I might be wrong but I thought that Banks were created at runtime, like if you have RPGMap1 and RPGMap2 any data in Banks for RPGMap2 is not created until that map is loaded and Ran. Is this correct?
And as I was typing this I thought Well if the game allows a Coop multi player Campains (spelling i know) then you could make RPGMap1 be the loading map that then jumps right into loading RPGMap2
But most likly I am not understanding what you are wanting to do OR how to use Banks since I have not used them yet LOL
I was thinking about RPG and how the limit effect these the most.
Is it possible for Map A to grab bank files and info from saved data in Map B?
Sort of like putting in the next disc when you played ff7 on ps2 back in the day except instead of the next disc you load the next map.
Could have the start of map 2 block untill some objective is completed in map 1 to stop people from skipping content?
Is this remotely possible at all?
My solution to this problem is .mod files. Seance you can have 20 megs in mod files im storing my music and custom models in mod files.
an on a note about the bank files, yes you can load information between maps. If you specify the bank file you wish to use the game will check to see if it exists, if it does the game uses the existing mod file and you can load and unload data from it. If it does not the game will create it, empty until you save something to it.
yes you can modify bank files of other maps even if thats stupid, but the bank file does not know which game belongs to it so when playing a map it could rdelete entries in the bankfile of another map.
But everyone who would do this wont really get positive feedback for that lol
But if you mean in modifying bank files yes thats possible you could make maps which allow you to cheat in another map if you know how its wrtitten or for encryption how to de/encrypt it
So you shoudl take a unique name to prevent this if its unwanted...
just savegame or hero or bank would be totally stupid
No see thats why you link files.. so it does know which maps it belongs to. If I was going to work on an RPG map I would actually probably do a RPG series of maps that are all linked together along with a .sc2mod if not two of them to store all the data in and make it so each map was different missions and such. And make it possible to go from one map to another and back and forth while playing online with multiple people, and yes, this is possible.
Ah yes if you mean this yes, sure.
But every map has access to any of the banks, you just have to know the names and the key section.
So i mentioned this because there you could make maps which could interfere by using the same bankfilename or you could even create maps which allow you to cheat in maps
Key names might be the key point. It seems you can't make the name of the bank variable (as it takes a literal string), but you can obfuscate the key names so that every bank of every player uses different key names depending on the player's name.
That way others could access your bank, but unless they know the obfuscation algorhythm they can't change anything.
I would probably do something like <mapname>_<playername>_<map version>.SC2Bank for each and every player of the map.
But then heres your problem. If you do something like this so that players are able to load their characters up again then you are going to have to make a way for like at the start of the map for them to say like "-load map_me_1.2"
and so your going to have to tell them their specific load code and ect and it would not be hard for them to make a map that allows you to do the exact same thing and although would be a long process they would be able to figure out how to alter it.
Unless I suppose you come up wih some keywords of sorts so like if for example the map only uses a bank named "awesomerpgmap_<playernumber>.SC2Bank"
and then you can make it so all they know for loading a chara is their player number and at the begining of the game they type "-load player0050201" or something along those lines.
I would probably do something like <mapname>_<playername>_<map version>.SC2Bank for each and every player of the map.
I initially thought of that too, but I've heard that it doesn't work. There was someone (sorry, I don't remember the name ^.^) who did some testing with banks and found out that you can't create them as variable names. They have to be loaded at map init with a literal string (so no variables) so it doesn't seem possible to obfuscate the bank name and load it properly - at least not in multiplayer. For 1 player it seems to work.
PS: about your edit..
why so difficult? :P If it did work you could just call the map like awesomerpgmap_<your player name> and the game would automatically load it, as it knows the prefix and knows your player name.
They can be 20MB and when you create a new map you can change it so its a new mod instead and then also on your maps to link them you goto file > dependencies.
I suppose you could do that too and thus making it impossible for the players to know your bank names... Im kinda wondering if maybe after the beta is released they allow variables for bank names as I know in WC3 RPG's they had something like this except files/banks were not able to be stored in battlenet, if you wanted to make it so people's data was stored you either had to make cache files for it or store it on your own server.
Maybe a mod could be made to make variable bank file names possible?
As for the storage space problem, couldn't you put all your resources into a mod dependency, and then simply tell players to download it some other way other than through Battle.net? Like, stop the map from running if they don't have the mod. Would that work?
I was thinking about RPG and how the limit effect these the most.
Is it possible for Map A to grab bank files and info from saved data in Map B?
Sort of like putting in the next disc when you played ff7 on ps2 back in the day except instead of the next disc you load the next map.
Could have the start of map 2 block untill some objective is completed in map 1 to stop people from skipping content?
Is this remotely possible at all?
