Future of Blockland: Map naming customs and RTB

[Demian]

As the new update arrives terrains and interiors will be a thing of the past. Obviously there are hundreds of terrain and interior maps currently released but after the update none of this will work in the game. As such only Slate and Construct maps will be usable and I have a few ideas concerning the current naming conventions.

We have named the maps as following for years:

• Terrain and interior maps had nothing special in the name: Desert
• Slate maps had a "Slate" prefix: Slate Ocean
• Construct maps had a "Construct" prefix: Construct Green
• Plate maps had a "Plate" prefix: Plate Grasslands

When you started a game in a map named "Desert" you would expect to find a terrain with dunes and perhaps some interiors like pyramids to spice things up. Slate maps have traditionally had textured water to simulate ground and a skybox. Very simple. Construct maps are even simpler consisting of a single or multiple colors and no skybox or ground texture. Plate maps are sort of a hybrid between slates and constructs. The ground texture is a brick texture and as such single color but they have a traditional skybox.

We have had these prefixes in our maps to differentiate them from each other. You wouldn't name a terrain map "Slate" or have a terrain in a "Construct" map. But soon there will be no terrains or interiors. The game will no longer support them. Our maps will have to adapt. It would be very dull to have your map list consists of dozens of "Slate This", "Slate That", and "Slate Whatever". Not only would it take up precious characters in the list (You can only see so many characters in the list before they are cut off) but it would make the list a tad bit harder to read.

There are two solutions for this.
1. We could completely scrap the "Slate" prefix from our slate maps but keep the construct prefix to differentiate between slates and single color constructs and plate maps.
2. We could keep the current naming system and have all maps released from this point to eternity be named "Slate Whocares".

I honestly see this as a serious problem. What's the point of naming maps "Slate Grass" when you can only have slate and construct maps? Once the update is out and you play in a map named "Desert" there is exactly one possibility: it is a slate with sand ground texture.

Then there's the problem with RTB. It currently has it's share of terrain and interior maps. What will happen to them? Will they be deleted? Are they left alone with people bitching about how they no longer work and make the game crash increasing the confusion of new players? Ideal solution would be archive them in another place and remove them from the DLM. Another nice thing for Ephialtes to do would be to allow people to edit their add-on (map) names. Or alternatively remove all "Slate" strings from their titles.

My two cents.

[Ad Bot]

[Demian]

I guess nobody gives a damn. I'm overreacting aren't I.

[Sleven]

Love it.


Just an example of how my map folder could look like then.

-Black
-Blue
-Desert
-Dusk
-Grass
-Green
-Ice
-Moon
-Opal
-Purple
-Red
-Skylands
-Snow
-Stormy
-Yellow

Just generally brainstorming.
But I like the look of it.

[pecon98]

I actually support this.

We should hold a map naming convention (like mentioned).

[Nasoa]

I'm making a slate map called Halcyon.  

[Dexxtter]

I like the first one because I don't want to see a list like:

-Slate NaemHer
repeat
repeat
etc.

._.

[Fredulus]

i could be wrong but im pretty sure its the map makers that name maps, not some "convention"
get over yourself

edit: and ephi runs RTB, not you, so im fairly sure you dont need to worry about that. as far as removing "slate" from all map titles on RTB, you do realize that even old slate maps won't work in v21, right? all maps have to be redone, including default slate.

I guess nobody gives a damn. I'm overreacting aren't I.

^nailed it

[Planr]

I hope we can get some new default saves! And if so, maybe a spaceship for once :D

[Fredulus]

yes, blockland needs more spaceships

[Demian]

i could be wrong but im pretty sure its the map makers that name maps, not some "convention"
get over yourself

Definition of CONVENTION
A general agreement about basic principles or procedures; also : a principle or procedure accepted as true or correct by convention

edit: and ephi runs RTB, not you, so im fairly sure you dont need to worry about that. as far as removing "slate" from all map titles on RTB, you do realize that even old slate maps won't work in v21, right? all maps have to be redone, including default slate.

That is exactly why I am concerned. I honestly think Ephialtes does not give a stuff about the current map names. Oh and good point but I'm pretty sure kompressor has a fancy method of automatically replacing slate.dif references in mission files so they won't crash the game. But yeah, I guess all maps need to updated after this.

[Sitrus]

Love it.


Just an example of how my map folder could look like then.

-Black
-Blue
-Desert
-Dusk
-Grass
-Green
-Ice
-Moon
-Opal
-Purple
-Red
-Skylands
-Snow
-Stormy
-Yellow

Just generally brainstorming.
But I like the look of it.

I would love a map list like that.

[Fredulus]

<definition of convention>

very good oscar wilde, you know a word. my point is even more clear now, individual map makers name maps, not some "general agreement... accepted as true by convention"

That is exactly why I am concerned. I honestly think Ephialtes does not give a stuff about the current map names.

Yes, probably because he understands that map makers name maps, not him.

[sir dooble]

very good oscar wilde, you know a word. my point is even more clear now, individual map makers name maps, not some "general agreement... accepted as true by convention"

When I read the word convention, I thought it was meant in the sense of it being conventional.
As in, this is the convention that is set by the game or players.

If map-makers themselves name the full-name of the map then I suppose the main point of this topic is not really valid.


Anyway, I know that there's no real major difference between Plate/Construct/Slate maps, but I'd like to know what each type is.
So, if I look through my map-list when I start a server, I'd like it to list the maps as Slate_x, Construct_y, Plate_z.
Simply because, if that's the case, then alphabetically, I will have all the Construct maps at the top in a long list, then all the Plates, then all the Slates.

I find that that is an easier method of finding my maps.
For example, if all my Construct_ maps are most likely going to be colours, then I'd prefer to know that I can just see the long-chain of Construct_colour's instead of going through a long list and looking for colours.

It's easier to compare the Blue and the Yellow Construct maps if they're near each other (At the top with the rest of the Construct maps) than if the Blue is at the very top and the Yellow is at the very bottom.

[Demian]

When I read the word convention, I thought it was meant in the sense of it being conventional.
As in, this is the convention that is set by the game or players.

If map-makers themselves name the full-name of the map then I suppose the main point of this topic is not really valid.


Anyway, I know that there's no real major difference between Plate/Construct/Slate maps, but I'd like to know what each type is.
So, if I look through my map-list when I start a server, I'd like it to list the maps as Slate_x, Construct_y, Plate_z.
Simply because, if that's the case, then alphabetically, I will have all the Construct maps at the top in a long list, then all the Plates, then all the Slates.

I find that that is an easier method of finding my maps.
For example, if all my Construct_ maps are most likely going to be colours, then I'd prefer to know that I can just see the long-chain of Construct_colour's instead of going through a long list and looking for colours.

It's easier to compare the Blue and the Yellow Construct maps if they're near each other (At the top with the rest of the Construct maps) than if the Blue is at the very top and the Yellow is at the very bottom.

Good point. In fact now that you put it that way the way we name our maps now might be the best.

Changed topic title, customs was the word I was originally looking for.

[Planr]

That is exactly why I am concerned. I honestly think Ephialtes does not give a stuff about the current map names. Oh and good point but I'm pretty sure kompressor has a fancy method of automatically replacing slate.dif references in mission files so they won't crash the game. But yeah, I guess all maps need to updated after this.

Wait, so now NO maps will work at all? Not even slate edits such as Slate Astro or Adjustable Plate?