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Thread: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

  
  1. #1

    Default Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    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 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 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:




    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.



    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)



    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 to see the above examples in action. (If you want to comment on the map itself, please use the other topic.)
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by YourMaster; October 24th, 2015 at 17:21.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    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.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    Quote Originally Posted by Woudo View Post
    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.

  4. #4
    Beetle Ecarus's Avatar
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    Default Re: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    Quote Originally Posted by YourMaster View Post

    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

  5. #5

    Default Re: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    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.
    Last edited by YourMaster; October 25th, 2015 at 01:02.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    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.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    Very cool! Had no idea about any of this. Opens up a lot of possibilities.

  8. #8
    Dungeon Keeper Duke Ragereaver's Avatar
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    Default Re: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    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?
    Last edited by Duke Ragereaver; February 4th, 2017 at 12:35.


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  9. #9

    Default Re: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    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 and the one 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.
    Last edited by YourMaster; February 4th, 2017 at 22:43.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Advanced mapmaking: AdIkTeD Column mode and Slab50

    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.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by spartahawk; January 19th, 2018 at 22:17.

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