Mod Assets When?

[CombatWombat]

Bought this game at launch and haven't played it because there are no assets (props, buildings, etc.) available like in CS:1. When can we expect those to start appearing for CS:II? All I ever see is dev blogs about small patch fixes and a few different trees but never any news about modding. TIA

[Gelse]

look at pdx plaza for more details

[BoraBora]

Soon (C)(TM)

[mikelleh63]

I am using mods through PDX Mods. There are starting to be assets on there. Early on I discovered that the cargo harbor has pinch points that cause jams. I am using an asset I downloaded called Extended Cargo Harbor. It works fabulously. And it looks cool as well. There are other cargo stations by same modder, but my city is only big enough for the one right now. If you do use mods, save yourself some headaches and use Skyve.

[BoraBora]

Originally posted by mikelleh63:

I am using mods through PDX Mods. There are starting to be assets on there.

These assets are vanilla assets (or bits of them) "reconfigured". The files you download aren't 3D models but text files with pointers to the game assets. You also need a mod to use them and lots of these kinda fake assets are bugged.

The real assets mods will come with the asset editor, so anybody can import them into the game, just like in CS1. We'll then have the region packs, 2500+ assets, and thousands more. First they lied at release so as not to impact the sales ("soon!", "a matter of weeks"). Nowadays, they stopped giving ETAs except for the paid DLC which they nonetheless postpone again and again.

[mikelleh63]

Originally posted by BoraBora:

Originally posted by mikelleh63:

I am using mods through PDX Mods. There are starting to be assets on there.

These assets are vanilla assets (or bits of them) "reconfigured". The files you download aren't 3D models but text files with pointers to the game assets. You also need a mod to use them and lots of these kinda fake assets are bugged.

The real assets mods will come with the asset editor, so anybody can import them into the game, just like in CS1. We'll then have the region packs, 2500+ assets, and thousands more. First they lied at release so as not to impact the sales ("soon!", "a matter of weeks"). Nowadays, they stopped giving ETAs except for the paid DLC which they nonetheless postpone again and again.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3325865242

Really? This is the Extended Cargo Harbor that I downloaded. It is entirely different. The asset comes with everything from the Quay on the left all the way over the the railyard. That includes both of the two 4 lane one way roads that feeds and empties it. There are 4 distinct pathways to cargo areas and they all get used. As my city is growing it is getting busier, but is moving well. There is nothing 'reworked vanilla' about it.

Asset availability is nowhere near where it was promised, but dont make things up.

[Gelse]

Originally posted by mikelleh63:

Originally posted by BoraBora:

These assets are vanilla assets (or bits of them) "reconfigured". The files you download aren't 3D models but text files with pointers to the game assets. You also need a mod to use them and lots of these kinda fake assets are bugged.

The real assets mods will come with the asset editor, so anybody can import them into the game, just like in CS1. We'll then have the region packs, 2500+ assets, and thousands more. First they lied at release so as not to impact the sales ("soon!", "a matter of weeks"). Nowadays, they stopped giving ETAs except for the paid DLC which they nonetheless postpone again and again.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3325865242

Really? This is the Extended Cargo Harbor that I downloaded. It is entirely different. The asset comes with everything from the Quay on the left all the way over the the railyard. That includes both of the two 4 lane one way roads that feeds and empties it. There are 4 distinct pathways to cargo areas and they all get used. As my city is growing it is getting busier, but is moving well. There is nothing 'reworked vanilla' about it.

Asset availability is nowhere near where it was promised, but dont make things up.

you just don't understand the difference between

A) reassembling of already existing vanilla assets (like your cargo harbor) and
B) import completely new self designed 3d models as asssets, which is still not possible.

[sternenstaub70]

Originally posted by mikelleh63:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3325865242

Really? .... There is nothing 'reworked vanilla' about it.

Asset availability is nowhere near where it was promised, but dont make things up.

Really ;)
The road part is vanilla, the surface texture is vanilla, the cargos are vanilla, the quay part is vanilla, the cranes are vanilla,....
And if you still don't believe it, download that asset and look into it. There are no textures, props or anything else in it (that's what would make it a real custom asset).

It's just only some micro dlls and giant textfiles with coordinates for the used vanilla props...
So it's definitely a rework of lots of vanilla assets/props.

[BoraBora]

Originally posted by mikelleh63:

Asset availability is nowhere near where it was promised, but dont make things up.

You just have to open one of these "fake" assets to see they're only code, not graphics. Or even better, read the official description of the mod on Github:

The process is called asset assembly, because we use existing assets and props and combine them into new assets. We can add Components to add functionality to the assets. You can find a full guide for the asset creation in the discord server.

You believe me, now? That's why you can't create assets outside of CS II. You need to launch CS II with the "Asset Packs Manager" mod, then go to the asset editor from the mod (still experimental, BTW) then use the vanilla resources to "combine" a kinda new asset from spare parts.

