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Topics - Rochndil

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**DF Modding / MMO* rides again!**

« on: April 10, 2015, 01:08:51 pm »

*Metals and Minerals Overhaul

This is probably the third or fourth time I've re-worked this mod, let's see if I can finish it this time!

For the moment, this is a *very* in-progress project, but I'm hoping that with some of the new tools available I'll actually manage to finish it this go-around. I'm already taking advantage of TWBT's capabilities to dramatically improve tile handling. It's not QUITE full graphics, but darned close. Once I finish rebuilding the tileset (again!!), I'll switch over to Rubble and (assuming I can figure it out) use that to apply the tileset changes as well as the rest of the mod (which also needs radical overhauling to account for game changes).

In the meantime, I'd like to offer a little side-project that turned out to be an interesting adventure. In the process of rebuilding my main tileset, I discovered that there wasn't (or at least I couldn't see) a way to do "overrides" for world-gen map tiles. Then, quite by accident, I discovered that process was using the text tileset. Since quite a few of the characters for the world map weren't used anywhere else AS TEXT, I could replace them with more appropriate ones. This is the result, and perhaps someone who has ACTUAL GRAPHICS SKILLS (unlike me) might take the idea and run with it.

16x12 text tileset, primarily the work of the awesome Lord Zorinthrox http://dffd.bay12games.com/who.php?id=703, with additional tiles bungled together by me, or stolen from various much better tilesets (I have complete records, which will be included with the actual release).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f5d8iyy43dko5pi/MMO_12x16_text.png?dl=0

There are additional tiles I could have replaced (=nV for example), but I decided to leave them either because they WERE used in text, or were better left alone for thematic reasons. A great challenge (for me) in this project was that many of the tiles needed have never (to my knowledge) been drawn before. Since I couldn't easily borrow, I had to forge many of them myself, which isn't pretty!

Here's a map example - looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/20w7iu220ih1qf0/twbt_world.jpg?dl=0

It'll be a couple of weeks before I finish the main tileset, but when I do I'll also post it here. In the meantime, feel free to steal any of the knowledge I've discovered through this little side-track, and keep on digging!

Rochndil, who was planning to make this post THIS MORNING, not near 2pm...

P.S. I couldn't see an easy way to get DB to drop the images inline, but if someone knows how I'll happily edit to fix it.

DF Modding / Truetype font too small!

« on: March 26, 2013, 07:53:11 am »

Greetings!

I poked around a bit looking for this answer without luck, so I'll ask: Is there a way to control the SIZE of a TrueType font in DF 34_11? I can turn it on and off, switch fonts around, etc., but it always seems to display VERY small. I ain't getting any younger, and the last thing I need is for text to get SMALLER on my monitor. I really like the idea of using a TTF in addition to a custom tileset, but if it only displays teeny-tiny that won't help me at all.

Rochndil, who needs bifocals...or lasers.

DF Modding / Raws and XML and Excel, oh my!

« on: March 19, 2013, 03:26:05 pm »

Good afternoon.

Having finally gotten several major tasks off my desk, I'm in a position to re-visit my long-idle MMO (Metals and Minerals Overhaul) project. However, I'd like to do it in the most user (and modder) friendly manner I can manage. If at all possible, I'd really like to avoid having to do all the changes necessary either by hand or by endless rounds of text search-and-replace (although I do have a rather nifty Windoze GREP installed now).

What I'd LIKE to do, is export the relevant RAWS dat to XML, import that into Excel (which I know is kinda sucky, but something I'm FAMILIAR with), make my changes there, and then re-export to XLM, and then finally back to the RAWS. I've poked at the rawxlm program, and it seems to send to XML OK (although I don't know crap ABOUT XML, so I could easily be missing something). Import into Excel 2010 from the XML file also seems to work fine, but Excel won't export BACK to XML becasue the mapping is missing or incomplete or something (I don't know crap about XML, remember?).

SO, all that said, is this even something that's really do-able? I'm willing to invest some time in learning how to use the tools I'll need, but if it ultimately isn't going to work, or end up being more trouble than doing it manually, I'm not doing myself any favors.

