Mapping

[Kilgore]

If you have some questions about maps and mapper, post them here.

[S.T.A.L.K.E.R]

What's this Tesla Tower map that can be found in the SDK? I'm assuming for new BoS quest...since Bos is there :V

[Mad Matt]

Gargantua, wrong thread:

If you have some questions about maps and mapper, post them here.

Back to subject, is there anyway that maps made by players will be implemented as dungeons of RT/TB type like Gun Runners quest ? Of course if those maps will be made with sense.

[Kilgore]

Sure, if they are good.

[FireFlare]

Some entry points from the Tech tabs have the "Entirenumber" that's unknown for me for example 70-71 or lower numbers like 9 or 12.

What do they mean? Is this for characters with higher Perception and/or Cautious Nature?

[S.T.A.L.K.E.R]

Where can I find mountain things like ridges, cliffs, etc. Caves

[FrankenStone]

Where can I find mountain things like ridges, cliffs, etc. Caves

i dont know reloaded mapper but its either in scenery or tiles for

[S.T.A.L.K.E.R]

i dont know reloaded mapper but its either in scenery or tiles for

Yeah I found it. It was in scenery but under the "all" section.

[zekromo]

I'm sure that, just like me, the community of Fonline Reloaded would be very interested in creating maps to add to the  vault of the wasteland , however, just like me (or maybe it is only me ), there are a few things that really do need a little bit more clearing up. I will lay them out in numbered points not just to help me, but possibly any others in the community.

1) Right off the bat is to actually get the mapper up and running. In your handy weblink and readme file included with the download, it says that:
                                 
                                "To run a mapper, specify the server and client path in the Mapper.cfg file"

Now I will admit that I am new to the mapper and how it functions so I do not fully understand this bit. I downloaded and extracted the file to a folder with the path directory C:\Games\FonlineDev, and in the mapper.cfg I have made many attempts (all in vain) in trying to get this to work. I can only ask for an example on how to do this so I can get up and running creating some stuff for this awesome game.

2) I do not know if this is an issue that correlates with the above, but again in your readme file it says to copy MY fallout.dat into the mapper's data directory, so I assumed it to be from MY "real" Fonline Reloaded directory, ie C:\Games\FonlineReloaded, that I go on to play on my proper account. It came up with the message "Unable to find ..\Client\Master.dat" and "Unable to find ..\Client\Critter.dat"
I know that also included in the readme file is:
                               
                                "If you don't have fallout.dat, you can copy master.dat and critter.dat files there"

First of all I used the fallout.dat so I do not understand that part, but secondly if that is the issue, where can I find such files? I own a copy of Fallout 2 that I could use a .dat extractor on to retrieve such files, but then I dont know if it is even compatible with fonline reloaded. Again, an example would be appreciated.

3) After this whole clear up and the mapper starts working, is there anyway to test the creations that have been made?

Many thanks in advance,
Zek

[S.T.A.L.K.E.R]

I'm not sure exactly what you need help with but I'll try my best. I'll do this guide I guess :V

So in mapper.cfg, you have to set the correct paths. You should have downloaded the SDK with 4 folders named Tools, Server, Mapper, and Client (the client should be yours, just drag it in the folder).

Now the paths you have to set in the mapper.cfg are the Server and Client. EXAMPLE -

Your 4 folders are in somewhere like this C:\Users\Kurwa\Desktop\FOnline Reloaded SDK and inside last folder are the 4 folders. Then in mapper.cfg, there should be a server path area.

Code: [Select]

# Path to server folder
ServerPath = C:\Users\Kurwa\Desktop\FOnline Reloaded SDK\Server
There, server path is set. Now do the same thing for client

Code: [Select]

# Path to client folder
ClientPath = C:\Users\Kurwa\Desktop\FOnline Reloaded SDK\Client


Okay so now you need help with the .DAT files. The mapper will use .DAT files from your client, that's why you have to set it in the mapper.cfg. First of all the original client should come with a fallout.dat already but personally I like using MASTER.DAT and CRITTER.DAT. Now you say you own a copy of Fallout 2, Great! Now I'm assuming its installed so its easy.

Lets assume your fallout 2 is installed right here. C:\GOG Games\Fallout 2

In your client folder, there is this DataFiles2238.cfg. Pretty much just set the paths for MASTER.DAT and CRITTER.DAT in your DataFiles2238.cfg, should be something like this

Code: [Select]

C:\GOG Games\Fallout 2\master.dat
C:\GOG Games\Fallout 2\critter.dat
That's all that should be in the 2238.cfg. And that's all I believe (at least how I got mine to work). To change resolution for mapper, the mapper uses client settings so if client is fullscreen, mapper will be fullscreen (I don't recommend fullscreen xD).

