Adaptive maps, next level map creation

[CookieNoob]

State of the project:

I will review all maps one by one and upload them with the newest version of the script and add all currently possible features. This means: no new maps for now (contributors are still welcome to ask me, I help you make an adaptive map ofc).

When this is done (I will upload the reworked maps and require some feedback of issues!!) and all maps are finished, I will reupload all maps with a different (better) naming scheme:
instead of "Wonder Open Ultimate" it will be "Adaptive Wonder Open".
Reasons:
1) it becomes clear that the map does not only have more spawn points but has some other features
2) a bug (that is not fixed any time soon) that replays on maps do not show up when there is a lower version of the map uploaded.
3) when hosting maps, all adaptive maps are close together in the list

These maps are final and if there are no big issues they wont be updated anymore (since we don't get an auto update function any time soon and due to the "replay not showing" bug). So make sure to request all features you would like to see before that
This will happen after the next(?) game update because it will support the following epic new feature (big thx to KeyBlue for implementing it):



which will make them even more awesome

current list of possible features can be found here: http://wiki.faforever.com/index.php?title=Adaptive_Maps

current list of maps that are in the final form (these maps should get tested for bugs!!):

• New Canis (the improved decals version)
• Setons Clutch
• Neptune
• Hilly Plateau
• flooded tabula rasa
• Canis River (basically the same as New Canis, i.e. same mex/hydro/options.. but with the old textures and the old reclaim)
• Wonder Open
• Zeta Wonder
• Point of Reach
• Ians Cross
• Hrungdaks Canyon
• Argon
• Flooded Argon
• Twin Rivers
• Corona
• Flooded Corona
• Fields of the great Phoenix
• Regor Highlands
• Diversity

[CookieNoob]

The final version of the maps listed in the post above is uploaded now. Special thanks for testing and bug reporting goes to Farmsletje as he reported by far the most bugs that occured on these maps.

Syrtis Major will follow soon(TM). Other maps will be upgraded much later, since I will work on fixing Nomads. If someone else wants to upgrade already existing ultimate maps (or make entirely new adaptive maps), he can ask me for assistance (and I am usually helpful).

[CookieNoob]

unfortunately a small bug sneaked into the script and thus I will update the maps

I talked to downlord about the replay issue and he said he will have a look at it (in the near future)

[Hanzimann]

I will wait a little bit before making my own adaptive map. But i have been studying the Twin rivers ultimate save file, because it was one of the few maps with more than 8 players that says "yes" for AI markers in the map info, that i could find in the vault. I have been trying to make my own map with 10 players, but i cant use the Hazard X markereditor with more than 8 startpoints. I thought that air,land and naval path nodes should be linked in the masterchain like this example to work:
['AirPN01'] = {
['hint'] = BOOLEAN( true ),
['type'] = STRING( 'Air Path Node' ),
['adjacentTo'] = STRING( 'AirPN02 AirPN03 AirPN07 AirPN08 AirPN10 AirPN13 AirPN16' ),
['color'] = STRING( 'ffffffff' ),
['graph'] = STRING( 'DefaultAir' ),
['prop'] = STRING( '/env/common/props/markers/M_Path_prop.bp' ),
['orientation'] = VECTOR3( 0, -0, 0 ),
['position'] = VECTOR3( 100.5, 30, 120.5 ),

Its not the case in twin rivers ultimate masterchain:
['AirPN01'] = {
['hint'] = BOOLEAN( true ),
['color'] = STRING( 'ff808000' ),
['type'] = STRING( 'Air Path Node' ),
['prop'] = STRING( '/env/common/props/markers/M_Path_prop.bp' ),
['orientation'] = VECTOR3( 0, 0, 0 ),
['position'] = VECTOR3( 99.5, 21.9922, 318.5 ),
},
I tried to place path nodes on my 10 player map with the official map editor, like placed in twin rivers ultimate where they are not linked, but it still says "No" to AI markers in map info. All my other maps works. Can you tell me what i am doing wrong? I dont think i can learn how to write the scripts all over like you guys have done !
Hope you can help

[CookieNoob]

The adaptive and ultimate maps dont have AI support in general. They are intended as PvP maps, I tried to get AwarE to add some AI markers in a way that the AI can acually perform better, but that didnt work out really well. So I am indeed the wrong person to ask.

