Ryandor.com

Hi People,

After a few hours work, Ive hit a wall right now. But have made a little progess, and thought I'd share, hoping I might get some insight.

The new Ultima Online ML client, accepts many different sizes of Map0.mul now without crashing. What brought me to this was testing if the new ML client, supported the old Map0 size as well as the new. And it does.

This brings me to a conclusion, that either A. OSI have made the client accept 2 values for it. or B. They have a new formula and it allows custom map sizes, but it has to be just right.

Ive been creating blank custom maps in Dragon trying to get the sizes correct, but there comes a point where I hit "blackness" in the client, and can proceed no further.

I havent also been able to successfully create a blank map that is properly accepted in InsideUO either (I get either Bad Image or the piece I extend becomes really screwed).

I tried doubling both Width and Height, Adding another 128 blocks to Width, and a few other various combinations, but havent been successfull.

If anyone knows what should be a "Valid" "Custom" size can you pass the values over so I can have a play, Or If you can get a "Larger" Map0 to work in InsideUO.

Perhaps someone can shed some insight onto this? (Sizes, anything), It just seems rather perculiar how its now accepting differing sizes to what it should.

You can specify the map dimensions in an XML file associated with InsideUO, and thus have it display any size you want just by modifying the XML file. Obviously, just because it works in InsideUO, does not make it a valid map at all.

The dimensions of the various map*.mul files are not stored within the files themselves. That is why they are all ?hard-coded? ? at least one value (either the width or the height) must be hard-coded into the client itself, or loaded from an additional file. It has been verified, though, that the sizes are indeed hard-coded into the client.

Theoretically, only the height should need to be hard-coded, since the width could then be determined based on the file size, and therefore it is possible that the new ML client does this. It is more likely, however, that it assumes it is loading the original UO map until it is told it is an ML client, at which time it would expect access to the entire ML map addition. I highly doubt that it will support any ?custom sizes.?

To test, though, try making a map with a very large width, but make sure the height remains the same (this much I am sure ? the height is definitely hard-coded).

_________________
Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net

Does the map file also have to be accompanied by a valid and same-sized statics file?

At the moment, all my testing has been done with map only, and I am wondering if the statics might be causing the blackness. (Dragon for some reason wont put out a statics file even after running DragonSP).

Erm... staidx*.mul must be the correct size, but it would more likely crash the client if it is not, as opposed to simply causing blackness.

_________________
Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net

Thanks again Syd

Didnt work though, It seems all they did was increase the upper X limit, so now the map is capped at 7000 odd, instead of 6000 odd (cant remember exacts off the top of my head).

This does mean however from my testing, that smaller shards, can use smaller maps.

(Client still throws a lovely black bar where the dungeon bar is supposed to begin, so you cant use that piece to continue a map).

Oh well, All worked up for nothing

Perhaps we should contact OSI and ask them to allow unlimited map sizing, heh

^ That was me by the way, sorry :/