CityMania

[croxis]

If you can send me an outline or some parameters as soon as you can and I can implement the more mundane aspects, UI, server/client management, file handling, etc.

[tomkeus]

You'll get everything, although it might take me some time to comment it out.

[strucka]

Awesome guys!!

[tomkeus]

Mmmkay, sidetracked again. It is just amazing how new unexpected stuff just piles up, but we want to make good fundamentals so we wont have to constantly return to ground code later.

As we add new functionality to Construction Layer (and UI client in general) new questions on how to integrate it into the broad picture constantly pop up. So, the decision is to make the app with the small core, and implement everything else as a plugin. This ofcourse, raises the question of the plugin architecture and how to implement it, answer to which is everything but trivial.

[Jonathan]

Something that might cut down on the menus a bit: (just a suggestion)
Are you going to be using a grid? If you are you could have a feature which lets you select an area and then "ask" what can I put here. The game will then find everything that can fit in that space and say that area has quite a lot of pollution it will put things that reduce pollution near the top of the list, while things that create pollution go at the bottom.

[croxis]

No grid. There might/probably be a guiding grid to help with construction.

However a suggestion idea might be interesting. Selecting an area and obtaining the average conditions. But I do have a feeling most experienced city builders do not want it or wont use it. Might ba good feature for newer players.

[Nique]

A grid like this?

• Select a transport network/ OR LAY DOWN A HELPER LINE! to activate some grid around it
• Use the grid of the selected network to lay down new roads align to that grid

Example:



I think there is still some base grid needed to draw overview maps (for water, electricity etc)

Then optionally somewhere in the screen to set the grid width (in in-game meters/kilometers or feet whatever the user has set). You can make perfectly scaled neighborhoods then .

Easy to calculate gardens.
You can build houses on full squares (not sliced ones), the garden of the house / building can be calculated by the computer.
When you expand the road, the garden will be destroyed (or even the house if it is to close to the road). When you finished the expansion of the road, you will be asked if the computer should calculate the new gardens along the road you expanded.

(of course with a message like this: "Do you allow the buildings along this road to set out their gardens?")
Maybe even with a new 'setting window, to set garden properties'.[/list]

[tomkeus]

I have worked out most of that stuff and also how to code it. The only problem is I cannot manage to sit and write down construction process for you guys to discuss.

[Nique]

Ok,

I dont know what you mean. But i think this is a beautiful concept because it is like it is in real life. This way you get unique sets of gardens/lots, while the buildings are sometimes the same. This will give you the illusion that it is still different. (in fact it is..)

Maybe add properties to buildings to set color sets

[townscape]

@tomkeus: post a youtube video about it, it's faster

[Nique]

Hello all!

City Mania is really a good idea!

How can I help you?
I'm a software developer by profession, and altough I usually code hardware interface softwares, I can surely help you!

I usually write code in C# or Delphi, so, if you need help, just ask!
I'll be very glad to help!

:-)

Luca.

This guy offered help. 

[RebaLynnTS]

I'd help if I could, but you are already way past my level of programming skills.

[croxis]

This was past mine when I started. Didn't stop me from learning

[Sartoris]

This was past mine when I started. Didn't stop me from learning

It helps that Python is easy to learn if you have prior knowledge of any object-oriented language. I figured it out pretty quick from the guide you sent me to. Now I just need to find a way to stop being so overwhelmed at work  .

[RebaLynnTS]

This was past mine when I started. Didn't stop me from learning

There is also the fact that I am not sure I want to get into it right now. I will be heading into surgery in the next few weeks, and though it is not major, I don't want to start something right now I might not be able to work on for a while.

I have to have my knee worked on again.

[JoeST]

There is also the fact that I am not sure I want to get into it right now. I will be heading into surgery in the next few weeks, and though it is not major, I don't want to start something right now I might not be able to work on for a while.

Well we'll be around for a while

Joe

[danielsard]

Hey guys, I just want to thank you for putting all this time and effort for this project. I wish I could help, but Im completely blank when it comes to coding. If you guys need help with anything non coding/drawing related, I guess I can lend a hand, if not, like another folk said, I'll sit on the sidelines and cheer the awesome work thats being done!!

[tomkeus]

I have started a new wave about the client app design here: https://wave.google.com/wave/waveref/googlewave.com/w+IaqzM-VAA

[Lowkee33]

Keep going everybody! You are doing great work!

I know nothing about programing, but I have read this thread

Since the grid is being talked about right now perhaps I can at least spark some thought... I have two ideas

1)  I want a road from point A to point B and there is a hill between them.  SimCity4 makes a straight road.  Perhaps there is a way for the game to calculate the path that would yield the least amount of elevation change and return that as the road path.  Perhaps I could press TAB and cycle through various paths of elevation the road could take.

2)  For zoneing...  Using the previous Nique picture as a reference.  First, if you could change the orientation of the grid to make roads, why not orient the zones to the grid that the road was on?  (The third picture is using the grid from the first picture.  Why not from the second picture?).  Second, the third picture has four zone areas.  Perhaps there is a way to have this as one zone area.  The computer would then calculate the best configuration of multiple buildings in the same zone area.  Is this clear?  ...Perhaps the grid in the second picture is for road building help only and otherwise not functional...  Otherwise, the program could choose which grid to use as it calculates the best configuration of buildings.

Beyond me.  Perhaps you are focused on other things right now.  My hope is that this post may stir some thoughts.  Thanks for your work.

[tomkeus]

1)  I want a road from point A to point B and there is a hill between them.  SimCity4 makes a straight road.  Perhaps there is a way for the game to calculate the path that would yield the least amount of elevation change and return that as the road path.  Perhaps I could press TAB and cycle through various paths of elevation the road could take.

Actually, I would very much like to hear what people think about this. Now, keep in mind that network is done differently thatn in SC4, where roads were tiles on the grid, while here roads are straight and curved lines. So, when you draw a road, you point and click, the same way as you would do when you draw lines in drawing programs. Now since terrain between endpoints can vary question arises about what should road surface do between the endpoints. Should it stick to the terrain level and follow it, or should it stay on it's mathematically assigned course and set up embankments, tunnels and bridges along it's way?