Odd thing

[Michael Emrys]

Last night I wanted to start a QB using a map that I had played on about a year and a half ago. But even though I searched for over half an hour, I was unable to locate the map. This leads me to wonder if there is any code in v2.01 that might delete a QB map. I know that I downloaded a bunch of them back around then and this may have been among them, so would 2.01 delete any maps not on the original CD?

The second thing is that selecting a QB map can be an arduous process involving a lot of mouse clicks. I find myself wishing that there was simply a gallery of Mini-maps that one could look at. The current partial illustrations don't really tell one much. It would not need to be a full 3-D presentation, just a screenshot from an oblique angle that would show the whole map, or at least most of it in the case of huge maps, would suffice.

But another way to do it that would also work for the player would be to be able to click on a thumbnail in the gallery and have it open up the whole map in 3-D without having to go through the entire rigamarole of starting the set up of a QB.

In other words, if it can be done, I'd like to see the whole process of getting a look at a map streamlined.

Michael

[$Pec5]

That is such a great idea

It is such a pain loading each individual map in the map preview just to determine if the map you select is appropriate for the battle you want to play.

+1

[mjkerner]

Great idea. I suppose something like this won't come about until 3.0, but I hope BFC is taking notes!

[Michael Emrys]

Great idea. I suppose something like this won't come about until 3.0, but I hope BFC is taking notes!

I don't know if it could even come that soon, but if BFC could make something along those lines, I for one would greatly appreciate it. The current system is double-plus clumsy.

Michael

[Erwin]

+1. Even for checking out scenarios, it would be great to see something a lot quicker than loading the whole thing.

[JonS]

You can do this - sort of - in the editor. Load the map you want, then 3D preview it.

I think you'll find that loading empty maps takes almost as long as loading full scenarios. I suspect this preview thing you're talking about is a lot cooler in your heads than it would be in reality.

[Baneman]

.... I suspect this preview thing you're talking about is a lot cooler in your heads than it would be in reality.

No, he's talking about a jpg showing a 3D view of the map, not the whole shooting match.

[JonS]

Are you sure?

for the player would be to be able to click on a thumbnail in the gallery and have it open up the whole map in 3-D without having to go through the entire rigamarole of starting the set up of a QB.

In other words, if it can be done, I'd like to see the whole process of getting a look at a map streamlined.

It reads to me like he wants to see the whole map. And you can do this now, via the editor. It isn't as slick as a dedicated interface, to be sure, but it is available. Right now.

[Baneman]

Ah, I cued off his previous paragraph.

... It would not need to be a full 3-D presentation, just a screenshot from an oblique angle that would show the whole map, or at least most of it in the case of huge maps, would suffice...

[Michael Emrys]

You're both right. I presented two different ideas on how to reach a desirable outcome. The second, although the final product would be nicer, would probably entail more work and as Jon says, probably be slow to load.

Michael

[mjkerner]

You can do this - sort of - in the editor. Load the map you want, then 3D preview it.

I think you'll find that loading empty maps takes almost as long as loading full scenarios. I suspect this preview thing you're talking about is a lot cooler in your heads than it would be in reality.

True enough. I already do that, but it is time consuming and clunky. I can wait, though.

[JonS]

Ah, I cued off his previous paragraph.

Well, s'ok because I missed the other bit

Edit: the JPG thing is available right now, too, although technically it'd be a BMP. You just need to convince every QB map maker to create an 170x170 image that suits your needs, for every map they make, and have them place it in the overview image slot. Good luck with that Although your odds there are probably better than trying to get BFC to recreate something that already exists ...

[Michael Emrys]

Meanwhile, nobody has even ventured a guess as to what ate my disappearing map. Wanna take a stab at that one?

Michael

[mjkerner]

Meanwhile, nobody has even ventured a guess as to what ate my disappearing map. Wanna take a stab at that one?

Michael

Oh yeah, that...gremlins? I haven't noticed any problems like that with the various patches and upgrades to 2.01 (or whatever is the latest version). I seem to have all the original ones and a whole bunch of player-made ones, but I haven't really done an inventory though. I do know that many of them are still around, just not sure all of them are.

[Tarquelne]

Opening up QB maps in the editor and looking at them in the top-down editable mode is much quicker than loading the 3D map, and gives you all the information on the map.

I can't actually interpret that view well enough to pick a map, but it helps narrow things down.

Maybe some obsessive soul will put together a map gallery and either put it online or make it available for download.

Wanna take a stab at that one?

Civility prevents discussion of the most obvious possibilities.

[Michael Emrys]

Here is one more clue to the puzzle. Last night, for reasons outside the subject of this thread, I unlicensed BN and CW, then loaded them from discs and patched and upgraded them. When I opened up the QB editor, I found the same list of maps as I was seeing before. I.e., somewhere in the upgrade process the first time I went through it, some third party maps got deleted. Given the warnings we have received about mods made prior to the upgrade not being available post-upgrade or post-patch, this does not greatly surprise me. The maps I had downloaded were made within a couple of months of BN's release.

Michael