Publishing and Cooking UT3 Community Maps

[Sharpshotoo7]

When i try to cook from the ed it asks me to save packages, I click yes,
and then nothing happens.

So i loaded up the frontend thingy to cook my map from there but i get this:

Running: UT3.exe CookPackages -platform=PC C:\Documents and Settings\Fuubjuh\My Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\CookedPC\CustomMaps\Toasted.u t3 -alwaysRecookmaps -alwaysRecookScript -user -installed -updateInisAuto
[COMMANDLET STARTED]

Init: Version: 3487
Init: Epic Internal: 0
Init: Compiled: Oct 21 2007 03:17:32
Init: Command line: -platform=PC C:\Documents and Settings\Fuubjuh\My Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\CookedPC\CustomMaps\Toasted.u t3 -alwaysRecookmaps -alwaysRecookScript -user -installed -updateInisAuto
Init: Base directory: K:\Games\Unreal Tournament 3\Binaries\
Init: Character set: Unicode
Log: Executing Class Editor.CookPackagesCommandlet
Log: GConfig::Find has loaded file: ..\Engine\Localization\int\Editor.int
UserModType: (0)
..\UTGame\Published\CookedPC\GlobalPersistentCooke rData.upk is out of date. Forcing a full recook.
Error, Failed to load base level C:\Documents

Warning/Error Summary
---------------------
Error, Failed to load base level C:\Documents

Commandlet->Main return this error code: 1
With 1 error(s), 0 warning(s)

Execution of commandlet took: 1.01 seconds

[COMMANDLET FINISHED]


The line "Error, Failed to load base level C:\Documents" is just this It does not give me the full path.

Any tips?

Make sure your map name you save it under has NO spaces in it.
Example DM-test map <---dont do this.
Example DM-test-map or DM-test_map <---do this

it worked for me so i hope this helps

[DGUnreal]

If you look carefully at the error message, the map name is incorrect:

"Toasted.u t3"

u <space> t3 is not a proper map extension.
Try using the name Toasted.ut3 instead...

[ColonelPanic]

I didn't see anything in the patch changelog about publishing or fixing the 'My Documents' being on another drive problem.

Did applying the patch fix anyones publishing issues? I haven't tried yet, myself.

[warby]

hasn't for me cooking is still ****ed

i dont even know why we jump through these hoops ?! everyone says: UNNECESSARY CONTENT IS BEING COOKED OUT during this process ... what does that even mean ?! if it is unnecessary it shouldn't be in the map to begin with !

[3Deeing]

Well, it fixed it for a new map I did a test on, but the other main one I worked on since the release of UT3 is still broken.

[DGUnreal]

hasn't for me cooking is still ****ed

i dont even know why we jump through these hoops ?! everyone says: UNNECESSARY CONTENT IS BEING COOKED OUT during this process ... what does that even mean ?! if it is unnecessary it shouldn't be in the map to begin with !

I don't mean to be a jerk but the number of people having issues are few, and in every case so far it has been operator error. So most likely you are doing something incorrect or you chose to go with a non-standard install or folder layout. That is hardly Epic's fault.

"Unnecessary Content" means that it strips out stuff that is not needed such as editor specific stuff, it optimizes a bunch of its internal data workings, and it rearranges the content in the file so that it is "seekfree" meaning that the map can load in a contiguous manner instead of having to jump around the file to load things.
Try playing a non-cooked map and then the same map cooked -- you will find that it almost always loads significantly faster.

Well, it fixed it for a new map I did a test on, but the other main one I worked on since the release of UT3 is still broken.

There must be something different about that map then.
Are you using external packages?

[warby]

now that "seekfree" sounds actually useful

i manage to cook my level now as long as i always manually copy my unpublished map to the HOMEDIR before cooking despite the fact that my unrealed uses the -nohomedir flag

TO EPIC: please make the -nohomedir flag be passed on from unrealed to that DOS-cooking application when that flaming cook button is being pressed ... Thanks !

[DGUnreal]

Have you tried using the Cooker FrontEnd instead to see if that is easier in your specific case? I haven't messed with it much, but it may allow resolving of some of the path issues.

[warby]

yeah it "seams" the front end accepts the -nohomedir flag on launch but it crashes without a useful error print when trying to recock my map so back to copy pasting

[ColonelPanic]

...or you chose to go with a non-standard install or folder layout. That is hardly Epic's fault....

I seriously do not think it is too much to ask that the app can handle it no matter where it's installed. Come on. The whole config breaks down if you don't install it exactly where and how epic wants?

[3Deeing]

I don't mean to be a jerk but the number of people having issues are few, and in every case so far it has been operator error. So most likely you are doing something incorrect or you chose to go with a non-standard install or folder layout. That is hardly Epic's fault.

