Epic GTA2 Map Editor (0.6.6602) Beta

[Salamander]

When I google for "GTA2 map editor", I see


TradeMark: your editor is awesome!
Sorry about promising to comment and not commenting, I moved abroad, got a "real job", and have no time. I'll try and test newer versions regularly.

The GUI is great! It looks bullshit-free and help is always at hand. There are many features/options/settings, but getting to them is difficult. Can you add a toolbar with these options? e.g. a button for rendering brings up a small panel with rendering settings. Something like the way it's done in Blender.

There are a few peculiarities but I'm not sure whether its the map editor, or that I'm running it using wine.
The scroll wheel moves the camera up/down a level.
Shift+scrollwheel increases/decreases field of view.
Holding and dragging the mouse with the middle button pressed pans around.
But how do I move the camera forward/back/sideways?

Stereogram mode rocks!
There are two ways of looking at stereograms. You can cross your eyes before the image or behind it. Your stereogram requires crossing eyes before the image, and it's more difficult to do. If you swap the left and right halves around, you then use the second method of crossing your eyes behind the image, much easier to do. Could you implement both methods?

Once more perhaps a wine-only issue, when I expand the toolbar menus, the previous menu does not disappear, and when I choose an option, e.g. Options > Render flats (ticked by default), then I can see that the flats are no longer being rendered, but that option is still ticked. I have never had this type of issue with wine in any either program, so its possibly not related to wine. Please take a look at it. See the screencast.

The interface says that I can select and manipulate things by right-clicking on them, but I can't seem to be able to do this. See the screencast.

I don't see any cars, how do I turn those on?

I'm off on holiday now, be back in two weeks.

The screencast:
http://www65.zippyshare.com/v/35246918/file.html [34MB MP4 file]
Do yourself a favor and download it and watch it from disk. Playing the flash version severely degrades the quality.

[B-$hep]

Actually my blog was first in Google with these KW's, until it was shut down by 000webhost.

Too many projects on internet are born and died at some point, just like OpenGTA.
And i think OpenGTA2 project dies also,because there is no progress.

Dunno about the TM map editor though.

[elypter]

the problem is that there are probably just too few and too few pulling in the same direction. And the main reason is not that there aren't enough people who would be interested. Many people just don't know about the other projects or even about gta2. For example look at the list of gta2 like projects: http://elypter.net84.net/forum/index.php?topic=5.0 - no reuse of code or resources.

I don't think this has to be that way. There are reasons why there aren't as many gta2 players and modders as could be:

Reason number 1 is that people either cannot imagine that gta2 is still played until today or they are just too jung to have played it in the past.
Reason number 2 is that cannot immagine that there is an unofficial online playing tool.
Reason number 3 is the port forwarding issue.

I am already trying to do something: the map, jed, online, ... pakxs, the tutorials, the tiny gta executables, the map upload page and listing, ...

We have no publisher behind us so we have to tell the people on our own and that works only with more than one person. I wouldn't say it is our "job" to do that but on the other side how else should people find this hidden place on the Internet.
Although that kind of "word-of-mouth recommendation" is rather something for the all the players lurking around on gh i think its a good idea to discuss it here on the forum.

[T.M.]

The GUI is great! It looks bullshit-free and help is always at hand. There are many features/options/settings, but getting to them is difficult. Can you add a toolbar with these options? e.g. a button for rendering brings up a small panel with rendering settings. Something like the way it's done in Blender.

Thanks lol and yeah, been thinking about that, not sure when i can do it.

There are a few peculiarities but I'm not sure whether its the map editor, or that I'm running it using wine.
The scroll wheel moves the camera up/down a level.
Shift+scrollwheel increases/decreases field of view.
Holding and dragging the mouse with the middle button pressed pans around.
But how do I move the camera forward/back/sideways?

those all are normal behaviour you can move with ASDW keys.

There are two ways of looking at stereograms. You can cross your eyes before the image or behind it. Your stereogram requires crossing eyes before the image, and it's more difficult to do. If you swap the left and right halves around, you then use the second method of crossing your eyes behind the image, much easier to do. Could you implement both methods?

really? i didnt know they can be viewed in two ways for me crossing the eyes "before the image" is super easy, i cant imagine doing it the other way... i guess i could implement it, even though i dont know how to see it myself

Once more perhaps a wine-only issue, when I expand the toolbar menus, the previous menu does not disappear, and when I choose an option, e.g. Options > Render flats (ticked by default), then I can see that the flats are no longer being rendered, but that option is still ticked. I have never had this type of issue with wine in any either program, so its possibly not related to wine. Please take a look at it. See the screencast.

that is a common "bug" that i havent had the time to fix yet. the non-disappearing menu is also a "feature" which is caused by the fact my program stops running once you hit any menu, and continues when you clicked some item. so it might be platform dependent how it renders for the end user.

The interface says that I can select and manipulate things by right-clicking on them, but I can't seem to be able to do this. See the screencast.

I don't see any cars, how do I turn those on?

the script objects will be visible only if you have .mis file loaded (it will load .scr named .mis file if .scr file is found). i looked at the video you made: none of the maps had script file loaded. in the map list (CTRL+F1) you can see all maps with blue color if they have script file included in them.

Thanks for testing!

[T.M.]

Full GTA2 Map Editor

i think this should be the name, what you think?

[Cuban-Pete]

Full GTA2 Map Editor

i think this should be the name, what you think?

Hmm, it's not bad, I could life with it, but 'full' is not my cup of tea. The word has too many other meanings. Perhaps "complete" is better, but it's a bit long. Perhaps "total GTA2 Map Editor" is better?

