Changes between Version 1 and Version 2 of XML:_Terrain


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Timestamp:
2009-07-10 20:27:13 (4 years ago)
Author:
feneur
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  • XML:_Terrain

    v1 v2  
    1 XML: Terrain 
     1Terrain can be defined as the ground plane. It is the basic tile based foundation that establishes the game world. This document defines those attributes.[[BR]][[BR]]The placement of what texture goes where is defined by random map script or a map editor. They will be able to control troop movement, structure placement, ambush points, strategic harbours, and impassable mountain ranges with these tools.[[BR]][[BR]]There are going to be lots of different terrains, and many of them will share similar attributes. To reduce the hassle of creating XML for each terrain tile, terrain XML should have the following support: 
     2 1. Multiple terrain objects can be stored in the same XML file (separated by their <terrain> tags). 
     3 1. Multiple terrain XML files can be read from the same folder. 
     4 1. Terrains can inherit attributes from other terrains by specifying a "parent" (see the section on inheritance in the '''XML Header Overview'''). 
    25 
    3 Terrain can be defined as the ground plane. It is the basic tile based foundation that establishes the game world. This document defines those attributes. 
     6||'''Skin'''|| 
    47 
    5 The placement of what texture goes where is defined by random map script or a map editor. They will be able to control troop movement, structure placement, ambush points, strategic harbours, and impassable mountain ranges with these tools. 
     8[[BR]]'''''BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::'''''Specifies the name and path of the terrain's texture. Note that the icon for the terrain is automatically generated as a thumbnail of this image.[[BR]][[BR]]Animated textures can be specified here. This feature could be used for all sorts of effects: waterfalls, water effects, UI effects, fire, conveyor belts, skyboxes.[[BR]][[BR]]'''Dirt'''[[BR]]- dirt1 - bare[[BR]]- dirt2 - cracked[[BR]]- dirt3 – mud[[BR]][[BR]]'''Grass'''[[BR]]- grass1 - plain[[BR]]- grass2 - lush[[BR]]- grass3 - long[[BR]]- grass4 - weeds[[BR]]- grass5 – short/long mix[[BR]]- grass6 – bunched dry[[BR]]- grass7 – yellow[[BR]]- grass8 – dark tufts[[BR]]- grass9 – mixed greens, weeds[[BR]][[BR]]'''Sand'''[[BR]]- sand1 - plain[[BR]]- sand2 - rippled[[BR]]- sand3 – rough, rocky[[BR]][[BR]]'''Forrest'''[[BR]]- forest1 – leafy[[BR]]- forest2 – needles[[BR]]- forest3 – fronds[[BR]]- forest4 – scrub[[BR]]- forest5 – logged[[BR]][[BR]]'''Road'''[[BR]]- road1 – Persian[[BR]]- road2 – Roman[[BR]]- road3 – Hellenic[[BR]]- road4 – Celtic[[BR]]- road5 – Carthaginian[[BR]]- road6 – Iberian[[BR]]- road7 – gravel - gray[[BR]]- road8 – gravel - brown[[BR]][[BR]]'''Water Sub-Terrain '''[[BR]]- coral1 - brown[[BR]]- coral2 - turquoise[[BR]]- coral3 - red[[BR]]- rock1 - light[[BR]]- rock2 - medium[[BR]]- rock3 - dark[[BR]]- pebble1 - small[[BR]]- pebble2 - large[[BR]][[BR]]'''Beach'''[[BR]]- sand1[[BR]]- sand2[[BR]]- sand3[[BR]][[BR]]'''Cliff'''[[BR]]- cliff1 - brown[[BR]]- cliff2 – brown, vegetation[[BR]]- cliff3 – brown, cracks[[BR]]- cliff4 - gray[[BR]]- cliff5 – gray, vegetation[[BR]]- cliff6 – gray, cracks[[BR]][[BR]]'''Special'''[[BR]]- furrows1 – dirt[[BR]]- furrows2 – dirt, small plants[[BR]]- furrows3 – dirt, large plants[[BR]]- black[[BR]]- lava[[BR]]- structure – under structures[[BR]][[BR]] 
     9||'''MMap'''|| 
    610 
    7 There are going to be lots of different terrains, and many of them will share similar attributes. To reduce the hassle of creating XML for each terrain tile, terrain XML should have the following support: 
