Raise or lower sections of land using different cursors.
Place objects, vehicles, spawn points, and much more.
Customization of any kind is always a welcome asset in a game, but no game on Xbox Live® has gone to the lengths the Far Cry series has with its multiplayer map editor. The ability to form and design a public multiplayer map for all to play (provided they download it) is wholly unique to the franchise for Xbox Live players, and with Far Cry Instincts Predator™, the map editor has seen a host of new added content with a next-gen graphic touch.
Just a stroll through the tropical landscape.
For those unfamiliar with such a toolset, or are just curious how it works, this brief guide explains the basics and lays a foundation of what to expect from this intuitive and feature-rich map editor.
Template and Brush Set Before getting to all the rich detail, first decide on a Template and Brush Set. The Template lays the environmental foundation for the map, allowing the editor to intuitively place brush, trees, and other environmental elements that would naturally grow according to the Template. Pick from the Far Cry standard Tropical beach setting, a more densely populated Forest set, a Swamp theme, or a Jungle Template.
Working with the map editor reveals the depth that satisfies even hardcore modders.
The Brush set configures the objects and buildings you have available. For example, you have access to Military, Refinery, Research, and Ruins packs that organize the available objects into a standardized set. In concert with the Template, these two settings allow each map to contain a common theme.
Molding the Environment After deciding on a Template and Brush Set, it's time to shape the environment itself. Whether you want to raise a giant hill in the middle of the map, chop off a section of beachhead, paint on some flat ground, set the overall height of the map, smooth out different sections, or dig entire areas out, mold the environment to your exact specifications.
Different sizes for the cursors and even different cursors (one round, another square) are available for ease of use. If you screw up, a simple Undo feature saves you from trying to patch up your mistake.
Poor pilot.
The Map Editor uses the Template as a guide to place brush, so when you raise and lower the terrain, vegetation will naturally grow or disappear. For example, flat land using the Tropical setting will be clean and sandy, but raising a hill will add brush gradually, with the highest density of foliage at the top of the hill.
Objects Once you've got the basic layout, it's time to start furnishing it with different objects. There are many to choose from, but to give you an idea, here are the different categories:
Vehicles: Yep, just like the developer created maps, drop any number of vehicles into a map. Whether you want an inflatable boat near a base, an ATV at the top of a hill for each team to jockey for, a Hovercraft for multipurpose travel needs, or a glider for those vertical maps, you have all the options you need.
Trees: Just like the name suggests, add trees (single or in clusters) and brush appropriate to the map type.
Large Brushes: This doesn't refer to bushes and such, but instead larger objects like buildings, large containers, rocks, sniper towers, etc.
Small Crushes: The opposite of Large Brushes, these are smaller objects like crates, sandbags, barrels, camp fires, and so on.
Special: These miscellaneous items usually complement an already existing item. look for ladders, zip lines, and heavy machine gun placements here.
Respawn Points: Remember, you're not just creating an environment, but a multiplayer experience, so bear in mind the less tangible design elements like respawn points as well.
Multiplayer: This category covers team base placement, as well as flag placements, reinforcement stations, retrieval stations, and more. The placement of these objects heavily influences the pace and strategy of your map.
Weapons/Items: Health packs, weapons, armor packs, evolution power-ups, and other like-items find their way into this category.
Looking even superficially at the options available is impressive, but working extensively with Far Cry Instincts Predator's map editor reveals the depth that satisfies even hardcore modders. The tools are here to create truly masterful levels, but even better is the easy-to-use user interface that ensures that the process is neither daunting nor frustrating.
