FooBar's Random NFO-related Problems

[FooBar]

One particular vehicle in my set has a long list of requirements concerning it's livery. One of those requirements is that it should have a randomly picked livery starting from the year 2007. Most items of the list are working the way they should, but the random part is giving me troubles.

Symptoms:
Randomisation is applied to every single part of the articulated vehicle, not to the vehicle as a whole (see screenshot below).

As I can't seem to figure out what I'm doing wrong (I tried two different varAction2 chains, see below), I'm asking: What do I have to do to get this working correctly*?

*) I might need to explain 'correctly' a bit more. What I want to accomplish is the following:
Starting from 2007 the vehicle should be available in two different liveries (RED and WHITE). The game should pick one of both liveries at random as soon as a new vehicle is bought. The vehicle needs to have a complete RED or a complete WHITE livery (and not something in between as shown in screenshot below).


All help is appreciated. This should become the most interesting feature of the set. Only thing left is getting it to work


Below, my two attempts.

Code: Select all

//1st attempt

-1 * 0	 02 01 20 81 40 00 FF 02 31 00 00 00 32 00 01 01 33 00 //what spritesets to use (set 3) red/white

-1 * 0	 02 01 19 81 40 00 FF 02 15 00 00 00 16 00 01 01 17 00 //what spritesets to use (set 2) red/beige

-1 * 0	 02 01 11 81 40 00 FF 02 12 00 00 00 13 00 01 01 14 00 //what spritesets to use (set 1) blue/grey


-1 * 0	 02 01 30 80 00 00 08 19 00 20 00 19 00 19 00 19 00 19 00 19 00 19 00 //random livery for years 2007+


-1 * 0	 02 01 18 81 C4 00 FF 03  19 00 \b0 \b71  11 00 \b72 \b80  19 00 \b81 \b86  30 00 
//find out the year built (value since 1920, range) and use the appropriate liveries [19] if year [1925-2175] 
//otherwise [11] default


-1 * 0	 02 01 10 81 10 00 FF 01 46 80 01 02 FF 80 //build articulated vehicle add 01 to 02 wagons

-1 * 0	 02 01 09 81 10 00 FF 01 49 80 01 01 18 00 //use sound 01 //otherwise[18]

-1 * 0	 02 01 08 81 0C 00 FF 02 09 00 33 33 10 00 16 16 18 00 
//sound effect callback [09] //articulated vehicle callback [10] //otherwise [18]

//and now for buy menu
-1 * 0	 02 01 FD 81 01 00 FF 01 FB 00 \b72 \b80 FC 00 
//find out the year and use the appropriate buy menu gfx [FC] if year [1925-2175] //otherwise [FB] default


-1 * 0	 03 01 01 46 01 FF FD 00 08 00

From bottom to top: Action 3; Set graphic for buy menu depending on year; callbacks; set sound; build articulated vehicle; year-dependant liveries; random livery for 2007+; possible liveries.

Code: Select all

//2nd attempt

-1 * 0	 02 01 33 81 0C 00 FF 01 02 80 11 11 CC 00

-1 * 0	 02 01 32 81 0C 00 FF 01 05 80 11 11 CB 00

-1 * 0	 02 01 31 81 0C 00 FF 01 02 80 11 11 CA 00

-1 * 0	 02 01 23 81 0C 00 FF 01 02 80 11 11 BC 00

-1 * 0	 02 01 22 81 0C 00 FF 01 05 80 11 11 BB 00

-1 * 0	 02 01 21 81 0C 00 FF 01 02 80 11 11 BA 00

-1 * 0	 02 01 13 81 0C 00 FF 01 02 80 11 11 AC 00

-1 * 0	 02 01 12 81 0C 00 FF 01 05 80 11 11 AB 00

-1 * 0	 02 01 11 81 0C 00 FF 01 02 80 11 11 AA 00




-1 * 0	 02 01 73 81 40 00 FF 02 31 00 00 00 32 00 01 01 33 00 //what spritesets to use (set 3) red/white

-1 * 0	 02 01 72 81 40 00 FF 02 21 00 00 00 22 00 01 01 23 00 //what spritesets to use (set 2) red/beige

-1 * 0	 02 01 71 81 40 00 FF 02 11 00 00 00 12 00 01 01 13 00 //what spritesets to use (set 1) blue/grey


-1 * 0	 02 01 63 81 10 00 FF 01 46 80 01 02 FF 80 //build articulated vehicle add 01 to 02 wagons

-1 * 0	 02 01 53 81 10 00 FF 01 49 80 01 01 73 00 //use sound 01 //otherwise[18]

-1 * 0	 02 01 43 81 0C 00 FF 02 53 00 33 33 63 00 16 16 73 00 
//sound effect callback [09] //articulated vehicle callback [10] //otherwise [18]


-1 * 0	 02 01 62 81 10 00 FF 01 46 80 01 02 FF 80 //build articulated vehicle add 01 to 02 wagons

-1 * 0	 02 01 52 81 10 00 FF 01 49 80 01 01 72 00 //use sound 01 //otherwise[18]

-1 * 0	 02 01 42 81 0C 00 FF 02 52 00 33 33 62 00 16 16 72 00 
//sound effect callback [09] //articulated vehicle callback [10] //otherwise [18]


