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MGB's Mods and other stuff

Started by mgb204, May 04, 2015, 04:48:16 PM

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mgb204

The preview installer only contains the Paeng Sandstone (PSS) version of SWN. Other versions will be released eventually, but not as part of the preview. Of course the readme will be the same for all, hence the mention of such variants there.

Mikey Knox

Thought so, thx for the clarification :)

Mikey Knox

Is it intentional that the Cul de Sacs from NAM get removed when i use your TGN Mod? I never noticed it until yesterday when i read the new NAM Documentation and i saw them showing up and i wondered why i dont have them anymore  ;D

mgb204

The current version of TGN doesn't support them, but the new release (which will come eventually) does.

mgb204

It's a tree (he says)  :o:



Don't ask me how, but using a model I found on the internet I managed to get this far making an Acacia Tree (HD). In the picture it's surrounded by some of Girafe's flora as a comparison, more for comparing colour than quality. The point is, I know it's not perfect, but it blends in well with other tree models, took not so terribly long to tweak and it's an extra tree, who couldn't use such a thing? Orange dots next to Winter versions so you can more easily tell which are the ones I made.

Comes for use as props in the LE & as an MMP, both seasonal. For now I'm attaching it for download on this post. But, if I manage to make some variants of shape/size later, I'll turn it into a normal download. I have a feeling I won't get that far, so rather than have it sit on my HDD, you can have it in-game right now.

Alan_Waters

#285
Great! I already took it myself. In Russia, however, acacia is more common in the form of bushes. Evergreen version is present?

mgb204

Seasonal only for the moment, I didn't even think about a non-seasonal variant to be honest. I'll try and do that as an option at some point though.

Badsim

Hi Robin ,

Downloaded for further inspection ... At the first look , not that bad for a first tree  ;D . But it was necessary to indicate us that it is an acacia . Nothing wrong about colours , autumn is perfect ( they've  rather discreet falls ) , the green version is maybe a little too dark ... I've got a lot of them next to my house ( I'm living directly next to a railway where they freely grow ) and they're rather slender which means or the trunk of your is too thick , or it should be taller and larger ...  small criticisms really , in comparison to the pleasant surprise to see you getting involved in that kind of stuff .  :P

&apls

Cédric.

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Seaman

Hi MGB,

I have a problem with the "Cataylst's SAM 7 Bikepath Mod for TGN (v2.1)".
I've installed it and the wide radius curves do not override correctly. Since the description explicitly states that they are already included, I am wondering about it. But since this seems like a very obvious thing, I am sure that I've done something wrong. Any suggestions here?

mgb204

Since the release of this version pre-dates NAM36 when the draggable WRCs were introduced, they are not supported yet in any release. Those WRCs the readme refers too are puzzle-based using the Rural Roads Plugin which has been around for ages. Those will correctly show the SAM7 BP textures, but cannot be re-used for the draggable ones since they are very different.

I have finished the new textures, along with some other updates which should hopefully see release before the end of the year.

Seaman

Quote from: mgb204 on November 28, 2017, 01:58:06 PM
Since the release of this version pre-dates NAM36 when the draggable WRCs were introduced, they are not supported yet in any release. Those WRCs the readme refers too are puzzle-based using the Rural Roads Plugin which has been around for ages. Those will correctly show the SAM7 BP textures, but cannot be re-used for the draggable ones since they are very different.

I have finished the new textures, along with some other updates which should hopefully see release before the end of the year.

ahh... this explains why I was surprised to see the WRCs mentioned in the description (I'm already so used to the draggable SAM WRCs that I totally forgot the puzzle pieces... nice Job NAM team!)

thx mgb204 for the quick answer and help (and the sneek peek)  :thumbsup:

mgb204

Been a while... I've been VERY busy with one thing or another, including much effort to bring the RTMT 4.0 project to release. So my own modding has taken a back seat, but in the process of testing a region, I did what I always do, started nit-picking...

