Do we need two versions of all custom mansions?

[brell]

Vern, do we need to versions of all custom mansions from now on? One for the good old MM1 and another for the HD version?

[VernJensen]

Yes, until the Level Builder gets ported to be an HD version.

I would recommend making each available for download separately. Why? Because you can actually play a mansion *while zipped* in the HD version! Provided you ZIP it

correctly.

To zip it correctly, open up the mansion's folder (i.e.

Castle Doom Normal

), do Select All from the Edit menu, then control-click on any selected item and to

Compress

. (It'll say something like

Compress 16 items.

) Rename

Archive.zip

to the name of the mansion, such as

Castle Doom Normal.zip

and move it to the parent directory.

You now have a ZIP that can be played as-is! No need to expand the zip after downloading! How cool is that?

Note: I didn't ship the built-in mansions this way, because it adds a small but noticeable delay when walking between rooms when using a mansion that is a ZIP instead of expanded. So players can play it either zipped or not.

[m1ck]

I came by to ask a similar question. I've been playing at converting mansions, just because I can.

My question is more about feeling that (trying to be diplomatic, here)... some of the custom mansions are rather poor, especially the early ones.

Do you experts have any internal

rating

?  I have my own mental system that ranges from

yuck

to

cool

, with an added mental tag for

this is one of those 'gotcha' mansions

. The gotchas are playable and winnable (mostly), but there's a sense (mine) that the maker doesn't so much want you to have fun, but more admire how evil they made it. 

Are you contacting the people who made mansions with custom graphics and offering them a chance to redo?

Are you warning people that are making new custom mansions for MM2 that custom graphics won't be able to be converted for MM2 HD?

Yes, a lot of questions, and none that can't be ignored if I'm in the wrong alley again.

[brell]

Mick, there are no

internal rating

, just the mental system of each individual
Every players has his or her favourite mansions and most (if not all) players do not want Jack-stucks, half-Jack-stucks or cheap deaths if that is what you mean.
We will try to contact all the builders of the old custom mansions that may need some minor repairs before they are playable in the HD format. I am, however, not sure whether we should convert mansions with custom graphics or sprites (and thus removing those graphics/sprites) without asking the author first. Anyway, this is something the admins have to decide.

[brell]

3605120E2A050E13050E600 wrote:

I would recommend making each available for download separately. Why? Because you can actually play a mansion *while zipped* in the HD version! Provided you ZIP it

correctly.

You now have a ZIP that can be played as-is! No need to expand the zip after downloading! How cool is that?

Very cool indeed and seems to me to save us some job in uploading the HD versons.

[VernJensen]

Brell --
Well, you must zip the contents of the converted HD version for it to be playable in the HD version of the game. You can't just zip an original mansion and play it in the HD version. Sorry if I gave that impression.

Mick --
As for a rating system, I'd love to get an automated website upload/download system, perhaps even integrated in the game, where players can rate mansions that are uploaded... but that is a feature for another day. It'd take quite a bit of work I think. But would be ideal.

As for converting mansions with custom graphics, all you need to do is open up the graphics in the 'Pict' folder, double their size (in most cases), and re-save as a .PNG image. You do have to compare with the images in Game Data / Sprites (identical filename) to make sure doubling in size was what was required... but usually that's what's necessary.

I won't be doing this myself. Up to the mansion designers to update their mansions to the HD version. Or forum admins if they feel so inclined. Or volunteers who understand how it's done and want to help.

[VernJensen]

brell -- if you can't get in touch with a mansion designer, I'd feel free to upgrade their mansion for them if you want to.

[brell]

0A392E321639322F39325C0 wrote: Brell --
Well, you must zip the contents of the converted HD version for it to be playable in the HD version of the game. You can't just zip an original mansion and play it in the HD version. Sorry if I gave that impression.

No, no, I got it right.

0A392E321639322F39325C0 wrote: Mick --
As for a rating system, I'd love to get an automated website upload/download system, perhaps even integrated in the game, where players can rate mansions that are uploaded... but that is a feature for another day. It'd take quite a bit of work I think. But would be ideal.

A rating system for custom mansions might hurt some builders' feelings:

Why are they rating my mansions so low?

0A392E321639322F39325C0 wrote: As for converting mansions with custom graphics, all you need to do is open up the graphics in the 'Pict' folder, double their size (in most cases), and re-save as a .PNG image. You do have to compare with the images in Game Data / Sprites (identical filename) to make sure doubling in size was what was required... but usually that's what's necessary.

I won't be doing this myself. Up to the mansion designers to update their mansions to the HD version. Or forum admins if they feel so inclined. Or volunteers who understand how it's done and want to help.

It is good to have this information about mansions with custom graphics/sprites. I agree that it would be best that the designers update their own work.

[brell]

102334280C2328352328460 wrote: brell -- if you can't get in touch with a mansion designer, I'd feel free to upgrade their mansion for them if you want to.

Thanks. I will contact the other admins and we will decide upon some kind of procedure in the upgrade work.

Can you let me know when MM1 HD is released?

[VernJensen]

2434232A2A460 wrote: A rating system for custom mansions might hurt some builders' feelings: 

Why are they rating my mansions so low?

Well, perhaps designers could choose whether to allow ratings for their mansion or not.