    8 Multiple terrain objects can be stored in the same XML file (separated by their <terrain> tags). 
    9 Multiple terrain XML files can be read from the same folder. 
    10 Terrains can inherit attributes from other terrains by specifying a "parent" (see the section on inheritance in the XML Header Overview). 
    11 Skin 
     11[[BR]]'''''BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::'''''The RGB colour used to represent this terrain on the Mini Map.[[BR]][[BR]]Note: If no value is specified, then the terrain colour is determined by finding the primary colour used in the skin, as in the current highly cool !ScEd.[[BR]][[BR]] 
     12||'''Group'''|| 
    1213 
    13 BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::Specifies the name and path of the terrain's texture. Note that the icon for the terrain is automatically generated as a thumbnail of this image. 
     14[[BR]]'''''BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::'''''The types/classes/groups to which this terrain belongs.[[BR]][[BR]]Used when painting by random group, and to specify under what categories it appears in the Editor. For example, if the user is painting group "Arid Grass", it'll randomly pick terrains with this type to paint. Actors like trees should use the same principle (eg an Oak Tree group for all oak trees). [[BR]][[BR]] 
     15||Properties''''''|| 
    1416 
    15 Animated textures can be specified here. This feature could be used for all sorts of effects: waterfalls, water effects, UI effects, fire, conveyor belts, skyboxes. 
     17[[BR]]'''''BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::'''''List of special properties for the terrain.[[BR]][[BR]]For example, "buildable" means that structures can be built on the terrain, assuming that it is flat enough.[[BR]][[BR]] 
     18||Passable''''''|| 
    1619 
    17 Dirt 
    18 - dirt1 - bare 
    19 - dirt2 - cracked 
    20 - dirt3 – mud 
     20[[BR]]'''''BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::'''''Defines that a certain type of unit can move over this terrain, and the effects the terrain applies when the unit is moving over it.[[BR]][[BR]]A terrain can have multiple Passable attributes to define different behaviours for different unit types walking over it.[[BR]][[BR]][[BR]][[BR]](Note that special actors that combine multiple terrain objects (such as water and cliffs) simply use the passable attributes for those terrains. For example, the only thing stopping units from walking up the wall of a cliff is that the wall terrain is impassable to units. Equally, the appropriate surface and shore terrains determine what units and ships can walk on the different areas of a water object.)[[BR]][[BR]]A Passable attribute consists of: 
     21 * '''Type:''' The category of unit(s) that can pass over this terrain (determined by the entity's '''Id.Type'''). 
     22 * '''Speed:''' A percentage modifier to the unit's movement rate when moving over this terrain. 100% uses the unit's default movement rate. Higher numbers increase the unit's speed. Lower numbers decrease the unit's speed. 
     23 * '''Effect:''': A list of special effects that occur when the unit is walking over this terrain. Effects include: 
     24   * '''Dust:''' eg sand, dry dirt. Clouds of dust particles appear around the entity as it moves over the terrain. 
     25   * '''Tracks:''' eg mud, wet dirt. Entities leave tracks on the terrain as they move. This is dependent upon the entity type. For example, foot units leave footprints, cavalry leave hoofprints, while wheeled units cut grooves into the ground. 
     26   * '''Splash:''' eg shallows, mud. 
     27   * '''Wakes:''' eg deep water. Ripples and wave deformations of the water mesh. 
