Unified Props Placeholder for Lot Editor or T21

[vinlabsc3k]

I don't know if already requested or discussed, but I have an idea to make a prop placeholder to make easy
the switching between two props of the same type, but of two different author, like catenaries or lamppost,
if someone prefers one type of prop instead of the other without to modify the lot itself.
And I'd know if this method is valid even for T21.

[mgb204]

I believe what you are talking about is simply an override. Due to how SC4 works, every object has a unique ID assigned to it. By using an existing ID, but for a different object, using load order, you can override such objects.

So one example might be a T21 mod with European Street Signage. If you gave a set of US Street Signage props identical IDs to the EU set, but loaded those files later, even though the T21 mod was intended to be with EU signs, the US ones would show.

Of course as always there are some caveats to this, but it's totally possible to do.

[vinlabsc3k]

I don't want a simple override, but a blank prop that if a specific plugin is present it shows in-game.
Example: if you have plunderer catenaries instead of SFBT ones then the lot show this prop and vice versa

[mgb204]

But that would just overcomplicate things. You don't need the blank prop, just to ID the props correctly. Which even with a blank prop, you'd need to do anyway. So why bother with the blank prop in the first place?

[vinlabsc3k]

Because if a "Lotter" use the blank prop then the gamer don't need to download a new dependency!

[mgb204]

Because if a "Lotter" use the blank prop then the gamer don't need to download a new dependency!

But in order to show anything, a dependency will be required anyhow? It doesn't matter if you have only the base props, just the override props or both/multiple sets installed. The end result is the same, so again, why bother with the blank props?

[Andreas]

Well, the "blank" prop is basically a "dependency" itself, because any prop consists of a prop exemplar file and a model file (an "invisible" one in this case). The lot exemplar file is using the ID of the prop exemplar file as a "placeholder" already. Just have a look at a prop family, you place one object on the lot, but the game is able to pick from several models.

I used this technique for the SFBT Street Tree Mod, where I created prop families for various trees, but I assigned the same prop family ID to all trees. You're still able to pick between different sets of trees, because I modified the prop exemplar files, which point to different tree models in the various sets, but use the same prop family ID.

One could use the very same method for quickly switching between various catenary sets: Use a common prop family ID in the T21 exemplar files, then make several DAT files with prop exemplar files, using said prop family (or rather families, since you need various catenaries for various situations), but reference to different catenary models.

To make it easier, both the catenary prop exemplar files and models of each set could be merged into one DAT, so all you have to do is switching one file in your plugins folder, and your railway lines would have different catenaries, without "external dependencies".

Finally, a missing prop (i. e. if you didn't install a dependency pack) simply doesn't show up, so it's "blank" by default. A brown box only shows up when the prop exemplar file is present, but not the model file! Unfortunately, some custom content creators (such as the BSC) separated the exemplar files from the models to create "prop packs", which are actually "model packs" for buildings, hence people often complained about brown boxes...