Custom terrains (.xml) (OUTDATED)

Discussion in 'Planets & Playfields' started by Needleship, Jun 27, 2017.

  1. Keith Hovey

    Keith Hovey Captain

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    Yeah these would make awesome playfields!! Sadly we tried using a few of these and our server throws errors with them. Im guessing they have to be client side as well as server side to work. Great for single player! Maybe they will end up being official planets in a future release :)
     
    #21
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2017
  2. Guru

    Guru Captain

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    I NEEEEED this for MP server use! Okay, gonna go cry now
     
    #22
  3. Keith Hovey

    Keith Hovey Captain

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    Yeah lol. I wanted to mess with the terrain generator but if it doesnt work in multiplayer seems pointless for me to mess with it. Sucks.
     
    #23
  4. Kaeser

    Kaeser Rear Admiral

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    No the tool still can not create caves, we already asked for some creative tools for voxels change but will take a while...

    Problem is, we still can't use these maps in servers, we can create some scenarios with them but we still can't use area files in scenarios either so it's still not possible to create caves or tunnels or underground bases or dungeons.

    Unless of course we use the same technique of the POIs but that allows to create only square holes....
     
    #24
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  5. piddlefoot

    piddlefoot Rear Admiral

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    Well actually you CAN use them on servers , Ive been testing that very thing.

    What you need to do is get the terrain XML file into the servers terrain folder, but because the terrain folder is outside of the scenario folder it doesn't see the pathway to it.

    So what you do is you add a folder with all the stuff, ie , XML files / terrains, and upload it to dropbox or the like, and leave a link to the Custom Terrain folder so the server operator can then just delete the terrain folder on the server and copy and paste the one you upload into his server content / terrain folder.

    Then it works without error.

    Im enjoying the new terrains I have picked up from here guys so thanks, keep em coming, need another half a dozen yet, as unique as possible , knowing that's pretty hard with the current set of tools inside the terrain generator itself , you guys have done an outstanding job on the terrains I have grabbed so far and I check the thread every day or two for more !

    As for caves, yes Ive been harassing the devs for them from mid 2015 so I hope were closer than they were then ! !
     
    #25
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  6. Guru

    Guru Captain

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    Can anyone verify that just placing them into the server terrain folder works? Seems strange to have been told it won't work, yet you are saying it's extremely simple. Gotta be more to this than just that.
    If I find time, I may have to test this on the dev server soon if no one beats me to it.
     
    #26
  7. piddlefoot

    piddlefoot Rear Admiral

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    Terrain folder, on both server and client.
    Sorry if I wasn't clear about that, I presumed it was obvious.
    Bad presumption on my behalf.


    So for example if I leave a link to a dropbox upload that has the Terrain folder that players need, anyone who downloads my scenario also downloads this folder and replaces there Terrain folder with it, both server and client must do this, its more like installing a Mod.

    A little trickier and Im still 50/50 on whether or not to actually put it into my scenario as it just maybe to tricky for some.
    I have it in the scenario atm in testing, PC1 the server is connected to PC2 the gaming rig via the internet, not co-op or local lan.
    So I know it works, its just tricky for people who don't understand the folders filing system I can see many mistakes inbound. It may not be worth doing this until the devs put a Terrain folder into the root drive of the scenario folder. Then it will be really easy and only the server will need that file.

    I have asked the devs to put a terrain folder inside the scenario folder .
     
    #27
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2017
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  8. Hummel-o-War

    Hummel-o-War Administrator Staff Member Community Manager

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    Currently the modified XML need to be located in the main CONTENT/TEXTURES/XML folder for the server and the client - afaik. That's also the reason that Scenarios with custom XML do not work at the moment (As they are not included in the package). We are looking into this.
     
    #28
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  9. Keith Hovey

    Keith Hovey Captain

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    Thank you for verifying this. That was the only way I could get any of them to work too, same with piddlefoot by the looks of it. We have been eager to add custom terrains in as there is only so much you can change about how a planet looks currently. Also as a side note. It seems xml terrains generate warnings on servers when they are included.