What's the current state of DF raw --> data-friendly format(s)? On a closely-related topic, what's the main mod-applier these days, or has that line of effort faded away (I think the last one I played with was Uristmod)? Any linkage or suggestions are much appreciated.

Rochndil, probably forgotten but not gone...

DF Modding / World-gen modding

« on: April 07, 2011, 12:31:15 pm »

Good afternoon.

I've spent a lot of time tinkering with the world-gen settings to try and create the kind of world I like to play in (in the current system). I'm not happy with having to drill down 20 z-levels to find magma, and I want running water. Back a while, I always chose embark locations with an underground river and a magma vent/volcano, and if I was really lucky, a pit/chasm too. The new underground is probably better in a lot of ways, but I do miss some elements of the old way.

Here are the the settings I am currently working with. I always do small regions to reduce gen time and filesize.

Code: [Select]

[WORLD_GEN]
	[TITLE:SMALL REGION]
	[DIM:65:65]
	[EMBARK_POINTS:1274]
	[END_YEAR:1050]
	[BEAST_END_YEAR:100:80]
	[REVEAL_ALL_HISTORY:0]
	[CULL_HISTORICAL_FIGURES:1]
	[ELEVATION:1:400:202:202]
	[RAINFALL:0:100:101:101]
	[TEMPERATURE:35:65:101:101]
	[DRAINAGE:0:100:101:101]
	[VOLCANISM:100:100:3200:3200]
	[SAVAGERY:0:100:101:101]
	[ELEVATION_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
	[RAIN_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
	[DRAINAGE_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
	[TEMPERATURE_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
	[SAVAGERY_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
	[VOLCANISM_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
	[MINERAL_SCARCITY:600]
	[MEGABEAST_CAP:4]
	[SEMIMEGABEAST_CAP:9]
	[TITAN_NUMBER:3]
	[TITAN_ATTACK_TRIGGER:80:0:100000]
	[DEMON_NUMBER:22]
	[NIGHT_CREATURE_NUMBER:22]
	[GOOD_SQ_COUNTS:6:63:127]
	[EVIL_SQ_COUNTS:6:63:127]
	[PEAK_NUMBER_MIN:3]
	[PARTIAL_OCEAN_EDGE_MIN:1]
	[COMPLETE_OCEAN_EDGE_MIN:0]
	[VOLCANO_MIN:200]
	[REGION_COUNTS:SWAMP:66:0:0]
	[REGION_COUNTS:DESERT:66:0:0]
	[REGION_COUNTS:FOREST:264:0:0]
	[REGION_COUNTS:MOUNTAINS:528:0:0]
	[REGION_COUNTS:OCEAN:528:0:0]
	[REGION_COUNTS:GLACIER:0:0:0]
	[REGION_COUNTS:TUNDRA:0:0:0]
	[REGION_COUNTS:GRASSLAND:528:0:0]
	[REGION_COUNTS:HILLS:528:0:0]
	[EROSION_CYCLE_COUNT:1000]
	[RIVER_MINS:50:50]
	[PERIODICALLY_ERODE_EXTREMES:1]
	[OROGRAPHIC_PRECIPITATION:1]
	[SUBREGION_MAX:2750]
	[CAVERN_LAYER_COUNT:3]
	[CAVERN_LAYER_OPENNESS_MIN:0]
	[CAVERN_LAYER_OPENNESS_MAX:100]
	[CAVERN_LAYER_PASSAGE_DENSITY_MIN:0]
	[CAVERN_LAYER_PASSAGE_DENSITY_MAX:100]
	[CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MIN:0]
	[CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MAX:100]
	[HAVE_BOTTOM_LAYER_1:1]
	[HAVE_BOTTOM_LAYER_2:1]
	[LEVELS_ABOVE_GROUND:15]
	[LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_1:5]
	[LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_2:1]
	[LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_3:1]
	[LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_4:1]
	[LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_5:2]
	[LEVELS_AT_BOTTOM:1]
	[CAVE_MIN_SIZE:5]
	[CAVE_MAX_SIZE:25]
	[MOUNTAIN_CAVE_MIN:6]
	[NON_MOUNTAIN_CAVE_MIN:12]
	[ALL_CAVES_VISIBLE:1]
	[SHOW_EMBARK_TUNNEL:2]
	[TOTAL_CIV_NUMBER:10]
	[TOTAL_CIV_POPULATION:15000]
	[SITE_CAP:264]
	[PLAYABLE_CIVILIZATION_REQUIRED:1]
	[ELEVATION_RANGES:528:1056:528]
	[RAIN_RANGES:264:528:264]
	[DRAINAGE_RANGES:264:528:264]
	[SAVAGERY_RANGES:264:528:264]
	[VOLCANISM_RANGES:0:0:0]

I would be very interested in what suggestions folks may have to change/modify these settings, and any thoughts on the world gen process in general.