    2128 
    22 Grass 
    23 - grass1 - plain 
    24 - grass2 - lush 
    25 - grass3 - long 
    26 - grass4 - weeds 
    27 - grass5 – short/long mix 
    28 - grass6 – bunched dry 
    29 - grass7 – yellow 
    30 - grass8 – dark tufts 
    31 - grass9 – mixed greens, weeds 
     29QUOTEThese are the general rules for terrain movement:[[BR]] 
     30[[BR]][[BR]][[BR]][[BR]] * '''Normal (undefined)'''[[BR]]''Units'' – movement of any entity except ships.[[BR]]''Structures'' – construction of any structure except Docks.[[BR]][[BR]][[BR]][[BR]] 
     31 * '''Shallows'''[[BR]]''Units'' – movement of any entity with feet ('''!UnitNonMechanical''').[[BR]]''Structures'' - only the construction of water structures that may be[[BR]]built in the shallows ('''StructWallW, StructTowerW''', '''Dock''').[[BR]][[BR]]A special note about the shallow type.  The first image shows some nuances of the shallow water. See that though the water is visually ‘shallow’ in a certain region of that picture… it isn’t ‘shallow type’ because it doesn’t have the correct shallow texture type (designated by the difference in the skin appearance).  In other words, 2 things must be in order before a[[BR]]terrain is considered shallow. It must not be too deep (elevation difference of the Z axis), and it must be the shallow terrain type.[[BR]][[BR]][[BR]][[BR]] 
     32 * '''Water'''[[BR]]''Units'' – movement only by ships ('''!UnitShips''').[[BR]]''Structures'' – no structures may be built.[[BR]][[BR]][[BR]][[BR]] 
     33 * '''Forest'''[[BR]]''Units'' – only units with the Boolean attribute of walking in forests may walk in Forest type.[[BR]]''Structures'' – no structures may be built.[[BR]][[BR]]A special note about the forest type.  When a tree is placed on the terrain, the tile that the tree is placed on has the terrain’s secondary texture skin changed to a forest type.  When a cluster of trees are placed in adjacent tiles it changes the terrain enough to make a ‘closed’ forest terrain which means that all eight tiles around it also have a tree on them.  When that is the case, the terrain is now of the forest type and there are special permissions applied to it.[[BR]][[BR]][[BR]][[BR]][[BR]][[BR]] 
     34 * '''Cliff'''[[BR]]''Units'' – no unit may traverse.[[BR]]''Structures'' – no structure may be built.[[BR]][[BR]][[BR]] 
    3235 
    33 Sand 
    34 - sand1 - plain 
    35 - sand2 - rippled 
    36 - sand3 – rough, rocky 
     36[[BR]][[BR]] 
     37||'''Doodad'''|| 
    3738 
    38 Forrest 
    39 - forest1 – leafy 
    40 - forest2 – needles 
    41 - forest3 – fronds 
    42 - forest4 – scrub 
    43 - forest5 – logged 
     39[[BR]]'''''BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::'''''Doodads/goobers/decals that get randomly sprinkled over this terrain. Similar to props, except they aren't bonded to specific sockets.[[BR]][[BR]]Useful for beautifying terrain and breaking up patterns in the texture (cacti, plants, lilies, reeds).[[BR]][[BR]]Like the Passable attributes, a terrain can have multiple doodads.[[BR]][[BR]]A Doodad attribute consists of: 
     40 * '''Name:''' The name of the prop or decal actor that can be placed. 
     41 * '''Max:''' Determines the maximum quantity of this doodad that could placed on the terrain (a random number of doodads is chosen when terrain is placed; this is the cap on that number, 0-max). Higher numbers have a higher likelihood of getting more doodads. 
