User Tools

Site Tools


gamemanual:installing_map

This is an old revision of the document!


Installing Maps

So you've downloaded a new cool map, and now you want to try it out in the game! But you don't know how… Don't worry, we've got some instructions for you.



How It Works

First, you should know how the system works. Map files are actually folders. Inside these folders are all the files used for the map. There is a file in the first level of the folder called MapFileForGame.xml. The game looks for this file in each folder in the “Maps” folder. If the file is there, it reads the data from the file and if there are no errors, you have a playable map. If the file is missing, it will not load the map.



Unpacking

Most likely you received the map in a compressed file format. Depending on the format, you may need third party software to decompress it. The following list are names of software needed for each file extension:

Please note, due to this wiki being viewable in game, external links have been disabled. Copy and paste, or type the URL in your address bar to visit the websites.

The following programs are for Windows. We expect Linux and OSX users to know their software. :)

ExtensionProgram NameURL
.zip Windows None, built into windows.
.7z 7zip www.7-zip.org
.rar winRAR or 7zip www.rarlab.com/download.htm OR www.7-zip.org

The contents of the map should be in one folder with the same name as the map name.



Moving the Folder to Maps

Next you should locate your Maps folder. This is normally in the game's InstallPath/media/Maps folder. If you're using Steam, see Steam: How to Access Installation Folder.

An example of the map folder looks like with other maps is in the picture on the right.





Loading Your Map

After decompressing the map files, and moving the resulting folder to the Maps folder, the game should be able to read it. Go ahead and open GearCity, start a new game, and see if its there!



Troubleshooting

Well that's not good. Something went wrong! Here are some common mistakes.

Map Does Not Show Up On List

There may be something wrong with the Map files, or you installed it incorrectly.

First, did you copy the folder containing the Map Files to the Maps folder? For example, if you downloaded “My Fun Map” did you copy the “My Fun Map” folder to the InstallPath/media/Maps?

The folder containing the map files must be named the same as the map's name. You can find the name by opening the MapFileForGame.xml in Notepad, and looking at what is in between the MapName tags. For example in the following: <MapName>Base City Map</MapName> The name of the map is “Base City Map” so the folder containing all these files should be “Base City Map”.

Map Crashes as Soon as I Click It In the List

Most likely the map is missing the map picture logo file. If you properly installed the map, then the problem is with the map maker not including this file, naming the file incorrectly, or it's not in the correct file format.

Map Crashes As Soon As I Start A New Game

This is an issue with the map files that probably has to be fixed by the map maker. Most likely it is missing .dds texture files. Anytime the game crashes, check the logs. It will probably tell you why. How to Read Log file.

gamemanual/installing_map.1494711149.txt.gz · Last modified: 2022/02/15 17:58 (external edit)