Kilgore's Mapper Guide: Common Mistakes
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| Kilgore's Mapper Guide | |
|---|---|
| |
| A guide to using the mapper, a developer tool used to make encounter maps that can be added to the game, if they are good enough. Assembled by Reloaded's lead developer himself on the game's main forum, and copied here with minor edits. | |
| Season | 2 |
| Status | Being translated... |
| Completion | 60% |
| Authors | Kilgore |
| This Chapter | Common Mistakes |
| More Chapters | Title Page README Basic Commands Interface FOMAP File Structure Common Mistakes |
| Notes | Need to add images |
Let's talk now about practice. People who make the map for the first time in the vast majority of cases make simple mistakes. I will try to describe some of them in this post.
- Missing Blockers
- Many objects, such as boxes, computers, car wrecks, contain only one hex blocker. If you don't put additional blockers, characters will be able to walk on the object and it will look bad. Blockers can be easily viewed by pressing CTRL+B. Also, most buildings have missing blockers as well, and it results in holes in some walls. These should be manually filled with proper blockers.
- There are also not-transparent windows in some buildings sometimes. This should be fixed with a window blocker that blocks only movement.
- No Entrance/Exit
- Exit - most of the time via exit grid. Green grids are used to enter another map of the same location. Red grids are used to exit the location (and proceed to world map). The exit grid itself is not enough - EG special hexes should be put on exit grids.
Sometimes an object is used to move between the maps - like a ladder, stairs, manhole, elevator.
- Entrance - ENT hexes that have different numbers. Most of the time, ENT 0 will be used - this is default number of the hex for character spawning on the map. Of course most maps should have more entrance hexes than one. Common ENT hex numbers are as following:
- 0 - used by default
- 240 - used for the character logging in for the first time
- 241 - used as a start hex for maps with the NoLogOff parameter set
- 242 - replication hex (replication.fos)
- 243 - used for cars
- 245 - used for Vertibirds
- 246 - used for boats (well, yes).
- No Scroll-Blockers
- Every map needs Scrollblockers around it. Scrollblockers should be rectangular to avoid possible problems with scrolling. Always remember about higher resolutions. Well, it's not 2009 anymore and if I make a new map, I make sure it will cause no problems in 1920x1080 resolution.
- The "Tile" Effect
- Excessive use of elements of the same type. Example: a forest made of objects of the same type, scattered carelessly on the map. The same goes for cacti in the desert, barrels, grass - it doesn't look very good. Same about tiles.
- Mixing Objects from Different "Palettes"
- Many people who make their first maps put too many objects in them - avoid this. All map elements must form a whole - for example, a Brotherhood of Steel computer does not look very well in the middle of a wooden house. Most mapper objects are grouped by palette. It is unacceptable to mix elements from more than 2-3 pallets. This applies to buildings - the map should contain no more than 2 building styles, except special cases (such when the map is very large).
- "Empty" Parts of the Map
- Different amount of details in various parts of the same map looks bad most of the time.
- No General Concept of Map / Lack of Planning
- Before you start making a map, think about what you want to make. It does not matter whether the plan will be drawn in a jpg image or on a paper with a pencil - it is important that you know from the beginning what you want to do and what its main parts are.
- Floor Tiles Used as Roof and/or Roof Tiles Used as Floor
- I've seen some examples of such tile usage and I don't think they are very impressive.
- Maps are not "Falloutish"
- If you don't know what "falloutish" means, open some Fallout 1 maps and pay attention to details. Many maps from Fallout 2 are also good - like Den, Modoc, Redding, Sierra Army Depot, Mariposa. Remember that it's a dirty world after apocalypse, don't make clean maps unless it's a working Vault.