3) After this whole clear up and the mapper starts working, is there anyway to test the creations that have been made?

Yes, there are lots of ways. I highly recommend reading Slowhand's Tutorials to get your started. It looks like it'll be hardwork but after trying and getting something done, you'll find out its not so difficult

[jarok]

Make first part of location and then make a new map for a second part.

Yes of course, you can test your map by using fonline reloaded sdk. Here is what you need http://forum.fonline-reloaded.net/index.php?PHPSESSID=2e91ca3d545da2d72f565b3f4511dcca&topic=9569.0

Some info, tutorials and questions you can find here http://fodev.net/forum/

Uhm, someone delted his post.

[cthulchu]

Folks, I know I write a lot and ask a lot of questions. But it's not like I'm asking questions that are answered in some a manual somewhere. It's not like I don't google. It's not like I'm not trying to experiment and parse through server files looking for examples. Oh, if there are articles I missed, don't answer my questions, just point me in the direction of the manual. I'm happy to read manuals. I just think I pretty much read all I found.

The reason why I want to know shit is because I'm tired of simple maps. I don't want to play them. I want to have some unexpected scripted stuff happening. I wanna have living logics on maps. With no bugs. With humor. With Easter eggs. This is what I'm trying to build.

Okay, I've been mapping for more than a week now and I have a few questions.

I made a few maps and understand the tile philosophy of the mapper well enough to make them stack elegantly and fast. I do some scripting, but not in the mapper framework. I just parse through the source with a third-party systems like np++ regular expressions, excel macros and stuff. Just because I'm too lazy to parse the txt into the objects, especially when the mapper does it already. Nevermind. Here are the questions:

• What is the tile_l and what does that 1 mean? Please add this info to Kilgore's manual on file structure of maps

Some questions about the dialogues:

• Do we have the source of the mapper or dialoguer?
• Id   Type   Name      Start   Min   Max   Flags
  **************************************************************************************
     $   1   0   car_id   0   0   0   4
  
  What values of Flags mean what? I need a local map variable for an SE. Need it to die when a person leaves the map.
• And the checkboxes in the dialogue software. What's the meaning of them?
• And what's the significance of having variables in the NPC or player? Do I understand it correctly that variables on an NPC can be accessed by other players while variable on a player can be accessed by other NPCs.
  
  Therefore, if my "quest" is very local and affects only 1 npc and one player, it doesn't matter whether I choose NPC or player, I just have to be consistent. Am I understanding it correctly?
• And what is the recheck option in the dialog software?
• And I need to do a hack. I've seen this logics somewhere: You talk to an npc, do something and then the same npc answers you with strings.
  So what I intuitively did is:
  if the var is 0, the player never interacted with the npc.
  1 - interacted once, but never got to the end.
  2 - went to the end and now has to get strings.
  And here's what I get
  

CAVES

• The cave textures are weird. Please tell me if this cave looks organic:
  
  Looks not so bad? Now take a look closer:
  
  I never noticed this crap in-game, but it happens in all caves. The textures are just badly designed. We need artists more than devs or map makers. Not to just finalize old good textures, but to make new things too.
• See this lake in the cave? see that gradual transaction between the light and dark tiles? Why don't we have that transaction tiles from down to up and we don't have any corners either. I had to hack around to hide this corner:
  cuz it looks ugly underneath. You don't wanna see it.
• I found out that you can put tiles on the borders of cells. I suspect that is what tile_l is about. Is there a way to disable it? I NEVER want to put floor/roof tiles on the borders. Such tiles don't get cleared with the #ClearTiles script
• Can you point me in the direction of the script for caves autogeneration. After building this huge gorgeous cave manually I have a few purely algorithmical ideas on improving the existing generator.
   I have some experience building mazes with matrices for in-code analysis.

Scripting basics

• How do I make scenery objects talkable/interactable? I need them to initiate dialogs. For now dialogs is enough for what I need. As I understand, I have to call a script on contact/talk and then run/initiate the dialogue from that script. The only example I remember is the dead body under the tree (I think computer terminals have a diffrent handle for dialogs.) but I can't find the dead body map. I think it wasn't included in the server/client source. Here's how I attempt to do this:

Code: [Select]

bool s_Disassemble(Critter& player, Scenery& robot)
{

return RunDialog(player,robot.HexX, robot.HexY, 31338,false);
}

Is it ok?
[/li]

Let's talk about this?


