Settlement line of sight

[SigniferOne]

Curious if anyone's found out whether we can increase this. My map is huge and I would've liked for the line of sight to've been bigger...

[Augustus Lucifer]

This is a good point. I think one of the improvements in Empire, at least from my standpoint, is that you can see all of the region when you own it, as opposed to just a little ways around it. Would be nice to know about this though.

[Squid]

You should be able to script it using the reveal_time command, but it would ugly as I can't see a way around having to do it for each settlement for each faction.

[GrnEyedDvl]

I had an idea a while back on this when I was working on the AI Sight Bonus script but I dont think I ever mentioned it. Maybe one of you modelers can work this out.

Placing watchtowers all over the place gives you great line of sight, but looks like crap. Can you make them transparent? If you placed them on impassable land types, the AI wouldnt try to take over them.

[Caesar Clivus]

Placing watchtowers all over the place gives you great line of sight, but looks like crap. Can you make them transparent? If you placed them on impassable land types, the AI wouldnt try to take over them.

Hmmm...can strat map models utilise an alpha map?

[GrnEyedDvl]

Asking the wrong guy

[SigniferOne]

Wow, that's a GREAT idea. And I don't see why alpha channels can't be used either. In fact that's how mods create strat-map generals holding round shields. The shield they're holding is square, with the corners being alphaed out.

The only problem I see is faction-ownership-- whom should the watchtowers belong to?

[GrnEyedDvl]

Wow, that's a GREAT idea. And I don't see why alpha channels can't be used either. In fact that's how mods create strat-map generals holding round shields. The shield they're holding is square, with the corners being alphaed out.

Like I said had that idea long ago, just never mentioned it.

The only problem I see is faction-ownership-- whom should the watchtowers belong to?

Dont they belong to whoever owns the region unless another general is standing on it?

[Caesar Clivus]

Actually you can set watchtowers up in descr_strat.txt so they'll be there at the beginning of the campaign.

[SigniferOne]

Actually you can set watchtowers up in descr_strat.txt so they'll be there at the beginning of the campaign.

This means what, that they belong to everybody and open up the line of sight to all?

[SigniferOne]

This means what, that they belong to everybody and open up the line of sight to all?

I guess the way this works is that whoever controls the settlement owns its watchtowers' line of sight -- am I right?

[Caesar Clivus]

I guess the way this works is that whoever controls the settlement owns its watchtowers' line of sight -- am I right?

I would say yes. I mean when you take over an enemy's settlement in-game, you automatically gain the line of sight of any watchtowers in the region.

[Gigantus]

There is the symbol.cas (nothing in front or the end of the name) file that uses a transparent skin, so I think it should be possible.

[GrnEyedDvl]

I think so.

[SigniferOne]

Then I think we found our solution.

1-pixel-high alphaed watchtower -- here we come!

[Caesar Clivus]

Then I think we found our solution.

1-pixel-high alphaed watchtower -- here we come!

But I guess you'll still have the problem of enemy armies taking them over. Especially those pesky rebels. Is there any way to program the AI not to do that?

[Gigantus]

Use map_groundtypes to create impassable areas where you place the tower.

[Caesar Clivus]

Use map_groundtypes to create impassable areas where you place the tower.

Ah yes. Which is what GrnEyedDvl said above. Silly me

SigniferOne I'd be very interested to know how this goes

[SigniferOne]

I'm going to place it on top of my settlements, so enemy generals won't be taking over it.

[GrnEyedDvl]

I'm going to place it on top of my settlements, so enemy generals won't be taking over it.

That might work too, but if you have some large regions you will need a few extra. Another thing that could be done is use one of the land_types that are not used in vanilla, such as volcanic, and just change the texture for it to look the same as fertile land or even forest. Then you could place a single pixel or set of pixels that are "volcanic" which is impassable but look like the rest of the map. Then place your towers on those.

I have some info around here someplace on using volcanic and other land types, but I think it must be on my laptop as I cant find it. I have some threads over on the Mod Squad site that I can look for if someone needs them, and there is a bit of info I posted on TWC here. They are pretty easy to figure out.