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View Full Version : Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50



YourMaster
October 24th, 2015, 15:18
Almost every user on this forum makes maps, and I'd like to share a technique that will hopefully help you do some new and interesting things. I want to combine two features of the AdIkTeD (http://keeper.lubiki.pl/html/dk1_tools_mapedit.php) map editor.

Column mode

In AdIkTeD there's column mode, which allows you to make one column (a block of dirt/room/path/rock etc) look like something else. To use this press 'c' when in slab-mode, then press m to select what you want your column to look like. For example gold, a tunnel or a prison.
Now all you have is an optical illusion. As soon as in a game the tile next to it changes, because you dig it out, claim it or build a room, the illusion is broken and the column is reset to what it originally was.

Slab 50
One of our newbie users recently brought to our attention (https://keeperklan.com/threads/4949-Ids-Habbening/page3?p=50125&viewfull=1#post50125) that slab50 has some special properties: It functions as 'holy ground', creatures can walk over it, but you can't drop them on it and you can't build on it. It looks like unclaimed path, so it will confuse the player a bit as you can't tell it apart from regular unclaimed path. So it has a use when you don't want a player/keeper to claim something and water/lava isn't an option because bridges are available. Still, players won't know what can and cannot be claimed so best not to use it.

In slab mode press 'Ctrl+M' and select '50: Unknown Slab' from the list to place it.

Fusion!

But here's the kicker, one of the properties of Slab50 is that it cannot be changed, it is static also when the neighboring slab is claimed. If you've been paying attention you know what this means; It can be combined with column mode to create new things that are permanent! Whole new things can be build placed and they will stay on the map:




http://keeperklan.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1615
Bedrock floor

Place slab50 on a map, and give it custom colum 'ground level rock' and you'll have bedrock floor. This is effectively a new slab type that has been missing from DK1, and has applications on many maps. You can create zones that can be crossed but not claimed, and this is visibly clear for the player.



http://keeperklan.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1617
Tunnels

Give slab50 custom column 'Rock with cave' and you'll have a tunnel in rock. On the map the passage is visible though. Use rock instead of slab50 to make the passage hidden. (Make sure to place bedrock somewhere in front so it cannot be claimed)



http://keeperklan.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1616
Custom buildings

Have a patch of multiple slab50's and give them all different custom columns to make special constructions.



Feel free to share ideas on what to do with this this, or ask questions on using it. I've made a map (https://keeperklan.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=119) to see the above examples in action. (If you want to comment on the map itself, please use the other topic (https://keeperklan.com/threads/5073-Dread-Mountain).)

Woudo
October 24th, 2015, 16:45
Newbie! I've been here long enough to deserve a higher quality tar brush, thanks.

Since we're on the subject of advanced mapmaking, you could already disguise slabs on the map prior to this find. Place a lot of slabs, then press Ctrl-U to cancel auto-updating. Change some slabs around and save. What shows on the minimap is different since the minimap isn't updated whereas the slabs are. It's kind of finnicky and bars you from making edits to the map afterwards. I was going to use it in one of my secret maps, but I think it's been sort of made redundant by slab50 and column mode.

YourMaster
October 24th, 2015, 17:19
Newbie! I've been here long enough to deserve a higher quality tar brush, thanks.

Since we're on the subject of advanced mapmaking, you could already disguise slabs on the map prior to this find. Place a lot of slabs, then press Ctrl-U to cancel auto-updating. Change some slabs around and save. What shows on the minimap is different since the minimap isn't updated whereas the slabs are. It's kind of finnicky and bars you from making edits to the map afterwards. I was going to use it in one of my secret maps, but I think it's been sort of made redundant by slab50 and column mode.
Says the beetle.;)

But yeah, you're right. This is much more useful though. I'm looking forward to see you incorporate this in some of your stuff when you release something in 20 years.

Ecarus
October 24th, 2015, 19:22
http://keeperklan.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1617
Tunnels

Give slab50 custom column 'Rock with cave' and you'll have a tunnel in rock. On the map the passage is visible though. Use rock instead of slab50 to make the passage hidden. (Make sure to place bedrock somewhere in front so it cannot be claimed)

Wasnt this discovered in the past? I remember a post like this, and the map was too buggy and laggy. Also, in the second level of nikolai castles campaign theres something like this near your dungeon heart.

Im playing your map right now btw, and its very original, atleast its better than those what i do hahaha:p

YourMaster
October 24th, 2015, 19:58
Could very well be the case of course. That I never seen any map or any forum post about it doesn't prove that nobody knows. Column mode is known of course, and even without slab50 that can be used to some effect. (For example making it unclaimable by having water there and no bridge). I'll take a look at that map.

And thanks,.. I'd like to show with the maps I made that there are quite some possibilities with the scripts/maps beyond what the campaign maps do.

Edit:
I started the second level of nikolai, and it seems to be just column mode,... the walls look funny but as soon as you build a room next to it they turn back to normal.

Woudo
January 24th, 2017, 10:18
Apparently 'fake' walls don't attach to the roof in possession mode. If you place dirt path or claimed land, and then column mode it to any full slab like dirt or wall, a gap will remain above the fake wall. If it's dirt or player path, you can drop creatures on top of the wall, and they can run the length of the fake wall. You could also fly through it if you were in possession mode, which opens up some new ideas for possession dungeons. For a more practical use, creatures are unreachable when they're atop the wall, so a level 1 archer could kill a level 10 giant, assuming the archer didn't walk off the edge.

damedog
January 24th, 2017, 16:08
Very cool! Had no idea about any of this. Opens up a lot of possibilities.

Duke Ragereaver
February 4th, 2017, 12:31
I'm amazed to read this discovery and damedog is right that this opens up a ton of possibilities!

Ecarus is correct that there a thread about it (it seemed to have disappeared), and yes it seemed at the time that messing with the colomn functionality made the map laggy at best and unstable at worst. My question is: does this use of slab50 hurt game performance or stability?

YourMaster
February 4th, 2017, 14:18
As far as I know it doesn't. This tile is just one of the possible tiles in the game, and I believe the custom columns give issues when changing back.
Since then I've made two maps that use it and haven't heard any stability complaints, this one (https://keeperklan.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=120) and the one (https://keeperklan.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=119) linked in the OP.

Edit: However, using 'column mode' does often corrupt your maps yes. But Adikted can 'fix' the corrupted maps themselves, so it's not a problem. However, it is best to finish the map and only when done change the columns were desired before doing one last save, as fixing the corrupted map will undo the changes to the columns.

spartahawk
January 19th, 2018, 03:10
I wonder if there is a way to make this not reveal bedrock tunnels (a bug) while in low-walls graphics mode. Otherwise if it's used, the map description should specify to only play with high walls graphics.

1782

YourMaster
January 19th, 2018, 09:14
I doubt it, this could very well be the reason why this terrain-type never made it into the game. Because how would you show it on the map,...if you show it as rock you can distinguish it from actual rocks, if you show it as path you can't distinguish it from actual path. So this is probably the best way to do it,... it now just spoils you to where the tunnels are.

damedog
January 19th, 2018, 16:52
Someone should make a map demonstrating all the unique uses of Slab50.

YourMaster
January 19th, 2018, 18:15
In the OP I linked to the demo-map I made to show this feature. But what is it you want to see, all the possible columns in the game?
Because that's what Slab50 does, it fixes whatever regular column you put on it. Place a treasure room on it, and you have a treasure room that cannot be claimed/sold/destroyed.
And you combine room tiles in infinite combinations.

In any case, here's a list of all the columns in the game:
http://keeperklan.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1783