I needed a region I could work on, where I could use a minimal Plugins suite, but I despair looking at vanilla SC4 too much. So it didn't take long before I was installing cosmetic mods at least, knowing everything would safely revert to vanilla for anyone using the region without the same Plugins folder. Next thing you know, I decided to try out TWrecks' recent HD Tree Replacement mod, which is excellent and I can highly recommend. But there was a gap, now God Mode Flora (Tree Controller), looked awful next to these lovely HD trees elsewhere. I needed a quick an dirty fix, so I made a similar override for the God Mod flora, using Girafe's Oaks and Abies Grandes to replace the Maxis Oaks and Pines. Which gives you this:



Close Up:



Sorry for the shoddy terrain work, sometimes you just want a screenshot  :P

The upshot being, having tweaked the tree sizes for the Oaks, I think this works OK as a quick and dirty mod. If all you want is some basic but nice looking trees, replacating the functionality of the Maxis God Mode Brush, this does the trick. Just pop the mod in your Plugins folder, along with the dependencies (the trees obviously), and you are set.

Want to go back?, or switch to another tree controller? No problem, because this is a simple override, remove it and everything is fine, well except the Maxis tress coming back!

Attached here in case it's of interest to others. Note, it's non-seasonal ONLY, because we can't replace non-timed (RKT1) props with timed ones (RKT4). But also, because seasonal is not the point of this mod.

Alan_Waters

Looks great.  :thumbsup:
But I would replace the bushes. IMO

Akallan

I really like the idea, and I think it's the best mod for replacing trees for a player like me. Because I only use Girafe trees, they are the best. I only think that there is a flaw in your mod: there are far too many bushes. Are there still settings to make? Well done! :thumbsup:
My CJ :


My european road textures project : S N T - v.2.1

mgb204

#294
I've been working on an excellent Pepper Tree model that came my way courtesy of Matias93 on ST. I kept getting an awful "Halo" effect around the outside of the tree though, the complex alpha simply wasn't working and I almost shelved it entirely. Recently, I saw some trees where the cutout, that's the background parts of a texture, that when cut from the Alpha or transparency channel will be unused, matches the edges of the cut image. I figured I'd give it a try and finally managed to get some decent results:



The Autumn/Winter model has a subtle colour shift, with some reddish hues added from berries which grow in those seasons. They are so small in practise that it just alters the colours of the leaves ever so slightly, rather than show actual berries, but I still think it's worth keeping a seasonal choice.

Speaking of trees...

Quote from: Badsim on October 18, 2017, 06:14:20 AM
...the green version is maybe a little too dark ... I've got a lot of them next to my house ( I'm living directly next to a railway where they freely grow ) and they're rather slender which means or the trunk of your is too thick , or it should be taller and larger ...

Thanks for your invaluable feedback, I've brightened the Summer model just a small amount and modified the trunk to be half as wide/deep. New versions look like this:



I've also tweaked the textures, to make them a little sharper and also done the same trick for the cutout as the Pepper trees. I think they are much improved for this.

Both Seasonal and Evergreen variants of these are attached to this post. Included for each tree are an MMP and Props for the included trees to use in the LE. You can use both Seasonal and Evergreen together, as the MMPs and Props have unique IDs. Note the Seasonal versions include the Evergreen Prop. But no seasonal models/props are included with the Evergreen versions. Enjoy.

Quote from: Alan_Waters on October 12, 2018, 10:54:15 AM
But I would replace the bushes. IMO
Quote from: Akallan on October 13, 2018, 02:07:37 PM
I only think that there is a flaw in your mod: there are far too many bushes. Are there still settings to make?

Long and short, I didn't want to get into replacing the Maxis Scrub Brush, since no suitable models really exist for it. Bear in mind, these are many models "merged" together and there is no easy way to replace them, without loosing the cluttered effect the originals give. Honestly, it's an Ad-Hoc mod I won't be using much, but just wanted rid of those last darn Maxis trees. So despite it's flaws, it's unlikely I'll be altering the mod further in any way.

Andreas

The pepper trees look really nice, and I'd say all the model and alpha tweaking surely paid off. I think the trunks of the acacia trees are a little too thin now, maybe you could model something in between your first approach and this one? Regarding the God Mode flora brush, it's a pity that there aren't that many suitable bushes and shrubs (well, maybe there are, but it's quite a chore to piece them together, and it would probably mean a dozen dependencies at least...).
Andreas

mgb204

Quote from: Andreas on October 29, 2018, 07:54:20 AM
I think the trunks of the acacia trees are a little too thin now, maybe you could model something in between your first approach and this one?

It's an option, but for the moment I'll keep them as-is. I've already spent a lot of time getting them together, but if I do expand them in future I'll consider that approach.

Quote from: AndreasRegarding the God Mode flora brush, it's a pity that there aren't that many suitable bushes and shrubs (well, maybe there are, but it's quite a chore to piece them together, and it would probably mean a dozen dependencies at least...).

