Official announcements: CDK

    Real Multiplayer maps

    We have discussed the topic of "Real Maps" and we came to the following conclusions:


    The problem now is that you are unable to start a real Multiplayer map. Instead of doing that, people wanting to build a real multiplayer map should start their map on the fictitious world map and reserve the needed chunks there.


    To help with this, as we know looking at the "green" map can be confusing, we will in the next patch (coming soon) create the posibility to show the real map underneath, despite reserving chunks on the fictitious map. Edit: Already patched.


    Hopefully the people affected are helped now ;-)


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    Translation kindly provided by jjasloot

    Changing reservation of chunks (tiles)

    We got several request to adapt or remove the reservation of chunks on the map. The solution to this: in the next patch we will introduce this option in the MapEditor, so you can solve these problems yourself.


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    Translation kindly provided by jjasloot

    Singleplayer maps without DEM

    We got requests for being able to create singleplayer maps without pre-existing DEM. We will include this option in the next patch.


    Edit: Already patched.


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    Translation kindly provided by jjasloot

    "Open Source"

    To ease your learning curve into the LOTUS tools, we want to publish our scripts and the Diorama map. You can find these materials in an additional folder in your LOTUS-Simulator folder called "OpenSource" from the next patch.


    You can then copy the map from there into your own MapEditor working directory.


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    Translation kindly provided by jjasloot

  • Janine

    Hat das Thema geschlossen

    News concerning Planet LOTUS

    Removal of the singular reservation contraint

    As some may have noticed, both Planets (real and fictional) have different tile reservation approaches: On the Fictional Planet projects are forced to cooperate that want to build at the very same places. On the Real Planet we have an access restriction with moderation, but everybody is allowed to reserve tiles at every place, even at occupied onces.


    Because of that we already invented a system that provides a multiplayer user to choose between which map should "win" in case of multiply used tiles. Today we decided to extend this system to the Fictional Planet, as well, and hence to remove the constraint to only be able to reserve on unoccupied places.


    Finally, everybody is able to do reservations at every place at any time on the Fictional Planet. This change will be published within the next time and will be announced in the patch notes, when we are done.

    Expiration of unused tiles

    Despite the upcoming change we continue to remove tile reservations that are unused. This is defined by two conditions: Either a map is completely abandoned (due to a test reservation at the beginning of EA or due to their files being deleted without removing the tiles in first place) - those tiles will be removed entirely from the system. Or the map is used and built on - in this case tiles that are not used will be removed after 6 months of not building on them at all or not building on them properly.


    To prevent your map from the "is not used at all" expiration, you would have to open and save it after we announce the change in the patch notes. So not yet! :)

    To all the hardworking content creators, who offer their objects in the Workshop:


    It is usual and desired that objects are replaced, for example when the skills improved during development and the old objects are less accurate or something else. Someone will decide to delete that object and create a new one with new skills...


    Please do not delete the old scenery objects and splines from your containers, that you provide to other people! Their maps would look awkward afterwards.


    Instead, we recommend to mark the old objects as "deprecated". Map creators that use your objects will receive a notice (and may replace the affected objects, if he wants) - and he will no longer find your objects in the building sections.


    Therefore please open the old object in the ContentTool, open "General settings" --> "Kind and Region" and set the kind to "Other" --> "Deprecated".


    That's it :)


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    Edit: Of course, updating objects is allowed as usual! :)

    Dear vehicle creators!


    Your assistance is required now! :) We approach fastly the release of our Multiplayer. The amount of different user vehicles per game is not limited. You can surely imagine that some low-spec PCs are forced to their knees if every single vehicle on the map is a full-detailed full-resolution object, even in the farest corner of the map.


    LOTUS brings some tweaks with the ContentTool, which are called "Visibility flags". The lexicon article will be added today (hopefully :) ). Please take your time, as soon as the article is done, to read, understand und question the article and afterwards use the VisiFlags for your mesh-done vehicles, to prevent an embarrassing first experience in the Multiplayer for some users! :)


    Feel free to ask all questions that may arise, the topic is quite difficult. The state of a "mesh-done" vehicle is the state of development where you would add the Ambient Occlusion texture, since the mesh of the vehicle is not planned to be changed further. :)


    Vehicle creators that should be affected now or soon:

    Kartoffelphantom

    User0533

    User139

    SORGI

    Cedric

    Pandemist

    karadamir

    BLV-1986

    Bzmot332

    Marcel Kuhnt :P

    and everyone else, too. ;-)


    Another important topic are textures. It has a high effect on the performance, how many textures have to be loaded. If you use textures that have a low or even no affect in an AI or Multiplayer (and NOT user-) vehicle, you should add and configure and alternative mesh with corresponding VisiFlags that uses a texture that is used in AI/multiplayer mode of the vehicle anyways (for example an interior texture) and hence save the loading time and (G)RAM of that additional and unnecessary texture. This could save some performance, as well, in case of a quite high-res texture, like it's usually used in cockpits, for example:


    In this case you could add an alternative "AI driver's desk" which (is less detailed, see above, and) uses a part of a texture that is loaded anyways, like the mentioned interior, maybe a grey part of it, for example. The saved high-res texture must not be used by any other mesh of the AI object, otherwise it will be used and the effect is wasted.


    Take your time to understand the texts - I'm going to translate the missing lexicon article later this day and afterwards we can talk about things that may have remained unclear. :)


    Good luck with the optimization and best regards

    Janine

    Hello, dears!


    To our great pleasure, we are currently seeing an increase in the number of buses that urgently need the articulation physics of LOTUS - and the corresponding inquiries.


    As you know, we are currently still working on the passengers. We are about to enable the map developers to lay pedestrian paths and define waiting areas at stops. We are still finalizing this package before we publish it.


    After that, we think it would be a good time to implement the articulated bus physics and to finish the VDV dashboard and publish it for free use.


    After that we will go back to the passengers - defining stops, boarding and leaving, etc.


    We hope, this is what you all want. :poodle:

    Best regards

    Janine + Marcel

    For all those who have already developed modules, especially in the field of outdoor displays, we would like to point out that the dimensions have changed slightly and further module classes have been added. In addition, the script-side info should be checked again. All information is now here (unfortunately this article has not yet been translated into English):


    Standardisierte Modul-Slots

    Hello dear fellows! :)


    Attention, building and object creators: With the next patch there will be a new colour for the alpha channel of the night texture. With the colour RGB = 244 you will be able to let parts of a texture glow day and night, while other parts of the texture with the same alpha channel will continue to glow only at night in a certain way.


    This is useful, for example, if you have a building that has both a residential and a commercial part. If necessary, the building's advertising should also light up during the day. Until now, this could only be done with an extra material for the advertising only, in which case the night alpha control would have been switched off. From now on, the advertising part of the house can lie on the same night texture and will then glow day and night with the said alpha colour.


    If you have any questions about this or don't quite understand it, just let me know!


    The new colour can already be used when creating objects, but it will only take effect after the next patch.