    [​IMG]
     
    #29
  10. Needleship

    Needleship Master of Custom Terrain

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    Thanks for all the likes! Doubles the fun! :)
    –-

    Hey @piddlefoot ! I will keep building terrains, but I guess there will be only one distinctive build each week.
    This stuff needs some time. Especially if I keep tripping over new problems...

    Happily stacking mods without a plan. And then suddenly there was this mid-size build - Around 22 mods. It looked like the Alps, and it was beautiful. I took so many pictures, and on a Wednesday, I had it all prepared and ready to post!

    … But it kept frying my CPU for no reason, with loading times of about 100 seconds.

    The terrain looked simply too good to just shrug and move on. So I dug in until I found some explanations.

    (For full text see the 'Documentation: Terrain generator' thread.)
    A) 'Virtual' mod number in the TG vs. real mod number- Double references of mods increases your mod number and computation need
    B) Inflated loading times due to playfield biomes clashing with the terrain - Terrain slope check going nowhere.

    It seems that I just avoided all this by sheer luck until now.

    ---

    I have two new terrains now. But one of them is so demanding in processing power, I have bad feelings about it.
    Will post it anyway:

    ----------

    Alpinia
    Warning: Ultra-heavy, use in Singleplayer and on good machines only

    I tried everything from cutting down to complete rewriting it multiple times, but it never was the same. I'm giving up on this one. It's completely unplanned, and by such a huge Jenga-like pile of mods demanding of processing power.
    And my, oh my, the loading times.

    10_POI_test_2017-07-28_00-14-48.jpg

    20_POI_test_2017-07-27_23-48-03.jpg

    30_POI_test_2017-07-28_00-35-51.jpg

    40_POI_test_2017-07-28_00-37-36.jpg

    50_POI_test_2017-07-28_00-49-33.jpg

    60_POI_test_2017-07-28_00-19-40.jpg

    70_POI_test_2017-07-28_17-03-40.jpg

    80_POI_test_2017-07-27_23-51-26.jpg

    90_Alpinia.jpg

    Terrain features

    + Alpine lakes
    + Alpine pastures and valleys with rocky slopes / remnants of glacier troughs
    + Stone plateaus/ glaciers
    + Old, eroded mountains (Perlin based)
    + Young and high mountains (Ridged based)
    + High mountain vs. low mountain region

    - Extremely CPU intensive

    POIs spawn even in the mountains.

    Number of mods used in TG: 19 (unused 4)
    Real number of mods: 37

    --
    Had to turn off the rain and snow weather. In this kind of terrain it would be biome dependant, and the wrong kind of precipitation would break immersion, imho. Although it seems quite a lush place, I fancy that it might be rather cold, and the air dry most of the time. Plants could live off the occasional fog or the spring melt.

    Have only seen a single seaweed. Maybe change it's biome slope and height?

    Note: Info is outdated. Please check the first post in this thread.
    Create a new savegame. (When starting on Akua, land with your escape pod on low ground and loot it.)
    Exit the game session, and...

    >Add the terrain:
    Drop the '_Alpinia.xml' into the folder: (steam)/Empyrion – Galactic survival/Content /terrains/xml.

    >Point the savegame to new terrain:
    Locate your save game's folder '(yourSave)/templates/temperate' and overwrite the playfield.yaml with the one provided here.

    >Reset planetary map & POIs:
    Locate your savegame's folder '(yourSave)/playfields', find the folder 'Akua' and delete it.

    ... Reload your save.
    Edit: 07.01.'18: Inserted warning of outdated method
     

    Attached Files:

    #30
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2018
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  11. Needleship

    Needleship Master of Custom Terrain

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    Heimdall
    -------------
    Medium CPU usage

    I tried to rebuild Alpinia about 5 times in a slimmer version, but always failed. This is one of the attempts that came along with it.
    So, get your Longboat out of your factory to explore the unknown!

