Using Two Standard Maps

[Led]

Hi MPCers,

Having looked at some old modding topics, I found that I can make combo maps with only requiring the download of a new mission.lvl file (245 kb) .

For example, platforms + city:

http://www.xfire.com/video/3dc824/


I used Battlebelks mission tool and loaded one map on top of another.
by adding this line to the bottom of the bes1r.lua:

ReadDataFile("BES\\bes2.lvl")


I have a PC server up if you want to try.  The mission file is located here:
http://www.filefront.com/17709439/mission.lvl/


I eventually want to release a new mission.lvl with serveral combos.


Can you give me suggestions?

Thanks!
Led

[Jedikiller]

Platforms with anything is a good combo, in my opinion. There aren't too many maps that would work with this, because I'm sure the terrains would overlap a great deal, or there would be collision errors.

Platforms and Docks, or Platforms and Endor sound like good ones to me.

[Led]

some are definitely better than others

Here are some videos of various combinations that I played around with:
http://www.xfire.com/profile/rtlbuckler/videos/


Edit:

The interesting thing is that players that dont have the new mission.lvl file dont see the second map.  But the collision is modified--they can fall through the floor. 

It may be possible then to load a second map that was just, say for example, vehicle spawns.  So then cloud city could have an at-st spawn in the court or something.  I have not done any mapping, so if someone wants to help, perhaps we could try it out

[Unit 33]

Kinda reminds of those Capital Strike maps for SWBF2 (Which are epic and awesome)
The only issue is bot routes, but if this were used online, it wouldn't matter at all.

I've always liked multi-layered battlefields...
probably because so many games are so 2 dimensional...
Even 2D platforms are more 3D then most FPS maps.

Multilayered maps ftw !
I do wonder what the limit of maps you can shove together is ?

[Napseeker]

Right, so this is basically the technique that I described in my advanced mission map tutorial of using what I call map overlays (or underlays, depending on which of the two maps you load first).  It's described here:
http://forums.mpcgamers.com/index.php?topic=417.msg11006#msg11006

Rather than just combining pre-existing maps (which IMO, seems to just produce a lot of mishmashed junk), my point in the tutorial was that you can use it to "edit" a compiled map to add in new props or fx (in Empire vs Clones, this was a simple way to add rain onto the Kas Docks map, or add a flood of water into the entire Jedi Temple by loading in a slightly edited Kamino map) via the overlay/underlay map.  I'm really surprised that no one has taken advantage of this technique - you could add in new vehicle spawns when the original map offered none (in Final Battle at Utapau, this was how I added support for the AT-RT into scum and strike's Utapau ported map).    Give this idea a try folks, as you can get more precise and cooler map combinations just by making your own simple map to load alongside the shipped/compiled map.

edit: for any further ideas - just take a look at any one of my mission map releases from as far back as my Shocktroopers: Duel at Mustafar mod from a few years ago (2006?).  If it was a mod based on one of scum/strike's ported maps, then I likely used overlay maps all over the place to modify their maps to add in new stuff (as well as try to fix some collision issues).

[jdee-barc]

I'm having a problem with this method. I combined Bespin Platforms and Cloud City through the bes1 (r, a, a_h) luas and the problem is that the AI just stand around, and when they get into their ships. they just sit their for about 5 minutes before taking off, and then just flying around. Does this problem happen with any of you?

[Giftheck]

This is because the paths are all screwed up. In Zeroeditor paths cannot be allowed to cross each other, since if they do, the AI won't know what to do. If you load two maps at once, you can guarantee a path or two will cross. This method is really only any good for creating multiplayer-only, sans-AI maps.

[Xfire Keenmike aka cull]

It would be fun to grenade jump from one place of the map to the other parts of the map. Landing places would be needed because a regular grenade jump gets you so far.