Create-A-World Alpha v0.08 - The Helpful Update (Patreon)

READ ALL UPDATE INFO:

UPDATE: A patron brought to my attention that the credits file wasn't up to date. I've replaced the download with the correct credits file. If anyone else has or has ever had the Cafe Executive VIP tier ($30) and doesn't see their name in the credits, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Also I've taken this opportunity to fix a small bug with the preset and perimeter tools displaying too low. This fix prevents them from overlapping with the help menu when it's open.

v0.08 is "The Helpful Update" and contains a variety of quality of life improvements that should make CAW much more inviting for players. Originally v0.08 was going to be the lighting update, but in order to implement the lighting in a way I'll be happy with, it's going to require more development time. I figure it's more beneficial to let everyone have these improvements while I continue to implement the lighting tools. I'll try to get a video out soon to cover some of these changes.

Here's a video covering overall CAW install and usage
Here's a video demoing how to use the Pack Requirements Tool

IMPORTANT: As if this update, NO BUILD CHEATS should be manually entered other than freebuild. All build cheats are controlled by the Filter Panel in worldbuilder or buildbuy from now on.

V0.08 Change Log:

• You can now access an in-game help menu in worldbuilder mode by pressing the ? key or by selecting Help from the WorldBuilder Settings menu. It can be kept open while you build and will sit in the lower right, just above your filter panel.

• The G key can be used to toggle group selection mode in WorldBuilder. (The double square icon on the toolbar)
  
  
• The notification wall and any active notification will be automatically collapsed when entering WorldBuilder mode, so that the tool menus aren't hidden when opened.
  
  
• The Preset Tool visualizer has been improved to follow the curves of the terrain. It's been optimized so that only the points that change direction are used to calculate what objects to select.

• The Pack Requirements Tool now asks you to confirm if you want to remove a pack before doing so. If you do accidentally delete a pack, you can now undo by pressing CTRL+Z.
  
  
• Found a bug in the Pack Requirements Tool logic that caused excessive calculations. This fix makes pack highlighting and deleting exponentially faster.
  
  
• TOOL v2.4 features have been integrated into CAW, bringing an improved grouping box that follows terrain and can select multiple levels at once. Note that this is only for the TOOL grouping box mode.
  
  
• Fixed a bug that prevented the presets from fully loading in Windenburg's Island neighborhood. This was due to non-existent objects that EA left in the world file, and will be handled without issue for any other instances of these for all worlds.
  
  
• The worldbuilder button will now open the CAW install wizard if clicked when CAW isn't yet installed. This makes the tm.caw.reinstall cheat unnecessary, but it will remain as an option.
  
  
• Create-A-World will now provide an in-game error message informing the player they did not install CAW correctly, if for example they've restructured the mod files. This will communicate the issue better than the LastException that occurred previously.
  
  
• Made some improvements to the map importer process (not yet enabled) that now virtually matches EA's image quality. and resolved an issue which caused a faint gray background on all custom UI images. (The logo on the install wizard for example)

• The required image resolution for map images is 1536x1080 if you'd like to get a head start on your world map. Keep in mind it will still be some time before lot placement can be changed.
  
  
• Fixed visualizer for Perimeter Tool (before the corners didn't line up with each other properly).
  
  
• The bottom line of the perimeter tool will now follow the terrain as well.
  
  
• Fixed preset visualizer, when drawing a boundary over neighboring lots the line no longer goes underground (from the v0.08 change to follow terrain).
  
  
• Fixed the missing "Switch to CAW Filters" button on venue lots.
  
  
• Realized the light editor actually wasn't available in BuildBuy or WorldBuilder in CAW. If you haven't used Better BuildBuy before, this is a light color and intensity pop-up you can access by shift+clicking the light. Works on or off the lot.
  
  
• Updated CAW's Better BuildBuy integration to include the separated kits filters and additional Better BuildBuy settings in the filter panel menu. IMPORTANT: This means you should no longer manually enter any build cheat other than freebuild.
  
  
• BBB's Deletion Protection has also been added to the settings, if you haven't used this before, it's a toggle that can be used to work around the buildbuy bug where objects get incorrectly deleted when making wallpaper or architecture changes. Undo may be unavailable for changes made with this on, so only turn it on while needed. This setting does not persist if you leave buildbuy for this reason.
  
  
• Fixed a bug where opening the light editor in worldbuilder mode still brought up the pie menu.

Delete the entire "tmex-Create-A-World" folder first, then replace with the new one. The installer will only run once per version. If you happen to delete the mod and need to reinstall the same version, you can do so by clicking the WorldBuilder icon - again, make sure you always do this with a fresh copy of the mod.

=========ORIGINAL RELEASE TEXT=========

Hey everyone! The time is here. 😊Project Raven is no more, Create-A-World is officially here, and today is the first of many releases.

Before you run immediately to the download button, please do us both a favor and take a few minutes to read over my guidelines below, and the current concerns with CAW. This is an alpha, so bugs are to be expected. Please report them when you find them, preferably through my discord server.

How this is going to work:

I've thought over this release and have decided to do a roll out of the current features over a short timeframe. Currently the WorldBuilder features you've seen can be used, but the export is not enabled and some of the extra tools like Pack Requirements and Weather controls are locked out for now. I'm doing this for two reasons. 1. This will help me isolate any bugs instead of getting a flood of them from a single release. 2. I need to get a sense of how smoothly CAW updates will go, and these roll outs are a perfect way to do that.

