How to create Puzzle Pieces for the RHW Mod version 3.0

jmvl · February 22, 2009, 05:02:46 PM

Hello everyone,

Now I'm building a very special Puzzle Piece for the RHW Mod version 3.0: A RHW-8 to RHW-6C transition with a MIS entrance and a MIS exit lane. It's a Puzzle Piece that isn't in the RHW Mod now and also my first Puzzle Piece. I really need this Puzzle Piece to finish one of my highways. I've made the texture for it already. It must look in the game like this (image with all textures for this Puzzle Piece together).

I'm an absolute beginner on creating Puzzle Pieces. I have examined the RHW-4/MIS-1 Exit Ramp-Style C Puzzle Piece. I'm now able to change the texture of a exist segment of a Puzzle Piece, path (a segment of) a Puzzle Piece and I know how to edit textures and how to change the preview model of a Puzzle Piece. I've also read Redlotus Interchange Tutorial, but it didn't give me (in my opinion) very much useful information fur building a Puzzle Piece for the RHW Mod version 3.0 and it's very dated. After my experimentation with SC4 DAT Reader, the reading of Redlotus Interchange Tutorial and other transit modding related articles on the SC4 Devotion Wiki, I've still a few unanswered questions:

1. How can I add a new segment to the Puzzle Piece? I have examined the RHW-4/MIS-1 Exit Ramp-Style C Puzzle Piece. (I can't make a new Puzzle Piece yet.) In the preview model (IID: 5ceb2005) I can add a new segment to the Puzzle Piece, but not in the "real" model.
2. How can I change something that I call "the inputs and the outputs" of a RHW Puzzle Piece? When people place my Puzzle Piece, they will able to drag a RHW-8 (in both directions) at a side of the Puzzle Piece and to drag a MIS at the left side, a RHW-6C and a MIS at the right side at the other side of the Puzzle Piece (see also the image below). How can I do this?

3. How do you put a new Puzzle Piece in a Tab Ring of a RHW Menu (in this case the "RHW Ramp Interface Puzzle Pieces" menu). I've read something about add entries in the RUL 0x10000000 file here. Unfortunately the RHW Mod version 3.0 (and the NAM January 2009 version) doesn't uses this way of adding Puzzle Pieces to a TAB Ring anymore. You have to give your new Puzzle Piece a specific IID, but which?

I hope that somebody can answer (a few of) my questions. Thanks in the advance.

MandelSoft · February 23, 2009, 03:08:51 AM

I think making puzzle pieces is a task of the NAM team, because I don't know anyone who makes new puzzle pieces outside of the NAM team. So I think this will not be realised. By the way, to my opinion is this puzzle piece a bit too specialistic, so that makes the chance of realisation even smaller.

I'm sorry to report this bad news, but I'm afraid that this is the reality. Until then I say in dutch: Roeien met de riemen die je hebt (use the stuff what you already have).

Best,
Maarten

jmvl · February 23, 2009, 09:25:32 AM

It's right that it is a specialistic Puzzle Piece. I want to create a new 6 lane RHW trough one of my cities, with longer merging lanes, so I needed a RHW-8 Ramp Style C Puzzle Piece (with three lanes to a RHW-6S and the other to a MIS). But the RHW-6S has even much capacity as a RHW-4 and that is to little. So I need the RHW-6C to do this, that why I've created this specialistic Puzzle Piece.

Quote from: mrtnrln on February 23, 2009, 03:08:51 AM
I think making puzzle pieces is a task of the NAM team, because I don't know anyone who makes new puzzle pieces outside of the NAM team.

Well, cogeo asked two years ago help on creating Puzzle Piece here and he got it. And I think he wasn't a member of the NAM Team when he asked it. That gives me hope that someone will help me on creating this Puzzle Piece. By the way, when the RHW Team won't include my Puzzle Piece in their new version of the Mod, I always can release it as a plugin for it.

Maybe I have to wait to build the RHW trough one of my cities until someone of the NAM Team has helped me (or made the Puzzle Piece by their selves, I'll be glad enough with a RHW-8 Ramp Style C Puzzle Piece).
Anyway, thanks for your response, I will stay here on this topic until someone of the NAM Team has helped me. I've hope.

