tweaks to the flora modding (trees)

[Buoidda]

So I finally ventured in to the flora of things. Made some slanted pine trees and straight deciduous ones.

Currently having 0 value in the tags below makes the flora not work or load at all.

I suggest following actions with the assigned 0-values,

Code: [Select]

[SPROUT:0]
(Will be spawned only once - when zoomed-in map area is first generated)

[MATURE:0]
(Will be an obstacle like trees and will be spawned already mature)

[WITHER:0]
(Will be never wither or despawn - unless picked up in case of [mushroom]-tags)

These hopefully simple modifications would allow tree modding (among gazillion of other peculiar things) while we wait for a more complete tree overhaul with species recognition. I have a working tree modding demo in my today's release.

EDIT:Other welcome additions for flora identified as trees would be:

New tags like:
[tree] so that the birds won't eat the [berry]es
[TIMBER:slender trunk / trunk] and allowing tree felling with appropriate result.
[BARK_NAME: bark / birch-bark strip / bast] or even custom?
[BARK_LENGTH: ] ('0' for no bark; '<5' for max number of rowan/alder style pieces; other numbers max length of birch-bark style strip)
[TWIGS:yes] gives s% twigs instead of just branches
[TILEGFX_DRESSED: (summer tile) ]
[TILEGFX_NAKED: (winter tile)]
[MEMORIZED:yes] so that the tree appears on map even when not seen (like 'real' trees)

Edit: underlined what could be default if tag missing.

Existing tags/actions:
Harvesting wouldn't destroy the tree (they'd stay put like picked berry bushes), but give flowers (if flowering month)/berries/leaves/roots if according tags are mentioned on the item's code.

EDIT: It would be really good to have a way to 'flush' the loaded map of outdated flora and have up-to-date ones grow automatically.

Since several spesifications of flora with a same name can become an issue, so I actually suggest that loaded zoom-in map can
be purged of all modded flora upon key-command. Then the flora-files would be loaded again.

[Buoidda]

I tried to have @trowftd's new beautiful linden trees give both flowers and berries (berries so that the tree graphic remains after picking) and failed. Also flowering seems weird: the tree flowers the rest of the year after flowering month? Shouldn't it supposed to flower only during the flowering month?

In any case modded trees are already nicely enriching my game environment. I'll be working on upcoming linden release(ing pollen) on my spare time this week. 

[trowftd]

I second this as there are way too many tree species to add into the game one by one so enabling us to mod add all of those would be really nice.

Also being able to use different woods for different purposes would be really nice too. I made this suggestion before but it would seriously enhance realism IMO.

[JP_Finn]

Also flowering seems weird: the tree flowers the rest of the year after flowering month? Shouldn't it supposed to flower only during the flowering month?

I think (haven’t recorded though) ‘flowering’ lasts until withered.

[JP_Finn]

“[bark_length]” would need to include another type, as with spruce/pine; not really productive bark to harvest.
Or maybe include another tag for bark harvesting.

Should the change include stripping bark ring, including bast, at stump height be added too? For drying lumber for building while upright.

[PALU]

Also flowering seems weird: the tree flowers the rest of the year after flowering month? Shouldn't it supposed to flower only during the flowering month?

I think (haven’t recorded though) ‘flowering’ lasts until withered.

I haven't checked, but it might be useful to compare against Heather (has a flowering stage followed by a flowerless stage that's buggily still harvestable even though it doesn't yield anything useful), and Yarrow (has a flowering stage followed by a seed bearing stage without flowers). Both of them end with a withering stage, of course.

[Buoidda]

Bump up for starter update.

Flowering seems to end before withering on vanilla grasses and herbs. So no problem here. I have to watch those fake "trees" some more.

I don't use grasses for trees because I don't think they spawn on the same spots next year? At least [berry]ies grows on the same spot each year.
Also you can't destroy the tree by harvesting when it is classified as a [berry].

EDIT: I couldn't process my bast since it was an uknown berry. Now the birds ate them before I got them identified 

[JP_Finn]

To test the flora modding, and to flush the old/bad flora; I’d personally use save scumming on test character.

• Start Test character
• Backup Test
• Mod flora
• Start Urw.exe
• Test
• Restore backed up save
• Repeat from 3

[Ezezaguna]

Those tweaks would be awesome if implemented, will help a lot. Maybe some day I can finally create Araucarias (Araucaria araucana) and Boldos (Peumus boldus)  for a sudamerican indigenous mod     

[Sami]

So I finally ventured in to the flora of things. Made some slanted pine trees and straight deciduous ones.

Currently having 0 value in the tags below makes the flora not work or load at all.

I suggest following actions with the assigned 0-values,

Code: [Select]

[SPROUT:0]
(Will be spawned only once - when zoomed-in map area is first generated)

[MATURE:0]
(Will be an obstacle like trees and will be spawned already mature)

[WITHER:0]
(Will be never wither or despawn - unless picked up in case of [mushroom]-tags)

These hopefully simple modifications would allow tree modding (among gazillion of other peculiar things) while we wait for a more complete tree overhaul with species recognition.

Tree modding isn’t truly really possible, and I don’t know if it ever will be. Within the game mechanics and internal structures the trees are handled completely differently than the flora_* plants. Even if those tags would be added, the things generated wouldn’t really be trees for the game.  You notice it immediately with a need to add an option to make a plant an obstacle like a tree - and a lot more. So in practice this approach is suggesting to add an new tree related tag possibilities for flora_*.* plants, and if that was done we would need start reworking the character and NPCs movement etc. code as well to recognize certain plants as obstacles etc. etc. etc. Just to mention very few tiny things about how it would be snowballing. So, trees will get a lot of love and more species in the future, and the ideas regarding that can be (and have been) suggested already. But we really need to wait until it’s being actually coded.