"Unnecessary Content" means that it strips out stuff that is not needed such as editor specific stuff, it optimizes a bunch of its internal data workings, and it rearranges the content in the file so that it is "seekfree" meaning that the map can load in a contiguous manner instead of having to jump around the file to load things.
Try playing a non-cooked map and then the same map cooked -- you will find that it almost always loads significantly faster.




There must be something different about that map then.
Are you using external packages?

The packages I made while working on various maps for various things, but obviously I'd like to use them in several maps.

[DGUnreal]

I seriously do not think it is too much to ask that the app can handle it no matter where it's installed. Come on. The whole config breaks down if you don't install it exactly where and how epic wants?

With the Windows OS, specific types of files go into specific places, you can't just put things where you want because you think you know better. Drag the Start menu folders to a different location on your hard drive and then wonder why it no longer works and where all of your program shortcuts have gone.
Microsoft has specific folders for specific uses. It has been explained on these forums many times but some people just don't get it. The "My Documents, My Games" is a Microsoft thing, required for Vista games certification, to properly support multiple users, to prevent issues with user permissions, and for network domain roaming profiles.
If you don't like it or you think you know better than they do, complain to Microsoft.

The packages I made while working on various maps for various things, but obviously I'd like to use them in several maps.

Be careful with this. I don't recommend doing this unless you are creating a mod or tc. If you change the package at a later date for one of the newer maps, you will most likely break all of your old maps that people have already downloaded.
Plus if I only want one of your maps, I don't want to also have to take a massive content package file that has stuff for ten maps in it.
That is why it is best for single release maps to put everything into the map file itself.

[ColonelPanic]

With the Windows OS, specific types of files go into specific places, you can't just put things where you want because you think you know better. Drag the Start menu folders to a different location on your hard drive and then wonder why it no longer works and where all of your program shortcuts have gone.
Microsoft has specific folders for specific uses. It has been explained on these forums many times but some people just don't get it. The "My Documents, My Games" is a Microsoft thing, required for Vista games certification, to properly support multiple users, to prevent issues with user permissions, and for network domain roaming profiles.
If you don't like it or you think you know better than they do, complain to Microsoft.

Thanks for the absolutely condescending, unnecessary and unhelpful lesson in how windows works. I've been at this probably since your mommy had to wipe your nose for you. I did not put one **** thing anywhere because I felt like it. Windows put everything it needed when I changed My Docs to be D:. If that is so **** hard for software companies to program around then the **** option shouldn't be there. It is not unreasonable to think that epic couldn't make this game so that it would still properly recognize My Docs no matter where the hell it is. That is not my fault.

I got it to work by going back and putting everything in it's narrow little confines (eg: You must absolutely not use the option to change the location of My Docs in windows otherwise cats and dogs will live in harmony and world peace will be a reality) and then after that I have to switch every **** thing back for the rest of the system to still work right. It's just this **** game that is ****ed up, not me, not my computer. Get over it will you? This is something that needs to be addressed in the game. The -nohomedir option clearly does not do all it's supposed to do. Nor is the game able to properly recognize all the windows pointers to My Docs (no matter where it is) otherwise this would not be a problem. All my other games and apps had absolutely no problem with My Docs being on D:. Just this one.

I've played every unreal/ut game since they've been making them and I have never....ever....ever had problems. So I am understandably a little ****** that something so simple had to be made so complicated especially in light of epics whole "not releasing a game before it's ready" mantra. And then to have a smart *** come on here and not be helpful and instead blame me is just the last **** straw. Thanks for ******* off when I was just trying to find some help.


EDIT: On another note. The map is 4mb before publishing and 23mb after. No custom content at all. I thought the cooking process was supposed to strip stuff out. I guess this is normal but it would mean even the simplest of maps would be quite large for what the are.

[DGUnreal]

I'm sorry you see my post that way.
I'm a lot older than you probably think.

Cooking maps is more complicated than saving images from a camera or doc files from Word, so while other applications can easily save to the documents path, there is more involved when dealing with other types of actions.

I own every Unreal since the first as well, and I've never had issues with any of them, including UT3.

4MB after a full Build All or just a pre-lighting save? If the Build All and Cook results in 23MB that is likely be due to all of the Lightmaps created for the map content. With lightmapped staticmeshes in UT3 it is not unheard of to have maps this large or larger. If that size is larger than you desire, you can override lightmaps for staticmeshes that are far enough out of the play area, or override the default lightmap size with a smaller one such as replacing a 128 with a 64 for 1/4 the amount of lightmap texture space.

[DGUnreal]

As a test I moved my My Documents to a different drive on my system (right-click on My Documents, Properties, Move, E: drive, new folder, moved the existing folders and files including My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\* to the new location). Windows XP Pro SP2.
Started UnrealEd, opened my map, published it, no errors no fuss. Worked flawlessly with no problems at all.