Question about packaging custom layers in scenario zips

[Temple]

I've created a couple of custom layers for a set of scenarios I'm building.

My question is to other scenario builders out there who are utilizing custom layers... do you intend to package the layer files plus instructions in the same zip as your scenarios, or are you thinking of placing them in some central depository, intending to let the players download and install them if desired?

My reason for asking is because if I end up releasing scenarios sequentially then it would be a waste of bandwidth to have players download the same files over and over, but on the other hand it takes away from having all needed files in one download.

Thoughts on this?

[Der Zeitgeist]

I will probably do both. I'm planning a scenario where the custom overlay will include some additional information relevant to the mission, that I will "paint" on the overlay. So I'd want to make sure that the players will get the overlay without having to search for it at some other place.

[Meroka37]

If the scenarios are going to be part of Community Package a file with all overlays used by the Package scenario can be created and uploaded to Warfaresims, so players will have one click stop place for having scenarios/overlays. What do you think?

[Tomcat84]

It depends.

If the overlays are for a scenario that stands on its own, I would say, package them in the zip with the scenario. If however, you are planning a series of scenarios taking place in the same theater and using the same overlays, then doing the scenarios separately and the overlays once makes more sense.

As far as the community pack it seems smart to do that yeah. Then people who don't want overlays or are bandwidth limited can just skip them, and people who do want them get one file for the whole community scenario pack.

Either way may I recommend that, as suggested earlier, we do try and stick to the same way of locating them, e.g. make an "Overlay" folder in your Command folder with subfolders for every (series of) scenario.

That will make it easy to package zips and load the overlays, especially for the community package. And I'd recommend that if you have a certain order in which they need to be loaded, that you number the files 1, 2, 3 for loading order. Of course still with a descriptor, e.g. 1-coastline.png, 2-targetarea.png, 3-nellisafb.png etc