Andreas · February 23, 2009, 11:28:34 AM

Well, you certainly can develop your own puzzle pieces (and even release them separately), but you still have to talk to the NAM Team, since any puzzle piece has to be added to the central RUL file that is contained in the NAM Controller. There's no way around this.

noahclem · February 25, 2009, 05:22:40 PM

Thanks for your efforts with this puzzle piece. I've avoided using RHW-6C in my cities because there are so few puzzle pieces available to integrate it with other (especially higher-capacity) RHW networks. I would love to have this piece for my cities and wish you the best of luck with it.

jmvl · March 03, 2009, 11:18:01 PM

I've some good news, maybe especially for noahclem: I'm done!
In one week I've figured out my questions and created my first Puzzle Piece! Here's the result:

For this puzzle piece I've used the Instance IDs 0x5ceb4400 to 0x5ceb4834 and the IntersectionInfo IDs 55E0, 55E1, 55E2 and 55E3 in the RUL 0x10000000-file. I've chosen this Instance IDs and IntersectionInfo IDs just to test my Puzzle Piece.

Quote from: Andreas on February 23, 2009, 11:28:34 AM
Well, you certainly can develop your own puzzle pieces (and even release them separately), but you still have to talk to the NAM Team, since any puzzle piece has to be added to the central RUL file that is contained in the NAM Controller. There's no way around this.

Andreas, thank you very much for you reply. First I didn't understand what you meant, but a few days later, after some nosing about in my SimCity 4 Plugins directory, I saw a file named NetworkAddonMod_Controller.dat in the STR subdirectory of the NAM. (Usually it is in the NAM directory, but not if you have a STR Beta version, like me.) After I opened this file and read valuable information about the RUL 0x10000000-file in the SimCity 4 Encyclopaedia, all my questions become clear for me. I know that I've to register some Instance IDs and IntersectionInfo IDs for my Puzzle Piece, to prevent conflicts with other future (NAM) Puzzle Pieces. Also I've to give the code for my Puzzle Pieces in the RUL 0x10000000-file to somebody of the NAM Team in order that it can be putted in a new central RUL 0x10000000-file (in a NAM Essentials update). Do you, or anybody else, know with which member of the NAM Team I can talk about reserving Instance IDs, IntersectionInfo IDs and putting my code for the Puzzle Piece in the central RUL 0x10000000-file? Thanks in the advance.

This was my first Puzzle Piece, but I'm going to create more Puzzle Pieces. Here is a list:
- A RHW-8 to RHW-6C transition with a MIS entrance and a MIS exit lane (left puzzle piece)
- A RHW-8 to RHW-6C transition (left and right puzzle pieces)
- A RHW-6C to RHW-4 transition with a MIS entrance and a MIS exit lane (left and right puzzle pieces)

I also need Instance IDs and IntersectionInfo IDs for these Puzzle Pieces. Can somebody of the NAM Team give my a Instance ID and a IntersectionInfo ID range so that I can create this Puzzle Pieces? Thanks in the advance.

allan_kuan1992 · March 03, 2009, 11:50:35 PM

Remarkable

That was fast.

- Allan Kuan

wouanagaine · March 04, 2009, 03:03:43 AM

I think you need to rework the texture, on can clearly see some banding effect/abrupt change in them
But good job in beeing fast and asking for ranges

jmvl · March 04, 2009, 03:31:29 AM

Quote from: wouanagaine on March 04, 2009, 03:03:43 AM
I think you need to rework the texture, on can clearly see some banding effect/abrupt change in them
But good job in beeing fast and asking for ranges

Yeah, I know, thank you for notice that. I've made the textures just to test the Puzzle Piece and I'm going to change them on another day. The banding effect/abrupt looks a little bit weird at some places. Changing textures isn't a lot of work (instead of creating a whole Puzzle Piece), I've just to change some FSH-files in the DAT-file of my Puzzle Piece.

Tarkus · March 04, 2009, 11:23:08 AM

jmvl, as I said in the RHW thread, congratulations on making your first puzzle piece! You seem to have the process figured out quite well. The IID scheme is based on the type of RHW used in the interface--usually the smaller of the two is chosen in instances with auxiliary lanes like yours, so it will likely end up fitting somewhere in the 0x5cecNNNN range ("c" being used for all new RHW puzzle pieces, "ec" being a network code for the RHW-6S/C). I'll be in touch with you over the next day or so.

