MegaGlest Forum

Modding and game content creation => Maps, tilesets and scenarios => Topic started by: martiño on 2 February 2008, 19:00:14

Title: Maps overview
Post by: martiño on 2 February 2008, 19:00:14

All maps documentation has been ported to the wiki:


Editing maps.

You can edit maps using the Glest Map Editor.

For Windows, it is included in the tools package (http://downloads.sourceforge.net/glest/glest_tools_1.5.zip?use_mirror=osdn) at sourceforge.

For Linux, you need to get the source code from the SVN and compile it. It now works with unicode versions of wxWidgets too.

Getting and playing user maps.

There is a directory of user made maps
Code: [Select]
[url=http://www.glest.org/files/contrib/maps/]here[/url], to play them just unzip them in the maps folder of the game and them select them from the New Game menu. Also check the Glest Wikia's map database (https://docs.megaglest.org/Maps).

If you made any maps and want them uploaded just send them to us, or post a link at this board. Please put them in a zip file with the same name as the map, and also if possible include a readme file crediting yourself.

Hints for map making.

- Maps need to have dimensions that are a power of 2, like 32, 64 or 128
- If you want to use your map for multiplayer games, make sure that every faction has about 5 gold spots near the base, and 5 more in a close expansion.
- Don't create complicated mazes, pathfinding will be bad in those cases.

Martiño.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: modman on 27 September 2008, 00:56:42
Label your maps with your name by going to edit-->info.  Also make sure you put a border of 2 around the whole map so a human will be able to see all the resources.  And use the custom objects with caution--they reference to different things for different tilesets.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: mictes on 2 December 2008, 10:05:13
Surround the map with the most-used-surface (Radius: 1) and Custom-Object 5 (Radius: 1).
That looks much better !
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: modman on 2 December 2008, 22:50:36
The bases should not be too big.  Make sure that from the center of the X in the map editor to the resources is not too far, or Workers will spend too much time walking around.  But not too few either, or the Workers will all be crowded up.  About five tiles is a good number.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: gameboy on 9 December 2008, 18:59:56
how do you make water?
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: mictes on 9 December 2008, 19:15:25
Hight = -7 is passable water. Hight = > -7 (e.g. -9) = unpassable water, if I remind correctly.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Omega on 12 December 2008, 15:27:53
The map maker could use an upgrade, with more options and the ability to see height marks and positions. As well as make water visible. Tilesets could use an upgrade too, now that I think about it...
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: modman on 14 December 2008, 02:50:28
Yes.  I was hoping of making new objects to go with custom objects 2 and 3 for the forest tileset, once I learn modeling.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: modman on 14 December 2008, 23:26:59
Generally on a 128x128 map or larger, the players are not right up against the edges of the map.  They may be ten or even fifteen tiles inwards.
The resources at a base are generally not in one clump.  There is usually a little bit here, some more there, etc.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Omega on 17 December 2008, 15:47:09
Yes, and surround big stones with custom object five (an invisible object that cannot be walked upon) to prevent the game from walking into the rocks.

Mountains can be made by having low ground around a place with high ground covered in custom object four (big rocks).
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Valetdepik on 22 February 2009, 00:26:56
Salutations...
It's for knowing...
Can you create a better mapeditor...?( if it's possible)
Because it's to hard for manipulate...
               +END_CONNEXION+
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: wciow on 22 February 2009, 20:18:07
Too hard! The opposite is true, the current map editor is too simplistic.

The Glest community has been asking for a new map editor for ages. Unfortunately Martinho has publicly stated that he is no longer updating Glest (or its tools).

Until some C++ wielding god decides they want to dive through a large amount of mainly un-commented code (despite Daniel.Santos efforts) then we won't get a new editor. Sorry to disappoint you  :(     
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: modman on 22 February 2009, 23:21:32
Should we start a topic on a new editor, or is there one already (I've designed an interface with new features shown, and I'm wondering where to post it).

If there is one, it should be stickied on this board.  Otherwise, I'll make one for brainstorming all new features together, which should be stickied in that case then.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: hailstone on 23 February 2009, 09:27:20
There is a "Map Editor (https://forum.megaglest.org/index.php?topic=3958.0)" topic on GAE forum
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: -Archmage- on 1 March 2009, 00:36:44
by the way i have a linux you can just download it and use wine to run it nothing more to it than that

1) download (zip) from site

2)click save file(to desktop)

3)open with ark and extract all to desktop

4)then just double click on the map.exe(in a couple of folders)

at least that's how it worked for me
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Valetdepik on 14 March 2009, 13:12:03
Finally, sorry for disturbing...
Your mapeditor is really great when i know how that work...
Thank's...!
         +END_CONNEXION+
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: lostmansword on 30 May 2009, 21:06:35
Iv made my map on the map editor,is there a way i can actually see it and also how do i get to the point i can play it?
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Dark_Chubb on 2 October 2009, 13:02:02
hello everyone.

