Battlescape Suggestion

[Darkspire]

Would it be possible that each level of difficulty had a different size map? As far as I can see at present all the maps are the same size, what i am suggesting is as you progress up the difficulty levels the battlescape maps base size (not height) would increase. At present (im playing on standard) most of the maps seem quite small, even the terror missons. It would give so much more tactical planning to have larger maps as you upped the difficulty, at present it takes me about 5-10 minutes to clear any map. Maybe have the option to scale maps dependant on difficulty in the settings menu?

Thanks

Darkspire

[H-Hour]

The difficulty of the map is actually based a lot on the number of aliens compared to the size of the map. Eight aliens on a small map is a lot harder than eight aliens on a large map. For that reason, just increasing map size would actually make the game easier.

However, you're right that medium-to-large maps offer more strategic possibilities. We'll always want a mix of small/medium/large maps, but we still need a way to balance alien numbers to map size. Most of the maps created in the last year are larger, but many of our maps are still quite small. We don't have enough mappers to make enough maps, so map adjusting will always be a work-in-progress.

[ShipIt]

The last time I checked (for Windows) the only way to get a fully working UFORadiant (beside getting the source and compiling yourself) was using Mutons tool (forum thread). Of course this might have been changed in time.
Even compiling yourself will leave you with an incomplete mapcompiler (ufo2map.exe) atm. Welcome to the world of WIP. 

3 ... 2 .. 1 . go!

[H-Hour]

We're always in need of more mappers. Right now ShipIt is the only very active mapper and a couple of us do a little bit here and there.

Check out our Mapping How-To section in the wiki. You may already have it downloaded and installed, depending on how you got UFO:AI and whether or not you compiled it yourself. I'm not too good at helping with that stuff but there are some instructions in the mapping how-to under "Installing and setting up UFORadiant". Other more technically competent members might jump in with more advice.

[Darkspire]

I found the Wiki section, and to be honest it looks a nightmare 

Well I love a challenge, so I will give it a go. Things life wise are a little screwed for me but hope to have things sorted within the next few days (divorce, and what a dozy my own stupid fault though, never think you can change someone for the better, you can't) as soon as I can give it 110% im on the case, this is a worthy project and id be honoured to help. Im reading through the Wiki at present and have downloaded all the files, yes it was selected on the install but ill install it seperately as well to be sure.

Darkspire

[DarthLuca]

I have to say that I would love to map. I have tried to use UFO radiant several times but it never seems to work. It just changes the windows colour scheme and seems to do nothing else but then use 25% cpu (Just 25%, exactly 25%) until I delete the process.
Happy to be a guinea pig if you want to work out how to get this to run under windows 7.
I'm guessing the shortage of mappers is maybe due to people having a similar experiance.

As to the map size question. It needs to be as random (within the bounds of difficulty as you say) as possible. I was giving a lot of thought last night to what makes this game so great and what would make it better. Variety and uncertainty are two of the elements that I identified (future post coming). Some of the maps are really getting there (wherever 'there' is) as regards random layout and variety. However the alien starting positions need more work in my experience.

[H-Hour]

I use UFORadiant under Windows 7 so it does work. I can't trouble-shoot a lot because I'm not much of a techie, but you may have more luck if you download the latest build entirely. You can find it here under Development (latest). Download the UFO:AI Installer.

That may have UFORadiant in it already in a /radiant/ folder. If you can't find it there, then you can download a UFORadiant Installer just below the main installer.

If you have any problems feel free to post about it and we'll try to help.

[ShipIt]

The UFORadiant coming with the nightly build of 2.4 RC is broken for Windows (bugreport) as is the latest stable in the snapshots (where the UFORadiant installer links from the download page point to). The only working one is the link to UFORadiant 1.6 on destructavators site. This one is a medieval build from March of 2011.
All the installers are not asking were to install! In my test UFORadiant then was installed in the 2.3.1 directory, overwriting my beloved 1.5 ancient version. 

[ShipIt]

I have to say that I would love to map.

Just give it a try. You can make an easy start with this version of UFORadiant that should work without problems, just to check things out.

It just changes the windows colour scheme and seems to do nothing else but then use 25% cpu (Just 25%, exactly 25%) until I delete the process.

You have a quad core CPU? To me it uses 100%. 

Happy to be a guinea pig if you want to work out how to get this to run under windows 7.

It already does. Mutons tool creates a working one on my WIN7 laptop all the time, checked today.

I'm guessing the shortage of mappers is maybe due to people having a similar experiance.

Maybe, maybe not. Mapping is also time expensive and not as easy as it might look at first glance. Most people want fast and easy success nowadays.

As to the map size question. It needs to be as random (within the bounds of difficulty as you say) as possible. I was giving a lot of thought last night to what makes this game so great and what would make it better. Variety and uncertainty are two of the elements that I identified (future post coming). Some of the maps are really getting there (wherever 'there' is) as regards random layout and variety. However the alien starting positions need more work in my experience.

Waiting for this one.