I also should mention one funny thing that happened a while back when I was testing. I'm not really all that interested in HFS, so I tried turning OFF the bottom layer. It worked, BUT, it also got rid of all my volcanoes! They still showed up on the map, but they just weren't THERE in-game. Failing can be fun too.

Rochndil, who will be doing a LOT more world-genning once he gets the MMO metals/minerals changes in place...

DF Modding / Does the metals desert affect modded-in ore?

« on: March 04, 2011, 04:13:58 pm »

Good afternoon.

As I'm sure is common knowledge, the latest build of DF is rather...lacking...in the metals department. I've generated a dozen or more maps, and it's rare to find an embark site that has ANY metal at all, or if so, may only have ONE type. However, I've not yet played with modding in some additional metals. I'm suspecting/hoping that the code limiting vanilla ores won't be able to affect stuff I mod in, but I thought I'd ask if anybody else has checked on this.

"All stone and no ore makes Urist a dull boy."

Rochndil, hoping he remembered the line properly...

DF Modding / MMO Redux

« on: March 03, 2011, 02:54:36 pm »

Good afternoon.

As some of the more enduring board members may recall, I worked extensively on a mod I called the MMO (Metals and Minerals Overhaul). This project built upon work done by other modders, most notably Sean Mirrsen and Deon, and all imported (stolen) work is credited in detail. It got as far as a .9 beta release (old thread: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=33340.0)before the DF10 version overturned the raws mushroom-cart, and I had to start again.

I'm already working on an update/replacement compatible with the new system, though of course work is slow due to constraints on my free time. I won't have to completely throw out everything I did before, but there will be pretty extensive changes necessary to adapt the original work to the new system.

I'm not going to detail all the changes again, since it'll be substantially the same this go-around. There are a few elements I'm not going to bother with (like sand), since some of Toady's improvements rendered a few of my changes irrelevant, and there's no reason to complicate things with unnecessary tinkering.

Basically, the MMO does the following:

- Clean up the metals processing reactions, bringing them a bit closer to real-world functionality (with an exception or two)
- Add a double-handful (not a wagon-load) of new metals, ores, and gems to the world
- Add a waste-production system to the ore refining process
- Alter the display of soil/rock layers, ores, and harvested minerals to a more consistent and useful system
- Use a custom tileset to perform the above, and extend some of the organizational improvements to other display elements
- Document ALL changes to original system in detail, and include in download package

Right now I'm tinkering with the tileset. I did a LOT of cleanup on the tiles I used, created a few, and adjusted quite a few more. With some of the changes in recent builds (still waiting for the .20 bugfix!) I think I can squeeze in a few more useful tiles. Most of what I had before is salvageable, I think, so that work's not wasted.

Then, I need to do a couple of things, some of which will require some research;

- Try to figure out some of the materials engineering behind the new metals defs, codify that into a calculating spreadsheet, and then use that to generate new numbers to approximate the values used in the old MMO
- Update all the necessary changes to the new system, making sure to take advantage of the latest features and capabilities
- Think about a custom workshop or two for some of the reactions
- Investigate compiling the raws changes into a auto-update program (uristmod?)
- Get the whole mess done and tested, and hopefully finish it this time around

There are a number of new tools available that should make this a lot easier for me than it was before, so hopefully I won't run out of time before I run out of steam.

Rochndil, who always seems to be doing DF-modding at tax-time...

DF Modding / A modder, and mod-user, rant

« on: April 14, 2010, 09:18:47 am »

Good morning!

I've been meaning to post this for a bit, but RL has been keeping me too busy. I'm also working on testing the new (and frequent!) updates to DF 2010, which really cuts into my modding time.