I just wanted to know if my map editor should be doing what it is.
Everytime i save a map the map wont load and i shortcut appears on the desktop saying "Leak Dump" WTF is this?
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: -Archmage- on 2 October 2009, 13:08:48
Hi, and welcome to the Glest Boards.

I just ignore the leak dump, because it appears a lot when you close the map editor.
But where do you save your maps.........?
Because you need to save them in the Glest Maps Directory.
What OS do you have?
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Omega on 19 October 2009, 23:58:18
I'm going to assume you're on windows. Linux users tend to be more... experienced.

All maps must be saved in the "C:/Program Files/Glest_*/maps" folder (where * is the version number, such as 3.2.2). The leak dump is just a useless file that I hope to remove if I ever find a way to compile the map editor from source (what dependancies does it need?!?).

Just take the saved .gbm file (you may need to turn 'View file extensions' on from the folder options in the control panel) and place it in the above mentioned directory. Note that windows is overridden with bad security, so you need to either (A - RECOMMENDED) turn off User Account Control (vista), (B) set the security of the Glest Folder from the properties menu to give full control to your username, or (C) save it elsewhere then move it into the maps folder, allowing it to if a warning pops up. I recommend A for a permament change or B for a more makeshift one (if you aren't the only user of your computer).
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Mr War on 2 May 2011, 12:24:19
Hi

Is it possible to override the special objects (statues, impaled) in standard megaglest tile sets without interfering with the tile set folders themselves? Im working in a scifi mod and the standard statues are out of place for that.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: wciow on 2 May 2011, 12:43:32
With the GAE addons folder you can overide any file at run time. You would need to make some new models and name them the same as the existing statue models. This wil currently be an always-on overide, but it won't delete/change the original tileset and can be easily removed.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Mr War on 2 May 2011, 13:05:10
And in megaglest?
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Psychedelic_hands on 2 May 2011, 14:01:54
Well, you could just make a new tileset? :P
I'm unsure about other ways in MG.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: will on 2 May 2011, 14:39:12
With the GAE addons folder you can overide any file at run time. You would need to make some new models and name them the same as the existing statue models. This wil currently be an always-on overide, but it won't delete/change the original tileset and can be easily removed.

The addons folder in GAE is fundementally deeply broken and you can't use it in this way.

The order of who overrides whom is arbitrary and global.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Omega on 2 May 2011, 21:44:50
With the GAE addons folder you can overide any file at run time. You would need to make some new models and name them the same as the existing statue models. This wil currently be an always-on overide, but it won't delete/change the original tileset and can be easily removed.

The addons folder in GAE is fundementally deeply broken and you can't use it in this way.

The order of who overrides whom is arbitrary and global.
Technically speaking, you can use it that way, but no guarantees the files will be correctly overwritten, and I have no clue how the game would react to multiple mods overwriting the same files. Best to create a whole new tileset, in your case, perhaps a mars or post-apocalyptic earth tileset?
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: will on 3 May 2011, 05:23:23
Technically speaking, you can use it that way, but no guarantees the files will be correctly overwritten, and I have no clue how the game would react to multiple mods overwriting the same files.

On the other hand, I might actually know how it works and what guarantees there are or aren't.

Technically speaking, GAE addons is fundamentally broken and cannot be used this way.

Which does indeed leave conventional tilesets as the only working way to change the tileset.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: John.d.h on 3 May 2011, 05:33:40
Of course, you could copy the original tileset, change the assets that you want to change, and link the rest of the XMLs back to the original tileset so you wouldn't need the duplicated assets.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Psychedelic_hands on 3 May 2011, 09:56:46
Technically speaking, you can use it that way, but no guarantees the files will be correctly overwritten, and I have no clue how the game would react to multiple mods overwriting the same files.

On the other hand, I might actually know how it works and what guarantees there are or aren't.

Technically speaking, GAE addons is fundamentally broken and cannot be used this way.

Which does indeed leave conventional tilesets as the only working way to change the tileset.

Really? I have tested that before and didn't notice anything wrong.
Whats exactly wrong with it?
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: will on 3 May 2011, 11:39:34
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2005/06/07/426294.aspx

if Mr War makes the tileset objects suit his mod, what happens when he plays with other factions?

What happens if someone uses the same overriding trick for the same files in their mod too?
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: John.d.h on 3 May 2011, 19:10:00
http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/glestae/ticket/209
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: Omega on 3 May 2011, 19:47:13
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2005/06/07/426294.aspx
Good logic. The addons manager, would, of course, fix this, but overly, a new tileset is a better idea, lest an inexperienced player unwillingly and unknowningly "overwrites" his tileset, and may not know how to fix it. Plus, not sure if tileset changes are allowed in multiplayer... I'd assume that a model change wouldn't make a difference, but eg: walkability changes would make a *huge* difference.
Title: Re: Maps overview
Post by: andy_5995 on 16 January 2016, 19:12:25
There is a directory of user made maps here (http://www.glest.org/files/contrib/maps/)

Dead link