Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

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nogardilaref
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by nogardilaref »

:omfg: How did this go from MyLevel to debates over PC and bots?

Anyway, the vast majority of people with old computers only use old computers because they cannot really afford buying a new one.
Some of us actually were on the verge of starving at one point, become homeless, some even worse, and even right now not everyone has the bare minimum quality of life people think they do, and I will leave it at that.


As for MyLevel, loading big texture packs is only a problem because there isn't a centralized repository and common dependencies manager like in almost every other system nowadays.
But it's still certainly a problem, and I don't mind importing textures, sounds and a few other things if they end up saving that amount of space.
What I mostly meant was about very common packages where it doesn't even make much sense doing so, since they cause more harm than good, such as: music files (.umx) and system files (.u) with custom actors.

I happen to have been planning to use a certain package for this mapping contest, because it works very well in building atmosphere for the map I am planning, and it's only a single package with about 2MB.
I cannot pick and choose what from it, but MyLevel does it automatically in ways I really do not wish it to do.
Anything that isn't a static resource like a texture should never be MyLevel'd in my opinion, unless it's just a single custom actor at most, which isn't the case here.

So, maybe 3 extra external packages allowed at most, or not?
(I only need 1 and that's it, 3 would be because I am certain some would like to throw some custom music package and one or another custom package as well)
Red_Fist
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by Red_Fist »

From my perspective, less is less even if you had the IBM mainframe. Like I used a texture from Mine.utx, it just seems like such a waste to have it fool with that big file for one texture, type of thing.
and of course rename the texture and add detail.

My hi res Mine.utx is 39,346,176 bytes , the non high res is 6,844,416 bytes. but now if you used a pile of textures all from the same pack, then using mylevel would not be anything worth doing.
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sektor2111
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by sektor2111 »

For MyLevel I don't see why is (or not) painful for tiny things - custom decorations, extended navigation, different triggering, etc. I think in each map which I did I put something in MyLevel except my very first ones where I have only experimented Net play and different geometry stunts. Even in a DM map you can randomize A.I. using MyLevel...
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papercoffee
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by papercoffee »

Well, we had the votes ... and "MyLevel + default" did win. :|
If you really have to use a third party source and you can't embed it... because of reasons.

I would say max 2 packs but they have to be very small.
What do the others think about this?
How big would your pack be nogardi?
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SilverSound
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by SilverSound »

I'm sorry guys. I didn't mean to put it that way. I feel bad for making others feel bad. I was a bit lucky growing up.


I do have a mental disability that really hinders my ability to be good at social things. My wording and meaning can be easily misunderstood. So I'm sorry.




On the topic of Mylevel: I think it's really good for a lot of things. Just a bit finicky (at least in my experience) Always had crashes because of mylevel.

I think because some dummy somewhere saved a mylevel as a package. Epic?

EDIT==

I also need to know what mylevels limits are
"Woah what?! I wish I was recording that...."
Red_Fist
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by Red_Fist »

I can't say because I am doing other maps, but in my opinion there should only be myleveled stuff. (it is a "contest")
So if he really needs it to turn out like he wants, he must pay the consequences :satan: :satan: :satan: :loool:

Oh, and don't worry about paprecoffee he has a secret stashed decked out super tower, Mac , (Tetris never looked so good) :P
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nogardilaref
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by nogardilaref »

papercoffee wrote:How big would your pack be nogardi?
Just around 2MB.
Red_Fist wrote:I can't say because I am doing other maps, but in my opinion there should only be myleveled stuff. (it is a "contest")
So that essentially forces someone have to, for example, MyLevel a custom but widely used .umx file.
If they didn't have to, it would be just a dependency of the map as it should, but since they have to, it becomes part of the map.
What's the challenge exactly here in terms of "contest"?

It looks more like it promotes a very bad practice of MyLevel'ing everything.
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by Red_Fist »

No not really, I would never mylevel a music file, but the whole point of using "default" or mylevel, is that everyone don't want to have 8 files for every map to sort out, no matter how "common" YOU think they are.

Hence the challenge would be to follow the rules, not just what you want, but whatever, I have no say in the matter.
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nogardilaref
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by nogardilaref »

There are some custom packages which are common throughout hundreds, perhaps even thousands of maps, that's not what I think, it's a fact.
Specially when it comes to BT maps which tend to use Hourences packs along others of a similar quality, and other maps which tend to use things like the swJumppad and UTTech4 (or something like that, iirc), to not mention common music files specially for MH maps, many of them from Unreal itself actually.

But not having to sort out between all sorts of external dependencies is exactly why I suggested a limit of them: 2 or 3 of them, no more than that.
This covers pretty much 1 music, 1 common texture package and something else, for example, packages which would have to be forced into getting MyLevel'd, when they should not.

You mentioned a high-res and low-res version of a texture package, which is the more reason to use an external dependency. The moment you MyLevel that stuff, you're locking your map to either high-res or low-res, specially if the mapper wants to have a map with custom textures with S3TC support (it already happened in the past a couple of times at least).
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by Terraniux »

SUCK THIS, and get this over with, i made this video as soon I saw these posts :


4Jfs5hPPKPw

Now learn it, it is nothing dangerous, all you need is PROPER stuff : a working pc, a fine installation of UT, and proper material!


Let's get it on.
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nogardilaref
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by nogardilaref »

You missed the whole point being made here, plus there's a far better and more direct way of MyLevel'ing existing packages (through the "obj load" command iirc).
MyLevel'ing existing packages is dangerous if you don't know exactly at 100% what you're importing into the map.
JackGriffin
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by JackGriffin »

If anyone needs help myleveling content into their map just let me know and I'll do it for you. Oftentimes you can extract out what you want to use and mylevel just that. I can help you with that too.
So long, and thanks for all the fish
Red_Fist
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by Red_Fist »

Seems we had trouble trying to mess with chaos stuff in a map, without adding the .U

It was some flaming skull or something, not just a simple deco, he used or wanted to use for torches. So the textures or animation or something made it hard to use.
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JackGriffin
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by JackGriffin »

It's a little silly to say no external packages and design the contest around using a very large external, non-default group of packages. If you don't allow them you are going to end up with 14 Crypt2 textured maze maps. Not a whole lot else in default UT packages speaks to Chaos.
So long, and thanks for all the fish
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memsys
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Re: Mapping Contest Theme Discussion

Post by memsys »

I say that the chaos texture and deco files should be used as external files seeing as this is a chaos ut mapping contest.
I also think some texture packs should be allowed to be kept external, think uttech4 and the like because they are used so much that they might as well be considered unofficial standard packages.

EDIT: the reason is that myleveling textures for packs that are used a lot just makes no sense. that said, I DO think the community needs to discuss a list of essential packages, not just for this contest but for coming ones as well.
that way there is an easy way to deal with the to-mylevel-or-not-to-mylevel debate that pops up every time.
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