That said, I'd like to start a discussion about something important for modders, and mod-users.

I make my own mods (MMO conversion is underway, for those who care), and I also use mods from many of the other talented and creative modders who post their creations here and on DFFD. I have the highest respect for people willing to devote their time and creative energies to make MY game more fun, and for free no less!

But there are some simple things that could be done to make this process easier and smoother for new users, and experienced modders alike.

Here are my thoughts, and discussion is freely encouraged.

1. Please include a readme.txt with EVERY mod file posted. It's extremely easy to separate a mod archive from the header information that describes it, leaving you with a mod that you're not QUITE sure what it does. The readme doesn't have to be encyclopedic, especially if you want some "HFS" in there of your own, but a quick summary of the concept, at least, as well as your ownership info, would be very helpful. I've got dozens of 40D and older mods that I just don't know WHAT they do, or who made them, since the creators failed to include that critical information. Related to that, make sure that you always give proper credit for the ideas and content you've stol...err, incorporated, into your mods! Proper credit makes for happy creators, and happy creators make more cool mods!

2. If you are adding content, create NEW files, don't use existing files. This is especially important right now, when the canonical files (from Toady) are being updated on a weekly basis. If, for example, you add a new weapon to item_weapon.txt, and then two days later Toady uploads a new DF version, any user who uses your mod runs the risk of backdating over his changes/improvements.

3. Now, obviously, if you are CHANGING existing content, modifying the standard files is necessary. In this case, a readme file (see above) is even more important, as well as in-file comments clearly indicating what has been changed. This makes it possible for users to either carry your changes forward into new versions, OR merge them with OTHER changes to the same file.

4. Only include relevant files in your archive. I can't count the number of times I've downloaded mods where the user just took the total contents of their raw/objects folder and distributed it (usually with no documentation). If, for some strange reason, you actually DID change every single one of these files, fine. But usually only a few changes have actually been made, and sending irrelevant files can cause major problems down the road.

5. Test your mods before distributing them, and make sure that you're either NOT generating any error messages, OR document any you are generating, and why. An experienced modder will probably be able to fix anything you distribute that's broken, but many new(er) users won't be able to (easily).

6. Be careful to follow standard (Toady-approved) file use and directory structure. Adding appropriate sub-directories (such as under graphics) is fine, and can actually help keep your content organized effectively. For a major mod, keeping different types of content in appropriate files (ammo in item_ammo_mymod, armor in item_armor_mymod) is logical, and helps the user find any of your content if necessary, but for smaller mods combining compatible items (items_mymod) probably makes more sense, to avoid having a dozen sub-1-k files to archive.

7. Always remember that while your mod may be totally great and awesome, it's also quite likely to be used alongside OTHER equally great and awesome mods. Keeping your files, clean, unique, and as compact as possible, along with appropriate explanations, will dramatically reduce inter-mod conflicts, as well as making SOLVING the ones that inevitably crop up much simpler.

8. For really complex mods, give careful thought to using one of the mod-merging utilities, such as Uristmod, to allow your content to be merged into existing files. Again, the utility of such an approach depends on the scale of your changes. If you're altering a given file SO much that little of the original content remains, it's probably more sensible to just include the altered file.

9. Be MOST careful about changes to key files like creature_standard and entity_default, since these are the places OTHER folks are most likely to be making changes also.

10. Have fun! That's what it's all about after all. If you have a question, or aren't sure about something, ask. It's almost a certainty someone here will be able to help you, and if a simple questions prevents a formatting/conflict issue, everybody will benefit in the long run.

I fully understand that not everyone here is a professional documentation specialist (like me), and that most mods won't include an obsessively detailed list of changes and information. BUT, I do think that a little more effort put forth by the community, especially NOW when, as they say, everything old is new again, would help make inter-modding conflicts a lot less frequent and annoying.

As always, I'm happy to have my ideas discussed/commented on. Feel free to post, positively or otherwise.

Rochndil, back to mangling reaction_smelter.txt...

DF Modding / [Beta-Relz] MMO - Metals and Minerals Overhaul

« on: April 01, 2009, 09:30:23 am »

Greetings!

