Maps folder structure

[ssidiver]

I believe the file structure should start with ' maps\packages ' I have reinstalled the maps package and the map folders are directly in the maps folder; there is no 'packages' folder.

 

Can I just manually create a 'packages' folder and then copy everything in the 'maps' folder into that 'packages' folder? Or are there other sub folders that are not maps?

 

I have no idea why this happened

 

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by ssidiver

[Volcano]

Did you install your maps to another place or another drive?

 

If you don't have a packages folder then it either means that you installer the map packages somewhere else, or you need to install the maps from the map installer (because you don't want to not have any map packages - nothing would work).

 

To see if you installed them somewhere else, I suppose you could run a search across all your hard drives for "metadata.mrf" or "*.lnt"

[Gibsonm]

1 hour ago, ssidiver said:

I believe the file structure should start with ' maps\packages ' I have reinstalled the maps package and the map folders are directly in the maps folder; there is no 'packages' folder.

 

Can I just manually create a 'packages' folder and then copy everything in the 'maps' folder into that 'packages' folder? Or are there other sub folders that are not maps?

 

 

Not quite.

 

The "packages" folder is one of the folders within "maps" but not the only one. I have four, including "packages"

 

I have *:

 

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\height

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\packages

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\terrain

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\themes

 

"packages" is an additional sub folder

 

* Caveat: I need to retain a copy of SB Pro (classroom version) so I couldn't exactly follow the installation instructions to uninstall previous versions. I think my structure should be similar to your, but I don't know for certain. 4.175 certainly runs though with this setup.

 

Of course if you installed the maps somewhere else, this is probably of little use to you.

[ssidiver]

Interesting.

 

I installed, from SBMapPackageINstaller.exe to D:/.........../Steel Beasts/Maps

 

I  searched and found "D:\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\Maps\Ft_Knox_10m [autocreated base]\deltas\FT KNOX KY 50km 1A-1_10m\metadata.mrf"

 

I think I will uninstall everything,

Rename any remaining Steel Beasts folders on the C drive,

Reinstall The maps on the C drive

Then reinstall Steel Beasts

 

Even though I did uninstall first, there may have been something left over that the installer 'grabbed'.

 

Any other ideas?

[ssidiver]

Just got my package from eSim games, I can re-install from there now!

 But not just yet

 

[Gibsonm]

It appears that the "uninstall previous versions before you install 4.157" guidance, accidentally deleted the legacy maps use by 4.023 and earlier.

 

I'm that removed the folders too.

 

There is a post here that includes a fresh download of the old maps (apparently a subsequent patch will also include these so the issue is fixed going forward):

 

 

If you are really stuck let me know and I'll try to send you my old 4.023 files - I always back the "eSim Games" folder up pre upgrade, (but it will take a bit of bandwidth).

 

 

[ssidiver]

22 hours ago, Gibsonm said:

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\height

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\packages

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\terrain

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\themes

Thank you!

 

It's not the legacy maps I'm concerned about, it's the new ones.

 

I uninstalled the maps and the program

 

- Ran the maps install from the thumb drive, I selected ProgramData/Steel Beasts which is the file location now shown in the program

All the individual map folders installed themselves there, no 'maps' folder, just them nothing else in ProgramData/Steel Beasts. The folder for each map has an .Int, .ter and .mrf file as well as a 'deltas' folder

 

- Installed Steel beasts

Everything appeared in ProgramData/Steel Beasts, interleaved with the map folders.

There is a maps folder there, it only has the themes folder.

There are no height, packages or terrain folders in ProgramData/Steel Beasts

 

There is no height folder anywhere on the C drive.

There is no 'packages' folder related to Steal Beasts anywhere on the C drive.

There is a 'terrain' folder in program files.

 

It runs fine, a little better than it did with the maps on the D drive

 

Just very curious why my folder hierarchy is not standard. Can I arrange it manually?

 

It seems very weird

[Gibsonm]

If you launch SB go to "Options" and you'll see a "File Path" option.

 

That will display where SB is getting its maps from.

[ssidiver]

Yes ProgramData/Steel Beasts, the folder I selected during the map install

 

[Ssnake]

3 hours ago, ssidiver said:

It's not the legacy maps I'm concerned about, it's the new ones.

 

- Ran the maps install from the thumb drive, I selected ProgramData/Steel Beasts which is the file location now shown in the program

All the individual map folders installed themselves there, no 'maps' folder, just them nothing else in ProgramData/Steel Beasts. The folder for each map has an .Int, .ter and .mrf file as well as a 'deltas' folder

Okay. That's your new map packages location. Ideally there would have been a subdirectory created, but I suppose the only way to correct that would be to create a new folder where you really want all the maps to go, then to uninstall the maps, and to reinstall them using that new folder as the target directory. Afterwards you'd need to change the file path in the main menu (which however is only possible if the target directory already contains the default map (and, I think, the range and tutorial map)).

