New Official Maps!

(Boleth) #21

geez, people do get upset on here dont they? :bash: <----- people on this forum
It would probably be a good idea to “officialize” some of the good maps!
It wouldnt require much work, just for one or two of the SD team to play a variety of custom maps (which im sure they do in their spare time anyway) and give them a medal or something that they can stick on the load screen of their map.
Could be a good idea.

<suggestion for first medal: Ressurection>
I would reccomend V2 factory based on what ive seen of it but I havent had a chance to actually play it yet =(

(Xerxes) #22

It would be nice if SD would actually take the cream of the crop Custom Maps out there (6 pack) and shoot out an official map pack. This would generate newfound interest to the game from MANY different sources.

(Red*Uk) #23

I think it would be coo- if Socks test map “The abbey” was let out sometime this year :slight_smile:

(badong) #24

We dont’ really need SD to officialize anything. Most servers our there are run by clans and if they decided to have some common pack with various custom maps then it would quickly spread out to everyone.

In the end who here doesn’t have most of the customs that have been released. We all have them so there’s really no point in releasing an official pack.

@SD. Since you don’t have any ready ET maps ready, could you give us some Doom 3 maps. And maybe throw in the SDK too. Just for reference you know, we wouldn’t do anything with it or nothing, just so we can see what it looks like. And the maps obviously so we can see what it can do…like an advertisment you know. I mean we’re all buddies here right? Friends don’t have secrets. :drink:

(ubbern00b) #25

who are you guys to say the SD or old SD mappers have not already made new maps that you have been playing on for a wile :eek:

(Boleth) #26

For a start if they have released maps, it isnt official and they havent gained much publicity from it.
Secondly why would they? They’re working on more important things like the D3 project they have going on, their mappers (if they enjoy mapping) would be working on D3 maps in their spare time not ET.

And baddong we dont need SD to do anything but in the longrun it would benfit them a lot more because they would then get more publicity through forums etc, then they would get more people visiting these forums, and ultimatly the site. By doing this they would get more publicity for their D3 project.
I think most people that visit these forums are pretty excited to see what SD are gonna do with the D3 engine and will more than likely buy the game they release with it.
Something for SD to think about :smiley:

(Naeblis) #27

I 'd also say “officialising” some maps would be a good idea.

For me, that should include (for me means this is just my opinion):

  • the map authors handing the .map files over to some dude from SD who is willing to have a look at them
  • the SD dude checking the maps, and modifying them to fit into a campaign (like rephrasing the description so the maps are all in Europe or Africa and all took place in 1942 and such things)
  • create a campaign out of it that flows as well as the 2 official campaigns
  • release as both windows installer and .pk3 file on the SD site as well as to all the usual suspects (enemy-territory.com, rtcwfiles.com, …)

I really do not think that the maps need to be really modified, but that one single instance (SD in this case) should maybe just make them fit. Of course now I can download some nice maps. But that is just not the same. And I took all of them off our clan server because ppl dropped on a map change from official to unofficial because they would not play them, just so. That sucked.

I know this is highly unrealistic as it requires both SD willing and capable to do this (would not take much ime I guess, but still), and the map authors to let SD pack the maps into one big file, possibly slighty modified. But I would be one of the first to download it![/i]

(eRRoLfLyNN) #28

I think there are so many new maps coming out that players don’t have the time to play them all. That is a good, healthy thing, but it also stops the “better” customs from being as well known as the maps that came with ET. Most of the people on this forum could probably complete the objectives of the original 6 with their eyes closed (nice mod, all players must be blind-folded when playing… :D). That’s because they have played them inside out more or less everyday since the release. Custom maps don’t get this luxury because there are so many available to choose from, and most players don’t have the time to download and learn a map to the same extent as they did with the official maps.

Also there is no sense of coherence to most of the maps that come out. They are all so different (which is great!), but it prevents the feeling that you are playing a campaign, like Central Europe or whatever. If the mappers came together to come up with a theme for a new campaign it might help, 3 maps set in the same area or something, I don’t know I am jus’ rambling, but you get the idea.

The original 6 maps have authenticity because everybody knows them so well, they are ET. Custom maps will never get that authenticity until players play them into the ground, which will only happen when a coherent campaign appears (looking forward to the pitch black stuff), or people start to think of customs that are head and shoulders above the rest that become “standard” customs that everybody knows well. People like to stick with what they know too, which is a problem. They are also lazy & fussy feckers too, which is a far bigger problem!! :smiley:

(Crotalus) #29

cough V2 cough (V2_base, V2_factory, and Vengeance). :banana:

Not that i am biased towards these maps but they are great maps and would make a great campaign.

(LaggingTom) #30

Anyone remember Quake 2? It’s still popular! Every lunch at my school we have a lan party using the school computer (thankfully, they’re old, so it works well) and it’s loads of fun. Just you wait, ET will not die for years yet.

(eRRoLfLyNN) #31

Crotalus, I haven’t even had a chance to play the V2 maps yet, but it’s good that the maps are related to each other (I didn’t know that, although maybe the V2 should have given me a clue :p). it’s hard to get the time to play all the maps. But I must d/load those ones next and give them a go. New custom 3 map campaigns are definitely the way to go, at least in my opinion.

Often thought that a guide, with reviews etc, to new maps would be great as well. I saw a thread about it once, but don’t know if anybody followed up on it. Would help players to decide what customs they might be interested in playing and just generally raise the profile of custom maps. Might be nice as a new section of the SD forum, just to keep everything in a central place :wink: That would be a nice way for SD to contribute to it, although they already do a lot, without having to actually make any maps, or do anything else really.:smiley: It also might help to give the new maps the authenticity that everybody feels is lacking in them.

