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Reference Mapping Guide for Race
 
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Sputs|uk
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Posted: 09 Feb 2013, 17:13    Post subject: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

The idea behind this guide is to introduce those not too familiar with mapping to the basics of creating a race map, but also for the guide to
act as a sort of grading system, so that when people do upload maps to our site they should at least have a rough idea of what SKC is looking
for in a race map. Our map admins don't mind fixing bugs/errors etc, it's often the level of fixing that's the issue and can take hours of
work to get someone elses map server ready. Having this guide on hand should hopefully see the quality of new maps being uploaded improved.

So, down to business. There are 5 basic criteria that need to be understood to some degree when making a race map. I'll attempt to explain and
cover each of their most basic roles/purposes.



The main criteria are: Grid and First Corner - Checkpoints - Race Length - Pickups - Testing.






Depending on where you decide for the location of your map, try to find a starting area that will easily accomodate your 32 spawnpoints,
allowing enough room for all those players to pull off the grid and navigate the first corner with as little incident as possible. Set your
spawnpoints in ordered rows from 2 to 4 vehicles per row, leaving a generous amount of space between each vehicle.

How this might look:
Image

How not to do it:
Image


Tip: Once placed and selected, you can rotate spawnpoints and objects by using your mouse wheel or Directional Arrow keys.
You can also set their vertical (height) levels using your Page Up and Page Down keys. Combinations of left Control, Shift and Alt keys will
allow you to rotate and higher/lower vehicles and objects with varying degrees of speed and accuracy. Try experimenting with these.


To achieve the best level of accuracy when placing objects, you will need to set Snap Level to 0.0001. You can find this setting in the
Editor, in Options >> General tab. Also make sure the Precise Position box is checked...
Image





Placing a checkpoint, selecting it and pressing F3 will open the Checkpoint Properties window.

As a general rule, set your checkpoint sizes in relation to the surrounding area. Wide roads/areas will accomodate more players and may
require larger checkpoints. With small roads/areas, placing smaller checkpoints may be necessary.

The start of the race should be the first place to focus on checkpoint sizes. With 20+ players racing for position allowing plenty of room to
maneuver is crucial. After several checkpoints the player field normally will have thinned out and sizes can be scaled down if needs be.
However, the absolute minimum size of any of your checkpoints at any stage in the race should be set to no lower than 4.


Examples of setting checkpoint sizes in certain areas/spaces.

This size should allow 3 to 4 players to race side by side:
Image
The amount of vehicles and size of checkpoints is to illustrate the importance of giving enough room to players as they approach and clear
checkpoints.

This size is in keeping with the scale/width of the area and should allow a cluster of 5 or more players.
Image


Whereas here, a size 5 checkpoint may not be enough. It's size allowing for no more than maybe 2 or 3, likely ending in disaster
as players cluster together...
Image
A common error is placing small checkpoints like these at the start of the race. It's easy to underestimate checkpoint sizes when placing
them in the Editor because there is only ever just you.
Always try to think ahead and imagine how your map will handle upwards of 20 players.

Ideal checkpoint sizes on various roads/areas:
Image

Image

Image


A race should have a nice flow/feel with as little confusion as possible. Try to avoid placing checkpoints too far apart to prevent players
from getting lost. Something like a 3 to 4 second gap between each checkpoint is about the average distance to place them apart.


Tip: Placing checkpoints on the apex of a corner

Placing checkpoints on the apexes of corners within the Editor:
Image
Note how the car is able to maintain as straight a line as possible as it navigates the two corners due to where the checkpoints are situated
on the apexes.
Image
Placing checkpoints in this way enables a player to carry speed into a corner and maintain speed while exiting the corner. This is how races
are won, lost, and of course top times beaten!



Other criteria when placing Checkpoints:
Check the directional arrows in your checkpoints, try to make sure they clearly point to the next one. Make them visible from the racing line
and if possible don't cover obstacles with checkpoints.