It's taken a good piece of forever, but the MMO is finally ready for a beta release. The mod should be completely functional as it is, and I've tested it for compatibility with 40D official, 40D18, and several other versions in between. Inter-mod compatibility is more problematic, so be careful about installing or you might end up overwriting some other stuff.

Still in progress:

- Some of the tiles still suck, I'll either need to improve them myself or find better ones to steal
- Many (not all) of the various minerals/ores/layers still need color assignments

Comments, complaints, suggestions, and bug reports are welcome!

DFFD linkage:http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1900

Rochndil, leaving the rest of the original post below...

I've been working on this for some time now, and I've tested most of the key elements (I am SO sick of generating and revealing maps!) and everything works so far. A few elements will require a fairly advanced fort to test, but I'll get there.

In general, I'm trying to accomplish several things:

- Leverage my personal knowledge of blacksmithing and metalworking, in both historical and modern contexts, to improve the realism and workability of the forging process in DF.
- Maintain game balance while adding richness to the experience.
- Reduce clutter where appropriate to streamline playability.
- Where balance IS changed, err on the side of increased challenge.
- Include appropriate fantasy-reality elements.
- Keep it dwarfly!

Much of my work has been built upon the efforts of other talented dreamers and modders. Sean Mirrsen's Minerals mod, Deej's Soil is Fun, and Mephansteras' Civilization Forge all (unknowingly) submitted elements for my current scheme. These elements are used with (presumed) approval of their original creators, and may be withdrawn at their request.

Here is a summary of phase 1:

- All ore-to-bar reactions removed. They didn't make much sense, and were a bit buggy in some cases. (small exploit removed)
- Iron smelting overhauled. All iron smelts to Pig Iron first (requiring flux) and THEN to wrought iron (base iron) without. Also, all iron smelting reactions were combined to reduce clutter at the smelter. Yes, you'll NEED flux to make iron, and even more to make steel. Iron will BURN if you get it too hot, and without some flux you'll destroy your output.

As a brief aside, the traditional method of refining pig iron to wrought iron is so dwarfly it's almost uncanny. In the "puddling" furnace, the pig iron is melted, and then stirred with long paddles as the extra carbon and impurities burn out. The melting temperature slowly rises as the metal is refined, and eventually balls of semi-molten metal are formed, voila! Wrought iron is virtually impossible to find in the modern world, but it has many forging advantages over the "mild steel" that you see these days.

- Steel (Carbon Steel) reaction is basically the same, with batch size increased a bit to preserve your flux/carbon resources. (besides, you don't need all that much of either really)
- Many mineral distribution schemes were altered, most significantly, magnetite, which I changed from large cluster to vein. A resource isn't valuable without SOME scarcity!

Added numerous metals and reactions, including:
- Mithril
- Black (meteoritic) iron and steel
- Monel (cupro-nickel)
- Pot metal (good for toys)
- Cobalt steel (Blue steel)
- Chrome-moly steel (semi-stainless, not that it matters)
- Dwarven steel (truesteel)
- Iridium (cool)
- Osmium (cooler!)
- Graphite to coke. (deej)
- Chromium. Decorative metal. Smelted from chromite (requires aluminum) or from native ores. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Magnesium. Ingredient metal. Smelted from powdered dolomite, requires carbon. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Manganese. Ingredient metal. Smelted from pyrolusite. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Molybdenum. Rare ingredient metal. Smelted from molybdenite, a rare mineral present in chalcopyrite veins in granite and diorite. (Sean Mirrsen)
- White gold. Decorative metal. Smelted from gold and nickel. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Dural. Aluminum hardened with manganese and magnesium. Used for armor and ranged weapons.(Sean Mirrsen)
- Aluminum-bronze. Alternative to iron. Smelted from copper and aluminum. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Patterned steel. Alternative to steel. Made from iron with raw green glass. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Cobalt. A bright shade of blue, this metal is poisonous, but still useful. Obtained from cobaltite, but requires limestone, brimstone, and rock salt to process. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Talonite. Cobalt alloy. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Bone meal flux - a reaction that turns bones and skulls into flux - put those gobbos to good use.

