I need Mapper tips for faster work

[hexer]

Does anyone have tips on how to make tileset and walls placement faster? I don't want to rely on copy paste because I don't want repetitive maps.
Placement of tiles and walls was faster in Fallout 2 for me so I was thinking about doing that in Fallout 2 mapper and then finishing the map in FOnline.

[John Porno]

I've done quite some mapping work now and I only use copypaste, sometimes not even planting a single tile or wall by hand. However, I strongly beenfit from Lexx' tiled mapper you'll find here on the forum somewhere, along with a custom urban preset made for that, allowing me to draw a street network on a checkerboard and then have it tiled out in a matter of seconds. The first time I go into the actual mapper, I copypaste from a desert template I made to make all the desert parts look work.

Copypaste in itself doesn't mean repition, you just have to do it properly. With only so we tiles and walls available for each use, you HAVE to get away with a lot of repition anyway. I also noticed that as soon as I started mapping, I looked at maps differently ingame and kept spotting a lot of "bugs" on 2238 maps that I would have fixed. The average player who doesn't even know how the mapper works wont be able to see anything.

[hexer]

I'll practice. I remember when I first started Fallout 2 mapper and it was hard but eventually I mastered it.

[fonliner]

I would recommend you check Kilgore's tutorial (yeah, another website about FOnline, just translate from polish to english) about mapping. There are some interesting informations, tricks and tips for example themes maps with all items from category. Well, I usually use copy and paste method for placing walls, especially tiles. I hope help you and wait for progress of your project.

[hexer]

Thanks for the link! You can follow our daily progress here:

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?forums/van-buren-a-fallout-adventure.86/

[hexer]

In what script do you define the starting map of the game? I searched for "intro_martin" for TLA but couldn't find any reference in the scripts. Is it in some config file?

[JovankaB]

The only real starting map is global map. If you want player to start in a location, you have to use a script to move player's critter to the location when the critter is initialized for the first time. Check critter_init function (most likely it's in main.fos), there should be something like this:

if(cr.IsPlayer() && firstTime) {
    // do whatever needs to be done with players before first login, eg:
    cr.TransitToMap(mapId, 0);
}

Of course you have to get mapId somehow.

There is small "gotcha" (although I'm not sure if it's the same case in single player mode). The player's critter will be in the game immediately after the new character is created (before player logs in the game), so things in critter_init may happen before the player has actually a chance to see it, even if it's some timed script (like, make explosion 10s after or w/e).

[hexer]

Found it, great!

I don't think there's any particular timed event tied to the start of Van Buren. I think your actions will initiate the first events that will unfold. But it's good to know about that!