Hello mappers and developers,
My procrastination (and my complete lack of experience) prevented me from getting my poo together and do it, but for some unknown reason I finally decided to take a look at the RO2 (and now RS) maps in the editor and learn how they work. So far, it's very interesting.
Beside the curiosity and what I'll learn from it, there's a specific reason why I'm interested in the RO2 SDK map editor:
Would it be possible to "pool" the inputs, ideas and small fixes from the community, regarding the official maps (no longer in beta), in a thread or a wiki article, to allow their refinement ?
It would be "wikignoming" (crowd-sourced small fixes) the existing levels, to polish them even more, allowing the community to participate in the overall improvement of the game, in cooperation with the Tripwire Interactive developers.
Examples: sandbags not having all the necessary mantling or MG deployment triggers, "invisible wall" (path blocking) by a small obstacle, etc. Small details that are very difficult to spot unless you bump into them while playing the game.
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A simple system:
a) Users report the little issues they found on a level, with detailed screenshots and if possible, the map editor view/explanation of the issues (once a user post a report, other users are encouraged to verify this in the map editor).
b) Users submit and test ideas for possible fixes, try it in the map editor and report on the effects.
c) Once the issue is properly documented, TWI developers look into it, give their opinion/input on it, and if they agree that a fix should be made, give it a priority (low-medium-high-etc) and work on it when they've finished their more important tasks (RO2/RS related or not: Kiling Floor, Super Secret Project, etc).
The initial work done by the community in a) and b), would greatly speed up the job of TWI (who could focus on the c) step alone).
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I'm asking this because many players faced these little "issues", but never knew what to do (myself included). As a player, rather than blaming and cussing, why not being as much constructive as possible ?
Thus the "wikignoming".
Example: when playing on Peleliu, I stumbled upon a few problematic (too exposed to the enemy positions) spawn points, resulting in spawn camping. In the editor, I could have a clear view of the issue. Moving the spawn points to the sides (behind the nearby buildings) would simply fix it. The question is, how do I communicate that information in the most efficient way ?
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I'm very interested in hearing what the TWI developers and community mappers think about such approach, how this general idea could be improved and implemented with the existing development structure.
ps: if such collaborative approach work with official RO2/RS maps, a similar system could be used for custom maps (gnomes searching for issues, author fixing them).
Thank you for your attention :)