Adding New Maps

[[JiF]LtComStarbuck]

OK ...I am about as gung-ho about this custom map thing as anyone. Yet I am totally frustrated this morning and pretty much in the mood to bag BF for the day.

May I humbly suggest that there be a day where no more new maps are added for the week, I would suggest Thursday. This gives everyone ample opportunity to get the maps needed and be ready for Sunday.

I thought I was all set and low and behold there are MORE maps added. None are on the FTP page.

So if I (Mr.Gung-ho) am frustrated, what of the not-so gung-ho folks who will simply move on without investigation? You are losing players!

Again my suggestion ....ADD NO MORE NEW MAPS AFTER THURSDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY'S PLAY.

I (IMHO) think this is a simple and common sense solution to this issue.

Thanks for listening to my gripe.....I'll go away now

Chip

[[JiF]corn]

Tunisia and Armored thrust are the only 2 new maps in rotation today.
Don't give up.
You could be having PC problems like me

Go have have fun.
I'll be lucky to get my stuff fixed today

[[JiF]LtComStarbuck]

Tunisia and Armored thrust are the only 2 new maps in rotation today.

Ask waterboy about your issues ....seems he had same issue and got it fixed. Something about putting folders in ...verses just the rfa files.

As for new maps ...I got booted by "operation sealion" so that is new too. Found that one and Tunisia ...haven't found Armored Thrust.

Still really think there should be a cut-off day and all maps should be posted on the FTP page. So players don't have to go hunting. I am told that Thrust is linked in the "original posting" about it... Now if I could just find where THAT is!

[[JiF]LtComStarbuck]

http://files.filefront.com/Operation+Ar ... einfo.html

http://battlefield2.filefront.com/file/ ... isia;67799

http://files.filefront.com/Operation+Se ... einfo.html

hope that helps.

[Kleenk]

I love the Sunday new map thing as well, but have to agree with Starbuck...it'd be great to have time to get everything installed ahead of time.

I installed the first map pack (Comacchio, Giogo, etc.) last week only and played (FUN) but found all new ones this week.

I started downloading those one by one, but didn't get any to work before I was forced to socialize with my family for Easter Sunday festivities

I'm still not clear on where to put the unzipped files.

I unzipped Toujane, Thrust, and Sealion all into the Battlefield 1942/bf1942/levels folder (no good). Then when each map created its own folder within the levels folder, I put the respective files there (also no good).

The unzips all include some jpegs the install text file and an rfa file. I assume the key there is the rfa, but where does it go?

I did a search of all rfa's in the battlefield mother folder and different maps are in different folders. Most are in some folder names level, but in one of three paths.

Path 1: Battlefield 1942/Mods/bf1942/Archives/bf1942/levels

Path 2: Battlefield 1942/Mods/XPack1/Archives/bf1942/levels

Path 3: Battlefield 1942/Mods/XPack2/Archives/bf1942/levels

I'm guessing I should put the new rfa files in one of these (not sure which).

Also not sure what needs to be done with the jpeg files.

Can anyone spell it out for us dummies?

Thanks,

Kleenk

[[JiF]zougathefist]

I sent this to starbuck, i hope it helped
but i'm posting it here
this is what i did
I used WinRar to extract the archive but WinZip works too
only extract the .rfa files to your directories, the rest are screenshots and the like.

this is what i did


get it from here

http://battlefield2.filefront.com/file/ ... isia;67799

this is the name of the .rfa file to extract

Toujane_Tunisia.rfa

the directory you need to extract the file to

C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 1942\Mods\bf1942\Archives\bf1942\levels

the server is only running this version but you can extract the other versions ie nos .000 & .001 to the xpack levels folders to play SP

extract .000 to here
C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 1942\Mods\XPack1\Archives\Bf1942\Levels
and .001 to
C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 1942\Mods\XPack2\Archives\bf1942\Levels

i hope this helps
for the other maps you just do the same, extract them to the same directories

there is usually a readme .txt file that gives the changelog and details of how and where to extract to,

you can get winrar here, its free for 40 days, then you get messages asking you to buy.
http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm


And i agree about the cut off day for new maps, luckily on sunday i had some of the maps already, but i noticed Karden didn't come up and i was on for about 4hrs?
Z

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

Most custom map files contain a file called README, Install or Instructions. Something along those lines.
Which tells you how to install it.
Sorry guys, but it is not rocket science Even I can do it with only an occasional mistake
Three minutes on Google will find the map for you if it is not at the ftp site.
Finding, downloading and installing a map is definitely less than a 15 minute task while reading email at the same time
All three of Sundays maps took less than 15 minutes.
I will agree throwing them up on Sunday morning maybe a little annoying, but geez it's not that big of a deal.

Example from toujane_tunisia:

From the Toujan Tunisia Readme.txt file.

====================
INSTALLING THE MAP
====================

For the Vanilla version, move the file 'Toujane_Tunisia.rfa' to your BF1942 Levels directory, which is generally:

C: -> Program Files -> EA Games -> Battlefield 1942 -> Mods -> bf1942 -> Archives -> bf1942 -> levels



For Road to Rome mod support, open the folder named 'RTR' and move 'Toujane_Tunisia_000.rfa' to the Road to Rome levels directory:

C: -> Program Files -> EA Games -> Battlefield 1942 -> Mods -> XPack1 -> Archives -> bf1942 -> levels



For Secret Weapons mod support, open the folder named 'SW' and move 'Toujane_Tunisia_001.rfa' to the Secret Weapons levels directory:

C: -> Program Files -> EA Games -> Battlefield 1942 -> Mods -> XPack2 -> Archives -> bf1942 -> levels



For Forgotten Hope 0.7 mod support, open the folder named 'FH 0.7' and move 'Toujane_Tunisia_002.rfa' to the FH levels directory:

C: -> Program Files -> EA Games -> Battlefield 1942 -> Mods -> FH -> Archives -> bf1942 -> levels

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

Grimp's stories based on true life.

