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Rewrote parts of the API, expanded some stuff to make the whole thing easier 

to read and more clear on what stuff means.
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Vanessa Ezekowitz 2013-01-30 18:35:59 -05:00
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API.txt
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@ -1,15 +1,12 @@
This document briefly describes the Plantlife API.
This document describes the Plantlife API.
Last revision: 2013-01-30
Last revision: 2013-01-25
=========
Functions
=========
All functions in plants lib are declared locally to avoid namespace collisions
with other mods. They are accessible via the "plantslib" method, e.g.
plantslib:spawn_on_surfaces() and so forth.
There are three main functions defined by the main "plants_lib" mod:
spawn_on_surfaces()
@ -18,66 +15,63 @@ grow_plants()
There are also several internal, helper functions that can be called if so
desired, but they are not really intended for use by other mods and may change
at any time. See init.lua for more.
at any time. They are briefly described below these main functions, but see
init.lua for details.
-----
All functions in plants lib are declared locally to avoid namespace collisions
with other mods. They are accessible via the "plantslib" method, e.g.
plantslib:spawn_on_surfaces() and so forth.
=====
spawn_on_surfaces(options)
spawn_on_surfaces(sdelay, splant, sradius, schance, ssurface, savoid)
The first function is an ABM-based spawner function originally created as
part of Ironzorg's flowers mod. It has since been largely extended and
expanded. There are two ways to call this function. Either via the legacy
method like that which was used in the Flowers mod:
spawn_on_surfaces(sdelay, splant, sradius, schance, ssurface, savoid)
Or, you can specify the various options with a single table as the parameter:
spawn_on_surfaces({table of options})
expanded. There are two ways to call this function: You can either pass it
several individual string and number parameters to use the legacy interface,
or you can pass a single table with all of your options spelled out nicely to
use the current method.
When used with the legacy interface, you must specify the parameters exactly
in order, with the first five being mandatory and the last one being optional:
in order, with the first five being mandatory (even if some are set to nil),
and the last one being optional:
sdelay: The value passed to the ABM's interval parameter, in
seconds.
splant: The node name of the item to spawn (e.g.
"flowers:flower_rose"). Note that if the plant is
"poisonivy:seedling", and it's next to a wall at spawn
time, it automatically becomes the wall-climbing
variety. A plant will of course only be spawned if the
node about to be replaced is air.
sradius: Don't spawn within this many nodes of the avoid items
mentioned below. If set to nil, this check is
skipped.
schance: The value passed to the ABM's chance parameter,
normally in the 10-100 range (1-in-X chance of
operating on a given node, e.g. 1-in-10).
ssurface: String with the name of the node on which to spawn
the plant in question, such as "default:sand" or
"default:dirt_with_grass". It is not recommended to
put air, stone, or plain dirt here if you can use some
other node, as doing so will cause the engine to
process potentially large numbers of such nodes when
deciding when to execute the ABM and where it should
operate.
savoid: Table with a list of groups and/or node names to avoid
when spawning the plant, such as {"group:flowers",
"default:tree"}. If not specified, this defaults to
the value of splant.
sdelay: The value passed to the ABM's interval parameter, in seconds.
splant: The node name of the item to spawn (e.g.
"flowers:flower_rose"). A plant will of course only be
spawned if the node about to be replaced is air.
sradius: Don't spawn within this many nodes of the avoid items
mentioned below. If set to nil, this check is skipped.
schance: The value passed to the ABM's chance parameter, normally in
the 10-100 range (1-in-X chance of operating on a given node)
ssurface: String with the name of the node on which to spawn the plant
in question, such as "default:sand" or
"default:dirt_with_grass". It is not recommended to put air,
stone, or plain dirt here if you can use some other node, as
doing so will cause the engine to process potentially large
numbers of such nodes when deciding when to execute the ABM
and where it should operate.
savoid: Table with a list of groups and/or node names to avoid when
spawning the plant, such as {"group:flowers", "default:tree"}.
When passed a table as the argument, and thus using the modern calling method,
you must pass at least four arguments as regular keyed entries in the table,
in any order:
plants_lib: spawn_on_surfaces({
options={
spawn_plants = something, -- [*] String or table; see below.
spawn_delay = number, -- same as sdelay
spawn_chance = number, -- same as schance
spawn_delay = number, -- same as sdelay, above.
spawn_chance = number, -- same as schance, above.
spawn_surfaces = {table} -- List of node names on which the plants
-- should be spawned. As with the single-
-- node "ssurface" option in the legacy API,
-- you should not put stone, air, etc. here.