-Alex (Tarkus)

Blue Lightning · March 04, 2009, 01:59:34 PM

This is awesome. You're a pretty fast learner. (like me

) Anyway, as Alex said, you'll need a IID range to work with, otherwise there might be conflicts. You are off to a wonderful start, and I can't wait to see some more great stuff from you.

Keep up the good work,
Vince

PS: Try not to use the 0x5e075000-0x5e07FFFF range, I'm using it

PS2: Also, you might be interested in RUL 0x10000002, as it is the RUL that governs the draggable part of the RHW.

superhands · March 04, 2009, 11:27:58 PM

jmvl and vince, great work

dave

jmvl · March 05, 2009, 09:28:19 AM

Quote from: Tarkus on March 04, 2009, 11:23:08 AM
jmvl, as I said in the RHW thread, congratulations on making your first puzzle piece! You seem to have the process figured out quite well. The IID scheme is based on the type of RHW used in the interface--usually the smaller of the two is chosen in instances with auxiliary lanes like yours, so it will likely end up fitting somewhere in the 0x5cecNNNN range ("c" being used for all new RHW puzzle pieces, "ec" being a network code for the RHW-6S/C). I'll be in touch with you over the next day or so.

-Alex (Tarkus)

Thank you very much, Tarkus, I will wait until you send me a PM about which IID I can use.

Quote from: Blue Lightning on March 04, 2009, 01:59:34 PM
This is awesome. You're a pretty fast learner. (like me ) Anyway, as Alex said, you'll need a IID range to work with, otherwise there might be conflicts. You are off to a wonderful start, and I can't wait to see some more great stuff from you.

Keep up the good work,
Vince

PS: Try not to use the 0x5e075000-0x5e07FFFF range, I'm using it
PS2: Also, you might be interested in RUL 0x10000002, as it is the RUL that governs the draggable part of the RHW.

Thanks, Blue Lightning. There will be more stuff from me soon. And I'm certainly not going to use the 0x5e075000-0x5e07FFFF range.

Keep up the good work also, Vince!

noahclem · March 24, 2009, 09:05:45 PM

Thanks a lot jmvl! Great work and really fast. I'm sure you've already smoothed out the kinks in the textures--speaking of which, is this piece available for download at all? I look forward to seeing more of your work around!

jmvl · March 25, 2009, 12:39:26 AM

I'm sorry, this Puzzle Piece isn't available for download now. burgsabre87 and Tarkus have offered to make new textures for this Puzzle Piece. I think they are working on the textures of it now, but I haven't heard of them for two weeks. I'm going to create more Puzzle Pieces, but after I 're-textured' this Puzzle Piece. (And for that I need the textures, that burgsabre87 and Tarkus are making.)

noahclem · March 26, 2009, 12:22:10 AM

No worries! Unfortunately for myself the only thing I have less of than the time to put into making the many puzzle pieces I would love to have is the skill to make them. Again, I look forward to seeing more of your work and by the way I love your country!

jmvl · April 05, 2009, 09:21:23 AM

Hello everyone,

I've put this message on this RHW Topic, but I forget to place it here. Here it is, sorry for the delay.

The second and final version of the RHW-8 to RHW-6C transition with a MIS entrance and a MIS exit lane Puzzle Piece is completed now. Special thanks to Alex (Tarkus), who made its wonderful North American textures. Here are some pictures:

Also, thank you for liking my country, noahclem. I can't say if I like your country too, I've never been in the U.S.A.

But I like American people, here on the forums they're always friendly and helpful.

io_bg · April 05, 2009, 09:44:48 AM

Looking great!

When are you going to release it? I don't want to rush you, but I'd use this piece a lot.

jmvl · April 05, 2009, 09:59:26 AM

Well, io_bg, I think it's most likely going to be a part of a new RHW Release or update when there is a NAM Essentials update. This is because all Puzzle Pieces are defined in one central file, the RUL 0x10000000 file in the NAM Controller DAT file. Without some lines of code in this file, my Puzzle Piece won't work. I've sent my code lines a day ago to the NAM Team, so that someone of them can put it into the central file.