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RvS Mapping Tutorials
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Odds & Ends |
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Navigation |
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Troubleshooting
Checklist
for 'completed'
Raven Shield maps |
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| Confirm the following:
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 all
12 game types are supported (or are disabled completely)
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Test the map in each game type. In
single player, try to break the mission by completing
objectives out of order. In multiplayer, have a friend host
the map, connect as a client, and make sure that elements such
as skyboxes, footsteps, and ambient sound still work properly
when the map has been downloaded from a game server. If a
particular game type is not supported in your map, make sure
you disable that mode by removing the appropriate line in your
map.ini file. |
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| the in-game map is 100% accurate |
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Make sure all walls, windows, and
static meshes show on the correct floors. Confirm that you can
actually walk to any place on the map where it appears you
should be able to walk. Note that there are some walls and
static meshes which you may not want to show up, such as those
outside the walkable portion of the map. To test multiplayer
games, walk through the entire map using only the full screen
in-game map. For single player games, make sure the planning
stage map is scrollable and can be switched between floors.
(If either of these is a problem, you need to make changes in
the "R6Planning" section of the map's Level Properties,
specifying a min and max planning level as well as X and Y
coordinates for both the min and max planning vectors.) |
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| waypoints can be set anywhere (and
c4/claymores can be placed) |
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In single player and coop, make sure
you can set waypoints from one end of the map to the other,
and can give in-game action orders even if your AI teammates
are 5 rooms away. In multiplayer, test to make sure you can
place C4 and claymore mines. If the action order icon isn't
appearing in-game, you need to flag your floor surfaces as
'walkable'. If the icon appears but your team says that they
cannot comply with your order, you need to place additional
path nodes to help the AI navigate the map better. If--in the
planning stage--you find that you can place near but not
distant waypoints, this also means that you need to place
additional path nodes. (If the problem is only occurring
between floors, this indicates that a tiny gap exists between
the collision hull of one of your ladders or stairways and the
floor it is connecting to.) |
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| footprints and 'interaction' sounds can be
heard |
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Make sure the appropriate sounds are
heard for yourself, the AI, and other players when walking,
climbing, opening doors, and destroying objects. If no
footstep sounds are heard, you need to assign sound banks in
the "R6Sound" section of the map's Level Properties
('m_SurfaceSwitchSnd, m_SurfaceSwitchForOtherPawnSnd,
m_BodyFallSwitchSnd, and m_BodyFalllSwitchForOtherPawnSnd').
These sound banks will enable 'm_eSurfldForSnd' effects
assigned to any floor texture on your map. If you are using
custom floor textures, you can assign surface effects from the
texture browser. If you hear footsteps everywhere except on
stairs, you need to assign an appropriate texture to the
collision hull on top of your stairway. Pay close attention to
what you hear while picking locks, climbing ladders, and
destroying objects with a silenced weapon. If you don't hear
the appropriate sounds for any of these actions, you need to
assign sound effects in the properties window of that
interactive object. |
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| The Evils to Avoid: |
 framerate problems |
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The 'FPS' console command can be
useful for measuring performance, but no performance test is
as good as loading the map onto an older machine and taking
notes on where the framerate suffers. The most important step
in optimizing the performance of your map is to divide it into
multiple zones using portal sheets. Anti-portal volumes can
also help in large zones and outdoor areas. In some cases, you
can also improve performance by converting geometry brushes
into static meshes (but only do this for distinct objects,
never walls or floors). Sometimes you have to make tough
choices and remove artistic details from a particular zone to
get the performance where you want it to be. |
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| player collision problems |
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Test player collision around the
outside border of your map and in unusual areas (such as under
stairs). Don't make the mistake of thinking "no one would ever
go there or try that". |
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| unrealistic deaths |
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Test the karma collision of every
object you can think of. Insert a mess of random point nodes
near static meshes and stairs, then play terrorist hunt in god
mode and watch for clipping when the bodies fall. |
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| unnatural lighting |
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Watch closely for illogical (or
absent) shadows and for light bleeding between rooms. Shadows
can be corrected with changes to your light positioning and by
assigning only certain lights to cast shadows. Light bleeding
can be fixed using 'special lighting' to force lighting onto
only certain surfaces.
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