Functionality using fun

[Lobby]

Hi,

in this topic I'll try to give a step-by-step guide into fun functionality. Dependent on your current knowledge it might need some time getting used to it. However, fun is a real powerful tool to create buildings that react to their environment or to user interaction. By now (version 343) the system is for from completion. Nevertheless, functionality as it's described here should still work with future updates as new functionality will be added primarily.

1. Getting started
To keep it simple I'll just focus on the fun part of a sample plugin. For this reason I'll use frames which are built right into the game so you don't have to bother with them. However, you can make them as complex as usual for your projects. Also building size isn't limited by fun, but a size of width:1, height:1 makes it much easier.

Let this be our starting point of a simple plugin:

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[
  {
    "id":"$deco_fun_sample00",
    "type":"decoration",
    "width":1,
    "height":1,
    "frames":[{"x":288,"y":0,"w":32,"h":32,"count":2,"offset x":1024,"offset y":1024}]
  }
]

You don't have to worry about the frames definition, it just means that we load two frames of this image:

fun_frames.png (1.08 KiB) Viewed 30526 times

So, now let's add some fun to it. To do so, we use the fun attribute:

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[
  {
    ... // Just as before
    "fun":[
      {
        "condition":{"type":"building","frame":0},
        "actions":[
          {"type":"frame","frame":1}
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
]

Try to guess what this code does.

Solution: If the building was placed with frame 0, it will eventually switch to frame 1.

Let's analyze "fun" a bit further. It takes an array of objects which we refer to as transitions (as they are similar to the transitions in a state machine). A transition has the form (simplified)

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if (condition) then do actions

The ability to provide multiple transitions allows us to perform different actions on different conditions. Details about when and which transition will be taken will follow later.

What does the condition

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{type":"building","frame":0}

exactly to? It checks whether there's a building at the current position (that is the position of the building in which we define fun) which also has set frame 0 as current frame. If this is true, the condition evaluates to true so the actions can be performed.

We provide a single action

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{"type":"frame","frame":1}

which tries to set the frame of the building at the current position (so of this building) to 1.

2. Multiple transitions
For now, it's boring if our plugin just switched frame 0 to 1. We want to switch back from 1 to 0 eventually. To do so, we can use the ability to provide multiple transitions:

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[
  {
    ... // As before
    "fun":[
      {
        "condition":{"type":"building","frame":0},
        "actions":[
          {"type":"frame","frame":1}
        ]
      },
      {
        "condition":{"type":"building","frame":1},
        "actions":[
          {"type":"frame","frame":0}
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
]

Simple, isn't it? But wait, you might say what if the frame is 0 the first transition's condition will be true so the first action will be performed. But after that, the condition of the second transition becomes true so that the frame will be set back to 0 immediately.

True, but that's not how transitions and their actions are executed. Instead, all conditions of all transitions are evaluated at the same time. After that, only one transition whose condition was true is selected to perform it's actions. If no condition was true, no actions will be performed. How often does this happen? For "fun" this process is performed daily. So the building will switch it's frame each day except you pause the game.

3. Tap sensitivity
You might say that we can achieve the exact same behavior by using an animation. That's true, and for this functionality I would also recommend to use animations instead as it's much easier. But what if we want our building to change it's frame only if the user taps on it? We cannot achieve this with animations alone, but with fun it's fairly easy: We just have to replace "fun" with "on click fun". This fun will be performed only if the user taps on the building.

So our final code for this looks like that:

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[
  {
    "id":"$deco_fun_sample00",
    "type":"decoration",
    "width":1,
    "height":1,
    "frames":[{"x":288,"y":0,"w":32,"h":32,"count":2,"offset x":1024,"offset y":1024}],
    "on click fun":[
      {
        "condition":{"type":"building","frame":0},
        "actions":[
          {"type":"frame","frame":1}
        ]
      },
      {
        "condition":{"type":"building","frame":1},
        "actions":[
          {"type":"frame","frame":0}
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
]

Note that you can define "fun" and "on click fun" both in a single plugin. So you can do both, daily transitions as well as touch sensitive transitions. This is used for example in these sample plugins:
Wandering Animals
Game of Life

[Brody Craft]

This is very mind bending

[Lobby]

Any questions? I know that it's not easy.

[Brody Craft]

No questions...

[Bearbear76]

No questions...