Tip: Use your Page Up and Page Down keys to set the directional arrows within checkpoints to a reasonable
height. Ideally they need to be seen while not too low that they might obstruct your view while racing. With larger checkpoints especially
(size 12 to 15 and above), setting directional arrows too close to the ground will often block the view of the racing line.
Image


Collision Spheres: or "cols" for short - This is more of a valuable insight into the hidden properties of checkpoints and worth a
mention. All checkpoints have this invisible area which extends beyond the visual checkpoints observed ingame. This is why it often looks like
a player should have missed a checkpoint, when clearly they haven't because they are aware of this "hidden area" and can gauge how far out the
collision sphere of a checkpoint extends and cut, or clip it.
Image

Image

Pickup cols:
Image





Repairs: Ideally your first lot of repairs should be placed somewhere after the first checkpoint. This is not a definate rule and
really only applies to maps with a tight grid formation or a narrow road with limited space from the get-go.

Somewhere after the 1st, 2nd or 3rd checkpoint should you be thinking about placing your first lot of repairs. Again, with 20+ players in the
race there are bound to be collisions in the early stages, so easy access to repairs here is a must. Where you decide to place repairs in the
later stages of your race is entirely up to you. Just be reasonable with them, but try not to over do it!

Nitro: With nitro, or NOS Pickups, all i can say is, if you feel that your map is better with NOS, then include some. On our server we
use 3 types of NOS and players can choose either of these styles - GTA Stock (Normal), NFS (Need For Speed) and a Hybrid NOS. Hopefully you
guys are familiar with this. If not, feel free to visit the server and try them out. All this means is that when a player collects a Nitro, it
will be used at different rates depending on what NOS style they use.






Between 0:40 and 4:00 minutes. It's ok to go slightly under or over those times, though a nice race length to consider is around 2:30 to 3:30!






Test your map many times. Any little thing that is bugging you, try your best to fix it. If the thing you are working on is proving too
difficult, don't be afraid to delete it and try something else.

If you do decide to use objects in your map, it's worth a mention that certain ones have unique properties. What to you may look like the
point where the surface of an object ends often isn't. Similar to the collision spheres belonging to checkpoints and pickups, the edge or
surface of an object extends beyond what you are seeing ingame, only this time the extended area is both invisible and solid and can cause
players to crash through no fault of their own. It's rare to find these objects in the Editor so don't be too concerned, it's something that
can easily be fixed at our end if overlooked.




To sum up:

If possible, arrange your grid formation in a nice open area with good spacing between each vehicle. Make sure your checkpoints are of a
reasonable size and will allow atleast 3 to 4 players side by side on wider roads/areas, and 2 to 3 players where the road/area may be more
limited in space. Place repairs early on in your map and decide where you need Nitro pickups, if any. Race length between 0:40 to 4:00 give or
take, and test your map until you are at least 95% happy with it's content.

This pretty much covers everything that we expect to be included in all pre-server maps uploaded to our site by all map makers. Inexperienced
mappers or total wizards with the Editor it matters not, everyone has a fair chance of seeing their maps on our race server and if you can
manage to follow this reference guide and include as much of it's method as possible, this is all we ask.




Odds and Sods

Decorations:
The real main purpose of decorating a map with objects should be to help define what is the already existing racing line. Decorations should
never become a problem for players and cause lots of crashes/pileups. All you are really doing by adding objects to your map is creating or
applying atmosphere to improve the overall experience of the race.

Besides, a player's eyes are usually fixed firmly on the racing line and other players during a race, therefore decorations are not massively
important, but they are nice if done properly and with as much love and dedication as you can possibly pack in.

Ramps/Jumps:
These require a lot of testing to eliminate any placement errors. Try to always make ramps/jumps user friendly. The only real risk envoled for
a player should be when they land the jump and not the actual going over it part. Ramps will sometimes just do their own thing and throw you
out at some crazy angle, probably a combination of game physics + speed and vehicle type, and a sprinkle of fate, who knows...

Object Collision:
As mentioned in the Testing section, always check the collisions of any objects that you decide to place in your map, making sure there are no
unforseen bugs/glitches which clearly doesn't belong in your race.