Where do I get the description of roles?
The replication is time of the day? So the mobs in Ares replicate once per in-game day?
Where do I get descriptions of AIs?
I'll try to figure these out on my own, but I would greatly appreciate the answers.

Okay, now this is confusing...

Why does this Cathedral Basement mob doesn't have level and some other properties? Nobody there has:



This is my rat I placed with the palette:



Am I understanding it correctly that these mobs are different essences from the mapper's perspective?

And why can't I copy my critters? ctrl+c/ctrl+v doesn't work. I checked alt and ctrl, restarted the mapper. I just can't. Do you do it via the source code of the map?

Thanks a lot!!!

[Kilgore]

tile_I - I guess tile layer. I don't know, maybe someone who knows will elaborate. Doesn't seem very useful.

Source of mapper or dialogue editor - nope. This thread is about mapping, it's better if you ask questions about dialogue editor elsewhere - perhaps a new thread. Let's keep it clean. I know there is dialogue guide linked in my mapper guide but it's only for convenience.

Yeah, there are some errors in cave textures, and not only. The easiest way to deal with them is to do some cover up with scenery objects.

For autogeneration, see Tiled mapper. Its source is available as well.

Dead tree encounter map - q_mb_intro.fomap
More examples - check talchem underground (door/terminal are scripted there, I think). VC entrance door.

Role description - if there is any, I'd check the file set in ScriptName
ST_REPLICATION is time duration - see replication.fos

"Why does this Cathedral Basement mob doesn't have level and some other properties? Nobody there has:"
Maybe they were added some other way - open the map in notepad, find this mob and see which properties it has. You know that you can add objects via notepad ;-)

"And why can't I copy my critters? ctrl+c/ctrl+v doesn't work. I"
It must work, double check the coordinates. The critter will appear exactly at the same (x,y) where it's in the original map. Well, it won't appear if the map is small and coordinates are out of bound. Then you can move it to some low coordinates in the original map and copy paste it from there (if you don't want to enlarge your map).

[cthulchu]

oh so if a mob doesn't have the level in the source, the mapper won't do anything to "fix" it. Right. Makes sense. I got used to the software with proper classes for everything and some normalization of objects this one just has a few abstract superclasses for its objects, it feels like. The mobs just don't have levels among their attributes and the mapper is good with that cuz its constructors don't require the attributes. Hell it's messy, but ok.

Okay, I guess I'll have to ask script and dialog-related questions somewhere on fodev. Wanted to avoid it cuz fodev is killing me with captchas.

Thanks!

[cthulchu]

Interesting.

So just so you knew the scope. I took the z_ft1_DETHCLAW map from fallout 1. I fixed it and increased the size by at least 5-6 times. Then I used a few scripts to polish the map. But while building I noticed that I can't place roof tiles on this map. Neither can I copy NPC (although I can copy tiles, walls and scenery).

I thought I was doing something wrong. I tried copypasting and placing roofs on other maps and it worked. Then I thought I might've fcked something up in the z_ft1_DETHCLAW while parsing through the source. So I opened the original ~z_ft1_DETHCLAW and tried copying NPCs and placing roofs. Guess what!? Couldn't!

Conclusion: Don't use ported maps. They're spoiled. I suspect the syntax is broken somewhere. I will try to find the particular reason, but I might as well just copy all my tiles to a newly created map and hop it'll work.

Kilgore, add this to your manual on mapping where you mention ft1/2 maps.

Some maps are bugged. They have tiles that are not rendered by the mapper and because of those tiles some of the mapper's functionality doesn't work. Examples: you can't copy any NPCs/mobs and you can't place roof tiles. The tiles get placed, but they are not rendered in the mapper or in the client when you test.

Anyway, the solution is quite simple:

• Create a brand new empty map with the same size the map you copy from (doesn't have to be the same, but you may lose data)
• Load your bugged ft1/ft2 map
• Make sure all types are visible and selectable
• Select everything (don't use ctrl+a) use tab and shift to simplify the process.
• Ctrl+C
• Load your brand new map using the same mapper instance
• Ctrl+V
• Now it's working

Kilgore, plz also add the info on WorkHexX WorkHexY. Turns out these are the last coordinates of the screen position for mapper to put it there onload. Cool stuff.

PPS

If anyone is interested, here is a real documentation on the architecture and mechanics: http://docs.fonline.ru/ It affects everything basically. It's not super detailed, but it simplifies everything. Oh, and it's in Russian. But you can try using google translate. I'm lucky to know Russian.