Custom blocks suite

[Charlie_]

So as I was going to start building a CIC room on my current ship project, I figured it would be much nice to actually have screens and stuff.

I've been experimenting with wedges and one-face animations and some things pose issue.

Anywho, here are the rough results of the wedge experiments for now:

Above: a single standalone screen wedge. (Texture from other animated screen block)
A "wide" screen composition. 2 edges block, 1 center. Planned: different center screens and edges for making different displays when put togheter.

Issues:

Well as it stands, trying to enter build mode to rotate them has proved... problematic. (Everything turns invisible.) However it seems rotating them with R gives results, as shown above, with a worrying outcome: the textures don't stay on the same faces. Big problem. However, since I was unable to re-orient them via adv. build mode, and that all the default wedges use a one-frame texture, I wasn't able to check if this only applies to rotating the wedges with "R" out of build mode or if I'll have the same problem whenever rotating wedges.

Currently, it seems it's going to be rather difficult to animate the wedges due to how animation, textures, and wedges work, unfortunately, but that doesn't mean I won't try and play with it.

More pics:

More to come as it goes on.

Already in the work are composition glass screens, for all your tactical information needs!

 

[Dire Badger]

Yeah, I was noticing a lot of the same issues, especially for the wedge and corner blocks. Kinda put me at a standstill for a while. I finally realized that if I wanted special detail blocks, I would essentially have to redesign the inventory directory from scratch, or it could take forever for people to try to wade through long lists of block types.... meaning I\'d have to go with a special texture for each block, instead of just making \'detail blocks\' with a different texture on each face.

 

[Darth Kcaj]

Excellent work!

This kind of experimentation will really make the bridge interiors come alive!

 

[Charlie_]

UPDATE!

Just some peculiar stuff going on and how I intend to make use of it.



Either way, there\'ll likely be designated blocks for designated orientations, at this rate.

As for wedge animation, it seems vowed to failure unless you don\'t mind animating all the faces with the same thing. More or less the same thing goes for regular blocks too right now.



Also I want to clarify that for the time being, these are all aesthetics blocks. They won\'t actually display real-time info from the ship\'s state. That\'d be pretty damn cool though, so maybe eventually I can look into it.

I should have my answers for the wedges by the end of the week, if I fix the whole everything turning invisible problem. If so I\'ll come back with a first prototype batch of blocks you can toy and test with.

Charlie

 

[TValentinOT]

cool

 

[Charlie_]

So since I neither have admin rights on this machine, and don\'t have any program capable of manageing alpha channel (transparency) on this computer, I couldn\'t test the /looks/ of it, but I sure tested if it worked, and it did.

Turns out making an aesthetic force field is simpler than writing a forum post about wanting them!

Here\'s the how-to:
Note: for people who know how to make blocks already.

Step 1: open the whatever-you-use-for-your-custom-blocks texture file.

Step 2: paint one tile the color you want your force fieild to be. Give it the transparency you want. That\'s pretty important.

Step 3: create a new block using this as its texture.

Step 4: flick the \"Physical\" attribute to \"False\"

Step 5: Save.

Step 6: Have basically glass blocks you can go through.

Enjoy!
Might not stop bullets, but hey, it sure will make your open hangars look a lot lot cooler.

 

[Charlie_]

 

[Dedexy]

Awesome job ! But I\'ve found another use for these non-physical blocks :

\"Might not stop bullets, but hey, it sure will make your open hangars look a lot lot cooler.\"

Build ... Mirror of your ship !



Just a question , How do you make the slopes ?

 

[Charlie_]

When creating a new block, its shape depends on the blockstyle you\'ll set for it.

0 is a standard cube block
1 is a wedge, or slope if you prefer
2 is a corner piece
3 is a non-block element. Such as the plants.

 

[AlpheanBoolean]

make weapons.....