mistahnice wrote:Hey folks,
I was wondering if there was a way to split a map.smf file into its constituent texture/height/metal maps. I wanted to tweak a few maps I've been playing recently to make them more friendly to some LAN buddies.
Thanks!
TBH with this you're kinda asking to get flamed, however, L3DT can disassemble maps like you want.
Generally it's bad for to change up someone's maps. I have before, but only on a few conditions:
The creator asks me to.
The original creator didn't understand how to control fog settings (Riverdale/conqurers isle are good examples), meaning that the fog is so think that it obscures your view in normal topdown view.
I have also done remakes based on other peoples maps before, but only a few times. Reasons generally being - textures or bad layout.
For example, conqurers isle remake. Conq, is an awesome map, but it has some real issues, like omgwtflag forest fires, texture was made in Annihilator (OTA mapmaking program), and the waterlines don't match up.
So I made conq isle remake.
Generally it's a bad form to label anything as a remake if it doesn't improve anything, graphically or playability.
It sounds like what you want to do is SMD tweaking (probably on metal or wind amounts). TBH a better way to do it is to make a super small mutator of whatever mod you're playing with the adjusted amounts built in. It's actually a lot easier to do it this way, and you will for the most part catch very little flak for it.
If you are using them for just you and a select group of friends, then I would say it's ok, but if you are planning to throw it up on UF, the file will probably get deleted and you will most likely get flamed into oblivion.
THis brings up something I had thought about in the past. As I have said before, anything in my maps are available for use by other people, now, that as a general rule doesn't apply to heightmaps because that equates to a blatant ripoff. However I've never really worried about it, because I believe that anything anyone could come up with in maps I have made, I can outdo them.
However, just you asking this could cause a lot of unrest in the mapping community, cause most of us spent many many hours on our maps. In the case of Whakamatunga Riri, I spent upwards of 90 hours on it, and much of that texture is had drawn, so personally I place a very high value on it. I imagine many other mappers feel the same way.
Personally like I said, try making a mutator for the mod you are playing. If it is a TA based mod then you can redistribute the mutator freely on UF or whereever, if it is non TA content, ask the mod creator. Even if he says no, redistributing a mutator among jsut your friends would most likely be ok, however, that depends on the licensing.
Confused yet?
I wouldn't ever re-release anything that was tweaked.