Map Mods:
No Music in your maps, and/or rainbow sky. Any other mods will be considered. If you have a custom vehicle that you would like to see included
in your map, please send it to us as an independent resource, i.e. with it's meta.xml + the .lua file in a seperate folder.




Important Stuff

Map Settings:
There are a few settings in the meta that must always be set before you upload any maps:

Here's how: Start the editor and load your map - click on Map Settings, then click Gamemode Settings:

Select respawn time and set this to 3

Then select duration and set this to 600

It's probably best to do these last when the map you are working on is complete.


Alternatively you can set these values from within your map meta XML file. Go to: ...../MTA San Andreas 1.3/server/mods/deathmatch/resources
and locate your map folder - open the folder and right click the meta XML file and select Edit (you may need to open the file with Notepad
first). When the file is open, edit the respawn time and timelimit values as stated above. Save and exit.

Saving your map
When you come to saving your map, make sure all the letters/words in the map name are lowercase and contain no spaces. Also the prefix "race-"
must be included before the actual name of your map.

Example: race-mynewmap
Image


In respect of this guide, please don't post here asking when your maps will be uploaded or fixed or why they haven't been accepted. All maps
sent to us are tested on our server regularly where they are checked thoroughly and evaluated based on the quality of their content/criteria.

You can post in this topic with any questions regarding the Editor and all it's functions or any other questions in general about map making.
Any mapping tips along with your favourite Object IDs, scripts, lists and such, anything useful for all to share, it's all welcomed.


A thanks to Docki for his contribution to this guide.


Save often, be patient and have fun!
Last edited by Sputs|uk on 01 Nov 2015, 15:13, edited 5 times in total.
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Dockinoke
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Posted: 09 Feb 2013, 17:30    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

ZOMG

What an AMAZING work sputsi! :D

N1 m8 :)



Relax Rulez 8-)

<<The difference between a newbie and a noob? The first learns, the second is pwnt.>> - Docki at phone whit a friend

Docki sharable maps here: [url]http://sdrv.ms/O4MJx0[/url]
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mrbrown93
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Posted: 09 Feb 2013, 17:40    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

First of all, really nice tutorial, thanks a lot :)

A few questions:

- How do you show the Collision Spheres, or did you made them yourself with the neon lights?

- How can i open custom tracks/objects (, like johnline's Wipeout maps) in the map editor ?
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Accident
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Posted: 09 Feb 2013, 17:48    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

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Sputs|uk
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Posted: 09 Feb 2013, 18:45    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

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Dockinoke
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Posted: 09 Feb 2013, 19:19    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Image


Relax Rulez 8-)

<<The difference between a newbie and a noob? The first learns, the second is pwnt.>> - Docki at phone whit a friend

Docki sharable maps here: [url]http://sdrv.ms/O4MJx0[/url]
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MCvarial
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Posted: 09 Feb 2013, 19:30    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Custom objects are usually in a seperate resource (atleast for our server) you have to start that resource too.
Too figure out its name search for the <include>resource</include> in the map's meta
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Whiskey
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Posted: 09 Feb 2013, 23:07    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Outstanding job Sputs!
I turned the thread into a sticky and added a link on the upload page.



"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."
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Hestin

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Posted: 09 Feb 2013, 23:29    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Proper guide for not proper mappers :P

I'll finally be able to create some maps lol

Well done!



"Don't be a prisoner of your own style."
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- dj sets
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Csena[HUN]
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Posted: 10 Feb 2013, 00:27    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Nothing new here for me. :) Just kidding. Amazing tutorial Sputs. I was going to do something like this, but you did it.


Drive on the pavement. Accidents always happen on the road.
[SKC]Sputs|uk "Me and this map are officially over now. We were happily married in the begining, but now it's war and i want a devorce!"
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Sputs|uk
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Posted: 10 Feb 2013, 15:57    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Thanks. Well i figured after playing MTA for so long now and dabbling with the editor doing this guide was the next logical step, either that or it all goes to waste. I was gonna do it a while ago also but Docki beat me to it :P

Most if not all his guide was merged into this one.