 

It might be easier to uninstall, and then to reinstall everything - with the map packages first, maybe even into something like "C:\SB Map Packages".

 

I will also let the programmer know that no subdirectory is created. There's good arguments for either way. Personally, I hate it if I'm asked about the desired location and then it adds stuff to the path that I may already have entered. But in a case like this you'd want it exactly that way. And even if there was a mind-reading user interface the question still is if the user is actually fully informed about the consequences at the moment he makes the decision.

[ssidiver]

I initially installed the maps on to the D drive and this time the C, both gave me similar results. But Steel Beasts is running better with the maps on the C drive.

 

I take it that the the individual map folders should be in C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\packages ?

[Gibsonm]

21 minutes ago, ssidiver said:

I take it that the the individual map folders should be in C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\packages ?

If by "folders" you mean the published maps and the subsequent "deltas", yes.

 

If you mean the earlier "pre 4.157" folders for Terrain and Height maps, no they should retain their locations as per my earlier post.

[ssidiver]

33 minutes ago, Gibsonm said:

If by "folders" you mean the published maps and the subsequent "deltas", yes.

Thank you.

 

I'll have fiddle with the ' ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts ' folder when I get the chance

 

[markh]

2 hours ago, Gibsonm said:

If by "folders" you mean the published maps and the subsequent "deltas", yes.

 

If you mean the earlier "pre 4.157" folders for Terrain and Height maps, no they should retain their locations as per my earlier post.

Hi

 

Based on my understanding of this thread, v4.157 has been released without the "height", "terrain" and "themes" folders that existed in v4.023.  This essentially means that we cannot (for example) create a custom maps using the "height" map template and then using the various editor tools - including "themes".  If that is the case, is this going to be corrected by some form of patch, and when the patch is applied will we be able to have the same functionality as what I have described in the v4.023 above.

 

Gibsonm, you have referred to the "height", "terrain" and "theme" folders in v4.023.  I have uninstalled v4.157 and reinstalled v4.023 to look for them, but could not locate them.  Can you please tell me where they are?  I am in c:/Program files/eSim Games/SB Pro PE but cannot file folders with those names (apart from the "terrain" folder).

 

Thanks

 

 

[Retro]

57 minutes ago, markh said:

Gibsonm, you have referred to the "height", "terrain" and "theme" folders in v4.023.  I have uninstalled v4.157 and reinstalled v4.023 to look for them, but could not locate them.  Can you please tell me where they are?  I am in c:/Program files/eSim Games/SB Pro PE but cannot file folders with those names (apart from the "terrain" folder).

The exact path depends a bit on your windows version; in your 'Steel Beasts' start menu folder there should be a link called 'Maps Folder' which should open a new Explorer window in that path. You could also navigate to that path manually, by pasting '%PROGRAMDATA%\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps' (without the single quotes) into the Explorer address bar

 

[thewood]

I am kind of confused about what installs and do and don't install for maps when a clean 4.1 install is done.  All I know is that I backed up all scenarios and maps for 4.023.  I then uninstalled 4.023.  I installed 4.1.  I tried loading my own scenario.  It said it couldn't find the ter or hgt map.  I ended up having to create a terrain and height folder and moving my maps into them.  So a clean install puts no terrain or height folder in place.  That is what totally confused me.

Edited August 3, 2019 by thewood

[Gibsonm]

1 hour ago, markh said:

Gibsonm, you have referred to the "height", "terrain" and "theme" folders in v4.023.  I have uninstalled v4.157 and reinstalled v4.023 to look for them, but could not locate them.  Can you please tell me where they are?  I am in c:/Program files/eSim Games/SB Pro PE but cannot file folders with those names (apart from the "terrain" folder).

 

Thanks

 

 

For my machine:

 

On 8/2/2019 at 2:22 PM, Gibsonm said:

 

Not quite.

 

The "packages" folder is one of the folders within "maps" but not the only one. I have four, including "packages"

 

I have *:

 

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\height

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\packages

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\terrain

C:\ProgramData\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps\themes

 

"packages" is an additional sub folder

 

* Caveat: I need to retain a copy of SB Pro (classroom version) so I couldn't exactly follow the installation instructions to uninstall previous versions. I think my structure should be similar to your, but I don't know for certain. 4.175 certainly runs though with this setup.

 

Of course if you installed the maps somewhere else, this is probably of little use to you.

