Building Shape Coordinates

[alan]

What I meant was just eliminating the yellow tiles

I'd like to see what happens.

You can delete all the yellow tiles from the buildings. But there are some bugs then.

When the tool store has no yellow tile, every level where you start only with the tool store won't work because you can't remove the message sign at the beginning of each level. So you could only start levels like Air Raiders where some other buildings are placed (they can be without yellow tiles, strange ) or levels where RRs are already on the ground.

So you should actually let the tool store be with one yellow tile.

But the cool thing is that all other buildings really work without the yellow tiles. Even the teleport buildings. Vehicles and RRs thus will be teleported down to the normal ground, no power path. And the funny thing is that the vehicles can also be teleported onto a wall (when the teleporters are placed in front of one) or onto other buildings. The problem with that is that you can't move the vehicles until the blockade is gone (drill the wall, delete the building).

You can also put away all power paths of the Docks, even the water path. You just have to put the Docks the right way to the water. Otherwise the vehicles also don't move

Power Station and Ore refinery can be reached by RRs when their front is placed towards a wall. THey can only not be reached when they are towards another building.

So remove the power paths from each building except from tool store.

To visualize all that, here a screenshot:

[Cyrem]

You can delete all the yellow tiles from the buildings. But there are some bugs then.

When the tool store has no yellow tile, every level where you start only with the tool store won't work because you can't remove the message sign at the beginning of each level. So you could only start levels like Air Raiders where some other buildings are placed (they can be without yellow tiles, strange ) or levels where RRs are already on the ground.

So you should actually let the tool store be with one yellow tile.

But the cool thing is that all other buildings really work without the yellow tiles. Even the teleport buildings. Vehicles and RRs thus will be teleported down to the normal ground, no power path.

Interesting stuff, thanks.

And the funny thing is that the vehicles can also be teleported onto a wall (when the teleporters are placed in front of one) or onto other buildings. The problem with that is that you can't move the vehicles until the blockade is gone (drill the wall, delete the building).

Funny, I never tried that

Btw: Your image host doesn't allow hotlinking, so we can't see the image.

[alan]

Okay which site should I use for uploading? I used a popular german one so I don't understand why it isn't working.

[Cyrem]

Okay which site should I use for uploading? I used a popular german one so I don't understand why it isn't working.

Well, if it's specific for here, you can create your own gallery and upload images into your gallery (Look in your user cp for gallery stuff). Otherwise, something like imgur.com .

[Cirevam]

When the tool store has no yellow tile, every level where you start only with the tool store won't work because you can't remove the message sign at the beginning of each level. So you could only start levels like Air Raiders where some other buildings are placed (they can be without yellow tiles, strange ) or levels where RRs are already on the ground.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean. In Time Raiders, my overhaul mod, the Tool Stores do not have yellow tiles and they work fine (usually). Granted, I did change the tool store animations so that might have helped. Could you please explain more about how Tool Stores don't work without yellow tiles? Thank you. :)

[alan]

Can you see it now?

When I just take the normal tool store and add a semicolon ( in front of

Shape 0,-1:0,-1

Then I can't start any level in which there is on a tool store at the beginning (no other building, no RR teleported). When I try to start those levels the starting message appears (that message box that is read by old chief) and I can not click it away, neither with space nor with the mouse. I can't even change the page of it. I hope that was more understandable. I am German and I don't know the english RR expressions so well. Another thing I have just found out is that when you replace

Shape 0,-1:0,-1

with

Shape 0,0:0,0

in tool store, then I can start those levels too. The problem with that is that you can't build a new tool store in the levels anymore because the yellow power path tile is now merged with the green one 8S

[Cirevam]

This is what I have for my single-tile Tool Stores:

Shape	 0,0

You could remove the Shape line too. The Mining Laser has it commented out so that should work for the Tool Store as well.

[alan]

Well, I already tried out the Shape 0,0 thing. Then the levels do start but I can't build a tool store anymore (the building shadow is red even near a power path) and I can't select the tool store (to upgrade or to teleport it).

So - at least for me - this doesn't work. And when I put the power path onto the main building (Shape 0,0:0,0), the building shadow (so when you want to place a building for construction) is orange, so something between red (not buildable) and yellow (power path) and of course the building cannnot be placed anymore.

Kind of confusing? :tf:

[trigger_segfault]

I can finish up the remaining questions about Blue Water tiles, and other general construction zone quirks.

 

Building Shape

Shape property

Location:  Buildings/<name>/<name>.ae
Usage:  Lego*::Shape    #,#[:#,#:...]
Example:  Shape    0,-1:0,-1:0,1:0,1

• The Shape property is a list of points (#,#), separated by colons (#,#:#,#).
• The Shape property implicitly starts with the origin point (0,0:).
• A single tile is defined by either one or two points.
  • A repeated point (i.e. 0,1:0,1) will be treated as a Yellow/Blue Path tile.
  • A non-repeated point (i.e. 0,1:0,2) will be treated as a Green Building tile.
• Because of the implicit origin point (0,0:), starting your Shape property with 0,0 will treat the first tile as a Yellow/Blue Path tile (see WaterEntrances property).
• Point coordinates are defined based on the default in-game rotation, which is Up (North).
  • Thus, all coordinates are rotated 180 degrees from what may be expected (just multiply everything by -1).
• Defining a point that repeats more than two times in a row is undefined behaviour, and is parsed differently by different functions in the game.
• It is possible to construct a building with only (even one) Yellow Path tiles. (See WaterEntrances property bullet point describing WaterEntrances -1).

 

WaterEntrances property

Location:  Lego.cfg
Usage:  Lego*::Stats::<name>::WaterEntrances    <INTEGER>
Example:  WaterEntrances    2

• The WaterEntrances property defines how many Yellow Path tiles from the start of the Shape points list are treated as Blue Water tiles.
• The calculation uses (WaterEntrances + 1) because of the implicit 0,0:, which is intended to always be a Green Building tile.
  • Defining the first shape point as 0,0 will create a Blue Water tile, even when using WaterEntrances 0.
  • Using WaterEntrances -1 will allow defining the first tile as a Yellow Path tile.
• These tiles do not change the vehicle teleport-down location (it always seems to be in-front of the origin tile).
• These tiles do not change the "goto Docks" location (same as above).
• These tiles do prevent vehicles from idling on that location.
• If no Yellow/Blue tile is placed in front of the building, then the vehicle may freely idle in the teleport-down/"goto Docks" location.
• It is possible to construct a building with only (even one) Blue Water tiles, as long as the building has no resource costs.
• This property does not do anything other than influence the building placement shape.

Basically for water tiles, your Blue Water tiles must come before your Yellow Path tiles in the shape points list.

 

Blue tiles are just Yellow tiles

• They conduct electricity over water to other paths.
• They cause octagonal power paths to visually connect, like with normal building foundation paths.
• They tell units to not idle here.
• They meet the path connection requirement when placing a construction zone.

 

 

Construction

Origin tile

• A construction zone is created from the origin tile where the cursor has placed the building (0,0 for shape point coordinates).
• The attempted rotation of the placed building is in the direction of the side the cursor is closest to on the tile (i.e. closest to North of tile will use Up rotation). This is especially useful for aesthetic placement of single-tile buildings.
• The origin tile is where all resources are placed, with exception to Barriers, which have their own rules.
• The origin tile is the only tile that allows cancelling construction (this is because the tile coordinates are used as a sort of "handle" to that construction zone).
  • Even though you can open the Construction interface menu using non-origin Green Building tiles, cancelling them will have no effect.
• It's possible to prevent a construction zone from being completed or cancelled during unmodded gameplay, by having a Power Station construction zone overrun by lava erosion on its primary side during "Don't Panic!".

 

Barriers

• Barrier placement is determined based on Green Building tiles and their borders.
• A Green Building tile bordering another Green tile, will not request a barrier on that side.
• A Green Building tile bordering a Yellow/Blue/or no tile, will request a barrier on that side.
• If a shape defines no Green Building tiles, then no barriers will be requested.
• Defining StoreObjects FALSE in the Stats section will also remove the need to place barriers.
• Barrier placement does not have to cover the origin tile.
  • If your building has no resource costs, but requires barriers, then the origin tile can be made unreachable without issue (other than being unable to cancel construction).

 

StoreObjects property

Location:  Lego.cfg
Usage:  Lego*::Stats::<name>::StoreObjects    <BOOL>
Example:  StoreObjects    TRUE

• The StoreObjects property defines whether a building can accept resources to deposit, or provide resources requested for construction.
• This property only seems to provide the above effect when Lego*::ToolNullName has been defined. Otherwise, units will ignore this capability.
• The StoreObjects property defines one other behaviour, which is whether the construction zone requires placing Barriers.
• Setting this property to FALSE will allow constructing a building that only requires placed resources.
  • Or instantly spawning a building (like the Tool Store) if there are no resource costs.

 

Image Examples

@aidenpons showcasing the ability to construct Docks in a vanilla game by connecting its water tile to a Power Path, in "Water Lot of Fun".

 

Spoiler

 

The great water bridge of power conductivity.

 

Spoiler

 

A building shape with a disconnected water tile, that shows electricity conduction over water, and enforced vehicle teleport-down location.

 

Spoiler

 

A building shape with just 1 water tile. And a building shape with just 1 path tile.

 

Spoiler

 

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Edited February 7, 2022 by trigger_segfault
Edit, include example image with just one yellow path tile, +better english