[Help] custom map will not load

[Wolfe]

I am new at modding/map making. That is 99.9% of my problem. That said, I followed the tutorial instructions under [Tutorial] Setting up the BF2 Editor for PR Mapping! and also followed the Wiki BF2 Editor Tutorial on how to create a basic map/level.

• In short, I:
  - set up the bf2 editor according to the pr editor setup tutorial
  - created a new, blank map
  - covered the ground with grass (followed the tutorial exactly)
  - placed 2 flags and 2 spawns, one for each team (labeled correctly)
  - assigned team 1 as USA and team 2 as MEC (again, as the tutorial states)
  - saved all
  - packaged the map "for public use" (the option to do so)
  - moved the custom map to my pr/levels folder
  - deleted all files inside the map folder except for the server.zip, client.zip, and info

When I try to load the map on a local server, it crashes (to desktop) at about 30% into the loading. I figured this was about as basic and stripped down a map as I could get while still being able to play on it, but no dice. Any thoughts?

[Rhino]

load it up in window mode and see what error u get.

[Wolfe]

Thank you for the fast reply! The error message reads:

Module: Texture Atlas
Line: 62
Text: Couldn't open Tai file "levels\tf21_training\overgrowth\overgrowthatlas.tai"
Current confile: levels\tf21_training\overgrowth\overgrowthatlas.con

[Rhino]

normaly best to screenshot errors

ehhh, did you delete the overgrwoth folder? or did you pack it into the server.zip (if you have got to that yet)

go to levels\tf21_training\ and see if you have a overgrowth folder there, if not, then ehh, best thing to do is rename the map folder to something like "tf21_training_backup" then in the terrain editor, crate a new map called "tf21_training" (the same name as your other map) same size etc as your other map, when thats crated, exit the editor, go to "levels\tf21_training\" and copy the overgrowth folder and paste it into "tf21_training_backup", delete the "tf21_training" folder and then rename your "tf21_training_backup" to "tf21_training" and then it should work.

also dont forget to make a 2nd backup aswell just encase you muck it up

[Wolfe]

I'll try that tomorrow. Brain cells are dead for the night.

[Wolfe]

Fixed that problem, and it loads 100%, but when I click "Join Game" it crashes to desktop. This time, there is no error message at all.

I used a newly created map this time around and performed the same things: laid down some grass, set up two flags (team 1 and team 2) and a spawn point for each. Set team 1:MEC and team 2:USA. Saved and exited. Tried to run it in-game, but it crashes when I click "Join Game". Again, no error message in windowed mode.

Going to try editing an existing map that I know works, but I'd like to know why my custom map isn't working properly...

UPDATE:
Tried to edit an existing map. Added a few objects and saved (keeping it simple), but when I loaded the map in-game, none of my additions appeared (tried the 16, 32, and 64 versions but again, none of my changes show in-game).

[Wolfe]

The editor is still giving me problems; it will not allow me to play on any maps created; they all crash when "join game" is pressed. Hope this is something simple; I'm designing a Firing Range for weapons and vehicle training.

[V3N0N_br]

Fixed that problem, and it loads 100%, but when I click "Join Game" it crashes to desktop. This time, there is no error message at all.

Do you run terrain settings on medium or >?

[Wolfe]

Where is that option? And what should it be set at?

[Rhino]

the option is in the options menu under video....

and it should be set at what ever your PC can handel the best, but if its set to low it can mean that some problems with your map will make low end users crash like no low detail maps, water animation speed set to 0 etc.

[Wolfe]

Rhino']the option is in the options menu under video....

Ah, you mean the video settings in-game, yes? In that case, I run everything on high and it purrs like a dream when I play online or single player, but my custom maps don't load. (Thought you meant there was a terrain low/high setting in the bfeditor itself.)

[Wolfe]

I noticed that the gloryhoundz.com/prmm/users/rhino/PR_EDIT.rar file contains several readme.txt files. Most notably there is one buried in the bfeditor folder named pr_v04_editor_readme.txt that seems to have some vital info about making maps work with PR (naming rules, kit copy/paste etc.). Previously I had just extracted the zip file as instructed but didn't go digging to see what was inside.

If it turns out that the info contained in the pr_v04_editor_readme.txt fixes the crash problem, it may be a good idea to note the importance of the readme.txt file in the "Setting up your editor" section of the [Tutorial] Setting up the BF2 Editor for PR Mapping!"thread. As it stands now (and from the viewpoint of a novice mapper) it appeared that all I had to do was extract the .rar file then make maps. Am I on the right track here?

With the release of .05 and .509 (server side), I hope the pr_v04_editor_readme.txt and PR-EDIT.rar files and info are still relevant. Going to give this a try...

[Wolfe]

- Named the control points using PR naming system.
- Copy/pasted "kit spawners" text accordingly to each mapsize.
- Copy/pasted appropriate section of "level settings" into init.con

My map is a patch of grass, two flags, and a spawn point for each. Simple enough but it will still ctd every time I click "play now".