I'm currently looking for a willing map expert to take a look at my map progress and suggest tips/help with certain things and provide feedback.
Basically someone to Mentor me as i learn the editor, and to coach me as i make my first map. (it's a very big project)
This person must:
1 - Tell me how i can do things better. Assuming there are multiple ways of doing things or going about a certain task, this person must suggest a better alternative and clearly explain what they mean.
2 - this person must be an expert. I'm talking about anything and everything map editor genius. I want to learn from the best.
3 - This person must have an eye for detail. Basically this person has to look at a certain texture i used or a certain lagoon i designed and tell me how it "doesn't look right" and why.
This is mostly for terrain and doodad placement. I like things to look super sharp and am very critical. i want this to be extremely visually pleasing to the eye. a terraining artist/expert is #1.
I know this is a long shot, but i would appreciate any help i could get! Thank you.
While I am not the expert you are looking for, it would be great to know more about you, your progress, and what experience you do already have. It might attract some more attention. Good luck finding someone.
I am looking to finish all the terraining first and making sure that i basically have a "game board" before i start adding triggers or anything like that.
With that being said, I'm an extremely artistic person and very detailed oriented. So I'm looking for an artistic/design/terraining mentor to take a look at my terrain and to notice the mistakes and/or features in or on it. Additionally, I'm looking for someone who can look at a doodad I've made or look at a.. idk.. a river brook and tell me a better way to do it that would make the game less laggy and make the set look more realistic etc...
But you have been the one that has taken the most interest in my posts so i wouldn't be against including you in this project as well.
If you can do the above mentioned then i will take you. Even if you cannot, i still need an expert of your talents later on in the map development.
Here is a brief demo of something that is still at the proof of concept stage. It is a system for making actors with tracking functions so you can simulate turrets or just have classic gothic statues that turn their heads to follow you.
For some of my other contributions check out the data contest for HOTS beta keys in the data forum.
honestly i don't even understand data. or even anything you do lol.
But hearing you say that you can make statues turn their heads as people walk by... that's cool... i didn't even know things like that COULD be done. could you maybe tell me more about the limitations of data editing? Maybe you telling me about the things you can do will give me ideas for my map.
and then I'll most definitely ask get you to help me with any data related issues i have.
Neither did anyone else until I developed the tech about 3 weeks ago.
The problem with the data editor is there is a ton of stuff that is generally heaped as of unknown function. For example until I demonstrated the function of the Battery type ability no one knew what it did or even tried to use it.
Some stuff can be identified by looking at unique examples from the campaign. For example I discovered how to use model events by them being used by only a single doodad which was the one new folsom tower in that it used them to adjust the sound volume depending on where in the animation the model was.
My mighty data based walker was based on the lurker attack spike models and the hellion beam impact.
The branch of my research into giving unanimated models animations dates back over a year. Infact my first (and completely unanswered) post was based on the topic in that I derived some of the functionality of the Attachment Set Rotation From event actions. I later used beams to create a more dynamic option. Ironically in making a demo map for the one streaming event for terraining thursday (check this site's streamed broadcasts) I accidentally discovers the full power of the SOp (Forward Vector) SOp. A friend of mine unlocked the potential. I then decided to use tentacles as a good mobile attachment point for altering the point faced based on a missile launch. I then created my autoharvester which gathers a huge chunk of minerals and then refines it in a pleasing way. Main feature was the boom which although not completely dynamic it could at least look like it was directly over the target. In my walker I fixed the issue of retrograde/anteriorgrade joints for a completely dynamic boom.
Good data editing skills to come to grips with the Terrain Types data type for mix and match terrain texture sets and customized creep (see attached pic). Event wise a good place for beginners is the timers, the set scale, set tint color and texture select by ID event actions since those can dramatically change how some stuff looks (and the applications, see attached pic).
Otherwise I advise you do like I did and just browse through the ingame and campaign examples to try and understand how it links together in general (unlike me you have people who can give guidance now). Also look for interesting examples you want to know more about. Or do as I did and think of something completely weird and try to figure out how to do it de novo. I created the statue head turning system based on principles from the colossus tree killer, the hellion beam impact and the marauder attack.
Only real limitation is upgrades in that they are not bidirectional, use Catalog triggers for more on the fly value editing. Those can alter some fields other data types cannot.
Form a purely terraining point of view validators (via the Validate Unit event term of actors), footprints, Doodad type actors and the Generate Creep behaviour are of interest.
Also read the tutorials on model attachment (like leviathan tentacles), ProzaicMuze has some good ones.
From the sounds of what you do i may ask your help with the hero creation and spell animation in my map. (i want them to look unique and epic!)
If you're willing when my map is closer to complete, maybe you can take a look and offer suggestions or maybe tweak a thing or two here and there :)
Thank you for all of your help, i will definitely come to you when i have any technical questions. i have no doubt you can answer all of them or point me to the person who can.
As a side note, I'm creating this game with my friend. I designed the game and am doing the terrain/cosmetics. he's figuring out all of the technical stuff; data, triggers, game function, events etc...
I'm currently looking for a willing map expert to take a look at my map progress and suggest tips/help with certain things and provide feedback.
Basically someone to Mentor me as i learn the editor, and to coach me as i make my first map. (it's a very big project)
This person must:
1 - Tell me how i can do things better. Assuming there are multiple ways of doing things or going about a certain task, this person must suggest a better alternative and clearly explain what they mean.
