Celery
Jun 28 2007, 16:26
--- Mission name standard ---
This sticky is for everyone who is making multiplayer missions and I ask you to read and follow the standard for the convenience of the whole multiplayer community.
The mission name matters because missions are listed in alphabetical order on a server. There are hundreds of missions out there and many servers have a huge amount of them so keeping things tidy helps everyone pick the mission they want to play with less trouble. The mission name is written in the editor in the same window where you set the weather and time conditions.
Here is an example of your everyday mission name following the standard:
CO 06 Kill the AI
The name specifies these parts:
game type
maximum number of players
mission name
Below is a more complicated name, showing more pieces of information should the need arise:
FDF CTF@<hidden> 24 Flag Rambos v1 beta
The name specifies these parts:
mod tag
game type
addon tag
maximum number of players
mission name
version of the mission
PLEASE NOTE: Mission names are written exactly like in the examples, underscores for spaces and (only) lower case are not used. The mission name is only a piece of data inside the file and it doesn't give any trouble to upper case and space allergic systems that try to open them. Read about filenames near the end of this post.
-- Specific intructions for naming your mission begin here --
--- Mods, leagues and squads ---
If the mission requires a mod (not individual addons), it should be stated at the start of the mission name to tell the players that the mod should be loaded if they wish to play the mission. It should be written first to make it easier to either browse or skip the mod missions depending on if you can or want to play them or not.
An example of a mod mission name:
ACE CO 30 Domination
Leagues and tournaments need a tag to tell their missions apart from public ones. If the league or tournament uses addons, the tag should be placed like a mod tag at the beginning of the name. If the league's missions are also meant for addon-free public play, the tag should be placed after the game type for easier browsing.
Two examples of league mission names:
ECL C&H 34 Metal Rain
CTF -Gc- 50 CAYO V1-06beta
A squad or mission making team tag can also be used. In that case the tag can be either after the game type or after the mission name. If you're only making a single mission and not a series of missions of the same game type, it's best to leave the tag after the mission name for easier alphabetical browsing. A tag after the game type serves to list all missions of the same series together.
Two examples of squad mission names:
CTF [MCY] 60 DOUBLE BLOW v03
DM 10 VODKA! [MCY] v1.10
--- The addon (@<hidden>) tag ---
The @<hidden> sign helps the server admin and joining players to see that they must have the unofficial addons the mission requires to play (not included in the vanilla game, expansions or patches). If the mission is made for a mod, a mod tag will suffice to tell everyone that they must have the mod. However if the mission uses an addon that the mentioned mod doesn't include, the @<hidden> sign becomes necessary again. The tag is attached to the end of the game type with no spaces.
If you want to specify which addon is needed, you can mention the addon's name next to the mission name.
Mission using an unofficial addon:
A&D@<hidden> 16 Addon Wars v666
Mission using the FDF mod:
FDF CO 08 Russian Hell
Mission using the FDF mod and an addon not included in the mod:
FDF TDM@<hidden> 12 Wanzer Fight v2
Mission converted to use an addon:
DM@<hidden> 10 VODKA! (Sergei's M4 pack)
--- Player amount ---
The two digits before the mission name give away the maximum amount of people who can play the mission. Spectator slots should be left out of the count so players won't be confused when they don't get to play in the actual game afterall. The number always has to be written with two digits unless the mission actually has 100 slots or more. If the amount is lower than 10, a zero is written as the first digit so that the alphanumeric order is not confused.
--- Game types ---
The following abbreviations are used:
CO - Cooperative (only AI opponents)
DM - Deathmatch
TDM - Team Deathmatch
C&H - Capture and Hold
SC - Sector Control
AAS - Advance & Secure
CTF - Capture the Flag
RCTF - Reverse Capture the Flag
Combi - Combination of C&H and CTF
C&K - Capture and Kill
CTI - Conquer the Island
A&D - Attack & Defend
Obj - Objective (Co-op style mission with PvP element)
RC - Race
FF - Flag Fight
TFF - Team Flag Fight
E&E - Escape & Evade
VIP - VIP Protection/Assassination
RTS - Real Time Strategy
RPG - Role Playing Game
Misc - Miscellaneous (unique concept not fitting in any category)
If there are game types that aren't listed here, don't be shy to mention.
--- Version ---
A version number is completely optional but highly recommended to better recognize possible different versions of the mission at first glance. The format of version numbering is free as long as it's consistent with other versions of your missions to make it easy to see which one is a more recent version.
--- Filenames ---
Although the mission name is the most visible part in Armed Assault, you should not forget about the significance of the filename. When managing missions on a server, the missions show with only their filenames in the ftp program and that's why it's smart to extend the naming format there. There are some differences, though.
1. Use underscores (_) in place of spaces ( )
2. Don't use periods
If you have a period (.) in the name of your mission, leave it out. If the version number uses a period, replace it with a hyphen (-) in the filename.
Examples of filenames:
ctf_gc_50_everon_v1-06beta2.Chernarus.pbo
dm_16_vanilla_v1-03b.utes.pbo
--- Ending words ---
This standard's purpose is to make everyone's browsing easier and faster both as server admins and as players joining a game. Selfish naming policies such as adding special characters or brackets at the beginning of the name to make your mission show at the beginning of the list only disrupts the system so I ask you to have the willpower and discipline to follow the standard, no matter how special you think your mission is. The standard is open for changes as long as it contributes to its purpose or if there is a mistake somewhere in the current edition of this post.