//edit: Haha, you could also just call it: The GTA2 Map Editor (the one and only, lol)

[T.M.]

i myself dont like the words "total" or "complete"

[BenMillard]

Just a small thing, but block (121,112,3) in Vedic Temple is not rendered quite right. It looks like the West-flattened stair railing is not displayed. Beneath the stairs, a stone archway sometimes "ghosts" into view. This is when looking at it from the East or South-East.

[Cuban-Pete]

Half Full Gta2 Map Editor

[T.M.]

Just a small thing, but block (121,112,3) in Vedic Temple is not rendered quite right. It looks like the West-flattened stair railing is not displayed. Beneath the stairs, a stone archway sometimes "ghosts" into view. This is when looking at it from the East or South-East.

please check how it renders in gta2 first before reporting it as a bug.

Half Full Gta2 Map Editor

i was thinking the same lol

[BenMillard]

I did check in the game and in DMA editor before reporting it as a bug.

[T.M.]

oh, then show some screenshots. its probably the old flats bug anyways...

[T.M.]

OK im tired of thinking the name... it shall be Epic GTA2 Map Editor then XD

if you have better idea for the name, then tell it and i'll see if it fits.

- the name must include GTA2 in it, and preferably map/editor too.
- the name cannot refer to my nickname in any way.
- the name cannot have special chars, such as dot.
- the added name prefix or suffix or whatsoever should be preferably only 1 word long.
- shorter name = better!

[Pyro]

OK im tired of thinking the name... it shall be Epic GTA2 Map Editor then XD

Rather it should be Can't Make Maps Yet GTA2 Editor

Joking aside though, any program with the word "Epic" in the title sounds really dumb, much like other words such as "Final", "Expert" and the likes. Some of the other suggestions here for name sound good like...

• GTA2 World Builder (or Editor)
• GTA2 GMP Editor
• GTA2 Map Editor SE (Second Edition)

And so on. As mentioned, the program is mostly a map viewer with zone editor and script editor/viewer for now, but the finished(?) program can use the above and previous suggestions for the name.

[B-$hep]

GTA2 City Builder
GTA2 City Editor
GTA2 Cityscape Editor
GTA2 Cityscape Builder

IMO the last two sound pretty good.

[T.M.]

Rather it should be Can't Make Maps Yet GTA2 Editor

good idea!

Joking aside though, any program with the word "Epic" in the title sounds really dumb, much like other words such as "Final", "Expert" and the likes.

I disagree, expert sounds more like "bragging" about its amazingness, but "epic" isnt serious meaning at all! or is it? i think "epic" sounds funny Although, i dont care how dumb it will sound, but i want to avoid such names like "expert" which reflects that i am some sort of professional programmer company etc, which will make people assume i work for them.

"Final" doesnt sound that bad, but it has empty meaning in it, it doesnt really tell me anything except "final" which means nothing, could work without the "final" too. PLUS nothing is never final

Some of the other suggestions here for name sound good like...

• GTA2 World Builder (or Editor)
• GTA2 GMP Editor
• GTA2 Map Editor SE (Second Edition)

its pointless to replace the "map editor" with something else, as it will make no changes in the meaning of the name. also the "world builder" is already in use. "GMP" is not good idea since i already can edit more than GMP files (.mis anyone?) and in the future i will edit .sty files as well, and probably .scr too, and .gxt or .gci or whatever those were...

And so on. As mentioned, the program is mostly a map viewer with zone editor and script editor/viewer for now, but the finished(?) program can use the above and previous suggestions for the name.

i am very aware that the program isnt finished yet, but i dont want to change the name too late, so people can now adjust their links (or whatsoever) to the new name soon enough. And "epic" is good in that meaning because it doesnt tell it is finished or not

GTA2 City Builder
GTA2 City Editor
GTA2 Cityscape Editor
GTA2 Cityscape Builder

IMO the last two sound pretty good.

As i noted above, the change from "map editor" to something similar is pointless.

The naming prefix/suffix should not be empty meaning: it should actually reflect something new, rather than repeating "it is map editor, duh"

I'll fix this to the "rules":

- the name must include GTA2 in it, and preferably map/editor too.
- the name cannot refer to my nickname in any way.
- the name cannot have special chars, such as dot.
- the added name prefix or suffix or whatsoever should be preferably only 1 word long.
- shorter name = better!
- the suffix/prefix should not be empty meaning, it should bring something new to the name, instead of repeating that "it indeed is a map editor".

[Cuban-Pete]

GTA2 XXX Map Editor

that will surely get some attention.

enough on the names, let's see some more awesome images of features or funny-gta2-things-you-discover-during-making-the-editor.

[T.M.]

lol yeah XD but the point of the new name isnt about attention, but about being able to google it and only show the results of my editor and not 10 other similar things...

i dont really have anything new funny-gta2-things-you-discover-during-making-the-editor except the sounds i added (which will make doppler effect when camera moves fast nearby the sound sources, quite funny), but im lazy to show it since i dont know/have any good video record program except fraps, which sucks cause its limited on shareware version to like 10 secs video lol. and i hate how it lags when i record... maybe i should discover how to implement own video record software inside my editor, that will record lag-free video.

edit: Screen recording discussion moved to new topic

[T.M.]

Does anyone actually use the TAB feature in my map editor ? im thinking to replace the minimap loader to something 10x faster and less memory using version to save loading time and gfx card memory. also the reason is that i dont think anyone uses the TAB and nor do they use the 2d render mode with 2d minimap overlay... So if you use tab lemme know, i always forget it myself, even though it can be handy, not sure if it really is that handy after all though... The downside is that it will be only 256x256 size, but i have never needed it to be bigger myself.

[elypter]

oh, i didn't know about the feature but it looks quite handy for moving objects.