driAn
0e87c2d34c
git-svn-id: svn://svn.code.sf.net/p/actiongame/code/trunk/ac@3134 e016b1c5-ed68-44aa-a2f7-31cac88cffde
118 lines
6.9 KiB
HTML
118 lines
6.9 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"><html lang="en" xml:lang="en" xmlns:h="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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<head>
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<title>Map editing: Tips, tricks and advice</title>
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<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="application/xhtml+xml;charset=utf-8"/>
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<link rel="shortcut icon" href="pics/favicon.ico"/>
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles/cubedoc.css"/>
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</head>
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<body>
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<div id="main">
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<div id="logo">
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<img src="pics/head.gif" alt="AssaultCube logo"/>
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</div>
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<div id="title">
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<h1>
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AssaultCube: Map editing: Tips, tricks and advice</h1>
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</div>
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<div id="content">
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<h1>Map editing: Tips, tricks and advice</h1>
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<h2>Size does matter!</h2>
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<p>
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Don't make fanatically huge maps. Size DOES matter in AssaultCube, as huge maps will lag players down -
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not to mention, it will take forever for players to find/frag each other, in what is supposed to be a fast paced game.
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Due to the restrictions of the cube engine, it is generally a bad idea to try to rebuild your favourite map A from
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your favourite game B - most engines allow for larger rooms and longer lines of sight than Cube does.
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</p>
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<p>
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<b>WQD (world quads)</b><br clear="none"/>
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The WQD count can be found by typing <b>/hidestats 0</b>. Some figures will appear at the right of
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your screen, one of them will be <i>WQD</i>.
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</p>
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<p>
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WQD is a good way to measure how good your map will/won't lag. Your map should ideally
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average a maximum of 5000 WQD (less is better). It's okay for your map to exceed this if it's only a
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little bit more in a short area. Keep in mind that lights and details will raise the wqd counts, so a rough layout
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won�t really represent the final wqd values of a scene. In an empty map(layout) wich has only corridors and basic
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geometry, wqd should never be above 1000. This leaves enough headroom for details, lightning and mapmodels.
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The key to a good wqd value are occluders or "solids" (f-key)- these block the view, and the engine can stop rendering
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whatever is behind those. To undersand the concept, do the following: Load any of the official maps, enter edit-mode
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and fly above the map. You will see occlusion at work. You can toggle it on and off using the f5 key. This
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should give you a good idea about how occlusion works and where to place solid cubes while you lay out your map.
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Keep in mind, the better your map runs, the more people will want to play it. If your map looks awesome, but
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can only be run on a very recent computer, people won�t play it. Many people play AC with very old computers!
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</p>
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<h2>Layout and design</h2>
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<p>
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When creating a map, make sure not to make areas far too small. Six or more cubes wide is a good dimension for
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doorways, to allow people to pass through them easily. Once again, take reality as your guide. If you�re unsure
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about how large your door/window/stairs should be, look at those in your house or outside somewhere.
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If players block a doorway for teammates, just because the doorway is only 4 cubes wide, people won�t like
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the map very much.
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When you build your map, use more that one level. Flat maps are boring. By adding vertical variety, you also
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make the gameplay more intresting. Even small alterations in floor height usually make things more diverse.
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Second floors
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Due to the design of the cube engine, it�s not possible to build a second floor. You can use architectural models
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to create them, but don�t try to build a 5-storey building with them. If will be impossible to make it look
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right, since mapmodels are lit with one value throughout, simply the light vvalue of the cube that it sits on.
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This means it will be very hard to light it up evenly, while having intresting lightning in the rest of the room.
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By creative use of levels, you can make maps that very well give the impression of multiple floors!
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If you use the bridge model, use it with care!
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</p>
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<p>
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Make sure players aren't "fighting the map" too much. They should be fighting each other after all.
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Be sure to make sure that people aren't constantly bumping
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their heads, especially against the skybox, as it can be annoying, and unrealistic.
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</p>
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<p>
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Try to keep wall sizes about 3-4 cubes thick, to allow for detail and realism.
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</p>
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<h2>Textures</h2>
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<p>
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Take your time in chosing them. Also, don�t just look at "how it looks", consider reality to be your guide.
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Don�t put a floor texture on the ceiling, or wall textures on the floor. Although there are exeptions, try to use
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Some common sense. Your nice wooden structure will probably not support a concrete roof too well, or your factory
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will probably not have a wooden flooring. Brickwalls on the ground are very uncommon ... etc, etc.
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At the end of the texture list is a black/white cross sort-of texture. <b>DON'T</b> use it, it's not a texture,
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in-fact, it's lack of a texture. It looks ugly and shouldn't be used in any map, because it's actually there to show if
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textures and skins did not load properly.
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</p>
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<h2>Mapmodels</h2>
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<p>
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Though they can add some nice and neccesary detail to your map, don�t rely on them! It is advised to add
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mapmodels at a late stage in mapping. Think of them more like the icing on the cake.
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A boring room won�t look better if you add lots of mapmodels.
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When you add them, less is often more. If every square meter has a cigarette and a leaflet on the ground, the
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effect will be lost.
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</p>
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<h2 id="co-op">Co-operative map editing</h2>
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<p>
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If you'd like to create a map with friends, you can use co-operative map editing to let you build and modify maps with others online easily.
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This mode allows you to edit maps online with other players
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who could help speed up repetitive or boring tasks, bring in fresh ideas or spot errors you may have missed.
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</p>
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<p>
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To start co-operative map editing, when in a server, type: <i>/mode 1</i> and then type: <i>/map</i> and then your mapnames name and press ENTER.
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You will have to of made a "newmap" previous to entering the server to be able to co-op edit it. Alternatively, you can type: <i>/coop MAP</i>
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(replace <b>MAP</b> with your maps name).
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</p>
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<p>
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You will then need to <b>send</b> the map. You can do this by typing: <i>/sendmap</i> and then your mapnames name and press ENTER. Note: Custom
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materials can't be sent, they will have to be downloaded another way if you are using them. If you are using a custom "cfg" file, it will automatically
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be sent with the map, if there is a cfg file present.
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</p>
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<p>
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Note: Some useful editing commands can't be used in co-op editing, such as: copy, paste, slope, arch, undo, etc.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div id="footer">
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Rabid Viper Productions 2008/03/07
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</div>
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</div>
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</body>
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</html>
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