    4442 
    45 Road 
    46 - road1 – Persian 
    47 - road2 – Roman 
    48 - road3 – Hellenic 
    49 - road4 – Celtic 
    50 - road5 – Carthaginian 
    51 - road6 – Iberian 
    52 - road7 – gravel - gray 
    53 - road8 – gravel - brown 
    54  
    55 Water Sub-Terrain  
    56 - coral1 - brown 
    57 - coral2 - turquoise 
    58 - coral3 - red 
    59 - rock1 - light 
    60 - rock2 - medium 
    61 - rock3 - dark 
    62 - pebble1 - small 
    63 - pebble2 - large 
    64  
    65 Beach 
    66 - sand1 
    67 - sand2 
    68 - sand3 
    69  
    70 Cliff 
    71 - cliff1 - brown 
    72 - cliff2 – brown, vegetation 
    73 - cliff3 – brown, cracks 
    74 - cliff4 - gray 
    75 - cliff5 – gray, vegetation 
    76 - cliff6 – gray, cracks 
    77  
    78 Special 
    79 - furrows1 – dirt 
    80 - furrows2 – dirt, small plants 
    81 - furrows3 – dirt, large plants 
    82 - black 
    83 - lava 
    84 - structure – under structures 
    85  
    86 MMap 
    87  
    88 BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::The RGB colour used to represent this terrain on the Mini Map. 
    89  
    90 Note: If no value is specified, then the terrain colour is determined by finding the primary colour used in the skin, as in the current highly cool ScEd. 
    91  
    92 Group 
    93  
    94 BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::The types/classes/groups to which this terrain belongs. 
    95  
    96 Used when painting by random group, and to specify under what categories it appears in the Editor. For example, if the user is painting group "Arid Grass", it'll randomly pick terrains with this type to paint. Actors like trees should use the same principle (eg an Oak Tree group for all oak trees).  
    97  
    98 Properties 
    99  
    100 BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::List of special properties for the terrain. 
    101  
    102 For example, "buildable" means that structures can be built on the terrain, assuming that it is flat enough. 
    103  
    104 Passable 
    105  
    106 BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::Defines that a certain type of unit can move over this terrain, and the effects the terrain applies when the unit is moving over it. 
    107  
    108 A terrain can have multiple Passable attributes to define different behaviours for different unit types walking over it. 
    109  
    110  
    111  
    112 (Note that special actors that combine multiple terrain objects (such as water and cliffs) simply use the passable attributes for those terrains. For example, the only thing stopping units from walking up the wall of a cliff is that the wall terrain is impassable to units. Equally, the appropriate surface and shore terrains determine what units and ships can walk on the different areas of a water object.) 
    113  
    114 A Passable attribute consists of: 
    115 Type: The category of unit(s) that can pass over this terrain (determined by the entity's Id.Type). 
    116 Speed: A percentage modifier to the unit's movement rate when moving over this terrain. 100% uses the unit's default movement rate. Higher numbers increase the unit's speed. Lower numbers decrease the unit's speed. 
    117 Effect:: A list of special effects that occur when the unit is walking over this terrain. Effects include: 
    118 Dust: eg sand, dry dirt. Clouds of dust particles appear around the entity as it moves over the terrain. 
    119 Tracks: eg mud, wet dirt. Entities leave tracks on the terrain as they move. This is dependent upon the entity type. For example, foot units leave footprints, cavalry leave hoofprints, while wheeled units cut grooves into the ground. 
    120 Splash: eg shallows, mud. 
    121 Wakes: eg deep water. Ripples and wave deformations of the water mesh. 
    122 QUOTE 
    123 These are the general rules for terrain movement: 
    124  
    125  
    126  
    127  
    128 Normal (undefined) 
    129 Units – movement of any entity except ships. 
    130 Structures – construction of any structure except Docks. 
    131  
    132  
    133  
    134  
    135 Shallows 
    136 Units – movement of any entity with feet (UnitNonMechanical). 
    137 Structures - only the construction of water structures that may be 
    138 built in the shallows (StructWallW, StructTowerW, Dock). 
    139  
    140 A special note about the shallow type.  The first image shows some nuances of the shallow water. See that though the water is visually ‘shallow’ in a certain region of that picture… it isn’t ‘shallow type’ because it doesn’t have the correct shallow texture type (designated by the difference in the skin appearance).  In other words, 2 things must be in order before a 
    141 terrain is considered shallow. It must not be too deep (elevation difference of the Z axis), and it must be the shallow terrain type. 