This sticky is for everyone who is making multiplayer missions and I ask you to read and follow the standard for the convenience of the whole multiplayer community.
The mission name matters because missions are listed in alphabetical order on a server. There are hundreds of missions out there and many servers have a huge amount of them so keeping things tidy helps everyone pick the mission they want to play with less trouble. The mission name is written in the editor in the same window where you set the weather and time conditions.
Here is an example of your everyday mission name following the standard:
CO 06 Kill the AI
The name specifies these parts:
game type
maximum number of players
mission name
Below is a more complicated name, showing more pieces of information should the need arise:
FDF CTF@<hidden> 24 Flag Rambos v1 beta
The name specifies these parts:
mod tag
game type
addon tag
maximum number of players
mission name
version of the mission
PLEASE NOTE: Mission names are written exactly like in the examples, underscores for spaces and (only) lower case are not used. The mission name is only a piece of data inside the file and it doesn't give any trouble to upper case and space allergic systems that try to open them. Read about filenames near the end of this post.
-- Specific intructions for naming your mission begin here --
--- Mods, leagues and squads ---
If the mission requires a mod (not individual addons), it should be stated at the start of the mission name to tell the players that the mod should be loaded if they wish to play the mission. It should be written first to make it easier to either browse or skip the mod missions depending on if you can or want to play them or not.
An example of a mod mission name:
ACE CO 30 Domination
Leagues and tournaments need a tag to tell their missions apart from public ones. If the league or tournament uses addons, the tag should be placed like a mod tag at the beginning of the name. If the league's missions are also meant for addon-free public play, the tag should be placed after the game type for easier browsing.
Two examples of league mission names:
ECL C&H 34 Metal Rain
CTF -Gc- 50 CAYO V1-06beta
A squad or mission making team tag can also be used. In that case the tag can be either after the game type or after the mission name. If you're only making a single mission and not a series of missions of the same game type, it's best to leave the tag after the mission name for easier alphabetical browsing. A tag after the game type serves to list all missions of the same series together.
Two examples of squad mission names:
CTF [MCY] 60 DOUBLE BLOW v03
DM 10 VODKA! [MCY] v1.10
--- The addon (@<hidden>) tag ---
The @<hidden> sign helps the server admin and joining players to see that they must have the unofficial addons the mission requires to play (not included in the vanilla game, expansions or patches). If the mission is made for a mod, a mod tag will suffice to tell everyone that they must have the mod. However if the mission uses an addon that the mentioned mod doesn't include, the @<hidden> sign becomes necessary again. The tag is attached to the end of the game type with no spaces.
If you want to specify which addon is needed, you can mention the addon's name next to the mission name.
Mission using an unofficial addon:
A&D@<hidden> 16 Addon Wars v666
Mission using the FDF mod:
FDF CO 08 Russian Hell
Mission using the FDF mod and an addon not included in the mod:
FDF TDM@<hidden> 12 Wanzer Fight v2
Mission converted to use an addon:
DM@<hidden> 10 VODKA! (Sergei's M4 pack)
--- Player amount ---
The two digits before the mission name give away the maximum amount of people who can play the mission. Spectator slots should be left out of the count so players won't be confused when they don't get to play in the actual game afterall. The number always has to be written with two digits unless the mission actually has 100 slots or more. If the amount is lower than 10, a zero is written as the first digit so that the alphanumeric order is not confused.
--- Game types ---
The following abbreviations are used:
CO - Cooperative (only AI opponents)
DM - Deathmatch
TDM - Team Deathmatch
C&H - Capture and Hold
SC - Sector Control
AAS - Advance & Secure
CTF - Capture the Flag
RCTF - Reverse Capture the Flag
Combi - Combination of C&H and CTF
C&K - Capture and Kill
CTI - Conquer the Island
A&D - Attack & Defend
Obj - Objective (Co-op style mission with PvP element)
RC - Race
FF - Flag Fight
TFF - Team Flag Fight
E&E - Escape & Evade
VIP - VIP Protection/Assassination
RTS - Real Time Strategy
RPG - Role Playing Game
Misc - Miscellaneous (unique concept not fitting in any category)
If there are game types that aren't listed here, don't be shy to mention.
--- Version ---
A version number is completely optional but highly recommended to better recognize possible different versions of the mission at first glance. The format of version numbering is free as long as it's consistent with other versions of your missions to make it easy to see which one is a more recent version.
--- Filenames ---
Although the mission name is the most visible part in Armed Assault, you should not forget about the significance of the filename. When managing missions on a server, the missions show with only their filenames in the ftp program and that's why it's smart to extend the naming format there. There are some differences, though.
1. Use underscores (_) in place of spaces ( )
2. Don't use periods
If you have a period (.) in the name of your mission, leave it out. If the version number uses a period, replace it with a hyphen (-) in the filename.
Examples of filenames:
ctf_gc_50_everon_v1-06beta2.Chernarus.pbo
dm_16_vanilla_v1-03b.utes.pbo
--- Ending words ---
This standard's purpose is to make everyone's browsing easier and faster both as server admins and as players joining a game. Selfish naming policies such as adding special characters or brackets at the beginning of the name to make your mission show at the beginning of the list only disrupts the system so I ask you to have the willpower and discipline to follow the standard, no matter how special you think your mission is. The standard is open for changes as long as it contributes to its purpose or if there is a mistake somewhere in the current edition of this post.