No GUI map making program yet?!

[Weaver]

EDIT: also, if you don't make it possible to open up and edit a current map file, I'll cry.

+1

At the very least, you absolutely MUST allow mappers to recompile the heightmap or metalmap without having to recompile the whole damned thing. Pretty please with a cherry on top?

I am sure if sharp map ever get redone it will include the ability to do partial recompiles its not hard to code in. Feature placement could be done a different way, density maps may be ok for grass (it's stored per tile in the smf) but placing features is possible with insane accuracy, float iirc. The smf file also contains extra information for features which is not used, but not as much as is detailed in the fabled smf document. I'll dig my smf notes off my old computer if anyone wants.

[Comp1337]

Features witgh float accuracy? Cool!

[FizWizz]

Float Accuracy meaning you can define the location of a feature by X, Y, and Z Coordinates? If that's correct, there's some super neato stuff that can be done with that.

[Erom]

Uh guys. Float accuracy refers to what kind of number the computer stores the X and Y coordinates at. Float just means XY accuracy to a lot of decimal places, not Float accuracy like it's floating.

[FizWizz]

bah, getting me all excited and worked up for nothing

[SinbadEV]

float means you can have numbers like 3.1*10E24

[Buggi]

The last thing I want to do is burst anyones bubble. However with much thought, planning, and conversation with the J man, I have deemed it more fruitful to make the next generation support the texture spatted format which is due to be integrated into Spring in the next couple weeks.

That said, I will try to make it as easy as possible to use, but I offer no guarantees!

I've not come close to locking down a featureset, so feel free to post your thoughts.

Remember, the new format is texture splatting and blending.