I go into work on a Monday. A finance person comes down whining and crying about having her department coming in on Saturday to do some work.
She complains that the printer did not work and she had to send them all home.
I ask did you call the on-call IT person?
She says no.
Okay I said why did you not use one of the other 10 printers you have?
She says we always print to the one that was broken.
I said thanks for stopping by, would you like some bread and cheese with that or should I just call the wambulance for you?

Story 2

I am on the server Sunday and Step comes on. I say did you get the new maps? He says yep. I say did you get the ones I added this morning? He says DOH! and I will. I say yep you will now and change the map to one I added Sunday morning.
Step gets disconnected and sure enough comes back on in less than 15 minutes with his shinny new map
Now he does not like me, but he is enjoying blowing up 8 tanks at a time in my respawn with det packs and getting stuck in the invisible house on the silly 60 tank map.

Okay so maybe I won't add any more maps on Sunday morning, but no promises. I do them when I can.
You may say some of you are not familiar with doing the whole add a map thing so it's not easy for us.
I say you will be soon if you are not now

Besides your wives/significant other told me to do it so you would be ready for the family get together.

[[JiF]corn]

I will agree that new maps should be 3 or 4 day notice.
My problems arose out of me not thinking out of the box.
Too many times i have downloaded maps, programs,etc... and i don't have to think.(read instructions)
This time i actually had to think. (sigh....... )


Thanks Grimp my box was getting too comfortable. xx xx

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

It's funny Corn when I was reading your post about not being able to run BF I never thought about the maps being in the wrong place.
The thing is I did the same thing on the server at least once and on my home PC more than once when trying new maps.
I guess I figured I was the only one capable of making that kind of mistake I don't fee so lonely now

[[JiF]corn]

A few more new maps to view.
http://files.filefront.com/Battle+BFSS/ ... einfo.html

http://files.filefront.com/alamozip/;95 ... einfo.html

http://files.filefront.com/Berlin+Hitle ... einfo.html

Dambuster and Chilled corpse maps look good.

I am not suggesting adding these maps.
If mod maps mean we lose players, then let's discontinue them or use 1 or 2.

[[JiF]FrenchAfroman]

i dont know why all u guys have so much trouble its not that hard.

step 1: download the file
step 2: extract the file wherever u want to but not in the bf folder
step3: copie the .rfa file (u dont need the text file)
step 4: look for the folder with all the .rfa maps should have about 30-40 maps in it
on my pc its this Path : Battlefield 1942/Mods/bf1942/Archives/bf1942/levels
step 5: paste the .rfa file in the folder
step 6: enjoy the new maps on the Custom map Sundays.


I think it doenst matther if maps are added in last minutes. it took me about 7 minutes to download them all and 2 more minutes to extract and copie/paste em.
so it took me an overall time of 9 minutes and thats nothing when u are about to played 4 hours or more of the custom map sunday

Frenchy

[[JiF]LtComStarbuck]

Its all good !!

I've gotten the "where do the rfa files go?" worked out. Even set up a short cut to make it easier for me. For me it is D:\Battlefield1942\Mods\bf1942\Archives\bf1942\levels . Others might be on C drive or even have the "program files" parent directory at the beginning. The only issue I had was that I put all the toujane files in there which crashed me when that map came up. Once I found out we only need to 'vanilla' one I was ok.

My issue about this thing (and I again I remind you I love this concept and the gaming fun on Sundays) is not so much even last minute adds, but finding them. For example I had gotten so I only had one missing map and went to play, I was then told that my missing map could be found "in the original post about it." Ok so armed with that knowledge I went hunting and did find it.

Seems to me this process could be a lot simpler (and yes I know life isn't always simple) if maps were all placed on the FTP server at or before some cut-off date. Now this does not have to be Thursday ...maybe thats too early....Saturday evening is acceptable. As long as we don't have to go searching for maps on Sunday when we want to be playing.

Now as you start to think to yourself "boy this guy likes to whine" I will add some cheese. I am totally into this mod-map thing and will bend over backwards to participate....but we need more players --think of the part time server regulars who run into these issues and do not spend time working through it. We would all enjoy large turn outs for some of these cool maps and those 'part-timers' will just move on and not play. Making it easy for all - the super gung-ho junkies and the part-timers is my goal here, more players = more fun.

Again thanks for listening to an old fart's rant.

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

Unfortunately we can't make everyone happy. I will try to not make last minute changes.
There is currently a discussion going on about it in the secret member forum. Not sure what will come out of it if anything. Just have to give it a few days and see.

[[JiF]LtComStarbuck]

Again it’s all good Gimp!

You do great work with this server and I love playing here with all you good people.

I just want to see the server full on Sundays (as I imagine you do too) and I think the more obstacles placed in the way (however small the obstacles may be) the less likely this will happen.

Chip