What to expect currently:

You'll place the single mod folder directly into your Mods folder, as you usually do with my other mods. Do not modify or reorganize the files inside. Make sure script mods and mods are both enabled in your gameplay options. If they weren't, turn them on and restart.

You'll load a household and you should receive an installation wizard pop-up. Follow the steps and you'll restart the game once. After restarting, you should find your world selection screen has new sections.

While I typically do my best to avoid any major bugs, you should be using saves you don't care about since this is early alpha and I can't guarantee your saves will be fine. This is a large mod with lots of moving parts so better safe than sorry.

Each save also serves as your "work-in-progress". You can work on multiple template worlds but to use the same template for multiple worlds, you should start a new save.

You will load a household on a lot in the template world you'd like, and you should find an extra button in the top right, with a wrench and hammer in front of a globe. That is the worldbuilder mode. Click it to enter worldbuilder. Below is a quick cheatsheet on how to use worldbuilder, but I will be working on a quick video as well later today. Patrons will receive an e-mail when this post has been updated with the video.

Any worldbuilder work you do now will still be available for exporting as I roll out the next release. To save your work in the meantime, all you have to do is save the game.

What to expect over the next few days:

I will be rapidly rolling out additional features, mixed in with any necessary bug fixes based on your feedback as alpha participants. Please be sure to let me know of any issues. If there's any showstopping bugs, I'll be working later tonight to get those fixed ASAP.

After the extra tools and exporter have all been rolled out, I will be releasing a proper gameplay trailer covering everything in detail. Start building now and when the update hits, you can grab it and export it to the world file to share.

I will also be bringing TS4CAW.com online in the coming weeks to serve as the official exchange for World files.

The UI is currently in English but my translation team will be working on the languages shortly. The download will be updated as languages become available.
Again, if you have any problems or questions about CAW, please reach out on my discord server. It's the easiest way to reach me and for me to track any bugs.

Concerns

1. Workflows might not be the best. The players know what works for building better than I do. If something is a hassle or counter-intuitive, it may be changed as we go.

2. Gameplay - Keep in mind the template worlds aren't meant for gameplay, they're meant for building. Once I've enabled the exporter you'll be able to package it as a world for playing in.

3. Compatibility is non-priority at the moment. I can't guarantee compatibility with any other mods for now so if you're having issues, try with only CAW installed.

4. Apartment worlds are complex, and that's a focus for later on in the alpha. For now I would be very weary when attempting to build near apartments. I'd recommend trying out regular worlds for now.

5. Turn on Organized Debug in the Better BuildBuy filter panel for the best experience. I'm not sure how I want to handle BBB integration in conjuction with the CAW objects, but this doesn't feel smooth to me so I will likely be changing this in later releases.

6. Uninstalling - if you need to uninstall the mod and delete it, some files may be left behind. If this happens, running an origin game repair will get your game back to default.

7. MAC users - I did what I could to avoid any platform specific bugs, but I don't have a Mac to test with, so please do let me know asap if you're unable to load up the template worlds and WorldBuilder.

8. "Woah, that's a big download!" - Yes it's kind of hefty, but the majority of it are files that are only loaded and used on demand, the actual mod being loaded into your game is much much smaller (about 50mb in total). No worries.

How to use WorldBuilder:

Again, I know these might seem confusing when written so there will be a video very soon. I had intended to have the video already but had more meetings today than I had bargained for. Check back for it.
You can select an object from the buildbuy catalog and then click anywhere in the world to place it instantly. There are special dropdowns for CAW objects, but you can switch to regular buildbuy filters as well. The toolbar at the top has a double square icon. If that's highlighted, group selection is on and you'll be able to click multiple objects at once.

For adjustments, you can use WASD on your keyboard.
W,A,S,D = Moves object incrementally
E = Elevates object
Q = De-elevates object
R = Switch to rotation (WASD and EQ control the 3 axes of rotation).
O = Perimeter Tool
P = Preset Tool
C = Clone object
- = Scale Down
+ = Scale Up
0 = Resets Scale (or rotation in Rotate mode)
Shift = Hold for Smaller increments
Ctrl = Hold for Larger increments
DEL = Deletes activated objects
Space = deselect all activated objects

The Preset Tool can be used to select an area on the ground, and fill it with objects from the original world. This is useful if you only want to modify parts of the world.

Preset Tool Usage:

• Press P to activate the Preset Tool.
• Click the ground around objects to draw a complete boundary.
• Press space to toggle objects active inside the boundary.
• Select Save Preset, enter a brief, descriptive name and save.
• Click Open Preset Catalog, you can search by name, browse, or manage your presets.
• You have two ways to load a preset:
  1. you can draw a closed boundary, then select a preset from the catalog. This will load only objects from the preset that fit within that boundary,
  2. You can click the ground so that you have a single Preset marker (vertical white), then select the preset. This will load the preset in it's entirety, centered where your marker was.
  
  Note: You can hold your keys down and the object will move smoothly. Just keep in mind if your computer is older, it might not be able to move that quickly. In that case you should use single presses.

Installation

Open the zip below (do not unzip, just click to open it)

There will be a "tmex-Create-A-World" folder inside.
Drag that folder to your mods folder (no subfolders!) and that's it.
Make sure script mods are on in game.
Load an existing household in game to complete installation.

🚨If you have trouble, try without any other mods in. Especially any of my build or UI related mods like TOOL or Better BuildBuy.

Thanks everyone! Stay tuned for updates. 🧡

DOWNLOAD HERE

[MediaFire Mirror]