Trust me this is hard
But it feels so good when you finally get it right

[Josh]

You can make whole new systems with this

[KINGTUT10101]

Could you help me figure out how to make a plug-in that will replace nearby buildings. Basically a building that will spread if it's next to other buildings.

[CommanderABab]

Build is in the actions.

[Lobby]

The syntax isn't correct, in JSON objects consist of name:value-pairs while your "$building2" stands alone (how sad). To check for a building, use type:building and provide your id as value of id:value. See here:

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        "condition":{"type":"and","x":1,"inner":[
          {"type":"building","id":"$building2"}
        ]},

If you have only one condition you can simplify the code by removing the and-group:

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        "condition":{"type":"building","id":"$building2"},

[Lobby]

4 tiles into each direction? Do you mean like the red tiles here?:

[Lobby]

I would use "count" to do that. count evaluates all inner conditions and counts how many of them hold true. Let's say it found n true conditions. The count condition is then true iff min≤n≤max or n=z (depending on whether you provided min, max or z).

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"condition":{"type":"count","z":0,"inner":[
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","x":1},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","x":2},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","x":3},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","x":4},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","y":1},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","y":2},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","y":3},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","y":4},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","x":-1},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","x":-2},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","x":-3},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","x":-4},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","y":-1},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","y":-2},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","y":-3},
  {"type":"building","id":"$building2","y":-4}
]},

This code isn't short by any means, but at least it works

[Bearbear76]

Is it possible to make a plug-in with functions like this
Also if it is tell me I need help
For example you have four buildings A¹ , A² , B¹ , B²
If you click A¹ you will get A² but you can only turn A² back into A¹
if B² is next to it also to prevent B² making A² into A¹ accidentally
There is 2 modes for the B building B¹ (off) B² (on)
If you click B¹ (off) you get B² (on) that can change A² back to A¹
so simply B building is like a switch and A building is like a light bulb

[CommanderABab]

Yes

[Bearbear76]

How?

[CommanderABab]

temp.json

(1.56 KiB) Downloaded 608 times

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//Is it possible to make a plug-in with functions like this
// Also if it is tell me I need help
//For example you have four buildings
// A¹ , A² , B¹ , B²
//If you click A¹ you will get A² 
//but you can only turn A² back into A¹
//if B² is next to it also to prevent B²
// making A² into A¹ accidentally
//There is 2 modes for the B building
// B¹ (off) B² (on)
//If you click B¹ (off) you get B² (on) 
//that can change A² back to A¹
//so simply B building is like a switch and A 
//building is like a light bulb
{"id":"a1",
 "build time":0,
 "on click fun":[
      { "condition":{
           {"type":"building","id":"a1"},  
        },       
        "actions":[
          {"type":"remove"},
          {"type":"build","id":"a2"}
        ],
        "p":1
      }
    ]  
},
{"id":"a2",
 "build time":0,
 "on click fun":[
      { "condition":{
           {"type":"building nearby","id":"b2","min":1,"max":8},  
        },       
        "actions":[
          {"type":"remove"},
          {"type":"build","id":"a1"}
        ],
        "p":1
      }
    ]  
},
{"id":"b1",
 "build time":0,
 "on click fun":[
      { "condition":{
           {"type":"building","id":"b1"},  
        },       
        "actions":[
          {"type":"remove"},
          {"type":"build","id":"b2"}
        ],
        "p":1
      }
    ]  
},
{"id":"b2",
 "build time":0,
 "on click fun":[
      { "condition":{
           {"type":"building","id":"b2"},  
        },       
        "actions":[
          {"type":"remove"},
          {"type":"build","id":"b1"}
        ],
        "p":1
      }
    ]  
},

[CommanderABab]

Lobby :

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"random fun":[] 

can be used to create new stuff randomly

Me:
Lol

Lobby :
it's transitions are called for random x,y on the map

Me:
That could be disastrous. Cause pipe leaks and so forth.

Lobby :
Yes, might be used for something like that

[CommanderABab]

Referring to this thread

[KINGTUT10101]

Can we make a building detect what frame another building is on?
@Lobby

[Lobby]

Yes:

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"condition":{"type":"building","id":"$otherbuildingid","x":1,"y":0,"frame":7}

Use x and y to look relatively to the current building's position. "x":1,"y":0 is the neighboring tile in south-east direction (if the city is not rotated).

[KINGTUT10101]

What code can be used for fun where the condition is always true?