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<title>Map editing: Tips, tricks and advice</title>
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AssaultCube: Map editing: Tips, tricks and advice</h1>
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<h1>Map editing: Tips, tricks and advice</h1>
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<p>Covered in this article:</p>
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<a href="#size">Size matters!</a>
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<a href="#wqd">World quads (WQD)</a>
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<a href="#layout">Layout and design</a>
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<a href="#2ndfloor">Second floors</a>
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<a href="#texture">Texture use</a>
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<a href="#models">Mapmodel usage</a>
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<a href="#lights">Lighting</a>
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<a href="#items">Item placement</a>
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<a href="#spawns">Spawn points</a>
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<a href="#co-op">Co-operative map editing</a>
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<h2 id="size">Size Matters!</h2>
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Size DOES matter in AssaultCube! Don't make fanatically huge maps as they will lag players down.
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Not to mention, it will take forever for players to find/frag each other, in what's 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 and rebuild your favourite map from
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a different game, as most engines allow for larger rooms and bigger lines-of-sight than the Cube engine does!
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<h3 id="wqd">World Quads (WQD)</h3>
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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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WQD is a good way to measure how good your map will or won't lag. Maps 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 map. In an empty map (layout is the only completed part)
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which only has corridors and basic geometry, WQD shouldn't be above 1000. This leaves enough overhang for details, lightning and mapmodels.
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The key to getting a good WQD count is by using occluders or "solids" (press <b>F</b>). These are full-sized walls
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that block the view, and it allows the engine to know that it can stop rendering whatever is behind it.<br clear="none"/>
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To undersand the concept of occluding, do the following:
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Load one of the official AssaultCube maps.
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Enter edit-mode (Press <b>E</b>).
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Fly above the map (beyond the skymap).
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You will now see occlusion at work. The blacked out parts of the map are where solids exist,
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and the engine has decided not to render past them. Parts you can see have, of course, not been occluded.
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You can toggle occlusion on and off by using the <b>F5</b> key (<b>Warning: This may be very laggy!</b>).
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Viewing occlusion at work will give you an idea on where to place solid cubes while creating the layout for 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 decent, new computer, then people won't play it as their computer simply won't be able to
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handle it. Many AssaultCube players are still using quite old hardware!
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<h2 id="layout">Layout and design</h2>
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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. 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. Another up-side to allowing enough space in the map, is that it also gives room to plays to
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<i>"<a href="maneuvers.html#straferunning">strafe-run</a>"</i>.
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When you build your map, use more than 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 makes things more diverse.
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Be sure that players aren't <i>"fighting the map"</i> too much. They should be fighting each other after all.
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Also make sure that players aren't constantly bumping
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their heads, especially against the skymap, as it can be annoying, and unrealistic.
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Try to keep wall sizes about 3-4 cubes thick, to allow for detail and realism.
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<h3 id="2ndfloor">Second floors</h3>
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Due to the limitations of the Cube engine, it's simply not possible to build a second floor out of geometry.
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You can however use architectural <a href="mapediting3.html#models">mapmodels</a>
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to create them... but don't try to build a 5-storey building with them, otherwise it will be impossible to make it look
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right, especially with lighting, since lights in the Cube engine are circular (not spherical), meaning you can't change
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the lighting on each level of the platform.
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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 mapmodels, use it with care!
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<h2 id="texture">Texture use</h2>
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Take your time in chosing textures. Don't just decide by "how it looks", consider reality to be your guide.<br clear="none"/>
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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. A 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 texture imprinted with the words "missing content". <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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<h2 id="models">Mapmodel usage</h2>
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Though they can add some nice and neccesary detail to your map, don't heavily 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 metre has a cigarette and a leaflet on the ground, the
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<h2 id="lights">Lighting</h2>
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Careful placing of lights can produce different effects. Contrast in lighting is what makes a map look atmospheric.
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Be sure to take time placing lights correctly, don't use very bright lights to light the whole map, instead, use
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medium-sized, mid-brightness, ambient style lights instead. <br clear="none"/>
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A good approach is to imagine that the map is real, and then use what is appropriate for the situation!<br clear="none"/>
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Small, bright lights (i.e. 255 brightness, 4 radius) should be used as highlights for actual light sources,
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such as lamps and lightbulbs.
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<b>Coloured lights:</b><br clear="none"/>
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When adding coloured lights, be careful. Some textures can become bland if exposed to certain colours.
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Also make sure you keep a consistent colour theme. Don't add a red, a blue and a yellow light to the same area...
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<h2 id="items">Item placement</h2>
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Pickups must be placed strategically through maps and do take some time to position
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correctly. Powerful pickups should be few and not be too close to each other (unless
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there is a good risk involved) and pickups should be well spread and not be too
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high in number, this encourages players to move around.
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Try to keep powerful pickups away from the spawn area so players
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are encouraged to leave their bases. Strategy is key! A good idea to keep in mind
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when mapping is "<i>what would I need here to help me pwn?</i>"
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If you want a spot to have grenades for when players are playing the mode <i>Last Swiss Standing</i>, but not for other
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modes, be advised, that pistol magazines turn into grenades during <i>Last Swiss Standing</i> mode... so if you want,
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you can strategically place pistol magazines with this thought in mind.
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It's a good idea to put powerful pickups in risky areas, this helps keep balance and makes it harder for
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<h2 id="spawns">Spawn points</h2>
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Rule of thumb: The more, the better. Try to add as many as you can.
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Avoid creating spawnpoints that are in the middle of a room, or a corridor. Spawning and being instantly killed
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just because you're in the line of fire of some other players is frustrating.
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It's a common mistake to new map editors to place spawn points with an incorrect orientation. If you want to add a spawn
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in a corner, select the cube you want the spawn to be and fly over it, then add the entity while looking in the desired direction!
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Be sure not to use too many models. Mapmodels slow down the gamespeed and that's a problem on older machines, so
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a map that's heavily laden with models just isn't good for those players.
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<h2 id="co-op">Co-operative map editing</h2>
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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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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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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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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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