Create an Instant Action Map
From CryWiki
In this tutorial we will focus on the key elements of an Instant Action multiplayer map. Instant Action maps require extra entities to create a chaotic and fun atmosphere. General level creation in Sandbox 2 will not be discussed. We are going to setup pickups (weapons, ammo...), spawn points, and spectator points.
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Always keep in mind that your map has to not only look good, but also plays well. It is very important that players after a short time playing the map understand what they're suppose to do. Otherwise your level will only be played once or twice until the player gets bored of it. But this is just experience. You will learn that after you have created some maps and you will understand what is important for multiplayer level design.
Prerequisites
1. Working map
2. Loaded Archetype Library
To load the Archetype library into the game just open the Database View, go to the Entity Library and open the pickups_mp.xml. Now you can use this library in the editor.
Weapon, Ammo and other Pickups
Weapon, ammo and other pickups can be found in the Archtype Entity section in the rollup bar. The ammo boxes can be found in the Archtype Library. Weapons and Equipment may be found in the Entity section. Place them as necessary to facilitate gameplay.
Spawn points
Spawn Points are essential to any InstantAction map. They can be found in the Entity section in the Others directory. Place them as necessary to facilitate gameplay.
Spectator points
When players connect to a server their cameras will travel to the spectator point. Spectator Points can be found in the Entity section in the Multiplayer directory. If you have no spectator points the spectators will spawn at 0,0,0 position (center of map).
Export to engine
After you have done everything you can export your map to engine. Go to File / Export to Engine or just press Ctrl+E. After that save your level and leave the editor.
Setting up the XML file
First of all make sure your map is saved in the IA directory. These can be found in the Multiplayer folder which is located in “Crysis\Game\Levels”. After that go into your level folder and create a .xml file. Copy the following text into it.
<MetaData>
<Gamerules MP2="InstantAction"/> <br>
<LoadingScreens screen1="mapname_Loading.dds"/>
<HeaderText text="mapname"/>
<DescriptionText text="Write a short info text about your map here"/>
<Display Name="mapname"/>
</MetaData>
Here's what it means:
- Gamerules
- Here you can set the gamemode your map is done for. If your map is supporting more then one
gametype just continue with MP3, MP4 and so on. The possible gamerules are "InstantAction" and "PowerStruggle"
- Loading Screen
- This will set the loadingscreen for your map.
- Header Text
- Should be the mapname. This will be displayed on top of the loading screen.
- Description Text
- The description of your map. Write a short description about your map. Can also be a short story about your map.
- Display Name
- This name will be displayed in the server browser.
If you want to add a minimap to your level you also need to add the following line to your mapname.xml file:
<MiniMap Filename="mapname.dds" startX=" " startY=" " endX=" " endY=" " mapRadius=" "/>
After you have done that you can save that file. Now you can start your game and can run your map in the game.