Try it. You can link multiple maps and transfer data between them using banks.
I might be wrong but I thought that Banks were created at runtime, like if you have RPGMap1 and RPGMap2 any data in Banks for RPGMap2 is not created until that map is loaded and Ran. Is this correct?
And as I was typing this I thought Well if the game allows a Coop multi player Campains (spelling i know) then you could make RPGMap1 be the loading map that then jumps right into loading RPGMap2
But most likly I am not understanding what you are wanting to do OR how to use Banks since I have not used them yet LOL
My solution to this problem is .mod files. Seance you can have 20 megs in mod files im storing my music and custom models in mod files.
an on a note about the bank files, yes you can load information between maps. If you specify the bank file you wish to use the game will check to see if it exists, if it does the game uses the existing mod file and you can load and unload data from it. If it does not the game will create it, empty until you save something to it.
Is that possible to change bank files of other maps?
For example, there's a popular map that stores its info in popular.sc2bank. Can you update popular.sc2bank when playing a random custom map?
@vjeux: Go
yes you can modify bank files of other maps even if thats stupid, but the bank file does not know which game belongs to it so when playing a map it could rdelete entries in the bankfile of another map.
But everyone who would do this wont really get positive feedback for that lol
But if you mean in modifying bank files yes thats possible you could make maps which allow you to cheat in another map if you know how its wrtitten or for encryption how to de/encrypt it
So you shoudl take a unique name to prevent this if its unwanted... just savegame or hero or bank would be totally stupid
@BeLugh: Go
No see thats why you link files.. so it does know which maps it belongs to. If I was going to work on an RPG map I would actually probably do a RPG series of maps that are all linked together along with a .sc2mod if not two of them to store all the data in and make it so each map was different missions and such. And make it possible to go from one map to another and back and forth while playing online with multiple people, and yes, this is possible.
Ah yes if you mean this yes, sure. But every map has access to any of the banks, you just have to know the names and the key section. So i mentioned this because there you could make maps which could interfere by using the same bankfilename or you could even create maps which allow you to cheat in maps
@BeLugh: Go
Key names might be the key point. It seems you can't make the name of the bank variable (as it takes a literal string), but you can obfuscate the key names so that every bank of every player uses different key names depending on the player's name.
That way others could access your bank, but unless they know the obfuscation algorhythm they can't change anything.
@s3rius: Go
I would probably do something like <mapname>_<playername>_<map version>.SC2Bank for each and every player of the map.
But then heres your problem. If you do something like this so that players are able to load their characters up again then you are going to have to make a way for like at the start of the map for them to say like "-load map_me_1.2"
and so your going to have to tell them their specific load code and ect and it would not be hard for them to make a map that allows you to do the exact same thing and although would be a long process they would be able to figure out how to alter it.
Unless I suppose you come up wih some keywords of sorts so like if for example the map only uses a bank named "awesomerpgmap_<playernumber>.SC2Bank"
and then you can make it so all they know for loading a chara is their player number and at the begining of the game they type "-load player0050201" or something along those lines.
I initially thought of that too, but I've heard that it doesn't work. There was someone (sorry, I don't remember the name ^.^) who did some testing with banks and found out that you can't create them as variable names. They have to be loaded at map init with a literal string (so no variables) so it doesn't seem possible to obfuscate the bank name and load it properly - at least not in multiplayer. For 1 player it seems to work.
PS: about your edit..
why so difficult? :P If it did work you could just call the map like awesomerpgmap_<your player name> and the game would automatically load it, as it knows the prefix and knows your player name.
uhm i dont get it actually, so i have to ask about this.
it is possible to store sounds, images etc. in some mod files? whats the maximum filesize for them, and how does that work?
@PatchOne: Go
They can be 20MB and when you create a new map you can change it so its a new mod instead and then also on your maps to link them you goto file > dependencies.
Imma make a tutorial I think lol
@s3rius: Go
I suppose you could do that too and thus making it impossible for the players to know your bank names... Im kinda wondering if maybe after the beta is released they allow variables for bank names as I know in WC3 RPG's they had something like this except files/banks were not able to be stored in battlenet, if you wanted to make it so people's data was stored you either had to make cache files for it or store it on your own server.
Maybe a mod could be made to make variable bank file names possible?
As for the storage space problem, couldn't you put all your resources into a mod dependency, and then simply tell players to download it some other way other than through Battle.net? Like, stop the map from running if they don't have the mod. Would that work?
@anguule: Go
When you would upload your map to battlenet you would upload your mod too so players would auto download it when they play the map.
@PatchOne: Go
Heres the tutorial I just made showing how to work mod files. http://forums.sc2mapster.com/development/tutorials/2371-editor-mod-files-and-maps/