Ryandor.com

Hello all. I've been lurking for a few months, just biding my time until I could build my own map. I've read all of the tutorials I could easily find, and have come up just short of being able to play in my custom shard.

I downloaded Dragon version 9
I used Photoshop to build an appropriate-sized map (very basic, mainly made just to test the ability to build a map) with a few mountains, a forrest, and some multi-leveled grass areas on an island in the middle of water-0.

I used Dragon to make a map0.mul file in the Addon-Fullmap directory. I then took copies of the staidx0.mul and statics0.mul files from my Ultima Online 2D directory and copied them to the Adon-Fullmap directory in Dragon. I edited the staidx0 and statics0 files and deleted everything in them so I had two blank .mul files.

I ran DragonSD.exe and re-positioned the pointers towards the dragon directory instead of UltimaOnline.com and on the left selected ALL of the options (just to be sure). I selected (delete all current statics). It said that it completed after a few moments.

I made a copy of my stock Ultima Online 2D files and cut and pasted the new staidx0.mul, map0.mul and statics0.mul files into the Ultima Online 2D directory (it overwrote the old files).

I started up my RunUO Ver 1.0 with the Datapath pointed at the Ultima Online 2D directory. This is a squeeky-clean version of the server, so I had to setup an Admin Account. This is a copy of my up-and-running freeshard with some custom scripts (from the RunUO database).

I then started my UOGateway and logged into my server. I started off right by West Brit Bank (where my custom script puts new characters). West Brit bank's NPC's were there, and all of the decorations (tables, chairs, chests, etc) were there, as were the floor tiles, but the walls were gone and as I went around the world...all of the monster spawners were gone, and the water was lower (I could see the "shallow" areas where the shallow water used to be) The thin river, just West of West Brit Bank was empty, just a dry basin. All in all, the MAP hadnt' changed. It was still showing all of the regular Felucca decorations and statics.

Any ideas on what I did wrong>?

And after we get this straightened out, any way to update the FAQ to get people INTO their custom map? I would volunteer to supply the photos/writeup whatever...but at this point, I'm not confident on exactly HOW to get in myself, let alone writing up a how-to.

Thanks again

The "Hopper

It sounds like your map changes are ok, but all the dynamic items are still on the server. Dynamic items are items that are part of the game server's files that have not been saved to the map (like when you add an item within the game, it is not saved to the map files unless you freeze it there).

Try deleting all the files in your RunUO Saves/Items directory. WARNING: THIS WILL WIPE ALL ITEMS IN THE WORLD, so only do this if you want an empty server!

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-= HellRazor =-
Shattered Sosaria is coming!
http://www.shatteredsosaria.com

so kill everything in the Saves folder of RunUO. I will try that when I get home. Thanks for your help. I understand how much of a newbie question this was, but I really was stuck.

My RunUO setup that I"m using is a copy of my existing folder, so hopefully that'll take care of it. Thanks again.

The 'hopper

Just the stuff in the "items" folder, this should basically be the same as doing a world wipe. All of the items in the world will be gone.

But this will serve the purpose of getting rid of all the decorations in the world too and I think that is what you are seeing.

And hey don't sweat it, we were all new once. You described your problem very well!

_________________
-= HellRazor =-
Shattered Sosaria is coming!
http://www.shatteredsosaria.com

just to check.. did you remov ethe dif files or get blank ones? if they have not been changed or removed they will leave parts of the old map around your map. just a tip incase you sudenly run into haven etc

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Thrain
Beleriand

Well, the deleting of the saves folder KIND of worked. Now I'm not sure where to go next.

I logged in, and first off, my "map view" is FUBAR'd. It shows textures, but nothing looks right.

After I got logged in, I found that all of the lands that I put out as regular "Grass 2" ended up more like dense weed fields. The grass appears to be about as tall as my man's hips. When I run up on my mountains, they are no more than jagged pionts sticking straight up into the air. My water seems to look like a huge enlongated checkerboard. Bakc and forth black and white "diamond shapes". I know it's supposed to be water, as I can see from teh shape on the map where I am in the world. Possibly I used an incorrect color graph with Photoshop?? I'm using PS8.0. I used the color graph in Dragon with the shortest file name (I forget which one it is). There were three, and the other two looked like either updates or addons for the one I selected. I'm not irritated yet, but this DEFINITELY isn't as easy as the how-two's made it seem.

Thanks again
The 'hopper

But on the good side..I DID actually get to walk around inside of a map that I built

hehe saw this another place so might as well ask, did you remember to ste the bmp to indexed?

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Thrain
Beleriand

Thats the reason why you cant see the walls etc at WBB.
You used empty .mul files + you chosed to delete all statics in DragonSP
Theres 3 types of items you could say.
Tiles (Map0.mul)
Statics (statics0.mul/staidx.mul)
Dynamic Items (Server side items stored in the saves folder)

Everything you walk on in the world is the map file
Buildings & Base Decoration is the statics / staidx files
Your trusty Vanq Katana = dynamic item.

I've a copy of it at home (I'm at work right now) I'll check that. Thanks!!

Okay. I fixed the indexed problem, and have correct mountains now. I can now log in, run across the land, and everything is beautiful. HOWEVER. My water isn't working. Please view:



Notice where I am standing should be water. This is discouraging, as I have changed the color from 5 to -5 to ast much as 30...nothing. Unsure what to do. Also...why the "ghosting' where I ran across the border? I can see bits of my image on the edge of where the land meets the (supposed) sea. Any ideas?

Thanks again!

The 'hopper

I would guess that your image is not using the right color table.
The reason you have that black space between the swamp and plank tiles you see is they are at different altitudes and they do not wrap.

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This space for rent.

I am using the colortable_eng-mod9.bmp colortable that came with Dragon. What should I be using???
Thanks again!

The 'hopper

This is the color that I'm using for my water. I am pretty sure it says Water -5 but It's difficult to read.




Hope that's the right one. For some reason it's transferring it to anther color maybe??

Thanks
The 'hopper

hehe i had this problem to to start off , then i noticed that there was a collor pallet file in dragon .. i loaded it and sudenly lots of stuff changed collors (had fix some afterwards becaus they were changed to wrong type etc) but atleast now it worked correctly. here is how to do it just incase you dont know how to .(was playing around in photoshop anyways)
oh and i'm using mod 11 thats why i load the mod 11 act u load mod 9 one

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Thrain
Beleriand

AWESOME!! We've got WAVES!!! Thanks again!

The 'hopper

glad to actually have helped not often i get the chance hehe.

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Thrain
Beleriand

Yeah, that's what I had meant; what Thrain had explained nicely with pictures and all (we really do need to make new tuts).

If you get really wild different stuff then usually your colortable doesn't jive.

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This space for rent.

Well, now that I know how, if you guys need, I can make a 'how to' to get to where I am now...able to at least walk around in the map. It may not seem like that big of a deal to some, but in reality..I spent about 5 hours reading 'how to's on this board before attempting it, and then another 3 hours over 2 days trying to diagnose why it wasn't working.

A how-to for the basics seems like a no-brainer, but the current tutorials on here definitely aren't all-inclusive. I would love to help if need be.

The 'hopper