Added the following minerals/ores/gems:
- Mithril. (truesilver)
- Meteoritic iron. (exceptionally pure iron, bypasses pig iron stage, produces Black Iron)
- Boulder. (stone source for soil layers)
- Alluvial Sand (LIMITED sand source for soil layers - and TRADEABLE!) and reactions to turn it into Raw Green Glass, Raw Clear Glass, and Clear Glass Vials
- Amazonite. (nice green gem, interest for Microcline, Orthoclase)
- Peat. (fuel source for soil layers, Deej)
- Geothite/bog iron. (Iron source for soil layers, Deej)
- Woody Debris/Rotten Log/Peat/Anthracite/Forge coal/Magerkohle coal. - fuel sources(Deej)
- Gravel/Sandy debris/Rocky debris/Varmit warren. - local color for soil(Deej)
- Chalcopyrite. A copper ore, but unusable. Added for flavor. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Apatite. Phosphate-bearing rock. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Phosphorite. Another phosphate rock. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Stannite. Complex mineral that yields copper, tin, iron, and brimstone when smelted. (Deon)
- Molybdenite, used to get molybdenum. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Native chromium. It does occur. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Magnesite. Source of magnesium. (Sean Mirrsen)
- Marble variations - black, midnight, celestial, green. (Mephansteras)
- Verdenite, nightstone, bladestone. (Mephansteras)
- Mica inclusions: Lepidolite, Zinnwaldite, Muscovite, Philogophite. (Mephansteras)

Added a waste generation system:
- Nearly all smelter reactions produce some type of ash as a waste product.
- Ideally, the fuel source would determine the ash type generated, but as that's impractical, most reactions generate flyash (coal ash).
- Metal smelting (not alloying, generally) reactions also produce slag.
- Flyash and slag can be further smelted into Crete blocks - which can be used for building.

Changed:
- Altered Magnetite to vein.
- Changed color and frequency of Celestial Marble.
- Changed mica inclusions to CLUSTER_SMALL, to keep them IN the main cluster.
- Removed anvil option from adamantite, it's too LIGHT to make a decent anvil.
- Tweaked many mineral distribution types and chances, seeking balance.
- Changed some gemstone frequencies and distribution.
- Altered Horn Silver so it spawns on its own, it was interfering with truesilver.
- Re-formatted minerals, metals, and reactions files for improved readability.

And that's about it for phase 1. I've been testing distribution of resources, as well as the reactions, and that all looks good. Everything is detailed on my metals/minerals spreadsheet right down to the cost of manufacture - which helps keep me square on what does what.

Now, I'm working on phase 2. Ultimately, I need to create a character set that provides a unique tile for each of the following:

- Soil layers
- Sand
- Stone by type (sedimentary, metamorphic, etc.)
- Ore
- Fuel
- Flux
- Special ores

Each type of mineable resource will then be distinguished by color from others of the same type. For a character set I'll probably start with Flying Mage, and steal, er BORROW tiles from other sets like RantingRodent and ShadowLord. I expect I'll have to create a few from scratch, which will be interesting, since my artistic skills are negligible.

If anyone has comments or suggestions on this project, I'll be happy to hear them. I'm aware that much of this ground has been covered before, but I like to think that I bring a somewhat different knowledge set to the project, which will hopefully translate into a unique user experience.

Rochndil, who bit off a big mouthful for his first mod...

DF Modding / Color translation modder's tool

« on: March 28, 2009, 04:25:49 pm »

Good afternoon!

I'm moving on to phase 2 of my MMO (Metals and Minerals Overhaul) project, and I could really use a little help. Has anyone written a utility that would take the three color values (4:5:0) and display them in some way? I get easily confused, and while the wiki does explain the system adequately, I frequently trip over issues with the tileset foreground/background and colors. Of course, I CAN go through the process of changing the values, replacing the raws, and opening a saved game to check it, but that takes quite a bit of time each cycle.

Ideally, what would be incredibly useful would be a tool that lets the user:

Specify a tileset
Specify a character IN that tileset
Specify a color code (1:2:1)

Then displays the rendered character (either alone, or on some kind of generic background

Even the last two would be helpful, assuming a fixed character (Uppercase D from curses_square_16x16 or something).

Has this been done before? I couldn't find any threads that looked promising, but my search was not exhaustive.