    10_POI_test_2017-07-30_16-21-01.jpg

    20_POI_test_2017-07-30_16-31-21.jpg

    30_POI_test_2017-07-30_16-22-01.jpg

    40_POI_test_2017-07-30_16-33-55.jpg
    All mountains are Perlin-based.

    50_POI_test_2017-07-30_16-41-55.jpg
    POI will spawn even on top of them.
    Very dangerous in combination with far reaching POI like the 'fortress'.

    60_POI_test_2017-07-30_17-28-19.jpg

    70_POI_test_2017-07-30_17-31-27.jpg

    80_POI_test_2017-07-30_17-32-56.jpg

    90_Heimdall.jpg

    Terrain features:

    + Fjord-like water distribution
    + Flat beaches vs. cliffs
    + Modulated, non-eroded base rock
    + Hilly lower regions
    + High, cold mountains with rugged top

    Fully capable as a starter planet.
    The rough terrain makes for a chilly feel.


    Number of mods in TG: 14
    Real number of mods: 17
    Estimated load time (barren playfield): 8s (Akua terrain: 5s; Flat plain: 5s)
    Estimated load time (Akua playfield): 20s
    (Counted from the time the second postcard appears. This is after the sanity check of the playfields /sectors.)

    Points of control:
    Fiddling with the Perlins and the Turbulences will change the overall look, but will keep the terrain intact.
    (Akua playfield loading times may differ.)

    Note: This info is outdated. Please check the first post of this thread.
    >Create a new savegame.
    (When starting on Akua, land with your escape pod on low ground and loot it.) Exit the game session, and...

    >Add the terrain:
    Drop the '_Heimdall.xml' into the folder: (steam)/Empyrion – Galactic survival/Content /terrains/xml.

    >Point the savegame to new terrain:
    Locate your save game's folder '(yourSave)/templates/temperate' and overwrite the playfield.yaml with the one provided here.

    >Reset planetary map & POIs:
    Locate your savegame's folder '(yourSave)/playfields', find the folder 'Akua' and delete it.

    ... Reload your save.

    Included: Slightly modified Akua playfield (slope of water biome spawn, better weather).
     

    Attached Files:

    #31
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2018
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  12. banksman45

    banksman45 Rear Admiral

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    WOW. A real sun is what this game needs. I love this idea.
     
    #32
  13. banksman45

    banksman45 Rear Admiral

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    Hummel it would be so helpful if the DEVs added a Custom Planets download page on the steamworkshop. I know you can add custom maps but I would like the ability to down Custom planets from the workshop.
     
    #33
  14. Hummel-o-War

    Hummel-o-War Administrator Staff Member Community Manager

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    Yes, this could be helpful..but currently we need to find a way how we can distribute the xml files. They are currently not enclosed in scenarios and servers...

    Then you could basically use the SCENARIOS for distributing worlds...but maybe this is not ideal.
     
    #34
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  15. Needleship

    Needleship Master of Custom Terrain

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    .xml terrain doesn't get randomized by game seed.
    :(

    (01.Aug.2017)
    Only the placement of POI and resources is 'random'.
    Limited replay value. - Boring.

    1. Started a new game, Akua.
    Flew straight down with escape pod.
    Took screenshot of planetary map. (First pic)

    2a. Moved/hid 'temperate.dll' from the folders all folders 'x86' and 'x68_64'.
    - Kept the standard 'temperateNew2.xml' that ships with the game.

    2b. Deleted in the playfields/Akua folder the files 'map.raw' and 'map_n.raw'
    (to force re-generation of the planetary overview map, but keeping the postion of everything else)

    - Reloaded my save and made screenshot of planetary map. (Second pic)


    Game seed: 804002 - - temperateNew2.dll
    DLL--NewGame_24_2017-08-01_11-37-22.jpg


    Game seed: 804002 - - temperateNew2.xml
    XML--NewGame_24_2017-08-01_12-19-56.jpg




    Game seed: 365912 - - temperateNew2.dll
    DLL--NewGame_25_2017-08-01_12-28-09.jpg

    Game seed: 365912- - temperateNew2.xml
    XML--NewGame_25_2017-08-01_12-29-23.jpg

    The game checks, if the terrain name given in the playfield.yaml is avaiable as .dll.
    If not, it loads up the .xml. … And omits to scramble everything.

