ok, this is really getting out of control. Things get worse and worse because the developers feel the need to change the process of mapping midstream with the 1.5 update. Im tired of searching and searching because I dont know the exact keywords to put into my search to find the answers. I know I cant be the only one. I have been able to successfully build maps for Quake, RTCW, RTCW-ET and BF2. All workable and able to distribute to other people to play. Why is COD4 such a hassle???

There's gotta be an easy tutorial from SCRATCH, to showcase exactly what people need to do, and exactly the directories they need to have. I see too many multiple and different answers from people. Im getting extremely frustrated here. I've tried all the tutorials, tried out all the suggestions and no one gets into detail about actually getting a map to work correctly EVERYTIME. There has to be 2 different ways to get a map to work, because as a developer...we have alot more directories in our cod4 directory than people who just download the maps to game. There has to be a conflict somewhere, yet we cannot get any answers to fix this problem. Does having a mp_mapname.ff in multiple locations prevent the game from loading up?? Where does the game look for the .ff first?? Why cant I get my loadscreen to work, where it did before no problems with 1.4??

Le sigh. Sorry for the rant. I just want to distribute and test my map out, and I have yet to successfully do this with my friends...I have been the only one able to connect to the server in the past, now, with 1.5 patch, I cant even fix this darn loadscreen problem.

really understand were u comming from, i like mapping so much but the constant new errors u get or not being able to get a minimap or loading screen working while u did exaclty what the tutorials say is getting to much, im trying to get my minimap and loadingscreen working now almost for the same period of time as were i build my map in, thats just silly and while trying to do that a whole new error popped up wich i never had before while i even havent touched the dam file.
mapping itself goes good with no errors but the side steps to release makes it frustrating.

I'm totaly with you guys. The so called offical manual at the infinwards wiki really sucks. Why didn't the developer dokument the functions in radiant while programming?? And if they did, just release them god damn it!

Firstly, there will never be one single tutorial for the whole thing, there's far too many variables that can be different.

Also, if developing maps/mods was as easy as it has been in the past, we'd have 20 box maps in the downloads section, and these forums wouldn't be used as much. Neither of which are a good thing

Many modders (myself included) prefer a challenge over simpler point/click systems (cryengine sandbox )

edited on Mar. 3, 2008 10:48 am by NovemberDobby

A too easy program is one thing and a disordered NO INSTALLER/ MESS WITH MY GAME FILES/ WORKS FOR ONES AND NOT FOR OTHERS program in another.

I cant find anywhere the FINAL install procces tut.

get this files and this ones, put it here and those put it overthere, you will receive this message then do this ....

and then... You do thing from a step by step tut. and here we are asking silly cuestions after hours and hours of frustration.

Im just beginning mapping for COD4 and this new version of radiant some times get unnesesary irritating.



I´ll do my best to bring up my map... if COD4´s radiant dont knock my entusiasm out first.

If anything is missing and getting depressing is the tutorials. On Modsonline there are various tutorials with mistakes or incomplete tutorials. I don't think anything is more frustrating than sitting reading and doing a tutorial only to find out it's errored or lacking real world implementations. Things that annoy me about COD4.

-Pink arms are not a result of just not having a reflection node, it's typically a leak in your map. No no need for Env Light brush either, thats a workaround or compromise for getting past leaks(imo)

-skybox tutorial, not real world. Anyone can do a skybox for a square box...C'mon. Real world, use a map that is near complete.

-terrain tutorial, not even remotely close to what people need to know. Not real world. Any chump can do a terrain tutorial that shows you throwing hills here and there with no skybox or map period.

- Flash tutorials like the many I saw in/from COD2 suck. Yes, I love watching and reading and missing half of whats going on, more especially not even being told what keys to press (oh ya, it's assumed that since I am reading a tutorial I already know the keys.. ya.. brilliance)

-Leaks tutorials including noting that if you really feel there is no leak, remove the pointfile and re-compile to see if the leak comes back. Bet you, to your total surprise you don't have a leak and you just wasted over an hour trying to find it all because the lame radiant didn't remove the pointfile.

I'd be happy to contribute tutorials but right now I am scraping to try and understand how to do proper terrains.

Or even better, real tutorials on environment effects. The one here is mild and not written to give full explanation, as well it's bugged too.

As for installation. Well the 1.1 patch apparently fixed all the issues of having to create directories here and there and the install is pretty easy. Install in the base COD4 tutorial...

And yes, the WIKI. SUCKS. Sorry for my rant, but I agree to an extent on your criticisms. I have a map currently held up as I inch along learning with next to no resources.

HL2 even from the get go blows COD4 mapping and tutorials to hell.

Ya... I think... at this time PLEASE..... some one who achieved to create a full working version of a COD4 custom map (Includding minimaps and air attack).

IN THE NAME OF ALL GODS!!!

SHARE!

Add a tutorial from start to finish about how do you get it!

MODSONLINE is doing it best on gattering information for us (THANK YOU SO MUCH).

but IF YOU NOTICE everyone is having troubles please take some time and bring a cleanned up step by step tutorial (no errors or incompleted).

It will take time for sure... but the hole mapping community will be thankful to you forever... me included!

And it will stop the ... ONE STEP/ GO ASK IN THE FORUMS/ONE STEP...thing.

Well, plenty of 'errors' in the tutorials are actually a lack of common sense by the user there's only so much tuts can spell out.

At least we're better than the Wiki.

I feel for both sides of the argument. On the beginner side, getting off the ground with some good direction is rough. I will admit that despite some of the most basic and clear advise on these forums, tutorials, and the wiki, many of us will still scratch our heads for a bit. But so long as this community and IW keeps the information flowing and updates the editor software, we should be in good shape.

On the other hand, I agree with Dobby. If this were an easy process, we would be overwhelmed with design-in-a-box maps. I've seen both some fantastic maps and some maps short of critical detail. What sets apart the rock stars from the groupies is the level of detail that goes into the map, and it is possible to do too much. I'm about a week or so away to releasing my first COD4 map, but I'm running into trouble the closer I get to publishing time.

It would be nice at least if we can get a patch to fix some of the compiler issues or have IW finish up on the remaining sections of the wiki. Granted that fiddling with the editor can stumble across moments of revelation, but quite frankly most of us don't have all day to fiddle. I only have about 4 hours a day of "me" time, and I want to hammer out as much mapping as I can. What I don't want is 75% of that work being wasted because some of the errors aren't consistent to reproduce or simply not fixable due to the build of the editor.

NovemberDobby writes...

First of all. To want to have something made harder then it has to be is just stupid and a desperate try to stand out from the rest of the crowd; Hey look at me I can do this and you can't, hahaha.

But that is not what I was asking for. Not even a tutorial. Just a simple manual that explains what the different commands and functions actually do. When someone releases a program, a compiler or whatever they also release the documentation they made, as any serious programmer, during the constuction of the program.
But instead they direct you to a most incomplete wiki-site. Sure i can make a working mp/sp-map as of now, but the compiler has obviously so much more functions to utilise, and sure i can spend the next weeks trying to guess my way through, but i really don't want to do that, and i think more then me feels that way. So pleeeease if anyone has the secret manual, release it.