[chit-chat][Lots > maxi.size][simPe Hex editor][chit-chat][roads & portals][record formats (lots and neighbourhood)]
[chit-chat]
Sorry, I misunderstood the meaning of "2x2 lot"... These days, niol is only thinking of breaking the lot limits...
[Lots > maxi.size]
Yet, lots can be graphically larger than 64x64 with make-up and appropriate orientation dependent on where the lot is placed. I've yet to play-test it in yet another exp. neighbourhood. Somedays, I should learn to start a new neighbourhood just for a particular exp.
I deem that unworthy to dig deeper up to this point I've experimented so far, but am gonna play test that instance.
I've tested the 65x65 lot with world database offsets set as 63 for both. It works as a 64x64 lot. So, the extended graphical part (the part that exceeds the 64th) is not accessible at all and probably just can be used for graphical illusion.
[simPe Hex editor]
As for the hex editor in simpe, I chose "unsigned dec." and check the "hightlight zero " to help me fast-track the patterns of values. I guess that's why they added these options in the hex editor. But it's true it's a tiring thing to edit in a hex editor, especially without "find", "replace" feature and "macros with alterable input values probably by means of script modifications?" (I really like PSP's one though for script modification. That saves extra work for the same process with different input values...).
[chit-chat]
But, I'm realy glad that the hex editor interface can be not so bright that my eyes would feel painful, quite unlike the txmt interface and bhav interface where bright white backgrounds are preset and unalterable to me. So now for txmt modding, I wear sunglasses in front of the monitor and do some templates to save my future works for repetitive editting. As you all can see from my screenshots, you all can guess the colour scheme I'm using for the comfort of my eyes.
Quote: Originally posted by Inge Jones
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Well I still think I have a bit of information missing. When you lower bits of a lot by the sea, you can usually see under the edge of the sea surface once you are less than two lots from the sea. You can dig as deep as you like but the sea edge has been reached and you just get a deep empty crater. So what spreads the water over the rest of the land?
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This I've to go dig it before any possible comment. But, I may be able to say something about the in-lot sea water.
The in-lot sea water is done by the lotskirt gridlayer (defined in a lot file and/or the game engine) and its material is defined in the neighbourhood shader. For the sea water boundaries, I guess it's defined by the height of the lotskirt water level relative to the lot terrain level rather than by the sea region defined by the neighbourhood. I guess the beach-sea transition is more like an opened swim-pool and the beach portals are nothing more like some altered swim-pool accessories especially the diving board.
BTW, the animation for the sims to get in the sea is kinda unrealistic to my eyes. It just doesn't go along with the wave pattern, and they exaggerated the whole action too much.
The moving layers of waves are controlled separately from the ocean reflection and the ocean layer vibration, and they played like the neighbourhood surf waves in the neighourhood.
[roads & portals]
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
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My initial thought, as well.
However, as I read further, I realized that aelflaed was trying to find a simple way to deal with portals which are off of the lot and which may not be visible even using the flamingo. When using the base game, I believe that there may be no way to see these portals except using SimPE... so noting their locations before and after using the flamingo seems like a reasonable way to ensure that you will be able to control them.
Perhaps this could be an optional step, based on which EP the person is using and whether their graphics card allows them to see the neighborhood beyond the current lot? Does anyone know which EP introduced the expanded view within the lot, allowing us to see the rest of the neighborhood?
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I'm using the base game to experiment with lot modding predominantly for the its full compatiblity to all game versions. And it takes a second placement in-game for the same object instance of Inge's portal revealer (the flamingo) to work in the base game. in other words, at the build mode of a lot without any family, after placing an object instance of Inge's portal revealer in a lot, a user has to pick and place back the flamingo again in order to initiate its function in the base game.
I guess that's the usage trick missed.
Previously, what I actually suggested is to place the portals, mailboxes, phonebooths and garbage cans to the regions that won't be affected by the lot rotation or the road rotation before a lot rotation or a road rotation.
Therefore, these objects will remain accessible by all means after either rotation. For this process, the hex editting is skippable.
Yet, the hex editting for the portal still lacks the manual instruction on the objt instance 0 for the graphical changes.
After all, the hex editting is still important to those whose lot's portals are already messed up. So, both ways are worthy and they can serve for different purposes and different degrees of usages.
I've got a reasonable tip for the portal position hex editting.
Should one fail to get the portals out with the suggested default values, they can always input "0" for all the portals, trash cans, phonebooths, mailboxes or else position values. Thus, regardless of lot orientation or other considerations, these objects will show up at the "origin" in most cases.
Quote: Originally posted by aelflaed
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Niol:
I had decided they were clear enough, with the titles for each window mentioned and visible, but if you think it would be better, I can tame another aspect of Paint Shop Pro I guess.
I'm not certain I understand, but I think you mean to move these things before altering the lot at all in SimPE. I don't think that would help in the case of portal markers that are missing. Unless it is the rotation of the lot that results in missing markers.