I really like it that you try to make your map playable with a variable number of players.

However... plz dont use the name adaptive for your maps. Name them differently and only after showing me the map name them like that. The adaptive maps have some criteria to match:
- adaptive spawns (obviously)
- no hover trees/props
- properly textured/decaled
- water/mountains looking good
- civilians (optional)
- forward crazyrush mex support
- support for meteor shower in phantom-X
- good balance of the dynamic mexes (i.e. no area is entirely empty when the player that spawns there is missing)
- Maps have a background story (description)
- map is balanced and symmetric
- close spawn mex feature
- gameplaywise interesting
- good looking
- ...

so if your map doesnt match these, use a different name for it!

To make the basic adaptive features working (dynamic spawn and some advanced features) takes about 1 hour per map. To make all features for an adaptive map working, it takes about 5 hours per map (for me, and I know what I'm doing). This is counted when you start with a finished map, i.e. only the conversion from a normal map to an adaptive map.

Making a "normal" good map also takes a lot of time. Just creating the hightmap can take several hours. The texturing and adding of props and decals (especially decals) takes much longer even. Keep in mind that this is the first step before making it adaptive.
You should have a look at the frequently played maps to get some inspiration how to design them (not all maps have to be like fields of isis stacked multiple times).

[Hanzimann]

I dont use the name adaptive for any of my maps ! So relax ! I just asked how without dragging lines between the path nodes in Hazard X markereditor can make a map to show "yes" for AI markers in the map info? And where i am from we have Legoland, so i like straight lines in my maps. I try to build my maps so the AI dont stuck in cliffs in the terrain so i like a flat landscape, maybe with walls instead of mountains and i am making my maps for turtle gameplay. And there is no reason for going in details with a map if you cant make it work for AI anyway...but you can´t say that some of my maps are not balanced and symmetric...(not Denmark v1 of course!).
Maybe it was the wrong topic to ask about this. I made my own topic earlier about it, but removed it, because some of the answers where here, but not all... and what is "gameplaywise interesting" with 16 players on a 10x10 map? I cant see...

Thanks ! I will return soon !

[CookieNoob]

ok, if you like this type of map, sure. You should make the maps you like to play on.

With the list of things above I didnt want to say that your map doesnt have any of these (I havent looked at it in detail), I was just stating what it takes to make an adaptive map.

The amount of spawn points has nothing to do with the gameplay there. On the adaptive maps, the number of spawn points is NOT equal to the number of players that are intended to play on the map. The high amount of spawn points allows for flexibility for the host. Now you can play a map from other directions as well, for example wonder open top right vs bottom left (in a 4v4). It's just one additional feature to make the maps even more customizable.

Gameplaywise interesting meant that the map cant be played by just sitting in your base (all mexes there), with no need to expand, building a few point defences and doing nothing for most of the game.


As I said, AI markers are not my area of expertise.

[Hanzimann]

I will study some more and keeping an eye on this topic for future learning!
I am still very new here...

[CookieNoob]

a small update on this: I made a new map in the last 2 days which will be uploaded later today and I will also make a symmetric version of the 3rd nomads campaign map soon. So expect 2 brand new adaptive maps in the next few days!

[CookieNoob]

In fact I made 3 maps in total xD

they are in the vault since a few days, but I finally came around to make another poster for the crystal map



The map has some cool lightning effects around the larger crystals that can be adjusted with a lobby option. Reclaiming the crystals will stop the lightning (its purely visual, so no damage to units in the area).
As always on the adaptive maps, the amount of reclaim in the crystals can be adjusted with the "change natural reclaim" option.
The map has optional jamming crystals as well, so if you want to add some more chaos to the game have a look at the jamming option.