Proposed development of YR 1.002 Community Patch

[Marshall]

Well that's a possibility. I meant that, REs can occur as a direct result of not having the same version of TX installed as your opponents. If you play on certain maps, then the error is bound to occur.
Most users (such as myself) will not know which maps they can't play on, etc. The problem happens with official maps and so makes the TX/non-TX issue significant for players with no modding knowledge.

As such, I was hoping to make it so that 1.002-enhanced mods did not have this problem as they would include the TX ini files. That doesn't help anything though, so all users must have the same version of the TX installed to be safe.

It's just another thing off my list of things to investigate/implement for the CRP.

I think I've nearly figured out the PKT stuff I needed (see the PKT thread) so I may have some more info/questions for you all soon.

[Marshall]

A progress report.

What will be included in the YR Community Resource Pack:
1.001 patch
perma-UMP 7 (& UMP Mod Launcher for basic Assault mode)
TX 2.02
Rock Patch (whatever latest version is)
YR Map Packs (inc. fixed maps)
Assault Map Packs 1&2 (if Cannis agrees)
RA2YR Clean Up program
YR Playlist Modifier

What needs doing:
Multiple languages (English is covered, Renegade's helping with German, don't know what to do about other languages)
UMP7 (that's what I've been focusing on lately)
MAPS! (deciding what to fix, and fixing it)


Here is something I've been working on that needs some input:
Map Freedom is the idea that players should be allowed to play Non-TA games on TA maps (TA=Team Alliance), and TA games on non-TA maps if they want too.
I have modified the missionsmd.pkt file inside of ra2md.mix, so that all maps that have a mapfilter of "standard" or "teamgame" now have a mapfilter of "freegame" as well (I've also re-ordered the maps and included dividers).
Mods can set "freegame" as the filter for both non-TA and TA modes IF they want to (otherwise, there's no change).

The only drawback is that custom maps won't be recognised as "freegame" maps.
"freegame" could be removed and all TA-only maps could be set to "standard", but then the modder would have no choice (and TA-only custom maps still wouldn't be recognised).

Map Freedom opens up more possibilities and would be a shame to lose.

My preferred option would be to get all custom map-makers to include "freegame" in their filters. It might (I don't know for sure yet) be possible to make the YRCRP modify custom maps to change the filters, but I may just be clutching at straws.

I need opinions and ideas!



Secondly, I am thinking about making a second CRP-type package for Mod Developers. It would include the essential XCC tools, the UMP DP, FA2YR, cameo glass, etc.
Good idea?

[Saberhawk]

Is there any possibility of including a base XRML Launcher in the package also?

[Marshall]

It might be possible, yes. I didn't realise XRML was still going. What's the website url?

[Saberhawk]

There is no website right now (Problems with FedNet), but the client is almost done. The site should be up at xrml.4amdevlabs.com soon.

[Bobingabout]

do we have to include assault mode stuff?

everything else i agree, but, not all mods suport the assault mode. (not all mods suport the TX either, but... thats different)

if you add the assault mode maps, can't you add the survivour maps(which i actually do use in my mod)

[Marshall]

Whilst it's true that not all mods support the Assault mode, it's still an important resource for many and so I feel that it should go in the CRP. Not everyone wants the YR Map Packs but if we go with that mentality then we'll end up removing everything!

Survivor maps? Is this another community resource, usable by many? If so, let me know more - I need the url for the 'Survivor maps' website.
The Assault maps are required for Assault mode.
Other custom maps/TX maps won't be included because they aren't required for something else to work.
If there is a "Survivor" game mode that means some mods need extra maps then that would be grounds for inclusion.

[Bobingabout]

Whilst it's true that not all mods support the Assault mode, it's still an important resource for many and so I feel that it should go in the CRP. Not everyone wants the YR Map Packs but if we go with that mentality then we'll end up removing everything!

