So i was already planning to upgrade my Hybrid Globe into a Large map set in the future but since i have received a few PMs of the past few weeks, i think it would be best if i expand this goal into creating a new Community Map pack.
The Goal: To provide a one stop shop download to add more map variety to Vanilla UFO & the Hybrid Vanilla Globes.
The Scope of these new maps should be Vanilla in focus, if a map set does not make sense in relation to the Vanilla Story lines than it should not be added ( for example i have several maps creations that make perfect sense in my OXC - FACTIONS mod but would not be used in this set as they are too far from Vanilla.
To encourage other modders from the broader OXC modding community to contribute Maps, Sprite Sets or even Special Scripts to this pack so its not just a IDT only map pack.
FAQ:
Who can use this Map Pack? Everyone, feel free to use this on your one off games OR build the entire set into your customer MegaMod ( just dont complain to me if we make a update and you need to manually patch your data). All maps, sprites, data ETC contributed to this map pack are done so under the condition that you provide them under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY NC) see link :
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/What do i need to do to donate some maps to this project?Basically the same thing you would do if you where building it into a Mod yourself, just provide the Rulesets file just for your maps ( please remove any Vanilla data from them) and all the necessary Maps files, Terrain File and Routes. Also, if you could include the Mapview Ruleset data ( please use MAPVIEW2 if you can as it make it easier for me) that will allow us to also provide the mapfiles in the downloaded mod for Other modders to expand your work.
Can i just contribute a Map Block instead of a map set?Yes, BUT, if your expanding a vanilla mapset, you need to make sure your new block is in the same "style" of the original map and you will need to ensure you provide a working Ruleset also to allow this to mix in at the correct "ratio" so it doesnt look out of place.
I have this mapeset you can include but i have modified one of the Vanilla MCD/PCK/Tab files when i made it, what do i do?Simply rename that file with a unique ending so it wont overwrite any Vanilla files when i merge it, as an example, i am sure everyone modder has seen a Terrain file with "_L83" on the end, these are vanilla files i modified instead of making from scratch. Also, dont forget to update your Ruleset to the new file names before sending them in!
Can i create 2 version of the same mapset, donate one edition to the community but still keep the other version free of all your licence BS?Yes, once you contribute a set of maps to us, they become the property of the whole community and will NOT be removed even if you request, but as the original creator, you can have your own set and choose to do what ever you please with them even use them on a commercial project if you wish, the originals are still yours.
Hey, i have this script that Mixes mapset A with mapset Z, can i contribute it?Yes, BUT, the 2 mapsets should blend together seamlessly and they total feel of the map should still be maintained. As you can image, if you where mixing a Desert block with some Polar Blocks, expect to be told no
Will the map pack contain UFOs?Yes, however for TFTD the Vanilla game states that the aliens USOs are all based on Underwater Animal Designs, as such to keep the Vanilla feel, we will only support USOs that look something like a animal (it doesn't need to be perfect just not a huge 8 level high cube
) For Vanilla UFOs they game is a little more flexibly when it comes to the shapes so as long as its not to far from the original designs they should be acceptable . Each UFO though should come with the correct interception ( dogfighting) image. Note : any NEW ufos should be similar in total Size to a existing class of ufos.
Hey, i found a error on Mapset X, who's job is it to fix it?We would prefer the error be flagged with the mapsets original creator ( and a list of who made what will be in each download) so they can fix the error. If they are unwilling or unable to fix the error, then we will have a look and try to fix it ourselves.
Who is running this thing?To start with i ( Luke83) will act as Administrator of this map pack but i would love it if some other Senior members of the modding community volunteered to help out with this also to spread the workload a little would be great, In a perfect world, this would not just be a IDT team project but a mix of several modders form several "projects", let see who else would like to contribute. All Assets contributed become the property of the community but credit for each contribution will always be given to the original creator, the Administrators are only involved to act as Quality Control and merge and release the data.
Will you be updating the Globe with more Textures?Eventually YES but due to other modding obligations it may not be for several months, however if you have any TEXTURES for the globe that you would like to contribute, please send them in
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Also keep in mind that we need to keep OXC compatibility so if you have a mapset that could work if i re-write the scripts let me know and i will hit them after all the easy ones are in