I clicked within the program to see if there were any updates to the software that I needed, and there wasn't.
Yet here is what I'm seeing in the logs when I opened your map in the program...
Not sure what my next steps are, because now while I can play the map in Battle.net, I can't edit it in SCMDraft 2.
Let it not go unsaid that you all have been more than helpful in any case related to my noob project, and it has resulted in some good times with my kids on a game I used to play 20+ years ago. I'm just always looking to improve the experience lol.
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Do you have editor MPQs configured for SCMD?
Do you have editor MPQs configured for SCMD?
I'm not sure?
When I originally installed the program it was just download and run. I've checked for updates but it says it's fully up to date. Not sure what needs to be configured nor how more than just doing the normal install/run bit.
Appreciate any info, as I'd love to still work on this map, but currently it's not loadable/editable in the program.
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I'd say try just downloading the newest version
here and using that instead. I dunno how reliable SCMD2's auto-updater is.
Yeah... that manual download/install made it work.
Actually, the map is working fairly well (attached below) ... though it does have one little problem now...
Is there a script I'm supposed to run in the special locations in which I drop some 'extra' units of each computer faction periodically? After the first rush, the zerglings just sit there and (probably) just eventually become a PSI drain on each faction's capacity. Somehow they have to be convinced to rush if they're going to respawn regularly.
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Oh, that's great it's working now!
Yeah, you were almost there, but missing one detail, you need to use the "Order" trigger on the units after you spawn them. There are three options: move, attack and patrol. Move is the same as the movement command in the game but Attack and Patrol function a little differently. Attack will make the computer attempt to move their units directly to a location and if anything blocks them they will attack, patrol will make them attack anything they encounter along the way, so this is the one you want to use. You also will need a location that is setup in the player's area for targeting purposes.
I made some changes to your map to demonstrate which introduces some new concepts and should make for an overall better running system. You can download it
here. I removed some things, like the waits as those are notorious for causing problems. I replaced them with a death counter based timing system, which you can read more about
here if you're interested. I also implemented a set of
hyper triggers which increases the rate of trigger cycles in the game from approximately once every 2 seconds to 12 times per second meaning that 12 death counts equals one second. So I replaced your 60000ms waits with 720 death count (DC) timers. I also rewrote the triggers to use current player and be owned by Force 2 instead of being individually owned and created triggers owned by P5-8. These are essentially the same thing, but I like to condense triggers when I can to reduce work.
Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Apr 11 2023, 12:30 am by Ultraviolet.
Hey that's wild! I'm going to download that and check it out!
I might have to do a special thing where there's one of those action circles each for a 1-computer, 2-computer, 3-computer, and 4-computer game
Off to the side where a probe would enter it and it would THEN trigger the start of the game, so-to-speak. ( Because the UMS doesn't allow for variable computer opponents it would seem ).
Here's what I got to the last I made the map -- my 'timer correction' was simply the installation of some downed Battlecruisers blocking the choke-point, adding some tension to the scene. It's still impossible without multiple people in the game.
(Of course, ANYone is also free to d/l it and play it themselves... I'm just trying to make a game of mass carnage defense using normal game rules...and unlimited resources.)
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Alternatively, you could make the map detect if each of the human players was in the game and if not, it could remove all units for the computer on the opposite team. So as an example, if P1 has any units then you know they're in the game, then you can set a switch which will be used to prevent a trigger going off to remove all units for P5. So if no units for P1 are detected, then all of P5 units get removed by another trigger. It would look like this:
Player 5
Bring("Player 1", "Any unit", "Anywhere", At least, 1);
Set Switch("P1 In Game", set);
Player 5
Switch("P1 In Game", Not Set);
Elapsed Time(At least, 15);
Remove Unit("Current Player", "Any unit");
Right... Though in reverse, I would want the players to be able to decide how many computer opponents they want to play against.
...So it sounds like I have to create special flags on the field of play (off in the top left corner or something) where I would trigger 1, 2, 3, or 4 computer opponents.
It's too bad with UMS games I can't alternatively decide in the lobby how many computers I want to play against though I can decide how many players to use.
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If you wanted to do that in a simpler way that doesn't involve any trigger changes, you could just make four versions of the map, one with four enemies, one with three and so on. You could accomplish that pretty simply by just deleting each of the computer's start locations until you only had one left for the version with only one enemy. The trigger method isn't too bad, but I get it's a little tedious to implement.
If you wanted to do that in a simpler way that doesn't involve any trigger changes, you could just make four versions of the map, one with four enemies, one with three and so on. You could accomplish that pretty simply by just deleting each of the computer's start locations until you only had one left for the version with only one enemy. The trigger method isn't too bad, but I get it's a little tedious to implement.
I must say, I might be getting a little better at this, as I came to the same conclusion you did without reading this first
However, and bizarrely, when I did that and tried out the maps, for some reason the three Factories in the middle that provided my buffer all disappeared for no good reason-- that I thought anyway.
What do you make of this, if you don't mind me asking..?
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Did those factories always appear before? I think there is some wonkiness with the "User Select" race selection in UMS maps. I think the factories might only appear if you select Terran or maybe they won't show up either way, I can't remember for sure.. Can you confirm that it ever worked? And then maybe try selecting Terran as your race and seeing if it works then.
Edit: You could place the factories for Player 9 instead, I think it will work that way, only thing is you will have to be conscientious about not killing the barrier yourself since P9 is enemy to everyone.
Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Apr 24 2023, 8:06 pm by Ultraviolet.
Did those factories always appear before? I think there is some wonkiness with the "User Select" race selection in UMS maps. I think the factories might only appear if you select Terran or maybe they won't show up either way, I can't remember for sure.. Can you confirm that it ever worked? And then maybe try selecting Terran as your race and seeing if it works then.
Edit: You could place the factories for Player 9 instead, I think it will work that way, only thing is you will have to be conscientious about not killing the barrier yourself since P9 is enemy to everyone.
I can confirm that the barriers worked (I think I uploaded v13 of the map a few posts above these) ... And they were even useable by Player 1 no matter what race they were. But for some reason they don't now, when I think they still should. Hmmm.
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I can confirm that the barriers worked (I think I uploaded v13 of the map a few posts above these) ... And they were even useable by Player 1 no matter what race they were. But for some reason they don't now, when I think they still should. Hmmm.
I just did some quick testing and can say with confidence that I don't know how the fuck that works. I created a quick test map, threw down a few factories for P1 and set the player to user select. When I ran my tests, the factories never showed up in game, no matter what race I selected even Terran. That is how I always thought it worked, so after my test, I was skeptical. I ran your map v13, went as random and started the game. It ended up selecting zerg and the factories showed up in the middle of the map as you said they would. So, I'm not sure what to tell you
Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Apr 28 2023, 1:31 am by Ultraviolet.
Well, at least I got as far as I did -- and I have a map that others can play (provided they want to play against 4 jacked-up enemies!)
Maybe someone else can assist from here, but clearly the community even 20 years later has stepped up to help someone make something fun for his family (next generation). Bravo and good karma on all!
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I wouldn't consider the inability to keep the factories in place a serious roadblock. SC1 mapping is all about finding workarounds for SC's limitations. Thinking about it further, a solution I can think of to fix the factories issue is you could pre-place the factories for an extended player (one of the players 9 through 12) and then upon game start, you could make a basic trigger to always give the factories owned by the extended player to P1 and/or Force 1. That should effectively produce the same effect as having them pre-placed for P1.