Believe me, if I can skip any part of the hex editing rigmarole, I will - that's the scariest portion of the process. I thought it best to get people to record the values before and after, then they have a written note to help if they need to undo any changes, and they can be sure of exactly what they have done to the lot.
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Believe it or not, there're always some readers who don't know how to read an unfamiliar interface, so the dummy books exist.
Certainly, even with a fast-and-easy outline, they may still feel lost because they just can't recognise the patterns yet. But, the act of outlining can help some of them to learn how to spot the things out with the most basic need. This can also help diminish confusion led by different terminologies for the same meaning.
It surely makes no big effort when one has at least some relevant programming backgrounds or one has a person with at least some programming backgrounds to direct the process, but even a small outline can help a lot for a hex editor noob.
yes, I meant to move them in advance before they become missed out. May read about that at the earlier part of this post when I respond to Mootlida for this. May not miss a trick I stated there, too. and you can add it in the tutorial without referencing me at all when finding it useful.
After all, your effort is worthy and great... Thank you with bunches of digital things as linked,
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[record formats (lots and neighbourhood)]
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
I haven't done any testing on this, but here's how I think that it works:
If you edit a lot using the in-game tools, the game lowers the land and water levels together, so you'll never see water over the land.
However, if you use SimPE to modify the land or water levels, then the game generates the water over the land the next time that it does internal regeneration of the terrain information (usually during a save after some build step).
I believe that one of the pieces of information in the terrain array is the "base" level of the terrain. IE, this is the value that the game uses when placing a lot in a neighborhood. All other array values are relative to this "base" value.
What niol did was to convince the game that the wrong floating point value inside the terrain array was the "base" terrain level... so the game believed that the lot was at absolute value 0 (ie way way down), rather than relative value 0 (ie, at the same level as the rest of the lot).
Again, I'm just guessing, based on my observations of game behavior. I don't know where in the lot package the "base" terrain level is stored, although I'm sure that we could figure it out.
Does this make any sense?
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Yes, I'm glad more ideas are placed out in the hope to help solve the puzzles..

but, the water level Inge meant might be just the lotskirt water grid layer but not the terrain water layer Mootilda meant, and they're separate things in a given lot.
Quote: Originally posted by Inge Jones
Well I don't think it can be right that the in-game terrain lowering tools lower the water too, because you can lower the ground and see the water surface still staying where it was. It just as you dig further way from the water, eventually you find its edge.
What you could be right about is that when loading the hood, it creates further water plates to cover the areas that are now low enough for them. The water plates are always rectangular.
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That's the simplest way to create them graphically, and this is the same for the terrain water layer, the swim-pool, and many others. I've been showing the terrain one in the full version of my Kavar003 lot at its hidden basement.
By means of layering and masking, the irregular shapes are actually by the objects as the masks.
Quote: Originally posted by plasticbox
I reckon that Mootilda is thinking of the water created with the water tool (ponds and such), and you think of the neighbourhood water. Both of you would be right in this case, as far as my experience goes: pond water always moves down when lowering terrain, sea water never does.
Regarding the latter -- sea water --, I've seen some inconsistent behaviour in my games: normally, the entire hood will have the same ground water level: dig deep enough and you'll hit water. Sometimes it's not immediately visible, but if I exit+reload and/or put the lot in the bin+back or move it around a bit, it'll be there (No, I haven't done any systematic research on what exactly triggers it to show up). Cf all the "help! there's water in my basement!" threads on mts2 .. this seems to be the case in lots of people's games.
However, I've had some lots really close to a beach (and on the same street level with beach lots) that should have had groundwater by all means, but I couldn't get it to show up. I tried because I wanted them to have the beach terrain (which in my experience correlates with the presence of sea water), but nothing worked .. I have no idea why, but I think this has a reason beyond "my game hates me".
By "beach lots" I mean selfmade ones btw (sloped lots submerged in sea water), I don't have BV.
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1. the neighbourhood water layer is not the same as the lotskirt water layer (the one used for the sea/ocean in the in-lot view), and so I guess this is not the one Inge was pointing at.
There're actually 3 type of water layers here:
- the neighbourhood water layer (for neighbourhood view since the base game and in-lot background view since EP2 NL)[This may be what Plasticbox guessed Inge meant]
- the lotskirt water layer (for in-lot view only since EP2 NL, including the "sea/ocean" of a beach lot)[this may be what Inge meant]
- the terrain water layer (for in-lot pond/lake/etc only since the base game.)[This may be what Mootilda meant.]
Their material definitions can all be traced from the material shaders.
2. a lot reload or a neighbourhood reload is necessary for the generation of the neighbourhood water layer and the lotskirt water layer from my experiences. I've not come across a case in which I need to reload a lot to generate the terrain water layer though probably because it's directly linked to the water tool.
3. for references first, the "beach lots" plasticbox stated are normal lots made in a process mentioned in the linked tutorial.
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=184564