Rochndil, who can put phase 1 into beta if anyone is interested, everything is pretty well tested...

DF Modding / "Raws" dump to CSV?

« on: March 16, 2009, 02:36:46 pm »

Good afternoon.

I'm contemplating yet another project (I know, I haven't finished the first one yet), and what I need is to translate the data for all the mineral/stone/soil raws into a CSV file. I can do the data-crunching the hard way, of course, but it'd be nice to have a faster (and less error-prone) method.

Suggestions?

Rochndil, dreading all that re-keying...

DF Modding / Release: DF Metals Smelting Spreadsheet

« on: March 07, 2009, 10:40:36 pm »

Good evening!

I can't believe I finally finished this beast. I started working on it WAY back in the fall, and it got pushed aside about a dozen times for RL interruptions. Now that it's finally out there, I hope everyone enjoys it.

DFFD link: http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=880

Basically, I created this reference because I was having trouble keeping all the different metals data in my head. What do I need to smelt this? What ores do I need to make this metal, what do I get when I smelt this - these were all questions I had when I started with DF, and it took me MANY trips to the Wiki before I started to get a handle on things.

THEN, Sean Mirrsen put out his excellent Metals Mod, and I was right back at square one, having to learn everything over again. So I resolved to do something about it.

This spreadsheet is the result of that work. Basically, it shows you what components you need to produce which metals at the smelter, the general properties OF those metals and alloys, and also computes whether you're losing or gaining value in the process.

I hope that this is helpful to both new DF fans and modders, since it's easily expandable to account for new metals, alloys, and components. I'll be happy to update the sheet if any errors or omissions are discovered.

Feel free to use this as you wish, but I'd like to be remembered for the many hours I put into it.

Rochndil, who is better at organizing data than creating it...

DF Modding / Mod readme template

« on: March 07, 2009, 08:15:24 pm »

Greetings!

I've been working to organize all my DF mods, and have frequently run into a rather significant stumbling block. Many of the mods use highly abbreviated filenames (DF_4.5.3.rar) for example, and lack any creator/content information! This causes two problems.

1. How do I file these away? I try to organize things by WHAT they do, but it's hard to quickly parse through a stack of matgloss entries to see what's been changed.

2. If I really like the mod, how do I heap praise upon the creator, as is their just due?

To give some small aid to the modding community, and contribute something meaningful, I offer the following Mod Readme Template document, under the spoiler tag.

Mod Readme Template:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

If every mod maker were to take just a few minutes to complete one of these files, and dump it into the root of their distribution archives, both the modders and the user would have vastly improved information at their disposal.

I also offer two small suggestions:

1. Make mod archive names meaningful. DF_2345.rar doesn't tell you much. DF_kittens_for_target_practice.rar is a LOT more descriptive.

2. Include the mod name in your readme name, ie readme_cats.txt, so that YOUR file won't overwrite other folks' files.

I hope that this will prove useful to folks. I know *I* would certainly appreciate seeing more information in the archives I download, because my memory isn't very reliable.

This template is public domain, and may be used, abused, and re-worked in any way that is useful. Or dwarven - especially the abused part.

Rochndil, who spend a lot of personal and professional time organizing information...

DF Modding / Raw file tag sorter

« on: March 05, 2009, 04:10:08 pm »

Greetings!

I was just looking at a modded raw file, and I noticed that the tags in this particular file were all jumbled up. Now, I'm pretty sure that they'll import fine that way, but it sure makes it challenging to READ the thing.

So, wouldn't it be possible to create a fairly simple rules-based text parsing program that would step through the raw file and sort all the tags for each type of object into a consistent order? Obviously rules would have to be drawn up, but I'm fairly sure that Toady's original entries are either consistent or close to it (to use them as a model).

I did a search or two and don't THINK such a beast already exists. I've seen far more complex applications designed by the talented members of this forum, so I'm sure it's do-able from a technical standpoint.

Is this, in your enlightened opinions:

1. Useful?
2. Writable?

I'd offer to take a stab at it, but I'm a tech writer, not a programmer. I do have an unrelated project I've been working on for half of forever, so I actually do have something to contribute - soon!

Rochndil, who has many ideas he cannot bring to fruition...