The real problem is merging shrubs together to make a single model. Since to my knowledge, there is no way to have multiple models on one stage of the God Mode brush. Sure, you could compensate by having multiple steps that when used over larger areas will mix everything together. But we're getting very far away from a quick and dirty mod to pull that off. If this were something I planned to make extensive use of in my main regions, I might consider it. But as a mod just to avoid some Maxis trees, that's simply too far down the rabbit hole.




2 Years of hideous computer problems, caused by a faulty mainboard have had a serious impact on my modding activities. Thankfully I've recently re-built my system with a new board and all this is in the rear view finally. Which brings me too...

TGN is getting a little outdated, the last v2 release was a few years back and whilst I did make a NAM35 "patch" available (ST Attachment Only). I've since made considerable additions to the mod. However, I'm all too aware that despite having many mods 99% ready, it may still be a while before I can get them release-ready. Most of those updates will have to wait for now, it's too complex to offer patches for everything, but one of the most significant updates is with the BSC Texture Override.

Since it came up on another thread, problems with mismatching textures used with BSC Parks, I've uploaded an update for TGN for the BSC Vol1-3 Override. You can find that on Google Drive here. Once there, choose one of the following TGN variants (folder name), then download the file you need from inside it:

  • AP - Appalachian
  • BO - Berner Overland
  • BOu - Berner Overland (Unified Wealth)
  • PY - Pyrenean
  • SV - Sudden Valley
  • SVu - Sudden Valley (Unified Wealth)
    This file (TGN BSC Vol1-3 Override.dat) should replace the equivalent one from your existing TGN mod.

    Note that you can download all variants if you want, but the file names are identical, so they need to be kept in separate folders. But most people will probably only need one of them. Eventually this will be included in the next release, but it's about twice the number of supported textures of the original, so should be useful to have.

mgb204

#297
I've just finished uploading my Filler Set v2 on the LEX. For those following (geez, it's been 4 years), I've bundled together the following mods:


  • My original Diagonal Fillers (Texture Based)
  • The overhanging sidewalk-adaptable fillers, along with Pedmall extenders, both previously only available as a preview.
    The new release replaces those, but also includes new lots for all three wealths of sidewalks/grass. In addition to pieces for Concrete, Rural/Dirt and Pedmalls.
  • Overrides for some of Paeng's mods, which convert existing lots to use my new adaptable pieces.
    Note these are not officially on any exchange, but I've attached them to this post on ST.

Here's a sample of the Overhanging Pieces included:



All of those shown are included with options for $, $$ & $$$ sidewalks, which will pick up your installed sidewalk automatically. $, $$ & $$$ Grass lots remove the x3 and two Point pieces. The remaining options include a x2 extender and half triangle filler only. This is to keep the number of lots in check. However, for each texture variant, there are 13 props included in the package. So if there is a piece you need, you just need to make a lot.

The Concrete and Grass lots need a dedicated texture to work, since S3D models can't use Lot Textures, only Network ones. However, should you wish to override the textures on them, you can do so by copying one texture and altering the ID. Then replace or override the included one from the package. Full details in the readme. Speaking of which...




TGN users will want to download the appropriate patch, on Google Drive here. Once there, choose one of the following TGN variants (folder name), then download the file you need from inside it:

  • AP - Appalachian
  • BO - Berner Overland
  • BOu - Berner Overland (Unified Wealth)
  • PY - Pyrenean
  • SV - Sudden Valley
  • SVu - Sudden Valley (Unified Wealth)
    This file (TGN S3D Textures.dat) should be placed in the root folder of the TGN mod, by default Plugins\z____MGB Mods\G - TGN. This will allow the diagonal fillers and extenders for Paeng's Parks to match TGN properly and will be included in the next release of TGN.

    Note that you can download all variants if you want, but the file names are identical, so they need to be kept in separate folders. But most people will probably only need one of them.

manga rivotra

Your "Filler set" is already totally indispensable for me.  :thumbsup:
Thank you for this important innovation, and for the explanations concerning the textures on the SD3 files, very useful.  ;)

metarvo

This is going to be useful for solving one of the ongoing problems I'm having.  Plopped lots cause the wealth textures of the nearby diagonal road to revert to grass, which is a problem if I'm building industrial-concrete-type areas next to the road.  The overhanging lots will be a way to avoid this.  Nice job!  :thumbsup:
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Here are some rural power lines.