GTAMP

You should use the name of the map as the topic. 7-Zip or zip is best. Attaching the map to the forum is better than uploading to most file hosting sites since this site has no ads and doesn't expire files. Please write a description and include screenshot(s). I can manually add your map to GTA2 Multiplayer Maps page. I would like to fully automate the submit map process at some stage but using the forum attachment method will do for now.

All GMP, STY and MMP files should be in the root/top folder of the archive (this just makes automatic extraction easier)

Try to make your map support 1-6 players. It's easy to add 6 player spawn positions to the mis file.

It's usually best to remove the PlayerCount line from the MMP file and only have 1 MMP file per map but use your own judgement.

GMP file: You can make your GMP files smaller with GMP Optimizer or TM's Editor.

Image: If you want GH to display a preview image, include a .jpg file with the same name as your GMP file.

I'd like ZIP to be one of the preferred formats, if not the preferred format. The slightly smaller sizes of 7-zip and RAR is false economy.

• Finding, downloading, installing, then learning a new application takes a lot longer than the extra download time of a ZIP.
• On top of that, you have to put up with the clutter they all add to context menus and other UI.
• It really isn't worth it.
• People who like 7-zip (or whatever) can still use it on files which are in ZIP format.
• Peole who don't like the 7-zip GUI are forced to use it for .7z files?

I've been using 400x300 for the GH preview image, which works well. The Create Game window only gets maximised occasionally?

(EDIT) Elypter makes a good point below: compress the files directly, not the folder they were in!

(EDIT2) Is there an easy way for modders to check for naming conflicts with other released levels? Including less popular ones?

It does matter a bit when your maps include custom sty and especially audio files. you can save about 500kb although i think that still doesn't matter much. The important point is that it is already established so you have to have 7-zip anyway when you play gta2 and furthermore the built-in zip functionality of windows is crap. i suggest anybody to use 7-zip instead. 7-zip only has 1 submenu in context menu which is really a great advantage to all those ui killing archive managers.
-But I would also support that .zip becomes a preferred format and for small maps it's probably the best choice. at least much better than rar.
-400x300 is a good resolution i think.
-much more important than the format: please put the files always in the root folder of the archive. It is much easier to explain an absolute noob what to do then and it makes automation much easier too.

BenMillard wrote: (EDIT2) Is there an easy way for modders to check for naming conflicts with other released levels? Including less popular ones?

you could check the files of the multiplayer_pakx
http://giantgta.elypter.square7.net/pak ... akx.7z.txt
and the rest:
http://giantgta.elypter.square7.net/pakx/other.txt

That's awesome, elypter!

Should PM/e-mail you with new map file-names? Sektor could link to those from the GTA2 maps list, as a central modder's reference.

BenMillard wrote:That's awesome, elypter!

Should PM/e-mail you with new map file-names? Sektor could link to those from the GTA2 maps list, as a central modder's reference.

these list are auto generated by my packing script which uses the the 7zip command line tool. I need to have the actual file in order to add it to the list. But im always interested in new map, also if it is not available yet.
Linking these files is a good idea. Although i might want to change the link to the second list(other.txt). It's generated semi automatic. So if it is demanded i will probably do something to make this work in a fully integrated way.

If all maps used the MMP filename as the .7z name then I could automatically link to that map when someone tries to join and eventually automatically download. Renaming all the maps would take a while. We could make a huge redirect .htaccess file or database table but that would take just as long as renaming maps and require the server to do more work.

Another newbie I was trying to help today couldn't understand how to install Pure Zooka Arena. He'd never heard of the 7-zip format, though it was some custom GTA2 map package type thing which he didn't know how to run.

Probably wasted hours. I've seen at least 3 new players have experienced the pain of rare compression formats in the past few weeks. It really is a false economy for files less than, say, 100MB.

It would be possible to make all the topics created in the map forum automatically appear as a link on the http://gtamp.com/maps page. It would be best if topic creators use the map name they want to appear on the map page as the topic name and only use the map forum for creating topics about new maps.

The descriptions used here are often too large to go on the map page, so I'd need a way for users to edit the description.

Maybe it would be better to add a submission form to the map page and make the map page create a topic in this forum.

