[Austin]

Originally Posted by >BKA< T Wrecks

Hmmm... sounds phat! Your installers make map installation really a no-brainer, and they spare users the trouble of finding out how the heck a ZIP archive is structured and into which folder to unzip it.

Yes, they are the perfect thing for installing maps. Even after I wrote this detailed doc on how to install maps,
Http://austinbots.com/doc/HowToInstallCSMaps.doc

some regular players were still totally lost on how to install maps! Those of us who do a lot with computers forget there are people who can barely turn on their computer install a game and get connected. Anything beyond this is a dark void for them. I am not criticizing them, there are a lot of areas where I have little if any expertise or information. I just have to remind my self the "average" end user can sometimes be pretty new to computers and can't do some things that seem extremely "simple" to us.

I haven't found anyone yet who couldn't' figure out how to get these maps installed using this installer, so the main problem of getting user to have custom maps is solved.

The program that creates these installers checks the bsp file to make sure ALL the necessary external custom files are present and it doesn't even make the installer if any file is missing.

BKA I use the Wise installer in zip mode so the installer will be compressed to the same size as a zip. The wise installer has a very low overhead for the exe something like 32K.

Originally Posted by >BKA< T Wrecks

should be included as a regular version as well - of course bundled with hq waypoints as well. Take a map like cs_militia2k1 (militia clone, obviously) - some ppl who don't play against so many bots will prefer having those rotating doors in the map simply because they look way more authentic than sliding doors and add atmosphere -

I agree. I already post the unmodified map as an exe installer.

I make another one that has the extra spawn points and the pwf.

Originally Posted by SoUlFaThEr

Mark.......hacked maps are your servers SPECIAL gag.....keep it that way........dont release stuff like that to other people.

any mappack should NOT be included with the bot itself.....rather.....as an extra download on the same site.......

the mappack is a great idea......and with Austins installer even better and with yours and my waypoints even better.

now......afaik......most bot players are 56k peeps or just cheater-haters like me. getting together, say...20 of the best maps, would be such a huge download man, cuz the best looking maps are full of custom shit and are usually between 5 and 10 MB each. take the average 6.5MB map file and multiply that by 20.
130 MB......i dont think PMB will even download such a file on purpose, even if it was a good thing, with his fabulous 56k connection. a 56k guy will complain about a 1MB download.

next problem is which maps.....and this is actually a discussion that deserves its own thread rather than spamming up this podbot fix thread......hehe ...35 pages!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) SF I don't advertise these hacked maps. I only give them out If someone asks me for them. I am not the only person looking for 32 player maps. It is a common request.

2) Agreed! The bot installer should just be the bot and waypoints for only the standard maps.

3) I don't like map packs. Each map will have it's own installer and "possibly' a pwf.

4) I have started a list and I think we should post a sticky thread in the mapping section to continue this.

I have been testing something that seems to be working really well on my server.
Once again this may be something that is only done there but here is the deal.

I have been experimenting with putting in like 40-50 spawn points on some maps.
The engine cycles through all of these in order, so I have been creating situations where for example on assault 1337, one round 10 or so bots will flood in through the back door. The next round 20 will flood in through the front door.
Another round they drop like rain through the vent/ladder into the hostage room.

Another round a bot will spawn right next to the hostages and start running out with them in the first few seconds!

As a first test it has been wild fun!

I have noticed a few other thinks while hacking maps.
On vip maps TAKE OUT THE VIP SPAWN POINT!
This will cause the engine to cycle through the ct spawns picking on for the vip and this way we can move the ct spawns around to produce more random paths for the vip!

If you take out all buy zones, then every spawn point will have a mini buy zone around it giving us more flexibility in placing spawns!