Map joining testing.

Last night I started to make a map that linked to it self but you would start would start in a spot depending where you left the map by. To do this I had to use the campaign editor which I have not used before but what I used if for didn’t take too much to work out what to do with it. Also I had to use cache which I had not tacked before in the trigger editor and that took a while to figure out what to do. This morning I went online and downloaded a blizzard campaign map to look at to see what did with the cache (from http://www.warcraft.org/maps/). It look like that I did was right. After working for about 45 minutes (including what I did last night). I got the map to do what I wanted it to do. There was only one bug which make the game randomly makes the game loses connection with the host and disconnects (This is strange because I’m doing the tests offline with my computer as the host) when the unit at the start is created. I just need to fix up the bug then it’ll right to use the triggers in the maps.

Something New

Today I did something I had never done before. I imported a model into Warcraft 3 world -editor. This may seem simple(and is) but after getting muddled up by Colmando's explanation I figured out how to do it myself. I am most proud that the character I imported worked first time (unlike the time Colmando did it where he had to fix some bugs). I even figured out how to do it again. Another development this week is the creation of two more random units. What amazed me about these units was that I created them entirely (they are done!) in a week. I seem to be getting faster at model making.

The beginning map is based on a comfort feel. It is designed to show order and make the player feel safe. One particular problem that I faced was a section of blank map of no importance. I decided to add a farm to break up the bare ground. A farm is not complete without a house. This house must be connected to a road and so on till I had a curvy path with a pond. This did still not satisfy me so I created waterfall. The problem with a waterfall is that it must come from somewhere. I then did something I had never done before, I added a raised level and put water into it. I then faced another problem for I wanted the map to be as open as possible, going back to that safe feel. To accomplish this open feel I had to make a river that fed the waterfall and the cliff it was on, accessible. I decided to make a ramp that went to the top of the cliff and down into the river before climbing the other side of the river and going back down the cliff. This effect would create two humps with a river running through it with no sign of a cliff. Now the problems started. First I discovered the river had to be at least 4 blocks wide so as to have a ramp go up both sides (added water in the editor automatically has cliffs surrounding it). The heights surrounding the water had to be 2 blocks wide for there to be ramps. These difficulties took me at least half an hour to overcome. Here is the picture of the finished river:

Bowperson Animation

map: river and leprechaun model

the map called the river has been planned out and started. this map consists of a river trip by boat with numerous stops, with their own problems, along the way.
the leprechaun model is finished. this model is based on the Farseer Hero and will also be a mounted magic user. Project CLOUT has considered using the name Magical Trevor for this hero but have decided that this name is too well known. a picture of the Leprechaun will be in the next post.

Current Work/decisions

Colmando and I have decided to restrict our game to a single player campaign. This campaign will have each level linked to keep with a single map profile. this will mean changes from the size of the maps, to the greater detail and other changes. the first map has already been started and consists of a town and farmland.