Help, I Have Lost My Map
Preface
HELP!!! I have lost my map! NOOOOOOOOoooo...!!!!
That is a possible statement that someone would say if they thought that they lost their map or whatever. After that statement, they might become mad, throwing stuff around or sad, bawlling like a little baby. This article is meant to tell the mapper what to do if they think that the map is lost.
Initial shock
When the mapper casually opens up the directory, and sees that it isn't there, they will have a drastic change in their emotion. Possible outcomes of it, like stated in the Preface, is that the person would become mad or sad. After that fiasco is over, the mapper should take ten deep breaths and then try to calm down, usually with a nice warm cup of tea or coffee.
Thinking it Through
After the mapper calms down, he/she should think about what they were doing on the computer lately, even what other people are doing. He/she should think about the following questions:
- What did I do majorly to the computer lately?
- Reformat?
- Disk Cleaning Utility?
- Cleaning Up?
- What did other people do?
- Did I mass delete stuff?
- Did I uninstall UT2003 temporarily, and then foolishly deleted the UT2003 Folder?
- Did I empty the recycle bin?
- Did I import something and forget to save it? (exceptions for mylevel package)
Aftermath
Success
If you found it, great.
Failure
Sorry that you lost your map.
Feedback
DeepQantas: My view: It's all good, since now you know what to do when you start over again. But please, do go on...
Zxanphorian: I didn't start over, I just thought that I lost it, but I found it.
Zxanphorian: I'm stopping for the night, can't think of other stuff to write. Could someone please write some questions for the Thinking it Through section? Also, I have to desperately write more stuff in the Success anf Failure sections.
Tarquin: Zxan, I think there's a FAQ question on this – could you link from it please?
Foxpaw: This has somewhat similar content to In Case Of Emergency. I also know that there's a page somewhere that discusses the autosaves, etc. as possible ways of restoring a map if it's lost.
Tarquin: In Case Of Emergency is aimed at mods. I think the page that mentions autosaves is Unreal Mapping FAQ and UnrealEd Advanced Options. Can we merge the mapping / modding first aid pages, or are they too dissimilar?
Zxanphorian: You can merge the pages. The message are the same.
Dirk Fist: I backup my new maps to a CDR (location unkown ), once a week (only CDR I found say's june 12-2003 ) and it does'nt have anything on it
Zxanphorian:
Neo Reloaded: What about if you open UnrealEd and open up a map that you're working
on and it comes up as black space, e.g. nothing?
Legal: Then you should have saved more often after starting work...
Neo Reloaded: Ok, thanks, I'll try to do that more often because I tried to make a CTF-Coret remake and it didn't come up after i saved it
Legal: Make backup copies as well, might help you. Seems something else might be wrong though, using WinME?