Survivor maps? Is this another community resource, usable by many? If so, let me know more - I need the url for the 'Survivor maps' website.
The Assault maps are required for Assault mode.
Other custom maps/TX maps won't be included because they aren't required for something else to work.
If there is a "Survivor" game mode that means some mods need extra maps then that would be grounds for inclusion.
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this damn reply page is getting VERY annoying...

anyway, the website for the survivor map pack was somewhere on the CnCGuild. it might have got lost in the translation because the team gave up after doing a single pack. there were 3 mods i knew of that did use it before the translation though, deso's mod. Arg's mod and my mod.

Survivor was a game mode where you start with all uits and no MCV. unless your mod came with some maps, you needed the survivor map pack to play it.


i can send you the survivor map pack if you want to consider including it, but it will most likly need checking(since last i heard, 1 of the maps had invalid starting positions) and most probably converting to a YRO aswell.


infact, i think i should talk to des0 about it first, try and get the latest version and fix any bugs myself.(last time i checked aswell, the version on the site was a year older than the version floating around :blink: )

[Marshall]

But you don't need special maps for such a mode. :???:
Just decide what units you want to start with, make the MCV into a standard tank and there you go, all normal maps can be played Survivor-style.
With Assault, the whole concept requires special map code, hence requires special maps.

[Bobingabout]

ok, the mode doesn't have to have new maps, but, the way the survivour map pack works, we wrote a spacific game mode for it.

allows us to make maps spacificly for the game mode without things like ore.

[Blade]

The point is that the game mode does not NEED those maps to be included to play such a game mode, the maps contain no code that is required for the game mode to behave correctly. Sure maps having no ore don't make much sense without such a mod, but thats like having the mode just to justify the existence of the maps rather than the maps being needed to support the existence of the mode.
MooMan and myself mooted a few game modes that would require specially setup maps, but because Player@X is limited to a few actions and cannot be the owner of a trigger they are impossible to create. If Player@X were expanded (*wink* Pd *wink*) then they might be possible though.

[Bobingabout]

hey, i didn't create the damn mode, i just decided to use it. and was simply asking why it isn't included.

actually, it uses 2 game mode filters, 1 for free for all that is specified on all the maps in the pack, and a must ally mode, where all maps require atleast 4 starting positions.


there is 1 filter i might be using later on though. night maps.

not that they require a seperate game mode, the code could all be placed in the map itself, infact, most of the code is required to be placed in the map, because its all time dependant triggers, and a couple of overides to turn on the buildable light posts. its just a way of seperating night maps from the rest.

however, in such a game mode, the AI would cheat, because it doesn't need to "SEE"

[Marshall]

The problem is that all maps that a modder wishes to use for specific purposes won't necessarily have the required mapfilters embedded.

This problem seems unavoidable to me.

When it comes to 'Survivor', yes there might exist maps that have unique mapfilters, but the mode itself does not require special maps. Now, if a user specifies a mode to play on standard maps, the specifically-designed maps won't be playable.

In this case, the best option is for the specifically-designed maps to have standard mapfilters as well as unique mapfilters. You could also add *SURVIVOR* to the map name (just like *TX* is for TX-only maps).

In the case of Assault mode, the mode cannot work without special maps because of the necessary embedded code. As such, the map packs must be downloaded for a person to be able to play the mode.

With 'ordinary' custom maps, they will never contain the unique mapfilters that a modder may have implemented - this is what is causing problems for me with the map freedom feature.
The best compromise I can see is to not modify the original missionsmd.pkt, and to just provide a modified one with the UMP/UMPDP that makes all TA maps standard maps. This still means, however, that custom TA-only maps will not work in a 'map freedom' mod.

[Blade]

I've just finished another asset that I've been meaning to make for ages, a fixed Yuri win screen for SP game modes. Sypher_5 started it ages ago but he moved on to other stuff and let me have the assets he'd made for it up to that point. The basic difference is that the center thing spins behind the logo like it does for the allied and soviet win screens. I've also got a Yuri side button for the mission select screen that PD has re-activated and some modified country flags for the MP side select screen that IMO are better than those provided as stock. Might be worth including some/all of this stuff.

[Saberhawk]

That campaign select screen does look pretty wierd though, with the Soviet off to the side.