Sektor when you get around to doing auto-map downloads, distribute the command-line 7z with GH.

please add that people should not upload maps to shitty file hosters which let files expire after some time. either upload it to the forum, that's why it has that function, or to http://gta2dare.omnitude.net/maplist/list.php or at least use a decent file hoster like http://minus.com/

FWIW:

BenMillard wrote:The slightly smaller sizes of 7-zip and RAR is false economy.

The RAR format is one of those things that would put a smile on my face if it was dead and forgotten. It's a proprietary format. It's slow. WinRAR sucks at creating and unpacking RAR files - other programs that can create and unpack from/to the RAR format outperform WinRAR in terms of speed at identical compression.
Not so with 7-Zip. It has a safe and free license. The only issue you might have is that Windows doesn't support it out of the box (or didn't, last time I checked), but this is a non-issue as unpacking 7z files is handled by GH using 7za.exe.

BenMillard wrote:Finding, downloading, installing, then learning a new application takes a lot longer than the extra download time of a ZIP.

Yes, but GH ships with 7za.exe so no need finding it.
As for the full 7-Zip program (or any other programs that support the 7-Zip format) installing it and learning to use it is a one-time thing, only applies the first time round, and that will happen sooner or later.
7-Zip's compression ratio to ZIP can be high, even half the size (depending on the content) which is a lot when you think of downloading an 18MB GTA2 archive on a slow connection (but fast enough for GTA2) vs a 36MB one. Makes a difference when you want to download a whole map pack.

BenMillard wrote:On top of that, you have to put up with the clutter they all add to context menus and other UI.

You don't have to.

BenMillard wrote:Peole who don't like the 7-zip GUI are forced to use it for .7z files?

No they're not, there are many alternatives, and as mentioned in the first point, GH does all that for you.

Yep, for normal players the 7-zip experience is much better than it used to be.

I'll start looking into .7z compression tools which have decent GUIs, for my own levels.

BenMillard wrote:Yep, for normal players the 7-zip experience is much better than it used to be.

I'll start looking into .7z compression tools which have decent GUIs, for my own levels.

Directory Opus

Directory Optus isn't free. The 7-Zip frontend works well enough when I need it or I can right click but I mostly use command line and have lots bat files.

Well i just recently noticed the rules about the MMP limit, while its pretty minor in from what i gather it doesnt seem to be enforced on files uploaded outside of the forums, seems pretty bullshit to be honest. Some scripts can be overly complex, complex enough to possibily not even function with added player health checks, or maybe the map only allows for very specific amounts of players. Or it just forces uploaders here to forcibily alter their script into something more overly complex and increasing the chances on bugs and errors, or they might not be up for the task at all.

I would say this is a bit too restrictive when talking about a game thats so old and has so many unusual habits glitches and behaviour, that it just seems hard or pointless in some cases to comply to. Just my opinion and observation though, it is... managable... despite its flaws, as it seems to be made only for uploads here. (Would be really hard to enforce anyway outside of the forums, and pointless i'd imagine.)

I take it exemptions can probaly will be made if the map is absolutely meant to have specific amounts of players?

if the map is "team failure" then it's ok but thats kind of self-explanatory
no map gets overly complex by adding "IF (CHECK_CHARACTER_HEALTH(p1, 0))"
even player depended counter values in rocket chamber and stuff like that is nothing more than a few if checks

Perhaps, though GTA2 in its infinite wisd- uh, buggy behaviour and glitches might not always allow for that, kinda makes the rule imperfect and hard to follow sometimes, either that or said script is so damn long it would just ask for trouble to add the 3P and more content as well, or who knows what other problems might pop up.

I guess its in good faith for people's mmp folders to not clog them up too much, but i dont think the number of mmp files was ever a problem, let alone needed to be reduced to the disadvantadge of the creator of the map who might have trouble doing so. Just doesnt seem worth the hassle for any overly complex map, though admittedly most maps are fairly simple, most of the time.

This does get slightly worrying when it comes to larger projects like my singleplayer project if i ever decide to make co-op compatible missions.
Missions alone can be a messy thing, let alone building in several player checks, considering the sensitivity and chance of crashing alone when just making new mission code... Hm, if i ever get to finishing it that is, just need to think of more missions...

actually i made a map that is too complex to add support for more than 4 players. still i find it much easier to just make one mmp and scr file. its too much trouble to keep up with changes if you have multiple files.

GTAMP is run by a reasonable person: Sektor.

If there's a good reason to break the rules, I'm sure he'll allow it on a case-by-case basis.