61 replies to this topic

[CeeKay Boques]

Mechs, Maps and Weapons. That's all the game is at this point, and more, diverse WITHOUT DUPLICATION AND SAMENESS items of each is always welcome, and maps and weapons seem to be the slowest. We got some smart guys here, they could make something...

[Burke IV]

Of course MWO would benefit from allowing the community to make maps. I have been amazed by the lack of maps for this game. Its a disturbing lack of vision imo

Edited by Burke IV, 03 October 2013 - 09:52 AM.

[DeaconW]

PGI has made it perfectly clear that player involvement in content creation or creative direction is neither required, nor desired. But I agree with the OP.

[miscreant]

Tom Sawyer, on 30 August 2013 - 08:59 AM, said:

All saluations and accolades to those developers who have created the current maps.

But looking at the community as a whole we have some passionate players and likely some skilled ones in game design. Just look at minecraft and the worlds people dream up.

If PGI could and would be able to release a map design kit so that the community could create maps that then could be uploaded for review do you think it could work? Maybe a map of the month where the best fun most balanced map designed gives the creator some MC's as a reward?

Yes the ability to actually chose the map to drop to would be a major plus but just having more maps could bring some great variance.

Curious to know what you all think

The OP has a great idea.

Problem is, PGI prefers it if their janitor makes the maps. It gives him something to do after cleaning the bathrooms.

(Just joking Paul!)

Edited by miscreant, 03 October 2013 - 10:21 PM.

[Kaeseblock]

In the long run, MWO would profit a lot from community made maps.

Right now, having an abundance of different maps (maybe even different maps for each planet where battles take place, to generate the impression of a huge battlefield) is not that important yet, sice there are more urgent matters to take care of ( UI2.0, CW, and in this context expecially the map-voting lobby, I'm looking at you ).

However the process to implement user-generated maps into the game could look something like this:

• PGI publishes rules for custom map creation
  
• Users create custom maps according to these rules and send them to PGI (maybe including a max. 1-2 page description of the map including screenshots and basic layout, to make it easier to evaluate the maps sent in)
  
• The PGI map development team reviews and playtests promising maps and alters them where it's necessary
  
• Map gets released and the user who commited it to PGI gets a reward (MC might be appropriate)

This would give the map development team access to a lot of new creative input (which is really important in the long run). In the end there is always a need for new, fresh ideas ^^

Just my two cents on this topic.

Edited by Kaeseblock, 03 October 2013 - 11:23 PM.

[Fooooo]

As others have said, the editor is already there for download.

Cryengine SDK.



Heres some snaps from some ive done, they are not finished and one of them I just setup to get some nice shots (atlas in a full jungle area) and has pretty much nothing else

(I'm trying to do one with ALL pgi assets, meaning they could take the map and not have to edit assets, however in most of these shots the trees /grass / rocks are from the SDK as they look better atm .)


Island 1. (8x8km) Most of the assets are default SDK so couldnt be used by PGI, started this before I had most MWO ones so haven't swapped things yet.

Spoiler

Test Jungle (4x4km) Most of those trees/grass are default SDK so couldnt be used by PGI (actually the grass is grim designs grass so probably ok to use) MWO trees suck basically atm.

Spoiler

Last one here is the start of my island city map, always hear people asking for city maps etc so thought I would start one.
(ive only just somewhat finished laying out the roads how I want so not many things around or done...and hard to get decent shots of this one other than from in the small park area atm.....)

Island City(8x8km) All MWO assets.....bar those pines and grimdesigns grass. Oh and the grass texture is default sdk atm....

Spoiler

This last pic is basically the city map above but before I really did anything to it, was just playing around with the dragon and commando against the tanks and thought it looked somewhat cool. (comparing scale etc etc)

Spoiler

Now, thats just newbie me. I'm sure there are PLENTY who could do TONS better and a wee bit faster than I could also

Granted none of these are finished maps, but im not a "great" map maker by any stretch anyway........so, if you know what to do, get out and start making something.

If enough people can show quality work (preferably using MWO's assets only, although its a bit of a grey area for use in map making atm....) then PGI will hopefully eventually give in & or go through the effort to allow it...

Edited by Fooooo, 04 October 2013 - 02:16 AM.

[Tom Sawyer]

Fooo that is fracking awesome. I have never used the CryEngine SDK but I wonder if it will allow destructible enviroments. Be nice to see cars go cruch, trees toppling, and even things like oil tanks exploding when shot.

[Steel Talon]

Tom Sawyer, on 04 October 2013 - 05:56 AM, said:

Fooo that is fracking awesome. I have never used the CryEngine SDK but I wonder if it will allow destructible enviroments. Be nice to see cars go cruch, trees toppling, and even things like oil tanks exploding when shot.

