XCOM EU New Maps or Map Maker

[Hawk07]

I know this is a very early moment to ask about something like this, but do we have any info whatsoever in the direction of mapmaking in this game? I have been in the nexus community for quite some time and I would love to mess with making a mod in this game now that I have enough time (as opposed to other nexus games that I did not). I believe that if we could extract all the models and resources for maps, it's essentially enough to make a ton of new maps just by creating new layouts. The problem is if this is possible at all and what kind of hints we have here... I would love to hear from anyone with a clue as of where to start... :)

[BGBailen]

The ability to make maps at all is way up in the air at the moment. If Firaxis decides to support XCom modding, then yea, most likely. Might even get some nice user-friendly tools to help(keyword being "might"). If not, then it would be up to the community to work out mapping details, which could go either way.

[Hawk07]

I think maps are a concern for Firaxis as the upcoming DLC will feature some chinese-themed maps if I am correct. Which seems they want to address this, so even if they do not support modding they may want to release a map editor. But I was concerned about the community part for now, as Firaxis is "too busy making cash from the upcoming DLC"! :S

[BGBailen]

Where there's a will, there's a way. If the community modders want something bad enough, it'll happen. You're not the only one who wants more map variety(I was shocked to see so many repeating maps in just the first two days I had this game), so I wouldn't be surprised in the least if a team hunkered down to work maps once they've dissected the game sufficiently.

 

Giving the tile-based nature of the maps, a map maker makes a ridiculous amount of sense. The maps in this game are about as simple as you can get, there should be no reason someone doesn't figure out a way to make new maps eventually. After all, it's virtually just tiles and triggers. Getting in new tiles or trigger scripts might be a little more complicated, but far from impossible. I'm actually surprised there's no randomization to them aside from entity placement.

Edited October 28, 2012 by BGBailen

[babyjebu5]

Giving the tile-based nature of the maps, a map maker makes a ridiculous amount of sense. The maps in this game are about as simple as you can get, there should be no reason someone doesn't figure out a way to make new maps eventually. After all, it's virtually just tiles and triggers. Getting in new tiles or trigger scripts might be a little more complicated, but far from impossible. I'm actually surprised there's no randomization to them aside from entity placement.

Yea, even the first game in DOS had randomized maps. I think the randomized maps should have received a overhaul rather than getting cut. Like give more attention than it got in XCOM (1994), since there were mixed results with the random generator in the first game. I could see departing from the randomized maps for key missions, to ensure well-designed tactical situations (tough angles of fire to overcome, bad flanking opportunities, elevation difficulties, all this adds to make a map interesting rather than just "a new map"), but then with a little forethought the randomized map issue would be overcome very easily.

 

I appreciate what the map designers did to create a challenging map design each mission, but as the map designer, I would randomize it to the same end. Not entirely random, mind you, but simply set up a few dozen well-designed one-fourth map sections for each terrain type and/or region, then random just the pieces the map builder grabs on mission start; so it will take a random set of 3 pre-bulit map quarters and place those randomly around the start location.

 

This would negate the drawback of random placement being tactically uninteresting, while giving the benefit of generating random layouts that can never be predicted by the player after repeated playthroughs.

 

Simple task if you ask me:

1. start location near restaurant A
   
2. video store B
   
3. warehouse A
   
4. street with buildings on either side D
   

placed like so:

34

21

 

Next time that combo came up again, it might be placed differently just to ensure that the same map sections coming up (its bound to happen) wouldn't be predictable either:

43

21

thereby presenting a new situation to overcome traversing from the start location+restaurant to the warehouse to the north, rather than to the street with buildings (that was there in the first random selection)

 

etc etc. you get the idea.

Edited October 29, 2012 by babyjebu5

[Hawk07]

@BGBailen Yeap, that's what I am talking about. By the way as far triggers are concerned they are too simple to be a problem. Been working with Warcraft 3 and Frozen Throne Map Editors (quite good editors for someone to learn mapping basics) and they are exactly this. Tiles and triggers even though the game was not exactly tile-based. So let's hope for a map editor being done. (If I was a better coder I would start up a project to make a usable map editor as soon as people figured out more stuff about the game and maps...)

@babyjebu5 Well, randoms are not included because some company (hint: name starts with F) got lazy at doing what you say. Really random maps are tons more fun than pre-made scripted maps. I want my alien base attack done well and being quite epic, agreed, but when it comes to day-to-day abductions and terror missions (seriously I have only played 5 of them in total and suprisingly I even got to see a second map, thought there was only one friggin terror mission map :down: ) I need some variety and I don't want the replayability turned down a lot because some development team got lazy with the game and decided "Oh, let's skip random missions, it is better to make 50 maps." By the way I also absolutely hate the VIP missions - only seen three of them (Anna Something, Van Doorn and a guy in the Road with the Bridge where I really know Thin Men that well that I can finish it with no damage to my soldiers at all) - is there even any more than these?

[babyjebu5]

By the way I also absolutely hate the VIP missions - only seen three of them (Anna Something, Van Doorn and a guy in the Road with the Bridge where I really know Thin Men that well that I can finish it with no damage to my soldiers at all) - is there even any more than these?

I have yet to see another scenario like those two (EDIT: three if you count the bridge mission) particular story-driving ones. The DLC is reported to have more of those, but of course that's a cop out: the game itself should have a set of VIP missions (more Council Missions of any kind please) to cycle through.

Edited October 30, 2012 by babyjebu5