    142  
    143  
    144  
    145  
    146 Water 
    147 Units – movement only by ships (UnitShips). 
    148 Structures – no structures may be built. 
    149  
    150  
    151  
    152  
    153 Forest 
    154 Units – only units with the Boolean attribute of walking in forests may walk in Forest type. 
    155 Structures – no structures may be built. 
    156  
    157 A special note about the forest type.  When a tree is placed on the terrain, the tile that the tree is placed on has the terrain’s secondary texture skin changed to a forest type.  When a cluster of trees are placed in adjacent tiles it changes the terrain enough to make a ‘closed’ forest terrain which means that all eight tiles around it also have a tree on them.  When that is the case, the terrain is now of the forest type and there are special permissions applied to it. 
    158  
    159  
    160  
    161  
    162  
    163  
    164 Cliff 
    165 Units – no unit may traverse. 
    166 Structures – no structure may be built. 
    167  
    168  
    169  
    170  
    171  
    172  
    173 Doodad 
    174  
    175 BRIEF DESCRIPTION ::Doodads/goobers/decals that get randomly sprinkled over this terrain. Similar to props, except they aren't bonded to specific sockets. 
    176  
    177 Useful for beautifying terrain and breaking up patterns in the texture (cacti, plants, lilies, reeds). 
    178  
    179 Like the Passable attributes, a terrain can have multiple doodads. 
    180  
    181 A Doodad attribute consists of: 
    182 Name: The name of the prop or decal actor that can be placed. 
    183 Max: Determines the maximum quantity of this doodad that could placed on the terrain (a random number of doodads is chosen when terrain is placed; this is the cap on that number, 0-max). Higher numbers have a higher likelihood of getting more doodads. 
    184 Example: 
    185  
    186 CODE 
    187  
    188 <terrain tag="GrassRoughB" parent="GrassRoughA" 
    189        skin="textures/terrain/water/GrassRoughB.dds" 
    190        mmap="100, 200, 250"                          
    191        type="grass, roughgrass" 
    192        properties="buildable" 
    193        <passable type="siege" speed="80" effect="grooves, dust"/> 
    194        <passable type="wheeled" speed="75" effect="grooves, dust"/> 
    195        <passable type="mounted" speed="90" effect="tracks, dust"/>  
    196        <passable type="foot" speed="102" effect="footprints, dust"/>  
    197        <doodad name="Shrub1" max="2"> 
    198        <doodad name="Stone2" max="3"> 
    199        <doodad name="Stone3" max="3">  
    200        <doodad name="Flower1" max="2">  
    201        <event on="WalkOver" ![CDATA[    // When something walks on the terrain,  
    202            walker.SetAnimation("onfire",3); 
    203            Destroy(walker, "FireDeath");  // Set the unit walking on it on fire, just for the hell of it.  
    204        ]]></event>  
    205 ></terrain>  
     43Example:[[BR]][[BR]]CODE[[BR]]<terrain tag="GrassRoughB" parent="GrassRoughA"[[BR]]       skin="textures/terrain/water/GrassRoughB.dds"[[BR]]       mmap="100, 200, 250"                         [[BR]]       type="grass, roughgrass"[[BR]]       properties="buildable"[[BR]]       <passable type="siege" speed="80" effect="grooves, dust"/>[[BR]]       <passable type="wheeled" speed="75" effect="grooves, dust"/>[[BR]]       <passable type="mounted" speed="90" effect="tracks, dust"/> [[BR]]       <passable type="foot" speed="102" effect="footprints, dust"/> [[BR]]       <doodad name="Shrub1" max="2">[[BR]]       <doodad name="Stone2" max="3">[[BR]]       <doodad name="Stone3" max="3"> [[BR]]       <doodad name="Flower1" max="2"> [[BR]]       <event on="!WalkOver" ![CDATA[    // When something walks on the terrain, [[BR]]           walker.!SetAnimation("onfire",3);[[BR]]           Destroy(walker, "!FireDeath");  // Set the unit walking on it on fire, just for the hell of it. [[BR]]       ]]></event> [[BR]]></terrain>