Snapmap : NO EXCUSE for no custom modules

[Yazuken]

I've got to say, first and foremost. That I am very impressed with snapmap overall. It can do a lot of things that many modern map editors for other games cannot do. A lot of the things I see people complaining about with Snapmap I cannot relate too... For example.. Modding.. I was eagar for snapmap, because I wanted a MAP EDITOR... Not an easy way to "mod". Just a way to make completely custom maps in the game that already is how it is. Not that I have anything against modding. It's just not my personal interest (For now atleast)... Now.. about the ONE THING I dislike about snapmap so far, that I think should change, and that I think there is no excuse for it not being in the editor. This is something that most map editors of the past have had, and its a very basic thing, but very essential. All these pre-made "Modules", which typically I would call "rooms" and "hallways" that are in snapmap are... Cool looking. And I think they are great if they are all someone wants to use, and they just want to snap pre-made map parts together. But WHY... please tell me WHY is there no CUSTOM "module" making? It would be so simple to incorporate. It's such a basic thing, that has been in previous doom games, and just in previous fps's games in general. A great example is Duke Nukem 3D's map editor by Ken Silverman. It could even be as simple as that. Select a point on the map. Press space bar (Or some other key/button to create a corner)... move to another point... snap to create a line.... repeat last step until you've created a shape with a line connecting back to the first point you created. A very simple example is a square or a triangle. This would allow for rooms of completely CUSTOM SHAPE. And whats with the module "Decals" that have all preset wall coverings. I think there is no excuse for that either. or at least.. if thats gonna be in there... there should ALSO be the option to customize each and every wall in a "Module" with a texture that you choose from a list of many... and if you want to take it further.. allow custom textures to be made.. but it would be great even if you made it so that the wall textures already in the game were selectable for each and every wall in a module. I guess the latter would make more sense if you want to minimize download size and time, and to ensure cross platform map compatability. But it's truly not asking for a lot. And I don't think there is any valid excuse why the developers can't incorporate this simple, BASIC , feature in there map editor....

[XoloXza]

Ya, I would love to have some kind of feature like that too.

[ElectricHellKnight]

The "excuse" is that SnapMap works on a pre-defined grid. Incorporating something like that is not as trivial as you think, it would require overhauling the basic design of SnapMap to turn it into a full-fledged map editor (as in, something like GTK Radiant). The reason you are limited to existing modules is because the modules that you pick from have each been designed to be easily "snapable" together, unlike those that a user might make. Even more importantly, each module has been set up so that the game knows where it can spawn enemies, which surfaces are vaultable, what walls can be fired through, etc.

The reason map editing was so easy in older games, like Duke 3D, is that those games were based on 2.5D engines (Doom, Wolf, Duke, Blood, pretty much every FPS up until Quake). Those engines are, by design, easier to make maps on. Simply put, they draw lines horizontally then stretch them vertically up the screen to simulate a 3D environment. Hence why you can just draw lines with the mouse in the editors. It's a very efficient, but hopelessly dated, way of displaying 3D graphics. Modern games don't work like that. They create true digital 3D environments on screen, which look far more realistic, and have infinitely better physics, but are also much harder to build maps for. It's not nearly as simple as it was back in the day.

If you don't believe me, compare the simplicity of Doom Builder to GTK Radiant, then compare them both to SnapMap. SnapMap is easily the most user friendly, GTK is the most capable, and Doom Builder offers a good balance but only works on oldschool 2.5D engine games.

In short, a true map editor would be cool, but it is absolutely a big undertaking for the devs to make such a tool that is user-friendly enough to be public. Modern games just don't work like what you're describing. It is asking for a lot.