Press key to continue

[Airandius]

My map is short, and all information is in the loading screen.
Normally the game will show; press any key to continue.

However when I tested it with my testers this was absent, so they could not even see a glimps of my loading screen before it was POOF in the game.
Is there a way to force this? Or why was it not there?

When I play it solo it shows.

 

[Istvan Kiraly]

In multiplayer, the game does not ask the players to press a key. If everyone has finished loading the map, it simply starts up on its own. I do not believe that you cannot force it do otherwise, since after all, why should everyone have to sit there waiting and waiting, simply because one player went AFK so he cannot press a key? Therefore I doubt Blizzard would have added such an option.

 

[Airandius]

Crap, is there a way to increase loading time significantly without increasing map size to much then?

 

[toofless]

I've seen multiplayer maps that do both.

I distinctly remember times of extraordinary long loading time when someone has failed to press a key.

Don't know how to force it though.

 

[Eleandor]

Crap, is there a way to increase loading time significantly without increasing map size to much then?

There's the widgetizer (downloadlink probably somewhere at wc3c.net) which can transform object data into SLK tables, as well as perform some other optimizations. Will increase your mapsize, but probably not significantly when used in combination with vexorian's optimizer.

AFAIK "press any key to continue" is always skipped in multiplayer.

 

[toofless]

AFAIK "press any key to continue" is always skipped in multiplayer.

I can guarantee that it isn't. I'm pretty sure Enfo's MT 1.89 you must press a button, as with Warlocks.

 

[Eleandor]

In some cases (don't know when, but there's a reason for this. Probably the loading screen model or something) it shows up if other people are still loading the map. But it's automatically skipped as soon as the last player has loaded the map.

 

[toofless]

In some cases (don't know when, but there's a reason for this. Probably the loading screen model or something) it shows up if other people are still loading the map. But it's automatically skipped as soon as the last player has loaded the map.

I've tested this before and this isn't true.
I loaded, was asked to press a key, I didn't for some time, I eventually pressed something, map started instantly indicating I was the last person to finalize loading.

 

[Eleandor]

In that case, I guess it's got to be dependant on the loading screen model you use.

 

[Istvan Kiraly]

Crap, is there a way to increase loading time significantly without increasing map size to much then?

I doubt it, aside from what was mentioned above; but honestly, is it really that important? You could spend the game's first 10-20 seconds making people really those instructions. If the map has a small size and a fast load speed, most people would not really be bothered too much by having to wait another 15 seconds while they read how to play the map.

 

[ap0calypse]

You can, by making an extremely big "Map Initialization" trigger (it will run when the map is loading, at least that's what I've heard).
But it isn't worh it, as Istvan Kiraly said in the previous post.

When people play your map often, they need to wait for the long load-time, when they already know how to play.

But the good side is: if someone joins with a slower pc, the loading time will be longer, so there just needs to be 1 person with a slower PC and everyone can read the loading screen.

Create a nice in-game description, with everything that is in the loading screen and there won't be any problems.

 

[Airandius]

Damn, and here I went making this informative and awesome loading screen >.>
I guess I'll just display it as a fade filter for 15 seconds after they loaded lol *sighs*

 

[MeKC]

Why force people to look at a stupid loadingscreen?

You can increase the loading time by creating alot of dummy custom
units/abilities/doodads/destructables.

 

[ap0calypse]

Why force people to look at a stupid loadingscreen?

That is where you are wrong.
Loading Screens are a very useful and good way to describe and explain the map.
Since players usually don't have anything better to do than read it, the loading screen is more effective than a quest log, though it's only for basic information.

So it's not "stupid".


I like your solution, Airandius.
(maybe add a skip-button for people who play the map often?).

 

[Airandius]

The map features rematches (unlimited), so they reading the darn loading screen should help.
For now I'm just creating a basic loading screen with beta tester credits, and a fade filter displayed at start for 20 seconds with the information.

But it would help a lot if any key could be forced.

 

[toofless]

In that case, I guess it's got to be dependant on the loading screen model you use.

It's strange blizzard would put such a random feature in. I wonder what rules it.