Terrain and map editor

[El Savior]

How big job will it be to add broader selection of terrains to map editor? Example HTTR's polder terrain is now replaced in COTA. Each new game could add totally new layer and it would make scenario making a little easier. I noticed that you are offering HTTR terrain for download. This is great and mod makers can use HTTR maps now. But still if it's not too much to ask adding new terrain layers while keeping old terrains would make redesigning old scenarios easier and making broader selection of user-made scenarios available.

[Arjuna]

El Savior,
 
I understand where you're coming from. It was only last week that I discussed this issue of the limited numbers of terrain layers with Paul Scobell. The crux of the problem is that we have only a very limited number of terrain types available to use. When we started back in 1996 memory was tight ( we had to make sure that the game would run on a 128k system ). So we opted to store the map data in a very small data size ( and use wretched bit arithmetic operations to access and manipulate it - what a pain I can tell you ). 
 
When we added the additional five altitude layers for COTA we used up all available space within the existing mapClass data structures. So that is why now if you want to have an extra terrain type you must do so at the expense of one of the existing ones.
 
To fix this we need to use a bigger data size fro storing the map layers and we need to revise much of our base level map classes. This is not a trivial undertaking. It's unlikely to get done for BFTB but I would like it done asap. Much will depend on progress with other developemnt work.

[El Savior]

In that case we can wait and hope for the best. This reminds me of DOS and memory limits. Oh, those old good days. [:D]

Well, we can manage without it now, but it'll be nice to have in the future.