I guess there's still a ton of stuff could be added, but then before you know it you've crossed into the realm of tl;dr
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013, 21:54    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Thanks a lot Sputs very nice idd :)
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Posted: 14 Aug 2013, 15:28    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Good work ! :)
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Sputs|uk
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Posted: 07 Oct 2014, 14:21    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

>> << using the Wallride Generator to create Docki inspired parabolica curves!

I used these recently in a map and was talking it over with Brown, the here's how etc.


To start with try using the airport object 8355, it's the smallest of the straight sections. Once you have it placed, set Rotation Y to about 30.

Here's a preset for the angled curve - firstly you'll want the Wallride Generator selected....

Pieces 60
Offset 0
Loops 0.5
-----------------
Direction - Forward
Axis - Y
Spacing Modifier 0.1

Everything else leave as is and you should end up with something like in the screenie.
Image

The amount of pieces used in the curves can be a problem over time as you build the circuit and consider adding decors, depending on how swanky you want it, you may encounter draw rate issues towards the end, so you can try reducing the amount of curve pieces to say 40, or much less. This will result in reducing the width of the curve, so you compensate by increasing the spacing modifier, this just means less objects but roughly same curve width as 60 pieces.

It's basically Pieces vs Spacing and getting a smooth surface that isn't going to bounce the car around. You can make small adjustments by adding a couple of extra pieces or adding a 1 digit number to the spacing modifier, examples 0.11 - 0.12 - 0.121 etc

That's pretty much all there is so far.
Last edited by Sputs|uk on 07 Oct 2014, 21:36, edited 2 times in total.
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Whiskey
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Posted: 07 Oct 2014, 14:30    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Digit* :lol:


"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."
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Sputs|uk
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Posted: 07 Oct 2014, 15:46    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

ty :lol:
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Whiskey
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Posted: 07 Oct 2014, 16:48    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

lol, still not quite right. Or is diget some weird UK spelling?

/smartass mode off



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AdiBoy
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Posted: 07 Oct 2014, 17:09    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Wouldn't it be easier and with less impact on performance to create a custom model and import it?
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Obelix
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Posted: 07 Oct 2014, 20:21    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Few have heard of 3d programs, let alone used them.
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Sputs|uk
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Posted: 07 Oct 2014, 21:34    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

It's basically RCG minus the control points, but RCG tends not to be used in a custom circuit so I suppose performance isn't much of an issue.

I would love to know how to create custom objects, especially looking at the street series style, but yeah looking more towards Bauss' tool box and those road sections like in Digital Desert. It would be nice to custom skin that airport runway object too.

Whiskey, nope, just me failing to correct my spelling. :roll:
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mrbrown93
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Posted: 07 Oct 2014, 22:47    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

A Tutorial on how to create custom models would be awesome (would need an own topic imo)! (Y)
For me personally, I found only 1 youtube Vieo that helped but later on I gave up. If anyone is asking for the link: http://www.moddb.com/mods/multi-theft-a ... s-tutorial
I also posted on an other topic.
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Sputs|uk
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Posted: 08 Oct 2014, 11:35    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

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Unique



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Posted: 17 Sep 2015, 10:19    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

can`t upload maps any help please
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Bubu
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Posted: 17 Sep 2015, 10:37    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

I don't know where you got stuck, so I'm gonna write it down step by step:
1. Go to your MTA folder/server/mods/deathmatch/resources
2. You will eventually spot the name of your map, which you want to upload
3. Compress the mapfolder to a .zip file
4. Go and read what the taxt says before uploading
5. Choose your .zip file and select the type of map
6. Then submit it, if it's good enough then a map admin is gonna upload it to the server in a couple of days



“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” -J.R.R Tolkien
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Sputs|uk
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Posted: 28 Oct 2015, 19:54    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Made a little tooty for MST..

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Whiskey
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Posted: 28 Oct 2015, 22:52    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Nice one!


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Holibus
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Posted: 31 Oct 2015, 21:05    Post subject: Re: Reference Mapping Guide for Race

Good job sputs, ty
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