[WIP] Lighthouses mod

Location

+ visible anywhere on the map, possible to add colors to the icon
+ always placed at the same altitude, whatever the depth of the sea

- problem of placement in the ground if placed on a land with altitude
- not possible to custom the LH with an .eqp file


Land

+ no problem if placed on a land with altitude
+ possible to custom the LH with an .eqp file

- altitude depending on the depth of the sea
- visible on the map only when in visual range, always green icon (for neutral units)


Edit : All this can be solved by this trick : if we want to put a LH on the ground, let's create a land unit with no icon, and also add it (at same placement) in the Locations folder with a blanck file but with my icon of LH !

[gap]

Originally Posted by Kendras

Both good
I think that if the lighthouse models are already oriented with their North face pointing to what would be the prow of a ship, rotating them in ME/TE wouldn't be required, and their icon on map wouldn't look rotated either

Originally Posted by Kendras

Location

+ visible anywhere on the map, possible to add colors to the icon
+ always placed at the same altitude, whatever the depth of the sea

- problem of placement in the ground if placed on a land with altitude
- not possible to custom the LH with an .eqp file


Land

+ no problem if placed on a land with altitude
+ possible to custom the LH with an .eqp file

- altitude depending on the depth of the sea
- visible on the map only when in visual range, always green icon (for neutral units)


Edit : All this can be solved by this trick : if we want to put a LH on the ground, let's create a land unit with no icon, and also add it (at same placement) in the Locations folder with a blanck file but with my icon of LH !

For each lighthouse model I could create rock reefs of different heights that the lighthouse would rise from. Some terrain adjustements in TE might be required.

...or as I told you a few days ago:

get a basic geometry which will provide a stable floating platform, make it invisible, set it as a sea unit, give it a huge mass, a very low center of mass and exceptionally high drag coefficients for extra stability. Attach to it (in the same file) the actual lighthouse model and add to it configurable nodes for whatever equipment might be required, including the rock "base".
Result: the lighthouse will always be at the same height a.s.l.

Store the rock "equipment" in a library file, make it high enough that it will always touch the seabottom, no matter how deep is the sea under the lighthouse, and give it a sim file with a static object controller, similar to a normal terrain object.
Result: the rock reef wont be considered by the game as part of the lighthouse itself, and collision with the seabottom wont be detected, but any other unit will be able colliding with it, just as with any other terrain object (fully tested in SH5, it should work in SHIII too).

If need be, the lighthouse itself can be made collisionable/destroyable, and I am confident, though not absolutely sure, that with the correct settings some of them can be given a nationality and a visual sensor, so that they will report any enemy unit in the vicinity

Originally Posted by gap

If need be, the lighthouse itself can be made collisionable/destroyable, and I am confident, though not absolutely sure, that with the correct settings some of them can be given a nationality and a visual sensor, so that they will report any enemy unit in the vicinity

Mmh, that's why you absolutely want the LH to be sea units ...

[gap]

Originally Posted by Kendras

Mmh, that's why you absolutely want the LH to be sea units ...

Not at all. I am not even sure that the statement you are referring to is going to be applicable in game without a series of side effects (lighthouses being shown in museum, them being reported by the watch crew/sonarman, enemy ships aiming their guns at them rather than at more valuable targets, etc.).

I am just telling you that LH's as simple "environnmental" sea units (like icebergs) are just another possibility which shouldn't be discarded if it makes our lifes easier, and it provides more flexibility in campaign. That's it

Any news ?

Hi !

I can't wait to see how your rocks and reefs look like !

[gap]

Originally Posted by Kendras

Any news ?

Originally Posted by Kendras

Hi !

I can't wait to see how your rocks and reefs look like !

Not yet, your other mods distracted me from my main task... I am painting planes now but I promise it is just a temporary diversion

[gap]

Originally Posted by Kendras

Hi !

I can't wait to see how your rocks and reefs look like !

Just found a good tutorial on how to generate a mesh from a grey-scale heightmap using Blender.
It might come in handy for creating natural-looking small islands, rocky reefs, skerries and shoals