(fattakin) #32

I think its kinda upto SD to move this forward. There are a lot of custom maps out there already, and quite a few of them are playable. they just need the SD seal of approval + campaign files etc setup. It only needs to be released to the wolfy websites / press as normal and the takeup will rest with us, the gamers.

Venice, Caen, Temple would make a nice 3 mapper
Drakir 3 map campaign etc etc

(Naeblis) #33

That was exactly what I meant with letting SD go over them and modify them. Some custom maps may really be great, but they just aren’t an official campaign, because they don’t feel like a campaign. They need to be packed together.

If these V2_* maps work well together, well, whoever made them (one or more author?) should make a campaign out of it, and distribute it as one file. It would help a lot. Definitely. As of now, it feels like beta-playtesting if I have to download a map here, a modelpack on this server…

(MadJack) #34

I somehow doubt SD would take raw .maps, load them up in radiant and fix them…

Likely : fix your damn map :smiley: and: do this and do that with it, hints, tips and general help. I don’t know if I’d like SD, or any other mapper for that matter, to have access to my “private” mapping stuff. If there’s a problem, I can fix it, or alternatively, find the resources to fix the problem. The problem with anyone else but you using the map file is that we each have our own way to do things and it’d get pretty messy to find your way in somebody else’s map.

Think about it this way, if a map runs well why would anyone need to use the .map file in the first place? If it’s not, the best person to fix it is the author.

My 0.02c

(Schaffer) #35

Well, its not that hard to make a campagin file. Try this one out. I might have the name of the vengance map wrong since I cant seem to find it and 56k, well, sucks.

{
name “V2”
shortname “cust_v2maps”
description "October 1944. Even as the Allied Forces are advancing across Europe, the Axis High Command is maintaining its ariel bombardment of London. The arrival of the first V2 Bombs in London on 8th September, landing near Epping and Chiswick have brought a new urgency to disarm the Axis once and for all.**The Allies have sent teams into disarm the deadly V2 bases and Factories in a hope to bring this bloody war to an end. Will they succeed?
maps “v2base;v2_factory_b2;vengance”
mapTC 374 374
type “wolfmp”
}

Cut out, paste into a text file and call this v2.campaign. Put this into a directory called scripts and then zip it up into a zip file using a pk3 extension. Not hard at all and only took about five minutes to look up some history.

The LAN parties I go to have been using:

{
name “European Push”
shortname “custsix_complete”
description “1944. The Axis power is weakening. Allied forces have gained a valuable foothold in Europe and own Africa. The Allied forces are now trying to push the Axis back into Germany quickly by attacking from the Mediterranean, in the East and from the North. A quick victory will save the lives of millions.”
maps “navarone;venice;stalingrad;transmitter-beta2;v2_factory_b1;bulge_beta1;”
mapTC 374 374
type “wolfmp”
}

Sorry that the description is a bit piss weak but no one really reads them. With the second one it should be updated to use V2 Factory Beta 2 and at some point in the future Transmitter Beta3/Final :slight_smile:

(Naeblis) #36

See, and this is the point. I’ve built custom campaigns, but as long as all the servers have custom build campigns with different maps in them, or different beta4/final/prerelease versions of the maps in there, these maps won’t be liked by “the crowd”, and the players will disconnect on mapchange.

Also, you did not understand my point. I do not want SD to change your map, or “correct” your map. I merely wanted some instance (for which I used SD symbolically) to look over the maps, see if they work as a campaign, write a nice campaign description, bundle it up, put it on a server. I do not care if one author does it for 3 of his maps, or if some authors build a committee or whatnot.

Plus: often outside views help. I do not now your maps, madjack, but take for example the loading screen of (I think it was) Temple or King of the Hill maps. If I go to a server and see a loading screen like that (the “uh, I know how to use Photoshop and add l337 effects to my screens” kind), I do not want to play the map, no matter how well, since I am not gonna download some map that is obviously made by someone who has no clue about aesthetics or graphics design.

(MadJack) #37

Sure, if it’s too check if the maps can work on a campaing that’s no problem. Campaigns should be grouped by either a theme or similarities.

Naeblis, come on! You’re pulling my leg right? No mapper in his right mind would print a message like that… :eek:

(G0-Gerbil) #38

Can we all stop this?
I know we’d all love to bitch and rant until SD release another dozen official maps but ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
You think a nice little poll here will actually convince them to change their mind?

Hell some people here from the biggest ET sites in the world tried to set up a competition whereby they were responsible for quality control (and it would be strict), and all SD had to do was look over it and approve it. We’ve not heard anything from SD about it in 6 months or more and it’s the top sticky thread on these forums.

SD have apparently washed their hands of the whole ‘official maps’ thing, stating officially repeatedly there’s no further plans to do more maps for ET.

If you REALLY want more widespread ‘officialised-ish’ maps then post in the top sticky thread about the mapping competition.

Oh and I’d disagree that there’s plenty of custom maps out there matching or exceeding the overall quality of the official maps. Only 2 spring to mind - Transmitter and Venice. The whole point of the competition is to make sure any maps that get wide-spread will be of a sufficient quality - tougher than it sounds.

(MadJack) #39

Gerbil, maybe it’s just wishful thinking but maybe one day, before kingdom come, SD will just notice those threads and finally say: forget about it or… whatever :slight_smile:

(G0-Gerbil) #40

I wouldn’t actually be suprised if the SD people here are actually too embaressed to post in that thread :confused:
I must admit, it would be nice if they’d at least say ‘no’ - it’s not very professional just to ignore it after saying they’d look into it, but then again I understand how priorities change.

I reckon they should just start a new sticky thread entitled ‘SD WILL NOT DO ANY MORE OFFICIAL MAPS’, that at least would stop most of the posts :slight_smile: