Why not let us edit som handmade maps?

Ralf · October 23, 2000, 00:20

Computer-generated maps can never be as good as handmade maps. They usually stinks compared to a well-balanced human-edited earth-like maps, for example.

Why couldnt Activision make a limited demo pre-release of the CTP-2 mapeditor, so that Apolyton CTP-2 visitors could download it, and then edit some really good and nice looking handmade maps that that we all can pick and choose from?
Think about it! If only 20 (or more) of us CTP-2 visitors contribute with perhaps 2-3 really nice looking well-balanced maps, we should end up with 40-60 earth-quality maps.

It would be free unpaid work for Activision, and at the same time, it would be fun editing work for us, while we vaiting for that CTP-2 release-date (which in the worst-case-scenario (maybe) can delaid from mid november to mid december, or even later).

neblig · October 24, 2000, 20:44

You will be able to construct maps in any bitmap graphics editor (such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro) and then convert it to a text file which can be imported into the game and then saved as a CTP map. The color palette and the conversion utility will probably be released as a download on Apolyton after the game ships.

deleted · October 25, 2000, 02:03

Very good news.

Will we be able to convert Skorpian59's CTP and Civ2, maps over to CTP2?

October 25, 2000, 02:39

ah, yet another activisioner caught the apolyton disease...

wlecome neblig, please introduce yourself

Atahualpa · October 25, 2000, 02:50

Maybe the Map Editor is still undergoing changes.

Ata

October 25, 2000, 16:52

Good idea!! love that..

Maccabee2 · October 25, 2000, 17:35

Sounds good. A little technical, but still good, so long as there are good walk-through instructions posted for those cartographers who know more geography than file converting.

neblig · October 25, 2000, 20:44

In answer to the Skorpian question above:
CTP1 (after the patch) has an export map feature. The format for the exported maps hasn't changed, with one exception: CTP2 doesn't have Space. Space in CTP1 is terrain number 13. So to use a map exported with CTP1, you would have to manually edit the resulting text file to remove all instances of 13 and then shift all numbers above 13 down by 1. Some of the env bits aren't going to match either. I cannot guarantee this will work as I have not tried it myself.

Answer to Maccabee's comment:
Though drawing a map and importing it into CTP2 requires several steps, it is not difficult, just procedural. I'll try to make sure there is an accompanying readme when the conversion utility and color palette are released on the web.

Introduce myself? Well, I'm just the friendly neighborhood scenario designer on CTP2. :-)

MidKnight Lament · October 26, 2000, 07:12

Hey there. Welcome.

Can you tell us if the WW2 scenario was delayed because you weren't sure if you could do it justice in time for the release?

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