-- From here down are several optional
-- parameters.
---- From here down are a number of optional parameters. You will
---- most likely want to use at least some of these to limit how and
---- where your objects are spawned.
avoid_nodes = {table}, -- same meaning as savoid, above
avoid_radius = num, -- same as sradius
@ -226,7 +220,7 @@ plants_lib: spawn_on_surfaces({
-- replaced by the spawned object. Overrides
-- the spawn_on_bottom and spawn_on_side
-- settings.
})
}
[*] spawn_plants must be either a table or a string. If it's a table, the
values therein are treated as a list of nodenames to pick from randomly on
@ -243,50 +237,56 @@ skipped.
By default, if a biome node, size, and count are not defined, the biome
checking is disabled. Same holds true for the nneighbors bit above that.
-----
To register a plant to be spawned at mapgen time rather than via an ABM, call
this function with two parameters: a table with the biome information, and
a string or table describing what to execute if the engine finds a suitable
node (see below):
=====
plantslib:register_generate_plant(biome, node_or_function_or_treedef)
Where "biome" is a table containing about a dozen variables.
To register an object to be spawned at mapgen time rather than via an ABM,
call this function with two parameters: a table with your object's biome
information, and a string or table describing what to do if the engine finds a
suitable node (see below).
The biome table contains quite a number of options, though there are fewer
here than are available in the ABM-based spawner, as some stuff doesn't make
sense at map-generation time.
biome = {
surface = "string", -- [*] what node to spawn on.
avoid_nodes = {table}, -- [*] what nodes to avoid when spawning.
avoid_radius = num, -- [*] how much distance to leave between
-- the object to be added and the objects
-- to be avoided. If this or the
-- avoid_nodes value is nil or omitted,
-- this check is skipped. Avoid using
-- excessively large radii.
surface = "string", -- What node to spawn on. Must specify one
-- node, such as "default:dirt_with_grass".
---- Everything else is optional, but you'll definitely want to use
---- some of these other fields to limit where and under what
---- conditions the objects are spawned.
avoid_nodes = {table}, -- List of nodes or groups to avoid when
-- spawning.
avoid_radius = num, -- how much distance to leave between the
-- object to be added and the objects to be
-- avoided. If this or the avoid_nodes value
-- is nil or omitted, this check is skipped.
-- Avoid using excessively large radii or you
-- will slow down the ABM.
rarity = num, -- how rare should this object be in its
-- biome? Larger values make objects more
-- rare, determined by
-- math.random(1,100) > this
-- rare, via: math.random(1,100) > this
max_count = num, -- The absolute maximum number of your object
-- that should be allowed to spwn in a 5x5x5
-- mapblock area (80x80x80 nodes). Defaults
-- to 5, but be sure you set this to some
-- reasonable value depending on your object
-- and its size.
-- and its size if 5 is insufficient.
seed_diff = num, -- perlin seed-diff value. Defaults to 0,
-- which causes the function to inherit the
-- global value of 329.
neighbors = {table}, -- What ground nodes must be right next to and
-- at the same elevation as the node to be
-- spawned on. Defaults to the value of the
-- "surface" string.
-- spawned on.
ncount = num, -- at least this many of the above nodes must
-- be next to the node to spawn on. Any value
-- greater than 8 will probably cause the code
-- to never spawn anything. Defaults to 0.
depth = num, -- how deep/thick of a layer the spawned-on
-- node must be. Typically used for water.
-- Defaults to unlimited.
min_elevation = num, -- minimum elevation in meters/nodes.
-- Defaults to -31000 (unlimited).
max_elevation = num, -- maximum elevation. Defaults to +31000
@ -314,10 +314,6 @@ biome = {
-- function.
}
[*] These entries are required for the spawn code to work. Everything else
is optional. Unless explicitly stated, all unused/unsupplied parameters
default to nil and will not affect the results of the code.
Regarding node_or_function_or_treedef, this must either be table with an
L-Systems tree definition, or a string with a node or function name.
@ -328,23 +324,22 @@ placed on top of the target position directly.
If it wasn't a node, the code will assume you meant to specify a function
name, in which case that function will be passed a single position parameter
(in the usual table format), indicating where the named function should place
the object.
the object. It is called in the form of "somefunction(pos)", and behaves much
like a typical callback.