It does, but PGI haven't used that feature yet.
Only destructible objects, not terrain like Frostbite!

PS: If PGI gets MWO to steam, they can use Steam workshop service

Edited by Steel Talon, 04 October 2013 - 07:00 AM.

[Wilhelm Fraek]

Getting MWO added to steam would go a long way to increasing the player base, but to add to the op's original topic they should do what tripwire did with killing floor and red orchestra. Community map challenge, we vote these guys win and we all get new maps.

[Sephlock]

The LRM whiners would create entire maps set in tunnel networks.

[Steel Talon]

Sephlock, on 04 October 2013 - 10:02 PM, said:

The LRM whiners would create entire maps set in tunnel networks.

Biased maps wont pass

[Tom Sawyer]

Sephlock, on 04 October 2013 - 10:02 PM, said:

The LRM whiners would create entire maps set in tunnel networks.

First round of voting with one per account would sink these types maps. And if people get stupid and try to create accounts for the sole purpose of over-voting bring down the ban hammer.

Round 2 would move the top maps which PGI could then review and tweak. Yes a bit more work for the map creation devs at PGI but reviewing a good fan made map has to be easier than just building a new one every 6 months.

One new balanced map a month would rock.

[Adridos]

Wilhelm Fraek, on 04 October 2013 - 07:56 PM, said:

Getting MWO added to steam would go a long way to increasing the player base....

... and loose 60% of their profits.

CryEngine 3 license eats up 30% and Valve would get another 30%. Those services aren't a charity, after all.

[TheUncle]

Belorion, on 02 September 2013 - 10:14 AM, said:

For every talented person that produces a half way decent map there will be hundreds of very non talented people producing terrible maps. Then they would have to manage all that. The bad along with the good.

More of a headache for them I would suppose than a benefit.

They could have community polls, so once a week (or bi-weekly) the community votes for the best map(s) and PGI may then review it (them).

Adridos, on 05 October 2013 - 04:30 AM, said:

... and loose 60% of their profits.

CryEngine 3 license eats up 30% and Valve would get another 30%. Those services aren't a charity, after all.

Actually I think they simply bought a CE3 licence for a million or half a million or whatever the current price is. The 20-25% rule is for indies, I think for PGI it made economical sense to go for the big version

Edited by TheUncle, 05 October 2013 - 04:36 AM.

[DeaconW]

Steel Talon, on 05 October 2013 - 12:54 AM, said:

Biased maps wont pass

Actually, maps biased to restrict different loadouts and mech types would be cool. Of course, they would have to let us have control of what map with what mech we drop in to really make it work.

[Adridos]

TheUncle, on 05 October 2013 - 04:34 AM, said:

Actually I think they simply bought a CE3 licence for a million or half a million or whatever the current price is. The 20-25% rule is for indies, I think for PGI it made economical sense to go for the big version

Could be true. Altough the decision was probably on IGP, rather than PGI, since they are the publisher.

The issue of quite a sum of money being lost to Valve is still there. Unless they are pretty much guranteed to at least break even (since that would mean benefits of Steam servers and stuff at no additional price) with the Steam guys, they probably won't do it, though.

[Alois Hammer]

Could it? Sure.

Would it? You troll us, yes?

What would we pull people off of to make this entirely new interface and program? UI 2.0? CW? Some other feature they've been saying is coming Soon™ since before Open Beta started?

Nevermind getting the trolls running PGI to, heaven forbid, actually let anyone else have any say in what gets designed/implemented. I don't think they accept submissions from island-dwellers.

[Sephlock]

Tom Sawyer, on 05 October 2013 - 04:11 AM, said:

First round of voting with one per account would sink these types maps. And if people get stupid and try to create accounts for the sole purpose of over-voting bring down the ban hammer.

Idiots outnumber the reasonable by a very wide margin, that's how they've been controlling the weapon balance (via the sheer mass of their tears). "WAH WAH LRMS KILL ME WHEN I RUN OUT INTO THE OPEN! NERF THEM PGI NERF THEM!"

[CrashieJ]

I've made this thread a thousand times.

Yes it would be nice
winners would be voted upon
winners would receive MC
IGP says "we'll get back to you after we talk to our lawyers" (blatant lie)
PGI says "NO."

[80sGlamRockSensation David Bowie]

Bump and yes

CryEngine comes by default with its own map maker utility. The problem is allowing PGI to let us help them by creating user content.

PGI has said no, although I am extremely opposed to PGI's stance on this matter. Let us create maps!!!