The Beta Map Set
By: Brandon Rohrer (Shaltif)
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-=Introduction=-
During beta testing of Mini Golf Pro and the SC Map Designer, a few maps were made.  Each dealing with some aspect which would become part of the final product.  Originally, these maps would have never seen the light of day after their initial creation.  However, I decided to round up all these maps (even re-creating some if needed) so that the general public has a chance to see what the creators were messing with months before Mini Golf Pro was to be released.

Some of the maps in this pack are the original creations:

Detour3.scmap
Bomber_Dude2.scmap
Overdrive.scmap
seperate_test.scmap
testing6.scmap
The_Void.scmap
Hidden_Greeting.scmap
Hidden_Greeting2.scmap

The rest of them have been recreated from either screenshots or memory:

Beta_4.scmap
Boxed_In.scmap
Buffer.scmap
Crazy_U-Turn.scmap
First_Step.scmap
Small_Flavor.scmap

Note that some of the maps are not really "playable" or there just not fun.  These weren't designed with gameplay really in mind.  Also, most of these maps I don't have the source code to anymore (due to constant changes in the SC Map Designer back then) so don't ask me for them ^_^.


-=About the Maps=-
These are in the order as they were created (or, as I can remember).  If you read down this like a story, you can kinda imagine the progress of the editor during it's development.

==First_Step
This was the very first tile map ever made using the SC Map Designer.  Ironically, though not planned originally, it was in the shape of a foot.  This is why it's called First Step, which is a really good name for it.  This was made before objects could be placed on the map or the editor could even save to a file.  So this is a recreation from an early screenshot I had of the editor.  I'm so glad I got that shot, as this is truely what started it all ^_^.

==Crazy_U-Turn
The second tile map.  This was made to check that all bugs found in the previous map were corrected.  In the original map, there was a hill just before you entered the hole.  However, the programming to make the hill work never made it into the final Mini Golf Pro game.  So, in this recreation, I removed the hill so it's playable.  The hill tiles are actually still in the generic tileset that comes with Mini Golf Pro...just the balls will not respond to it.

==Beta_4
The very first map which had object support.  You will notice this by the bombs placed on it (which was the very first object to be used in the editor).  The map is in the shape of a 4, thus it's name.  I don't think it's possible to get a hole in one on this map, unless your playing with a friend and they clear all the bombs for ya ^_^.  This is also another recreation made by a screenshot.

==Boxed_In
This map was made after the editor could finally save all of it's settings to an external file (later becoming the .scgms global settings file).  It's a very simple layout and would have technically been playable in the game IF the editor could save map data...but at the time, that wasn't possible.  So this is yet another recreation from a screenshot.

==Buffer
One of the larger maps and was originally going to be the first map that would actually load into Mini Golf Pro...unfortunitly, after I spent the time working on it, I found there was a bug in the editor which didn't allow it to be saved to an external file.  So what I did was take 4 screenshots of the map and planned to remake it sometime down the line.  Well, as I was going through my library of golf screenshots, I came across this map.  So here is a recreation of this cool map.

==Small_Flavor
This could be called the very first map which could actually be played in Mini Golf Pro.  The editor had map saving at this time (or at least, a basic setup for it) and a basic map loading script was made.  Unfortunitly, for this map at least, the file format changed considerably and so the original  map can no longer be played in the game.  However, this is almost a 100% recreation, I even made sure the "S64" tiles matched that on the original screenshot.  Why the name?  Cause it's one of my favorite maps =).

==Bomber_Dude2
This is the oldest original beta map that still works in the final version of Mini Golf Pro.  I had to do some hex editing to the file, but I got it to load up again (there was a minor file format change after this map was made, so I had to update it manually).  It's one cool map and tested the view system used by Mini Golf Pro.  Why Bomber_Dude2?  Cause the editor didn't like saving over an already existing file (this bug has been fixed) so I had to call it Bomber_Dude2.  You can tell this by reading the level's internal name, which still shows "Bomber Dude".

==The_Void
The very first map to use a custom external tileset.  Very small but it got the job done.  This was made the same time Bomber_Dude2 was and also required some hex editing in order to get it loading again.  There are many glitches in this map visually.  One is the obvious extra tiles on the right side of map...to this day I'm not sure why those are there, might have accidently saved them in there.  Also, the "custom tileset" isn't really complete, as there are some parts where it's off (may be hard to notice that) and lastly, the ball doesn't go "down" the hole as it should, this is because this map was made before custom objects were supported.

==Hidden_Greeting / Hidden_Greetting2
Wow...Just before I was about to upload this beta map set, I came across these maps, which seem to have been made the same time as Bomber_Dude2 (due to it using the old file format).  The reason there are two versions (and why both are in this pack) is because the first version used transporters and spinners.  Unfortunitly, I didn't understand how transporters worked back then and so that didn't work as expected, and the second spinner (at the bottom) can pin your ball to the wall...thus, forcing the user to restart the game.  The second version removed these items to make it more playable.

==seperate_test
The first map to support custom objects.  This also used an updated custom external tileset (same as seen in "The Void").  It might be hard to spot the custom objects at first glance, but there in there.  Just look around where the red bombs are.  Some of the "tiles" look like there animating, these are actually very simple custom objects.

==Detour3
A map that tested everything internally and was one of the few maps with gamplay in mind.  (I was originally planning to release this as a normal map of mine, but never got around to it).  It's also one of the larger maps available in this beta set.  The reason for the 3 is because this was made before I fixed that overwrite bug, in the actual game it is known as "Detour".  This was also the first map that could be "reloaded" into the editor for making changes...all previous works I would just leave the editor open and work on the map until I was done, knowning full well that if I closed the editor, I couldn't make any more changes to the map.  (This map was the first to use the .scmed file)

==Overdrive
I made this map realizing I didn't make a map which tested the weather effects that shawn has in his game.  I remember shawn and me were playing the game online (doing our usual online and custom map testing) and we decided to take a break.  During that break of 40 minutes, I made this map.  Can you find the hole?  Shawn found it with no problem ^_^.  This was, I think, made on the same day me and shawn got custom map support to work online.

==testing6.scmap
I should have given this a better name, but oh well.  This one was the last beta map to be created.  I'm not sure why I called it testing6...but it mainly tested (or expanded on) the custom object support.  There are many custom objects in this map, the most noticable are the moving walls and appearing platform holders.  The moving walls don't work quite right over an online game (as me and shawn found out).  I know how to fix it now, but I decided to let as it was when shawn and I were testing.


-=Conclusion=-
I know I had many more beta maps than what is in this set, but I either can't remember their full layout anymore or no screenshot was taken with them in view.  However, I think you got enough maps to keep you busy ^_^.  See what it was like for me when I was developing maps (or morely, the editor).  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did making them, and try making a few yourself, it's not to hard to make something simple, like First Step.