2 - this person must be an expert. I'm talking about anything and everything map editor genius. I want to learn from the best.
3 - This person must have an eye for detail. Basically this person has to look at a certain texture i used or a certain lagoon i designed and tell me how it "doesn't look right" and why.
This is mostly for terrain and doodad placement. I like things to look super sharp and am very critical. i want this to be extremely visually pleasing to the eye. a terraining artist/expert is #1.
I know this is a long shot, but i would appreciate any help i could get! Thank you.
While I am not the expert you are looking for, it would be great to know more about you, your progress, and what experience you do already have. It might attract some more attention. Good luck finding someone.
Best would be to know what is your map about. Also If you are new to the editor, I suggest you start with making a simple map.
Read the thread on mentors
http://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/21254-mapster-mentoring/#posts
Do not forget doodads with a little data editing can become a whole lot more.
When it comes to making actors do funky stuff and other data related stuff then I am among the best.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
DrSuperEvil
I am looking to finish all the terraining first and making sure that i basically have a "game board" before i start adding triggers or anything like that. With that being said, I'm an extremely artistic person and very detailed oriented. So I'm looking for an artistic/design/terraining mentor to take a look at my terrain and to notice the mistakes and/or features in or on it. Additionally, I'm looking for someone who can look at a doodad I've made or look at a.. idk.. a river brook and tell me a better way to do it that would make the game less laggy and make the set look more realistic etc...
But you have been the one that has taken the most interest in my posts so i wouldn't be against including you in this project as well.
If you can do the above mentioned then i will take you. Even if you cannot, i still need an expert of your talents later on in the map development.
I do data although that can be linked to doodads.
Here is a brief demo of something that is still at the proof of concept stage. It is a system for making actors with tracking functions so you can simulate turrets or just have classic gothic statues that turn their heads to follow you.
For some of my other contributions check out the data contest for HOTS beta keys in the data forum.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
DrSuperEvil
honestly i don't even understand data. or even anything you do lol.
But hearing you say that you can make statues turn their heads as people walk by... that's cool... i didn't even know things like that COULD be done. could you maybe tell me more about the limitations of data editing? Maybe you telling me about the things you can do will give me ideas for my map.
and then I'll most definitely ask get you to help me with any data related issues i have.
@SuperiorHHH: Go
Neither did anyone else until I developed the tech about 3 weeks ago.
The problem with the data editor is there is a ton of stuff that is generally heaped as of unknown function. For example until I demonstrated the function of the Battery type ability no one knew what it did or even tried to use it.
Some stuff can be identified by looking at unique examples from the campaign. For example I discovered how to use model events by them being used by only a single doodad which was the one new folsom tower in that it used them to adjust the sound volume depending on where in the animation the model was.
My mighty data based walker was based on the lurker attack spike models and the hellion beam impact.
The branch of my research into giving unanimated models animations dates back over a year. Infact my first (and completely unanswered) post was based on the topic in that I derived some of the functionality of the Attachment Set Rotation From event actions. I later used beams to create a more dynamic option. Ironically in making a demo map for the one streaming event for terraining thursday (check this site's streamed broadcasts) I accidentally discovers the full power of the SOp (Forward Vector) SOp. A friend of mine unlocked the potential. I then decided to use tentacles as a good mobile attachment point for altering the point faced based on a missile launch. I then created my autoharvester which gathers a huge chunk of minerals and then refines it in a pleasing way. Main feature was the boom which although not completely dynamic it could at least look like it was directly over the target. In my walker I fixed the issue of retrograde/anteriorgrade joints for a completely dynamic boom.
Good data editing skills to come to grips with the Terrain Types data type for mix and match terrain texture sets and customized creep (see attached pic). Event wise a good place for beginners is the timers, the set scale, set tint color and texture select by ID event actions since those can dramatically change how some stuff looks (and the applications, see attached pic).
Otherwise I advise you do like I did and just browse through the ingame and campaign examples to try and understand how it links together in general (unlike me you have people who can give guidance now). Also look for interesting examples you want to know more about. Or do as I did and think of something completely weird and try to figure out how to do it de novo. I created the statue head turning system based on principles from the colossus tree killer, the hellion beam impact and the marauder attack.
Only real limitation is upgrades in that they are not bidirectional, use Catalog triggers for more on the fly value editing. Those can alter some fields other data types cannot.
Form a purely terraining point of view validators (via the Validate Unit event term of actors), footprints, Doodad type actors and the Generate Creep behaviour are of interest.
Also read the tutorials on model attachment (like leviathan tentacles), ProzaicMuze has some good ones.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
DrSuperEvil
This is really useful. Thank you.
From the sounds of what you do i may ask your help with the hero creation and spell animation in my map. (i want them to look unique and epic!)
If you're willing when my map is closer to complete, maybe you can take a look and offer suggestions or maybe tweak a thing or two here and there :)
Thank you for all of your help, i will definitely come to you when i have any technical questions. i have no doubt you can answer all of them or point me to the person who can.
As a side note, I'm creating this game with my friend. I designed the game and am doing the terrain/cosmetics. he's figuring out all of the technical stuff; data, triggers, game function, events etc...
I will help where I can.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg