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Author Topic: When temperature is turned off, abstract it  (Read 832 times)

RavingManiac

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When temperature is turned off, abstract it
« on: June 23, 2010, 11:58:52 am »

Just because a computer is not fast enough to handle temperature properly does not mean all of its effects must be nullified. It would be fairly easy to simulate some aspects as abstractions. Water outdoors will freeze during the winter. Magma will damage and destroy materials below a certain melting point. Dragon fire will cause burning damage. Etc.

Basically, an alternative to the current detailed temperature simulation that is less CPU intensive yet functional.
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Pilsu

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Re: When temperature is turned off, abstract it
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2010, 04:08:43 am »

Add a corrosive syndrome to breath weapons and lava.
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Lord Shonus

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Re: When temperature is turned off, abstract it
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2010, 10:29:07 pm »

Think you posted in the wrong thread, dude.

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Executer

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Re: When temperature is turned off, abstract it
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2010, 11:37:59 pm »

[TEMPERATURE:X]
Instead of ON, OFF

Change it to ON, OFF, REDUCED

Might be useful...
Ive never found temperature to lag my computer though.  Not even my laptop.
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Muz

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Re: When temperature is turned off, abstract it
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2010, 06:47:19 am »

[TEMPERATURE:X]
Instead of ON, OFF

Change it to ON, OFF, REDUCED

Heh, I was going to suggest this. Yeah, I think Temperature complexity at the current level is a bit unnecessary. Any other game makes it so that if you swim in magma, you get burned. DF makes it possible to light a huge bonfire under a frozen river, but I don't really bother with that 99% of the time and don't want it slowing down my frame rate.
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NW_Kohaku

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Re: When temperature is turned off, abstract it
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2010, 03:10:10 pm »

Well, part of the problem is that temperature is implimented in such a limited fashion as to be virtually useless right now, anyway...

There are basically only three temperatures right now: magma, fire, and everything else/ambient temperature (exceptions being certain creatures that have abnormal homeotherms or otherwise do odd things).  There is no way to tell what the ambient temperature is in fortress mode, as there is no interface to back that up, which in part leads to that whole "acid rain" problem that was in 31.01 due to temperatures only ever rising. Magma and fire are basically always the same temperature as well.  Extreme high or extreme low temperatures are only noticable when they are in the outright lethal levels, and there is virtually nothing you can do about them, aside from stop or kill whatever is that is spreading extreme temperatures. 

IF we had some kind of interface for understanding varying temperatures, such as a use of transparancy layers that could be overlayed on top of the normal view when you push some button so that you could actually see the temperatures, and had some means of actually controlling temperatures, such as by having water put out fires or the like, then some of this temperature stuff might make more sense.  As it stands, however, we might as well just have "heat damage" attached as an effect of magma and fire or other creatures that "exist at 3000 degrees".
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rlbond86

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Re: When temperature is turned off, abstract it
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2010, 06:55:22 pm »

I agree, disabling temperature gives a huge boost to FPS but magma should still work, and water should still freeze. It's honestly very stupid to waste tons of CPU time one something that should be much simpler.
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NW_Kohaku

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Re: When temperature is turned off, abstract it
« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2010, 10:50:43 pm »

I've never noticed a "huge boost to FPS", myself, although I suppose I haven't tested it too much, either. 

Something else about temperature, though... in spite of having freezing or scorching climates, dwarves never even wear anything different depending on the temperature.  For that matter, I don't know if that would even matter, given the way that temperature currently works.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "we need to remove this function", as I don't think "make the game LESS complex" ever really is a serious option, considering what, exactly, makes DF unique and enjoyable for most of its players. 

I would say, however, that there's always reason to say "optimize something that consumes processor power for little real gain in a game that will mug your CPU for every last hertz of processing power it can get", or at least say that there should be some part of the game that actually uses that functionality.  (Which would be having temperature control, the ability to dress for the weather, and most of all an interface that lets you see what the temperature is, among others.)
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Personally, I like [DF] because after climbing the damned learning cliff, I'm too elitist to consider not liking it.
"And no Frankenstein-esque body part stitching?"
"Not yet"

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