If you specified a table, the code assumed this table contains an L-Systems
If you specified a table, the code assumes this table contains an L-Systems
tree definition, then that definition will be passed directly to the
spawn_tree() function along with the position to spawn the tree on.
-----
=====
plantslib:grow_plants(options)
The third function, grow_plants() is used to turn the spawned nodes above
into something else over time. This function has no return value, and accepts
a table as the only parameter:
a biome definition table as the only parameter. These are defined like so:
grow_plants({list of options})
These are defined like so:
plants_lib:grow_plants({
options = {
grow_plant = "string", -- Name of the node to be grown into something
-- else. This value is passed to the ABM as
-- the "nodenames" parameter, so it is the
@ -360,7 +355,10 @@ plants_lib:grow_plants({
grow_result = "string", -- Name of the node into which the grow_plant
-- node(s) should transform when the ABM
-- executes.
dry_early_node = "string" -- This value is ignored except for jungle
---- Everything from here down is optional.
dry_early_node = "string", -- This value is ignored except for jungle
-- grass (a corner case needed by that mod),
-- where it indicates which node the grass
-- must be on in order for it to turn from
@ -399,119 +397,103 @@ plants_lib:grow_plants({
-- "default:dirt_with_grass".
grow_function = something, -- [*] see below.
seed_diff = num, -- [*] see below.
})
}
[*] grow_function can take one of three possible settings: it can be nil (or
not provided), a string, or a table.
If it is not provided or it's set to nil, all of the regular growing code
is executed normally. The value of seed_diff, if any, is ignored in this
case.
If it is not provided or it's set to nil, all of the regular growing code is
executed normally, the value of seed_diff, if any, is ignored, and the node to
be placed is assumed to be specified in the grow_result variable.
If this value is set to a simple string, this is treated as the name of
the function to use to grow the plant. In this case, all of the usual
growing code is executeed, but then instead of a plant being simply added
to the world, grow_result is ignored and the named function is executed
and passed a few parmeters:
If this value is set to a simple string, this is treated as the name of the
function to use to grow the plant. In this case, all of the usual growing
code is executeed, but then instead of a plant being simply added to the
world, grow_result is ignored and the named function is executed and passed a
few parmeters in the following general form:
somefunction(pos, perlin1, perlin2)
These values represent the current position (the usual table), the
Perlin noise value for that spot in the generic "plants can grow here"
map for the seed_diff value above, the Perlin value for that same spot
from the temperature map, and the detected neighboring wall face, if
there was one (or nil if not). If seed_diff is not provided, it
defaults to 0.
These values represent the current position (the usual table), the Perlin
noise value for that spot in the generic "plants can grow here" map for the
seed_diff value above, the Perlin value for that same spot from the
temperature map, and the detected neighboring wall face, if there was one (or
nil if not). If seed_diff is not provided, it defaults to 0.
If this variable is instead set to a table, it is treated an an L-Systems
tree definition. All of the growing code is executed in the usual manner,
then the tree described by that definition is spawned at the current
position instead, and grow_result is ignored.
If this variable is instead set to a table, it is treated an an L-Systems tree
definition. All of the growing code is executed in the usual manner, then the
tree described by that definition is spawned at the current position instead,
and grow_result is ignored.
-----
Of the few helper functions, plantslib:find_adjacent_wall() expects a position
parameter and a table with the list of nodes that should be considered as
walls. The code will search around the given position for a neighboring wall,
returning the first one it finds as a facedir value, or nil if there are no
adjacent walls.
=====
find_adjacent_wall(pos, verticals)
-----
Of the few helper functions, this one expects a position parameter and a table
with the list of nodes that should be considered as walls. The code will
search around the given position for a neighboring wall, returning the first
one it finds as a facedir value, or nil if there are no adjacent walls.
plantslib:is_node_loaded() is defined in exactly the same manner (that is,
"node_pos" is a set of coordinates), and acts as a wrapper for the
minetest.env:get_node_or_nil(node_pos) function. Returns true if the node in
=====
is_node_loaded(pos)
This acts as a wrapper for the minetest.env:get_node_or_nil(node_pos)
function and accepts a single position parameter. Returns true if the node in
question is already loaded, or false if not.
