I'm having to take a short break from my project, as i clocked too many hours into one map set and still didnt get it perfect. Its perfect now, and im pleased because it'l do for lots of other map pieces i need to use...
So im taking a short break from it, ive got alot of plans wrote down for various map pieces and items, so i want to get those finished before i release a demo :)
I feel your pain ben, really I do getting the collison to work is harder than making the actual pieces, ben here is a tip..Think outside 2M........ you know SoM squares are 2m x2m right.... who says you have to do that? Rules in gaming and programming are meant to be broken:).... for intance did you notice my house I posted the other day....... I am sadened that no one was impressed by my specs...... 4 pieces and 3 objects........ to save part room and to make building a snap the house is in sections of 2m x 6m I have 10 pieces total, and with these you can make MANY differnt type cribs........ and can be placed in minutes........( see Pictures) but to make a long story short ben........ for decreased slow down and better speed placing, a map piece maximum size can be 9m x 9m ( use that for flat or vertical sections) use up to 6m x 4m for houses or buildings.... trust me it's worth the effort...... Also be sure to use inviable flooring under the sections that are void, or else objects placed will be invisable....... hope this helps shave time for you once again...............
Wrong thread I think, but I'd like to just suggest we don't make objects which are designed to snap into map pieces. It's one thing to make a multi-object to get around the object disappearing from view bugs, but try your damnedest if you can to make objects that are modular so they can be reused as much as possible. Map pieces on the other hand are designed to come in sets, so make alternative ones if you need to... the tile sets can become quite large.
Also consider trying to match your wood textures to the wooden objects that come with Som. See how the door and barrel are a different colour of wood. That would make everything more consistent so everything is easier to integrate together. It's not hard for authors to tweak the textures for their game, but I think if we're going to be able to toss everything into one hat we should use the stuff that comes with Som to set the tone.
The house BTW is nice. Do you think you will get to make it more flexible so you could tile it in different floor plans? If the chimney was an object it could be placed more flexibly. A porch would be nice. And I would be interested in seeing a set without the stone foundation. It's more common in this kind of construction for the floor to be on stilts just off the ground... if you did that the two could be mixed effectively and the lower sections would be like split level housing. Since you have the stone foundation in theory you could add a basement under the house. With just a little work you can create the illusion of a lot of variety.
PS: As Som authors I think we actually have an obligation to think of others' games first when making new assets for our own games. Yes you need something to make your game complete, but think of how future other games will hopefully be able to make use of your work also.
I personally am glad to see the wood of the house not match the barrel, that way the barrel stands out. I can honestly say the half barrels I have outside my house used as flower planters dont match the wood grain of my kitchen floor...
I do like the idea of a basement, that would be extra cool, just wish SOM favored the ability to limit you from inspecting objects etc that are above/underneath you.
Joe, you know I think highly of your customs, but if you'd like reassurance....I think the house is kickass, and a ton better than the one I made.
Its interesting that this house looks alot like my own. (in game of course!)
Well, i personally use alot of SoM's textures (like the wood.)
I really dislike giving away features of my game and objects etc, because i want everyone to have a nice surprise made up for them that they can enjoy... Thats why i rarely upload screenshots although they are available.
Alot of my stuff is seperate from Kings field and SoM, ive cracked SoM's limitations a bit so i can work with my favourite feature in games. (You'l see! )
Again, thanks Joe and i'm happy to hear from you as usual, i always defied SoM in the 2x2, i made a piece worth 9 regular squares.
Thanks Ben, I always welcome the support....... I don't mind giving little samples of what I am doing for my project, it gives folks something to look forward to.... just cause you see samples of my work does not mean that the FINAL output will look the same, and I have 8 TYPES of NEW buildings this my friend is just a sample of but one.......... another reason I post snippetts of goodies is to hopefully motivate other folks whom are thinking of making an som title to think outside the bun, and raise expectations......Hope it works, Also my ideas are fresh, new and if I must say so myself intuitive...... so sharing the wealth of knowledge I have learned, might help us from seeing loads of LAME demos, and cheezy single map games, that only use the stock SoM set..... trust me Mytrosia will be EYE candy and will amaze . and my teasers only add to the fun...., and ben your game is HIGH on my wish list , so yes some more previews of your work , I think would get more fans like me to support your game, thats all I am saying:) And ben the only thing you know for sure that will be in my game is the Tree map set I gave you...... and do you actually think that is the whole set............ You only wanted pines ........As Holy says thinking about future games is a key process in the NEW stuff I create....
I do not agree with texture advice Holy..... Som textures SUCK monkey balls and Execpt from a few woods and and the main grass texture, I axed the whole set...... and good riddance.... 256 bit color 64x 64 textures yuck this 2010 not 2000..... I have hand picked colors that work well with som.... my textures are either custom or todd's......his custom textures work well with som , but like mine most of his DD set used new stuff, THAT SET HIS GAME APART FROM THE REST, and that is the idea isn't it? no disrespect to my great friend Tom , but I don't want to make a game that looks JUST DOM or trismegitus....Nor do I want a game that looks just like DD, I want folks to see my Shit and want MY textures for THIER games............... Lastly you can register 1024 total objects.............. More than needed in most builders cases... so YES there are OVER 100 part I made that do nothing but snap PERFECTLY IN PLACE on map parts.....WHAT OF IT....... it's intuitive, and brilliant, and makes map parts complete, ya see holy , AS a SOM author ( one whom is actually making stuff and an SoM game,) I know that map parts can only have a maximun size of roughly 200K.... so take the house for example..... the sections that comprize the house are about 95K , they create NO SLOWDOWN... add a few placed objects and you get stuff to complete the house like windows, door frames and trim , stuff to make the parts work well and look complete they are part of the map piece SET..........so don't tell me or other folks NOT to make objects for thiere custom map SETS......... I think others SHOULD DEFINATLY make snap objects , ESPECIALLY IF IT WORKS WITH A SET OF MAP PIECES........ don't worry all my sets are interchangable and reusable , in fact my 10 piece cabin you saw , has the potensial to make ATLEAST 5 DIFFERNET style cabins... ps Got the basment plan covered, I already had it down:) you do your outside the box custom stuff, that works, I'll do mine....... I don't diss Somex or SomEX whatever you want to call it do I? ................no I don't .... because you stuff works and is very intuitive...INfact I ENCORAGE others to to expand on what you have done to make it better......that is the reason for this community..To make SoM better for everyone......ML
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trust me Mytrosia will be EYE candy and will amaze . and my teasers only add to the fun...., and ben your game is HIGH on my wish list , so yes some more previews of your work , I think would get more fans like me to support your game, thats all I am saying:) And ben the only thing you know for sure that will be in my game is the Tree map set I gave you...... and do you actually think that is the whole set............ You only wanted pines 
........As Holy says thinking about future games is a key process in the NEW stuff I create....