Option to set a maximum distance for industries away from towns

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Huul
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Option to set a maximum distance for industries away from towns

Post by Huul »

It can be a bit jarring that things like factories can be situated in the middle of nowhere, requiring you to set up your networks in a rather unrealistic manner (ie with a large part of you network not going between urban centers, as they typically are in real life). I also wouldn't want matters too be restrictive, like requiring industries to be within the territory of a local authorithy, so I'm suggesing an option that enables you to set a maximum distance of x tiles from the nearest town. Perhaps also with an option to only apply it on processing industries (things like mines indeed can lie far away from populated areas).

(there are NewGRF's that have something similar but they come with all sorts of not-optional stuff I don't want)
Eddi
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Re: Option to set a maximum distance for industries away from towns

Post by Eddi »

sorry, such an option would mess with existing newgrfs, and would be a duplication of the features that newgrfs already have.

so the only alternative would be to write your own newgrf that changes only the things you want changed.
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Re: Option to set a maximum distance for industries away from towns

Post by Huul »

Couldn't people that use NewGRFs just not touch such a setting?
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kamnet
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Re: Option to set a maximum distance for industries away from towns

Post by kamnet »

If a NewGRF developer wished to create a system that does that, sure. It sounds like it could be possible to make.

But that's why OpenTTD created the NewGRF system, to allow contributors to independently work out how they want things to work, without having to modify the core game code directly.
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2TallTyler
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Re: Option to set a maximum distance for industries away from towns

Post by 2TallTyler »

It is possible in NewGRF; I did it in Improved Town Industries. But I also added other not-optional stuff OP doesn't want. :wink:
Huul
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Re: Option to set a maximum distance for industries away from towns

Post by Huul »

kamnet wrote: 14 Apr 2021 07:30 If a NewGRF developer wished to create a system that does that, sure. It sounds like it could be possible to make.

But that's why OpenTTD created the NewGRF system, to allow contributors to independently work out how they want things to work, without having to modify the core game code directly.
Thanks for your response. If the developers feel such a change wouldn't improve the game, so be it. However, if the expectation is that everyone who wants a non-core change should do it themselves, then the process of making NewGRF is going to need to become vastly easier. It's not reasonable to expect everyone who'd like to see a small addition to be intimate with coding. This is not to detract from the work that's been done on the game or the possibilities that have been to mod the game, just a call to temper your expectations.
Eddi
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Re: Option to set a maximum distance for industries away from towns

Post by Eddi »

Huul wrote: 15 Apr 2021 11:19It's not reasonable to expect everyone who'd like to see a small addition to be intimate with coding.
nobody expects that.

but you're talking about a different thing here:
  • option a) writing a patch to the core game, getting it reviewed by a developer, and waiting until the next release until people can use your "small addtion"
  • option b) writing a newgrf, uploading it to bananas, and having it available both immediately and without any 3rd party review required
and that's only the organizational part. ignoring any implementation details or compatibility concerns.

my vote would be very clear which of these options is "easier".
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kamnet
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Re: Option to set a maximum distance for industries away from towns

Post by kamnet »

Huul wrote: 15 Apr 2021 11:19
kamnet wrote: 14 Apr 2021 07:30 If a NewGRF developer wished to create a system that does that, sure. It sounds like it could be possible to make.

But that's why OpenTTD created the NewGRF system, to allow contributors to independently work out how they want things to work, without having to modify the core game code directly.
Thanks for your response. If the developers feel such a change wouldn't improve the game, so be it. However, if the expectation is that everyone who wants a non-core change should do it themselves, then the process of making NewGRF is going to need to become vastly easier. It's not reasonable to expect everyone who'd like to see a small addition to be intimate with coding. This is not to detract from the work that's been done on the game or the possibilities that have been to mod the game, just a call to temper your expectations.
Honestly it doesn't sound like a bad idea to make it a change in the core game. But you can't work on that code yourself, you're going to need a contributor to get excited about it and create that code and go through everything in Step A as Eddi pointed out above. You can always go to the Github page and formally make a request for such a game feature.
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