    Fixed seeds in the playfield.yaml don't work for the .xml terrain.
    (… And I wondered about that strange coincidence, that seed 0 and 123456 from Hermit's Kingdom were so similar...)


    - Until now, all terrains shown here will look exactly as described.
    >Will make effort to describe more control points in the TG for your own terrain modification.
     
    #35
  16. Hummel-o-War

    Hummel-o-War Administrator Staff Member Community Manager

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    Thx. Added to report!
     
    #36
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  17. piddlefoot

    piddlefoot Rear Admiral

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    Can you ask the coders to add some tunnel code to the terrain generator Hummel , make it really awesome, Unity can do it, PN do it, surely Empyrion is gunna do it yes ? !
     
    #37
  18. Keith Hovey

    Keith Hovey Captain

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    Ive wanted caves for my arachnis planet since a year ago lol.
     
    #38
  19. Needleship

    Needleship Master of Custom Terrain

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    Gah, I think I'll upload it when it feels ready. So no reliable posting times.

    ---



    Battered beauty
    Heavy

    10_PlanetaryBuilding02_2017-08-01_23-07-35.jpg

    20 Battered.gif
    30_PlanetaryBuilding02_2017-08-02_01-01-57.jpg

    40_PlanetaryBuilding02_2017-08-02_01-09-26.jpg

    50_PlanetaryBuilding02_2017-08-02_01-11-17.jpg

    60_POI_test_2017-08-02_02-11-49.jpg

    70_POI_test_2017-08-02_02-12-58.jpg

    80_POI_test_2017-08-02_02-23-49.jpg

    90 battered.jpg

    A long time ago, bad things happened to this former ocean planet.
    Life is quite resilient.

    + Bulge islands in the crater
    + Ejecta drop off and rift zone
    + Remnants of the old planet crust
    + Cooled lava flows from the volcano
    + Impact crater and mega volcano on opposing sides of the planet
    (Very likely seed stable)



    Mods: 30 (Real:43), unused 3
    CPU heavy, would do better without atmosphere against laptop heat ;)

    Perlin2 – (Seed) Control position of impact crater / volcano on planet.

    Turb13 – (Most importantly: Seed) Overall shape of impact crater, volcano. High values in roughness (>7?) may break the planetary map by making everything look barren.

    Selectors: Use lowBound/Upbound/Falloff to change width of terrain feature and distance to crater or volcano
    Selector16 – Rift zone
    Select 17 – Volcano pipe
    Select 21 – Crater walls position
    Select27 – Volcanic lava fields

    Exp 29 and Max 30- Overall slope

    Note: This info is outdated. Please check the first post of this thread.
    Create a new savegame. (When starting on Akua, land with your escape pod on low ground and loot it.) Exit the game session, and...

    >Add the terrain: Drop the '_Battered.xml' into the folder: (steam)/Empyrion – Galactic survival/Content /terrains/xml.

    >Point the savegame to new terrain: Locate your save game's folder '(yourSave)/templates/temperate' and overwrite the playfield.yaml with the one provided here.

    >Reset planetary map & POIs: Locate your savegame's folder '(yourSave)/playfields', find the folder 'Akua' and delete it.

    ... Reload your save.
     

    Attached Files:

    #39
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2018
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  20. piddlefoot

    piddlefoot Rear Admiral

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    All these maps are loading fast dude, Im not sure what system your on, but Im having no issues loading these.

    Keep em coming, Ive got a neat collection now, when the devs put a terrains folder into the scenario folder, we will have a few dozen new terrains instantly !
     
    #40

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