Help with Map View please

[xcorps]

I'm trying to get an issue with the installation resolved.

 

Running Win7, Steam copy of Xcom UFO Defense and TFTD.

 

I downloaded and installed Map View, and entered the pathname in the installation box.

 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\xcom ufo defense\XCOM

 

But every time I try to load a map file, I get an exception error saying part of the path can't be found.

 

I tried creating a new directory C:\Map Editor\Xcom and moving all the files into that directory in case the pathname was too long.

 

 

Any help would greatly appreciated.

 

(I did look for the instructions, the best I was able to come up with was a table of contents but all the links were broken)

I downloaded the Map View from 3 different sites, none of them have a user manual/readme/documentation.

[Zombie]

Do you have Terror From The Deep installed at all? I'm not 100% positive on this anymore, but I think MapView wants both UFO Defense and the TFTD paths to be correct.

 

This is what my paths file looks like:

 

${tftd}:C:\Documents and Settings\USER NAME\My Documents\Terror From The Deep
${ufo}:C:\Documents and Settings\USER NAME\My Documents\UFO Defense
mapdata:MapEdit.dat
images:Images.dat
useBlanks:false
cursor:${tftd}\UFOGRAPH

 

If that TFTD cursor path isn't there, you'll probably have an exception error.

 

Edit: Duh! Reading comprehension fail. Since TFTD is installed, just make sure your paths are correct.

 

- Zombie

[xcorps]

The first 5 or so times I tried it I didn't have the paths for TFTD included, then I added it and still get the same error.

 

I

[xcorps]

Uninstalled Xcom, deleted the folder, reinstalled.

 

It runs.

 

Thanks.

[xcorps]

I don't guess anybody has the rest of this:

 

https://www.daishiva.com/programs/Help/MapView.shtml#Anchor-47983

 

It's the Table of Contents for the Mapview manual, but all of the links are broken.

[luke83]

IF you need some help try the OpenxcomMod site

https://openxcommods.weebly.com/general-map-creation.html

 

Also feel free to PM me any issues your having and i wil lsee if i can help you , you can contact me here or on the Openxcom site

https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php

 

Thanks

[xcorps]

Thanks so very much, it'll get me started.

[xcorps]

After a few more roadblocks I managed to overcome, I've managed to edit a couple of maps.

 

Another question regarding the modded maps:

 

I see that simply modding the original file and playing the game works. What about creating an additional map in the set that don't have the exact same name?

For instance will just dropping CULT18M.map and CULT18M.rmp into the game directories allow the game to use them, or is there something else I have to do?

[luke83]

In the original game i think you need to update the .EXE file, dont ask me how to do this as i dont know

 

In openxcom you can easily add extra mape codes into the Configuration file , this is what i did with my Expanded Terror site map.

 

https://openxcommods.weebly.com/urban-images.html

 

Any other question please ask, also if you make a Expanded map why not share it with the community.

[xcorps]

I downloaded openxcom last night. This is pretty exciting. Even if the project is still a bit buggy (there were a LOT of damn UFO's in Experianced) it will be nice to change around some maps. I think I'm going to work on Alien Bases for now, hopefully I can get my head wrapped around how the maps are put together. I always assumed there were a few layouts that got chosen at random, but I see now that isn't the case.

 

I will definetly share whatever I make that's decent.

 

The battle option in openX is verra nice, it will make it easy to check gameplay.

 

I read your thread regarding the new terror sites, (I haven't had time to look at them yet) is it my understanding that you were able to move items from one tileset to another? In other words, I could move say some of the urban objects and walls to the Farm tilesets??

 

If so, that's just amazingly cool.

[AttilaNab]

Long Path Tool helped me in this situation. https://PathTooDeep.com

[luke83]

Bombloke made a tool to CLONE a item from any existing mcd/pck set to a new or existing set, program is called MCDADD , there is some help here for it

https://openxcommods....com/mcdadd.html

 

 

Openxcom is progressing nicely , hopefully version 1.0 will be done within 12 months as i want them to start working on TFTD also.

 

Its important to know , the original game has a tile limit of 256 unique blocks on a map , Openxcom does not have this issue but Mapview still does ( we really need a upgraded version). What this means in you cant just Load the Urban.pck,roads & Furnture.pck into the farm set as you may go over this limit - what you need to decide is what items you really want to add out of that set ( say you only want 4 items) and copy them using MCDADD to a NEW name that you will use in your Farm set, just remember to keep adding things to the very last set you add into the game as otherwise you will mess up the counting on the map and it will become very strange to look at.

[xcorps]

MCDADD doesn't run on windows 7, I'll stick to the vanilla setup for now. ( I have to leave for two weeks tomorrow and I'll be satisfied to get some new maps made before I tackle another editor).

 

Question:

In the Xcom1Ruleset.rul file that you include in your mod:

-name: URBAN---This replaces the default Urban set, yes? Is it possible to ADD your files to the original urban set and keep both (I realize there would be compatibility issues, I'm thinking along the lines of extending the vanilla mapblocks, for instance if I created an additional say 20 UBase mapblocks or made variations of the existing ones but still wanted a chance of the orignals to show up)

mapdataSets

-Blanks

-Roads

-Ubits

-Urban

-Frniture

These are the same as the image files in Mapview that you use to determine what sets of walls/objects get placed in the map?

mapBlocks:

-name:CF00 This is the map name obviously

width 10

length 10 Also Obvious

TYPE: 2

Not so obvious. I though at first this was the number of "levels" on the mapblock, but some of them go beyond 4. (xbase_20 ubase_15 etc)

 

Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

 

By the way, your maps are awesome. The condominium is brilliant.

[luke83]

My map set includes a modifed version of the originals , i had to do this because i changed ground level ,if i did not incrase ground level up 3 levels i would not of bothered to re-release the original maps .

 

If you make some more More alien maps and dont make a major change like i did ( with the ground levels) you can mix and max them with the originals.

 

The TYPE refers to what kind of map set it is, is a a open clearing ( to be used for landing the skyranger or UFO) , it is part of a road block, is it a underground block , there is a list of these somewhere , i will find the data later and add a LINK.

[luke83]

Here is a link to another page of mine listing the MAP CODES , it also shows what happens when you get them wrong

https://www.strategycore.co.uk/forums/topic/9626-openxcom-rulesets-custom-map-blocks/

 

I will right a HOW TO on my site for adding new map blocks extra into the Ruleset , i have been holding off on doing this incase something changed ( there was rumours of splitting it into separate file ).