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Sunken Ecumenical Temple

PostPosted: Thursday, 10th September 2015, 01:11
by MainiacJoe
I have designed an Ecumenical Temple vault with a sunken archipelago theme. Thirteen altars and the upstairs each shuffle among fourteen islands. The perimeter of each island and certain paths in between them have various probabilities of sand and shallow water, with deep water in between.

  Code:
 # 13 gods
NAME: mainiacjoe_sunken_islands_temple_13
PLACE: Temple
WEIGHT: 50000
ORIENT: encompass
NSUBST: D = 1:{ / *:B
SUBST: . = WWWWWW.
SUBST: ? = .WW
FTILE: . = floor_sand
FTILE: # = floor_sand
FTILE: B = floor_sand
FTILE: { = floor_sand
MAP
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...wwww..wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.???.www..wwww...wwwww..wwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwww...wwwww.??#??.ww..www.???.www....wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwww.???.w....?#D#?.www.ww.??#??.ww....wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww.??#??.....??#??.wwwwww.?#D#?.www...wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww.?#D#?...ww.???.wwwwwww.??#??.www...wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww.??#??.wwww......wwwww...???..www...wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwww.???.wwwww..ww...www...w.....www...wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwww.....wwwwww..w...ww...wwwww...www..wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwww..w....wwww..www.....wwwwwww...ww..wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww...ww...wwww..www.???.wwwwwwww..www.wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww...www...ww..www.??#??..wwwww...www.wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww.wwwwww...w..www.?#D#?....ww.???.wwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww..wwwwww....wwww.??#??......??#??.wwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww...wwww.???.wwwww.???.ww....?#D#?.wwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwww..www.??#??.www......wwwww.??#??.ww.wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww...ww..?#D#?...w..ww...wwww..???.www.wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwww.???.w..??#??.....wwww..www......wwww.wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwww.??#??..w.???.ww...wwww...w...ww..wwww.wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwww.?#D#?..ww...wwww..wwwww.....www...ww..wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwww.??#??.wwww..wwwww...wwww.???.www..ww..wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwww.???.wwww...wwww.???.ww.??#??.ww..ww..wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww...wwwww...www.??#??...?#D#?.....www.wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww..wwwwwww..www.?#D#?...??#??......wwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww..wwwwww...www.??#??.ww.???.wwww..wwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww...wwww.???.....???.wwww...wwwww..wwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwww..www.??#??.......wwwww..wwwwww...wwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwww..www.?#D#?.wwwww..wwww..wwwww.???.wwwwwwwwww
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wwwwwwwwwwww.???....???.wwwwwww......wwww..?#D#?.wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwww.??#??..w...www..wwww.???.w.....??#??.wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwww.?#D#?.wwwwwww....ww.??#??.......???.wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwww.??#??.wwwwwww....ww.?#D#?....www...wwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwww.???.wwwwwwwww...ww.??#??.wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwww...wwww..wwww..wwww.???.wwwww.wwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....wwwwwwwwww...wwwww....wwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
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wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
ENDMAP
I am happy with the proportion of sand and shallow water both on the islands and between the islands.

I am not pleased with the margin of the map. I discovered that the map maker puts a stone wall around the perimeter of Temple maps, and of course I didn’t want that with my map because it ruined the illusion of being in the middle of the ocean. Here are things I tried:
  • TAGS: no_exit. No discernible effect.
  • A single-line perimeter of ‘s’ and KFEAT: s = open_sea. This showed the stone wall just beyond this, and I also discovered that open sea is noticeably darker than deep water.
  • The above map. This hides the stone wall, but there is a lot of annoying useless exploration on auto-expore, and then it reports “partly-explored” which clearly isn’t the case.
  • The above map with KFFEAT: w = open_sea. Same issues with auto-explore, plus the too-dark water is noticeable.
So how do hide the stone wall, particularly from merfolk? Disabling it altogether would be best I think, then go with a 3-deep margin of 'w’.

There’s probably not a way to get the shoreline surf appearance of Shoals, but that would be ideal here. By looking at the Shoals .des files I gathered that this is done in other code and not in the map itself.

Re: Disabling Temple Perimeter Wall

PostPosted: Thursday, 10th September 2015, 02:30
by duvessa
  Code:
: set_border_fill_type("open_sea")

Re: Disabling Temple Perimeter Wall

PostPosted: Friday, 11th September 2015, 02:46
by MainiacJoe
Thank you! I am at the stage where I like how it looks but it is still unfun as the auto-explore tries to spy out the corners and islands. I have a couple more ideas to try next time I get opportunity, and then I'll give up.

Re: Disabling Temple Perimeter Wall

PostPosted: Friday, 11th September 2015, 13:10
by MainiacJoe
I realized that I'd forgotten about square LOS, which will eliminate not being able to get to the corners. So i need to download trunk and make my maps with that (I always play the latest stable version). Also, by abandoning the random islands motif and moving to a structured temple that has been partly submerged, I can arrange the altars on the outer rim, and so searching to the edge is useful and not superfluous.

Is there a way to have a statue or arch in a shallow water square? As best I can tell, if these are set differently than with the standard AGW glyphs, they need to be set with KFEAT and I don't knwo how or whether you can have two simultaneous KFEATs for a single glyph.

Re: Disabling Temple Perimeter Wall

PostPosted: Friday, 11th September 2015, 13:24
by neil
MainiacJoe wrote:Is there a way to have a statue or arch in a shallow water square? As best I can tell, if these are set differently than with the standard AGW glyphs, they need to be set with KFEAT and I don't knwo how or whether you can have two simultaneous KFEATs for a single glyph.


You cannot; each cell has exactly one feature. The best you can do is make an alternative tile and description of the feature: for example, an arch in shallow water could be just shallow_water, but with a tile that shows an arch, since there is no mechanical implication of having an arch there. Statue in shallow water is harder: you could use a statue with a custom tile (so that the cell is impassable), but then when the statue is disintegrated it will revert to floor.

Re: Sunken Ecumenical Temple

PostPosted: Friday, 11th September 2015, 16:37
by MainiacJoe
thank you. I grabbed a few minutes on my lunch break to try this, and it didn't work:

  Code:
NAME: mainaicjoe_sunken_arch_test
KFEAT: D = shallow_water
TILE: D = stone_arch
MAP
xxxxx
xWWWx
xWDWx
xWWWx
xx.xx
ENDMAP
I can tell that I'm biting off more than I can chew here for a beginner, but I do appreciate the help I've gotten thus far from devs.

Re: Sunken Ecumenical Temple

PostPosted: Friday, 11th September 2015, 17:38
by ontoclasm
I believe what neil means is, you could make an image (in Photoshop or whatever) of an arch/whatever in water, and then use that. Essentially it would just be a normal square of water, it would just use this alternate picture.

Re: Sunken Ecumenical Temple

PostPosted: Friday, 11th September 2015, 17:55
by gammafunk
He was more thinking what MainiacJoe attempted, but there are a few reasons why don't want to do it. The first is that it won't work in console; users will simply see shallow water and there's no way this approach can show the right glyph. Secondly actual arches are susceptible to LRD, and this one wouldn't be; it's not good to break gameplay consistency for the sake of visuals. Lastly if you go with the TILE approach, dungeon floor will be shown underneath the arch rather than the shallow water. If you went with what ontoclasm suggested and made a custom tile of an arch drawn over shallow water, it would fix this, but you still shouldn't do it for the first two reasons.

Also, just so you know, the error you got was due to an incorrect tile name, it should be:

  Code:
TILE:  D = dngn_stone_arch


Many tiles have prefixes like mons_ and dngn_, depending on where they're defined.

Re: Sunken Ecumenical Temple

PostPosted: Friday, 11th September 2015, 18:14
by MainiacJoe
Thank you. I agree that I don't want to break gameplay for visuals, and I also had thought of how it would break console since I wrote my latest reply. I also suspected the need for a custom image file to do what I wanted.

Your description of why map failed to load does bring up a question I've wondered about. The documentation for vault making I've found to be very helpful and well-written. What it is lacking, however, is a list of the official names for various features, monsters, etc. I've seen references to various .h files in the documentation and have even found some of them in the source code, but I don't know enough yet to make them as useful as they could be. I know, I know, I ought to start simply. I think a simple list of accepted names somewhere would be helpful to me, even if only by making me aware of the horizon of capabilities of the vault maker.