-1 * 0	 02 01 61 81 10 00 FF 01 46 80 01 02 FF 80 //build articulated vehicle add 01 to 02 wagons

-1 * 0	 02 01 51 81 10 00 FF 01 49 80 01 01 71 00 //use sound 01 //otherwise[18]

-1 * 0	 02 01 41 81 0C 00 FF 02 51 00 33 33 61 00 16 16 71 00 
//sound effect callback [09] //articulated vehicle callback [10] //otherwise [18]


-1 * 0	 02 01 44 80 00 00 08 42 00 43 00 42 00 42 00 42 00 42 00 42 00 42 00 //random livery for years 2007+

-1 * 0	 02 01 40 81 C4 00 FF 03  42 00 \b0 \b71  41 00 \b72 \b80  42 00 \b81 \b86  44 00 
//find out the year built (value since 1920, range) and use the appropriate liveries [19] if year [1925-2175] 
//otherwise [11] default


//and now for buy menu
-1 * 0	 02 01 FD 81 01 00 FF 01 FB 00 \b72 \b80 FC 00 
//find out the year and use the appropriate buy menu gfx [FC] if year [1925-2175] //otherwise [FB] default

-1 * 0	 03 01 01 46 01 FF FD 00 40 00

For this setup I first determine what livery to use, then callbacks for sound and articulated vehicle etc.

The results of both attempts are equal.

[DaleStan]

I'm not seeing an 83 byte there. If you want the randomness to be consistent throughout the entire vehicle, you need a type 83 random, not a type 80.

[FooBar]

Thanks again, DaleStan!

I don't know where I'd be without your great knowledge, but that really wouldn't be here trying to create GRFs!

[FooBar]

I figured I could as wel use this topic again for my next problem...


I currently have this code which should replace the title of the maglev construction toolbar:

Code: Select all

-1 * 0 04 48 FF  01  0B 10 "Metro rail construction" 00 //for toolbar

It actually does replace the text, but with strange results. The text is not being displayed in the usual white, but in some bright orange. Even more strange is, when I move the toolbar, the colour of the text changes to all colours of the rainbow, depending on the position of the toolbar!

Is it me doing something wrong, is it Patch doing something wrong, or is it intended behaviour?

Using patch r1975, no other newgrfs but the one I'm working on (with just some basic action 0A, 05 and 09, and ofcourse this 04).

[Lakie]

If I read the text ids correctly, you should have put a colour code in front of the string. In this particular case 0x94 (White).
You can read what colour codes are currently used for the strings you are replacing here.

Hope that helps,
~ Lakie

[FooBar]

Thanks, putting \94 in front of the sting works beautifully! If everything was this easy...

[FooBar]

Again I have to use this topic...

I'm currently trying to figure out how to disable my grf if it's loaded before another grf. I just can't seem to figure out why the code below doesn't work.

Code: Select all

//Skip if opengfx infra is not active but will be active
-1 * 0 09 88 04 \7gG  52 57 13 03  01
//Always skip
-1 * 0 09 9A 01 \7< 00 01
//Error message
-1 * 0 0B 03 7F 05 "OpenGFX Infrastructure" 00

IMO, what it should do is this:
If the OpenGFX infra set is not active but will be active later on (i.e. is below my grf) it skips one sprite so that the error is displayed and my grf deactivated. If OGFX infra is not not active but will be active (i.e. not loaded or loaded after my grf), the skip is not executed so the skip in the second sprite is so that the error message is ignored.

Regardless of the grf order, in Patch my grf is always disabled with error message "Error: GRF Status". In Open, it is also always disabled but displays my custom error text.

Can anyone explain to me what I'm doing wrong, or explain how I should disable my grf in case it's loaded before another grf?

[mart3p]

I think the problem is your second line of code "always skip". You are using a "less than" test with a value of zero. As variable 9A sets all bits to on, the value of its lowest byte is not less than zero, so the next line is never skipped.

For an action 9 that always skips, I suggest you use the following code which uses a bit test:

Code: Select all

//Always skip
-1 * 0 09 9A 01 \71 00 01

[FooBar]

Thanks, Mart! That indeed works a lot better than my attempt!

Seems like I didn't understand the wiki. For var 9A it reads Always -1; you can use this to make unconditional jumps, so I figured -1 is a negative number (which I found a little odd anyways), so -1 < 0 and that then would be the way I needed to use that variable. Not.

Anyways, it's working charmingly now. I think I'm going to edit the wiki, which I made a habit when I didn't understand things or taken long time to figure out

[mart3p]

Yes I agree the wiki is a little unclear as to whether the comparisons are signed or unsigned. I’ve always used a bit test in this situation to avoid the issue.

[michael blunck]

Or use any other "impossible" condition (e.g., if TTDPatch version == 0, if climate == tropical when in temperate, etc.) for an unconditional skip. BTW, constructions like these had to be used before var 9A had been introduced (for other purposes, BTW2).

regards
Michael

[DaleStan]

Yes I agree the wiki is a little unclear as to whether the comparisons are signed or unsigned.

All NFO operations are either unsigned unless the operation itself has documentation that says otherwise. Even if one of the operands is documented as "-1", the operation is still unsigned.

I'm not quite sure where to add this information, though.