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Author Topic: Surface View  (Read 1117 times)

Leonidas

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Surface View
« on: October 30, 2008, 07:15:00 pm »

It would sure be nice to view the entire surface all at once, instead of only one z-level at a time.  On hilly or mountainous maps, it's nearly impossible to follow what's going on outside.  My next fortress is definitely going to be on fairly flat ground, to minimize this problem.
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Random832

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #1 on: October 30, 2008, 08:30:00 pm »

How about a way to have it so that everything on any level below (that's not behind something closer) shows up as the "one level below" tiles, with ramps more than one level below showing up as floors, and units/buildings/etc showing up in a dimmer color, or as simple blocks like trees and boulders, or something? - hidden terrain could also be transparent for this, letting you see more underground.

"k" would, instead of showing open space, tell you what's below and what Z-level it's on.
« Last Edit: October 30, 2008, 08:33:22 pm by Random832 »
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LegoLord

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #2 on: October 30, 2008, 08:35:10 pm »

How about a way to have it so that everything on any level below (that's not behind something closer) shows up as the "one level below" tiles, with ramps more than one level below showing up as floors, and units/buildings/etc showing up in a dimmer color, or as simple blocks like trees and boulders, or something? - hidden terrain could also be transparent for this, letting you see more underground.

"k" would, instead of showing open space, tell you what's below and what Z-level it's on.

That could get complicated.
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Random832

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2008, 09:34:24 pm »

basically my idea is instead of "show everything on this Z-level and some things on the level below it", instead "cut away everything above this level, show everything that's not obscured by something else, and stuff below this Z-level is "out of focus"
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Draco18s

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2008, 01:51:13 am »

[V]
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Random832

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2008, 08:11:20 am »

[V]

I'm not sure what this response is supposed to mean.
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Tormy

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2008, 08:28:07 am »

[V]

I'm not sure what this response is supposed to mean.

Shift+v = V
That is Toady's basic "visualizer" tool.
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Random832

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2008, 08:38:45 am »

[V]

I'm not sure what this response is supposed to mean.

Shift+v = V
That is Toady's basic "visualizer" tool.

But that's not what I want - what I want is for the main view to show terrain at level Z-2 and below where it currently shows just "sky". And show units/buildings/etc on that terrain
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Tormy

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2008, 10:17:53 am »

[V]

I'm not sure what this response is supposed to mean.

Shift+v = V
That is Toady's basic "visualizer" tool.

But that's not what I want - what I want is for the main view to show terrain at level Z-2 and below where it currently shows just "sky". And show units/buildings/etc on that terrain

Yeah I know, I just explained what Draco meant on "V".  :)
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Areyar

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2008, 10:20:38 am »

yeah, I'd also like the sky to be 'see-through'
(togglable though, I can't imagine the FPS hit rendering multiple layers at once would do.)
Preferably surfaces below 'sky' would be rendered in a shade paler or alternatively darker/bluer then the current selected height level.
surfaces above the selected height remain invisible.

Or V-mode alternative : render an aerial surface composite snapshot as viewed from max height.
built up from bottom to top, overwriting when anything other than sky is present for the surface property of a tile.
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kenes

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2009, 12:30:31 pm »

Yes, I think this'd be a great addition, especially considering what I've read about the near future of the Fortress, Military Arc and all that.

I've also had a fort which was situated right at the edge of a sand desert and a huge steeply sloped mountain. It makes it really tedious to send troops into the mountains, let alone follow the action as it goes on at three to five Z-layers of mountain surface area.

I'd like to have a "fake 2D view" comprised of multiple "just above the surface" layer slices of the world, just for ease of command.
I suppose it's equally nice for Adventure Mode.

My apologies for bumping it, but I'd like this to get some more spotlight time.
I've also added it to the Eternal Suggestions Voting list.
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Bricks

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #11 on: September 27, 2009, 01:19:44 pm »

Yes, I'd like to see an option, if not a full implementation, to view more than the current level and the level below.  At least something to differentiate "empty for a few z-levels" and "huge pit," such as colorized air tiles.
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Silverionmox

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #12 on: September 27, 2009, 03:15:21 pm »

The Depth by darkening thread is relevant, I presume.
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Bricks

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #13 on: September 27, 2009, 03:33:35 pm »

The Depth by darkening thread is relevant, I presume.

Yeah, that is exactly what I would like to see.  It would require Toady bending the laws of the universe and allowing full color support.
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kenes

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Re: Surface View
« Reply #14 on: September 28, 2009, 12:26:49 pm »

Depth by Darkening is similar, but quite different.

Surface View would be a complete overview of what's to see, not shaded or dithered and completely accessible and commandable with any view and command mode (x, q, whatever).

It seemed different enough to me to (re-)plug Surface View as a seperate suggestion.
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