Hi. Though pretty much non-existent on the forum since like 2013 on a different account, a large thing that kept me coming back to DF is that I could easily make my own mods or download one from the forum, and the stuff people have made just with just scripts and raws is amazing.
However, as it stands, while native support is amazing, it is, as you all know, limited.
This is understandable, and it's likely to stay this way for years to come, regardless, I would like to ask what the community thinks would be great tools Tarn could eventually implement in the future, however far it may be.
I have a few, though I haven't modded since 2013, so bare with me if I mention things that already exist:
CUSTOM WORLD GEN STRUCTURES
Okay, so hear me out. Y'all know the txt file that contains the arena layout? Just that except it transfers over to world gen
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
X++++++++++++X
X+^++++++++v +X
X++++++++++++X
X-------------------------X
X-------------------------X
X-------------------------X
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
I can't remember for the life of me the actual legend for this (and I'm on my phone atm) but this is the one I came up with:
X = Wall
+ = Floor
- = Channel/Pit
^ v = Up and down, y'all don't need an explanation, probably a variant for staircases.
This obviously needs to be expanded upon, but it's the jist. Make one of these for each z level, and define a bottom level to start from, or perhaps make a [SURFACE_LEVEL] and a [BOTTOM_LEVEL:0] to differentiate a surface structure from a cavern structure by making [SURFACE_LEVEL] relative to the surrounding topography while [BOTTOM_LEVEL:0] can be used to define semi-subterrenean or fully subterranean. Other useful tags like [LOOT_SCATTERED] and [LOOT_STORED] could be used as well as [INHABITED:CREATURE_NAME_HERE], [INHABITED:CIV_NAME_HERE] or [ABANDONED] to classify something that is always abandoned like a crypt or otherwise lifeless monument, then again you could inhabit it with presumed "previous inhabitants" if you know what I mean.
One could also seperate floors by using a tag, example: [LEVEL:0] where, as with the previous bottom level tag, the zero represents the number of the elevation relative to [SURFACE_LEVEL] or [BOTTOM_LEVEL:0]
Future me speaking, for now I'll keep my other ideas to myself since this took way longer than it should have to write this, I might speak about the others in length soon, but I encourage you all to post your own little tag/tool ideas that can be applied easily, ones via the Raws are best because they are pretty much the only ones fully-ish supported by the game.
This is, again, just speculation/imagination, don't want everyone to perceive this as "I want this and if Tarn doesn't do it I'm uninstalling" which, while I doubt from this community, the internet is always wild so I felt I should make the disclaimer anyway. Remember to have !!FUN!! and...
STRIKE THE EARTH!