 

[Retro]

The 'height' and 'terrain' folders are 'legacy' and NOT created by the 4.1xx installers (we'll see about that I guess). The 'themes' folder is still required by 4.1 and will hence be created (and populated) by the installer. The parent path to these three folders (ie %PROGRAMDATA%\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps') is not user-configurable (well, OK, at least not without reconfiguring Windows, which is rather advanced really out of scope here) and not influenced in any way by the 'Map Package Path' setting that you can change in Steel Beasts's main menu options. So wherever you moved your Map Packages, SB should still look for legacy maps (for conversion purposes) in these folders..

[markh]

3 minutes ago, Retro said:

The 'height' and 'terrain' folders are 'legacy' and NOT created by the 4.1xx installers (we'll see about that I guess). The 'themes' folder is still required by 4.1 and will hence be created (and populated) by the installer. The parent path to these three folders (ie %PROGRAMDATA%\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\maps') is not user-configurable (well, OK, at least not without reconfiguring Windows, which is rather advanced really out of scope here) and not influenced in any way by the 'Map Package Path' setting that you can change in Steel Beasts's main menu options. So wherever you moved your Map Packages, SB should still look for legacy maps (for conversion purposes) in these folders..

Thanks Retro

 

I guess my main query is whether you know if we will have the functionality to create our own maps using the Map Editor in the same way we are able to do so using v4.023?  As an example, I would load a random "height" template map as a base, then use "themes" to determine whether to create an arid, desert, temperate or tropical location, then the rest of the editor tools to draw roads, fields, buildings, fences, forests etc.  Once I created a map I would save it as a terrain and load the terrain file into the Mission editor to create a mission.  That is what I am missing in v4.157.

 

Do you know if there is some way of doing that now, or is v4.157 going to be patched to reintroduce those features?

[ht-57]

54 minutes ago, markh said:

I guess my main query is whether you know if we will have the functionality to create our own maps using the Map Editor in the same way we are able to do so using v4.023? 

You have it. with 4.1 just open map editor pick map then save as delta file. if you are going to use 4.0 maps the hgt and ter files are all pinned at the top of this "support forum".  dl them  or the one you want and place them in the pre described folders. You can then open the map editor and under file tab choose "map package from TER" or HGT- takes a little while for the 4.0 stuff to convert but once it does the editor operates like it did in 4.0

 

Edited August 3, 2019 by ht-57

[Wolfseven]

So that's what happen to all my maps installing the 4.157 deleted them?

[Sean]

59 minutes ago, markh said:

Thanks Retro

 

I guess my main query is whether you know if we will have the functionality to create our own maps using the Map Editor in the same way we are able to do so using v4.023?  As an example, I would load a random "height" template map as a base, then use "themes" to determine whether to create an arid, desert, temperate or tropical location, then the rest of the editor tools to draw roads, fields, buildings, fences, forests etc.  Once I created a map I would save it as a terrain and load the terrain file into the Mission editor to create a mission.  That is what I am missing in v4.157.

 

Do you know if there is some way of doing that now, or is v4.157 going to be patched to reintroduce those features?

Open map editor.  Select "open default map".  File -> Map Package from HGT.  Pick a legacy height map.  (Volcano posted a zip with a bunch of them in another thread).  It will convert the height map to the new format.  Then you can start from scratch painting terrain.  Publish the map, then you are done.  

 

You can also edit an existing map, then choose save as new delta package, then publish.

 

It does work differently now, but once you wrap your mind around it, its not too bad.  

[thewood]

OK, knowing that a clean install doesn't create the terrain and height folders clears most of it up for me.  I think some people don't know what "clean" means.  That means uninstalling and removing all personal game files.  If you do a real "clean" install, you'll have to create the terrain and height folders for the legacy maps.  That might need to be more explicitly called out for people doing a real "clean" install.

[markh]

On 8/3/2019 at 10:10 PM, ht-57 said:

You have it. with 4.1 just open map editor pick map then save as delta file. if you are going to use 4.0 maps the hgt and ter files are all pinned at the top of this "support forum".  dl them  or the one you want and place them in the pre described folders. You can then open the map editor and under file tab choose "map package from TER" or HGT- takes a little while for the 4.0 stuff to convert but once it does the editor operates like it did in 4.0

 

Thanks ht-57.  I had read that but was not processing it until your post.  Everything working for me now.

[Gibsonm]

On 8/4/2019 at 12:10 AM, ht-57 said:

... if you are going to use 4.0 maps the hgt and ter files are all pinned at the top of this "support forum".  ...

 

Well no, the Height maps are, as specified in the thread title:

 

"Get all the official 4.0 legacy HGT map files here..."

 

Edited August 4, 2019 by Gibsonm