LINK: http://avpunknown.com/avpclassic/files/maps/modulelinkfixes.zip

NAME: Multiplayer Deathmatch Levels Module-Link Fix
AUTHOR: Olde
DATE: September 22, 2017
TYPE: Level Fix

********INSTALLATION********
Locate your AvP Classic folder. If you own the game on Steam, it should be here: (YourDrive):\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Aliens versus Predator Classic
If you own the game on GoG, it should be something like this: (YourDrive):\Program Files (x86)\Galaxy\Games\AvP Classic 2000
Add the contents of the avp_rifs folder from this mod to your avp_rifs folder. Overwrite all when it asks. You may want to back up the contents before replacing,
otherwise I have included the original backups of all the levels that get changed as well, if you wish to revert. These maps work for AvP Gold Edition, too.

DESCRIPTION:
The multiplayer maps of AvP have suffered for a long time with shoddy module-linking work. What this means is that there are many, many areas that
the player simply can't see. The levels do not load every segment (module) of the map at the same time. Rather, only a handful are viewable at a time,
and they must all be connected in the AvP editor so the player can see them. In 1999, it made sense to construct the maps this way because loading
every module simultaneously would be a serious drain on the computer's memory. Because of this method of construction, a lot of modules were not
actually connected, hindering sight. Nowadays, computer memory is so much larger that this isn't a problem anymore. Moreover, we can now overcome
this long-standing problem.

Module-linking errors present two problems to a serious player of AvP's multiplayer. First of all, in many areas the player cannot see around corners
or in rooms that they should be. In some extreme cases, the player cannot see directly in front of him or her. In any vision mode other than the predator's
green mode ("PredTech"), the unlinked modules show up as black space. In certain cases, geometry will not be loaded in unlinked modules. In other cases,
the lighting will be wrong. The other problem occurs when the player runs throughout the map in the predator's PredTech" vision mode. In this vision, the
unlinked modules show up as stark white. The problem with this is that in predator vs predator fights, the player will be looking out for other objects
that are white. This is a major problem in maps such as Hadley's Hope, where there are literally hundreds of module-linking errors. The player will notice
this sub-consciously while crouching, running, and jumping through the maps. Upon exploring the maps, it appears to me that the often extremely poor
module-linking work is either a result of laziness, time constraints, or both.

With this release of modified stock levels, I have sought to fix every module-linking error that I could. They have been fixed to the best of my abilities.
In this pack is every single standard multiplayer deathmatch map for AvP Classic (the original AvP and Gold Edition maps), as well as the two coop-specific
maps (Stranded and Trapped). The "hidden" map lockdown4 has also been fixed and is now placed in a folder that makes the map playable. This release also
contains the original maps as back-ups in case you want to revert back to the originals. If you don't know what to look for, before you add the maps to your
game, run through all or some of the multiplayer maps in Deathmatch mode in the predator's green vision mode and look for the flashes of white. I can guarantee
that you will see them as soon as you start looking for them.

What else this changes: There are no other map changes except for one thing. In Subway, certain windows on the sides act as actual objects that draw the tail
to home in on them. This feature has been removed, meaning the alien's tail will no longer attack the windows. This was very clearly an oversight on Rebellion's
part. Aside from that change, nothing else has been touched aside from the maps' modules now linked together.

These were conceived from the beginning to be legitimate for competitions and tournaments. The changes here are cosmetic. They make the maps run smoother and
let the player actually see everything he or she would need to see. I feel that this is as close to a patch that we will ever get for these maps.



MORE DETAILED INFO!

I won't be touching the other coop maps or the single-player maps. The standard maps took me a crazy long amount of time and doing the module-linking work is
literally mind-numbing. The minimum amount of time it took to fix ONE multiplayer map is a full night. The max is several full days. I couldn't give a flying
fuck about coop, as the AI is very dumb, limited to only three spawn types. Plus, coop isn't competitive. The single-player maps are much larger than the
multiplayer ones, and I never noticed any problems in them until I actually started actively looking for them. They really are sufficient the way they are.
So neither the coop maps nor the single-player ones will receive the same treatment from me. All in all I did most of the work on these in February 2017,
and then took a break. I resumed work in late September 2017, putting the finishing touches on these maps and making sure they all work as intended.

Here's how I went through this work. I had two PCs next to each other. One had me going through each map as the predator in green vision. On the other computer
would be the level set up in Inteng, the game's level editor. In order to see what needs to be fixed, I need to go through each map and look for the flashes of white,
which indicate unlinked modules. In certain cases, I needed to crouch, jump, spear-jump, or fall and carefully look at where there are errors. Then I link the modules
on the separate machine. Maps like Hadley's Hope and Subway were horrendous in this regard, requiring more than 300 module link fixes each. I adopted a policy of
"better safe than sorry" and linked a lot of modules together for the sake of ensuring that every area would always be visibile. There may still be some errors,
but you'll really have to do something complex or ridiculous to see them. If you do see an error that you feel should be patched, please screenshot it and notify me.
There are still some places where you will see white spots in green mode that cannot be repaired. Examples of those are in Massacre and Hadley's Hope.
The reason that these cannot be fixed is because there are actual holes in the maps and the white spots actually represent looking out of the map itself. These would
require architectural rebuilding which is above my level of profiency.

For those interested, the maps with the fewest module-linking errors were Nostromo, Elevator, and Lockdown4 (finally something good came of Elevator). The ones that
required the most amount of work were Hadley's Hope and Subway, hands down, with Leadworks and Sewer not far behind.

It should go without saying that these levels are incompatible with the Redux mod or any mod that adds high resolution textures. However, it is compatible with regular
map mods or mods that change other things about the game, such as model/weapon skins, sounds, or custom maps.




CREDITS:
The maps were created by Rebellion Developments.
The module-linking fixes were done entirely by myself, Olde.
Thanks to BROOD-SkorpioN for advice and 4sng_Respawnz for motivation.
Do not upload this without permission from me.
To contact, find me on Steam (http://steamcommunity.com/id/olde72/) or contact me here on AvP Unknown.


This may be my final send-off to Aliens versus Predator for the PC, what I see as one of the best games I've ever played.
I feel that this could very well constitute a legitimate patch for the game. These module errors have pissed me off for far too long.
They now make the multiplayer maps look so much cleaner and better. This game deserved better optimized maps.
It is regrettable that they've been in such a problematic state for nearly two decades and that this will never be an "official" patch,
but as they say, better late than never, and hopefully this may show that the community can have an effect on the game and keep the dream alive.



Olde

Here are some more pictures demonstrating the errors. Remember that these are in the default maps and have been fixed by me.