[Kuklis]

I posted this in the dev-diary but i think posting it here makes more sense; This is obviously my opinion but it makes sense I think.

There will NOT be an asset editor for a long long while. All of their early announced DLC are ASSET PACKS. They are intentionally not releasing an asset editor. I'm sure their whole DLC monetization for CS2 DLC is based around Assets and not content.

It already exists. It has existed for as long as they have developed this game because they NEED it as part of the development work flow. How do you think they made the assets in the game? Hard-coding geometry?

Just look at all the DLCs that they had announced.

San Francisco Set - Assets
Beach properties - Assets (No beach mechanics line CREATING A BEACH?!)
Urban Promenades - Assets (Created by a CS1 modder... Using WHAT tool?)
Modern Architecture - Assets (Created by a CS1 modder... also created using WHAT tool?)
Bridges and Ports - Assets

Also 3 music packs... Also technically assets.

Compare that to CS1 early DLC vs Late DLC;

Early - 2015-2019 / 7 DLCs & 4-Asset Packs
After Dark '15 - Nighttime specializations, Leisure Mechanics, Tourism Mechanics, More city services
Snowfall '16 - Weather mechanics, More Transportation, Heating Mechanics, Snow Mechanics
Mass Transit '17 - Additions to transit mechanics, services, roads, hubs
Green Cities '17 - Ability to create green cities with new policies and specializations, services, changes to pollution mechanics
Parklife '18 - Create modular parks, theme parks, park mechanics,m new policies and additions to tourism
Industries '18 - (BEST DLC FIGHT ME) Adds industry mechanics new industries, policies, logistics, services, automation, postal services, warehouses.
Campus '19 - New School and school system, policies, sports and sports systems

Late 2020+ I'm not listing them. You can check the DLC page.
2 DLCs & 21-Asset Packs

Its a pattern not a coincidence that started with the later years of CS1. You will not get an asset editor until they SELL you some asset packs.

[john.glossop]

Who cares if the mods we are seeing are completely new, or just reworks of existing (I hesitate to use the word, lest I get flamed once again) "assets" into different combinations. Bottom line it that we get new visuals that increases the diversity of the scenery, and that is good.

[mikelleh63]

Originally posted by BoraBora:

Originally posted by mikelleh63:

Asset availability is nowhere near where it was promised, but dont make things up.

You just have to open one of these "fake" assets to see they're only code, not graphics. Or even better, read the official description of the mod on Github:

The process is called asset assembly, because we use existing assets and props and combine them into new assets. We can add Components to add functionality to the assets. You can find a full guide for the asset creation in the discord server.

You believe me, now? That's why you can't create assets outside of CS II. You need to launch CS II with the "Asset Packs Manager" mod, then go to the asset editor from the mod (still experimental, BTW) then use the vanilla resources to "combine" a kinda new asset from spare parts.

Semantics. You are still wrong. I don’t care how it was created. What I do know is it is different, it was created by someone other than CO. It imports into my game and functions extremely well. That’s what I said. Does that bother you somehow?

[BoraBora]

Originally posted by mikelleh63:

Semantics. You are still wrong. I don’t care how it was created. What I do know is it is different, it was created by someone other than CO. It imports into my game and functions extremely well. That’s what I said. Does that bother you somehow?

No more than you. What you said is "There is nothing 'reworked vanilla' about it." Well, you're 100% wrong as it's 100% reworked vanilla, kind of a Lego reconstruction.

I can understand they're good enough for you but the rest of us will wait for an official way to have asset mods: the asset editor, just like in CS1. Then we'll have the 2500+ assets from the region packs and thousands more newly created instead of some newly "assembled". Oh and without the need for a code mod.

[mikelleh63]

“rage, rage into the dark night”

[100_Series_Lexus]

I presume the asset development issue is on the console side of the games development. MS and Sony aren't very mod friendly and the Devs want to give mods to both consoles and PC users.

[sternenstaub70]

Originally posted by 100_Series_Lexus:

I presume the asset development issue is on the console side of the games development. MS and Sony aren't very mod friendly and the Devs want to give mods to both consoles and PC users.

that sounds actually like a good explanation. I never thought about it, but it kind of makes sense.

I was always wondering what exactly it taking so much time.
The Base game has assets (it's the 51 GB file), they get loaded or at least indexed, the game can access those assets. So at least a part of the asset import function *is* and has always been available and even running.

Now that you mentioned the consoles, I guess it's the size of the assets and their dynamic usage that might cause problems.
If you consider that with custom assets you might pretty fast end up having 100 GB of assets it's obvious you cannot have all of them in memory, so they must be stored on disk - and here the slowdowns starts... and could become so problematic that Sony or MS say: "no"