeed, like the SplineSteetConstruction, it's a pity that modders had to write them down when the yshould have been always part of the Giants Ed.

It's noyt like asking for a farminc mechanich added to an fps, but the bare minimun tools for a game that heavely relay on vehicles and driving.
It's like a rally game editor whitout a terrain or roads build system.

Espen K. (estyx) 31.12.2020 12:23
"we need to make the best with what we have so we can make this entire community as a whole better."

100% agree with you there :)
The problem is that Giants doesn't really care to communicate with the modding community. They hardly ever post anything here. Trying to contact them on Discord server is futile. It even seems like they don't care about toxicity and verbal abuse going on on their forum either.

For starters they should replace this forum solution with a better one, so that the modding community can gather resources in a single place.

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 31.12.2020 16:29
>> For starters they should replace this forum solution ..
For this purpose there is already the general forum with modding sections in several languages. This is suitable for beginners. There are also tutorials, guides .. and no one cares about previous knowledge or qualification.

However this forum is called "Giants DEVELOPER network". In my eyes this implicites some basic knowledge and this forum should be not a school for first steps in modding.

It begins with the fact that 'official' developer language is English and ends with the hope that one doesn't need to explain simpliest basics.

illgib81 01.01.2021 22:23
Since it's the only Giants ed related forum, and the first one jumping out on a Google research, it's no surprise when both skilled and newbyes users came here looking for help, and looking at the average questions, i might say there's a little tutorial problem, they tell most of the info but leave out too many important stuffs that makes people scratching their heads stucked in dumb problems that might be avoidable with better guides, support and, i can't stress anymore, an updated and a bit more user friendly editor tools.

I stand in my OP, i don't want Giant to port into a new engine, i wouls like that all the most trivial parts of the ed can be simplified when there's really no need for such arbitrary difficulties.

Again, i can't and i'll never understand why we have to use undocumented binary values (there's no official guide at all about fields and terrains id, only some user made list scattered aruond the forums) to set a field state when it could be made in a rollout menu as it is alredy for crop states, since both are binary driven.

Dare to say that set flags 1+5 it's better than a menu that clearly say "Cultivated and plowed ground".
No one in his right mind can be happy to make a 360 turn around the table when he could simply lean on his right to grab a glass of water.
Most of the editor option actually are 200km wanderland outdoor trips to get milk from the store 100m your house.

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 02.01.2021 03:48
>> undocumented binary values
That's not true. At least on the DVD version is a folder "sdk" which contains additional infos. Amongst others also explained collision masks and all cultivator/foliage values.
These lists are also available in web, also posted here in forum several times.

And you cannot simply have a scrolldown menu eg. "Cultivated and plowed ground" or with detailed foliage kind and state since this is map dependent how the author has organized it and it may differ significantly to default sdk lists which refer to the standard maps only.

On one hand this gives all freedom for individual arrangement, on the other hand certainly one must understand what to do.

illgib81 06.01.2021 00:18
There are detailed foliage states, as for every crop and grass there are all the growing stages in a rolldown menu, i'm not dreaming it.
I'm asking where's the problem having the same thing for field states, as they aren't modded and no one had added a new field state other than vanilla ones, as happened for crops instead.
So?

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 06.01.2021 09:38
Because the crops and their states are readable by the editor.
The cultivator channels are determined by the game with certain LUA variables.

Really - it is better to remain silent when you have no clue.

illgib81 10.01.2021 01:26
Beign both binary values?

Bilbo Beutlin (BBeutlin) 10.01.2021 12:08
These values are usually defined by bit offset and/or channel width like *FirstChannel, *NumChannels.
The game uses default values and modmaps may change these in the "mission.lua".

Daan Serné (Djaan) 08.08.2022 01:22
Don’t know if this post is still alive but i just wanted to share my take on it. I Made a few Maps for cities skylines and i founded it really easy to make because you could go into the in-game editor and Make a map of asset. You the creator Would for a map for example make a choice of what theme you wanted it to be in (a theme is more like a climate of the region) and then you load into a flat map divided into 81 “tiles” and from There you can just mess with terrein and easliy make mountains on the map,build roads and Create a rivers or oceans. and there is no need for coding or making thousands of transform groups to place buildings, roads or other assets in your map. It was just placing down, make-up the terrain, create the roads, make a rivier and done. You could upload it to the steam workshop from there. You can check YouTube for a large amount of tutorials about terrain making as for asset creation from the offical cities skylines YT for free instead of paying for a Manuel that costs 5 dollars. And if you go to the cities skylines youtube page you see all these tutorials are starring big asset creators helping you to make assets like them. And now i get to the giants editor part. Giants editor is a complete mess with all those transform groups and files. Its already hard to find a blank map template to make your map on and i have watched a few vids for making fs19 maps and files are missing in the discription that they mention in the tutorials and i miss alot of extra info on the topic. And to make a asset you use a Third party 3D modeling software to converting it into the giants editor and then hoping it Will work in the game. After that you still need to submit it to giants to get it uploaded to the modhub if it works. And about the submitting part i see BBeutlin complaining about spam on the modhub. This is eliminated if Every map or mod Needs to be checked by giants Devs. So i think because of this trash user interface in giants editor you don’t really make people like me excited to work with it if it is so outdated (atleast i think so). Thats pretty much it. I hope you Guys here can read this complete english grammer mess and have a great Day :)


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