SpaceEnviroments

[alterecco]

This may not be particularly relevant to RC1, but since the new <OnObjUpdate> event has been introduced they have suddenly become very interesting...

I have been playing with them today, and seem completely unable to create a SpaceEnvironment smaller than 1024x1024 pixels large. I have played alot with the different settings (and there are a lot), and this is what I have reached:

Code: Select all

<SpaceEnvironmentType UNID="&SEType;"
        lrsJammer=			"false"
        dragFactor=			"0"
        >

    <Image imageID="&rsSEType;" 
            imageX="0" 
            imageY="0" 
            imageWidth="512" 
            imageHeight="512"/>

</SpaceEnvironmentType>

;; inside a SystemType
<Orbitals distance="20" angle="0">
    <SpaceEnvironment 
            type=			"&SEType;"
            shape=			"circular" 
            width=			"10"
            >
    </SpaceEnvironment>
</Orbitals>

Now, when i lower the "distance" setting of the <Orbitals> element, the SpaceEnvironment is not shown, likewise if i lower the "width" setting of the <SpaceEnvirinment>.

Is this supposed to happen. Have I missed something? I have tried with a large amount of different image sizes, all with the same end result.

[Prophet]

I am having the same problem, but with more complications.
This is the relevent code:

Code: Select all

<SpaceEnvironmentType UNID="&SEType;" 
        lrsJammer=         "true" 
        dragFactor=         "0" 
		attributes=			"nebula"
        > 

    <Image imageID="&rsType;" 
            imageX="500" 
            imageY="0" 
            imageWidth="100" 
            imageHeight="700"/> 

</SpaceEnvironmentType>



			<Station type="&stBlueGiantStar;" name="Star"/>
                <Orbitals distance="100" angle="equidistant"> 
                    <SpaceEnvironment 
                            type=         "&seType;" 
                            shape=         "circular" 
                            width=         "10" 
                            > 
                    </SpaceEnvironment> 
                </Orbitals>

and this is what i see....


In my testing, all space environments are 640x640, however, the envorments painted on the right side and the bottom will be extended to the full amount set in the <SpaceEnvironment> element. All others will be overlaped by the next tiled image.

The Green lines are not part of my default image (2000x2000pixels) and <spaceEnvironment> seemed to stop showing my image at 250 pixels where it switches to the green.

[alterecco]

George, could you perhaps provide us with the possible <SpaceEnvironment> shapes? In vanilla you use "arc" and "circular". Are there any others?

[george moromisato]

Unfortunately, those are the only two currently supported. But obviously I can and should add more.

One thing to remember is that "circular" and "arc" use the orbit shape not a point in the orbit.

For example:

Code: Select all

<Primary>
   <Orbitals distance="1000">
      <SpaceEnvironment type="circular" ... />
   </Orbitals>
</Primary>

The code above will create a circular all the way around <Primary> with a radius of 1000 light-seconds. width= specifies the thickness of the ring.

If you want to create a small patch of environment at a given point, you might add an extra level of <Orbitals>. E.g.:

Code: Select all

<Primary>
   <Orbitals distance="1000" angle="random">
      <Orbitals distance="10">
         <SpaceEnvironment type="circular" ... />
      </Orbitals>
   </Orbitals>
</Primary>

The above will create a small patch of environment at a random point in the orbit around <Primary> (at a radius of 1000 light-seconds).

Another thing to remember is that environments are aligned on a 512 pixel grid across the whole system. That is, an environment tile is always placed on 512 pixel boundaries.

[alterecco]

Thanks alot George, that information helped a lot.

Looking at it with this info, the only shape I see missing is "singular", which just drops a sinle patch at the specified distance and angle. With the current way of placing environments I have not been able to reliably place a single 512x512 patch at any point, sometimes no patch is show at all, sometimes it is 512x1024, somtimes two patches placed diagonally.

If it is possible, having a smaller patch size than 512 would also add a lot. Having triggers at entrances to structures (think slamming the gates after entering an arena) is a bit hard when they can at minimum be 512x512. Perhaps this is too fundamental a thing to change though?

[digdug]

With the current way of placing environments I have not been able to reliably place a single 512x512 patch at any point

That's exactly what I wanted to do in the past when I tried in 0.98d.
http://www.neurohack.com/transcendence/ ... php?t=1130
(Nothing much on the link, jump my old post of graphics experiments, I added it because I wanted a link for references.)