-----
plantslib:dbg() is a simple debug output function which takes one string
parameter. It just checks if DEBUG is true and outputs the phrase
"[Plantlife] " followed by the supplied string, via the print() function, if
so.
=====
dbg(string)
This is a simple debug output function which takes one string parameter. It
just checks if DEBUG is true and outputs the phrase "[Plantlife] " followed by
the supplied string, via the print() function, if so.
===============
Global Settings
===============
Enable this if you want the mod to spam your console with debug info :-)
Set this to true if you want the mod to spam your console with debug info :-)
plantlife_debug = false
The mod uses Perlin noise to create "biomes" of the various plants. Aside
from plantlife_seed_diff (see below), these values are the ones plugged
directly into the minetest.env:get_perlin() function. For more information on
how Perlin noise is generated, you will need to search the web, as these
default values were arrived at through trial and error.
plantlife_seed_diff = 123
======================
Fertile Ground Mapping
======================
The mod uses Perlin noise to create "biomes" of the various plants, via the
minetest.env:get_perlin() function. At present, there are three layers of
Perlin noise used.
The first one is for a "fertile ground" layer, which I tend to refer to as the
generic "stuff can potentially grow here" layer. Its values are hard-coded:
plantslib.plantlife_seed_diff = 329
perlin_octaves = 3
perlin_persistence = 0.2
perlin_scale = 25
perlin_persistence = 0.6
perlin_scale = 100
This value is compared against the output of the above Perlin noise function
to decide when to actually place a plant. Smaller numbers mean larger biomes
and more abundant plants.
For more information on how Perlin noise is generated, you will need to search
the web, as these default values were from that which is used by minetest_game
to spawn jungle grass at mapgen time, and I'm still learning how Perlin noise
works. ;-)
plantlife_limit = 0.6
These three are pretty obvious. Basically they control the shape and
distribution of the biomes in which the various plants will appear.
flowers_seed_diff = plantlife_seed_diff
junglegrass_seed_diff = plantlife_seed_diff + 10
poisonivy_seed_diff = plantlife_seed_diff + 10
==============
Local settings
==============
Each of the three components of this modpack has an init.lua file, as usual,
and at the top of those files are four variables that affect how and when the
ABMs are run. In each one, the spawn_delay value is used as the 'interval'
parameter and controls how often to run the ABM (in in-game tenths of
seconds), while spawn_chance is used for the ABM's "chance" parameter, and is
basically how likely the ABM is to actually execute (a 1 to (1/chance)
probability).
spawn_delay = 2000
spawn_chance = 100
The other two in each init.lua file control the same two settings used by the
growing ABM.
grow_delay = 1000
grow_chance = 10
===================
Temperature Mapping
===================
This mod uses Perlin noise to establish a rough temperature map, with values
taken from Splizard's Snow Biomes mod so that the two will be compatible,
since that mod appears to be the standard now.
The second Perlin layer is a temperature map, with values taken from
SPlizard's Snow Biomes mod so that the two will be compatible, since that mod
appears to be the standard now. Those values are:
temperature_seeddiff = 112
temperature_octaves = 3
temperature_persistence = 0.5
temperature_scale = 150
The way Perlin values are used by this mod, in keeping with the snow mod's
apparent methods, larger values returned by the Perlin function represent
@ -540,15 +522,28 @@ common temperatures on both the Centigrade and Fahrenheit scales. Note that
unless you're trying to model the Moon or perhaps Mercury in your mods/maps,
you probably won't need to bother with Perlin values of less than -0.56 or so.
================
Humidity Mapping
================
Like the temperature map above, Perlin values can be tested to determine the
approximate humidity of the *air* in the area. This does not check for nearby
water, just general humidity.
Last but not least is a moisture/humidity map. Like the temperature map
above, Perlin values can be tested to determine the approximate humidity of
the *air* in the area.
A value of -1 equates to 100% humidity (basically, it should be a thick fog
A value of -1 equates to 100% humidity (basically, it would be a thick fog
if it could be seen), a value of 0 is 50%, and a value of +1 is 0% (dry as a
bone).
This does not check for nearby water or desert area, just general air
humidity, and that being the case, nearby ground does not affect the
reported humidity of a region (because this isn't yet possible to calculate
yet).
The Perlin values use for this layer are:
humidity_seeddiff = 1234
humidity_octaves = 1
humidity_persistence = 0.5
humidity_scale = 150