Custom External Maps

Zoned supports custom external maps. This means that you can create maps and play on them if you're bored of the default internal ones. This wiki page will focus on how to create and import custom external maps into Zoned.

Every map is defined by a <map name>.map file and an optional <map name>.png map preview image file.

The .map file

The .map file is basically a text file with a .map extension so you should be able to create and edit them using any text editor. The file name depicts the name of the map so make sure the file is named <map name>.map.

The .map file must contain lines depicting the row count of the map, the col count of the map, the start position names (optional, but recommended) and the actual map grid data. Given below is the contents of a custom external map named Bolt that I created:

Bolt.map

Row count: 16
Col count: 14
A: Bolt right corner
B: Bolt left corner
..............
..............
.........##A..
........##....
.......##.....
......##......
.....##.......
....######....
....######....
.......##.....
......##......
.....##.......
....##........
..B##.........
..............
..............

1. The first line depicts the row count of the map grid. It must be of the format Row Count: <row count>
2. The second line depicts the column count of the map grid. It must be of the format Col Count: <col count>
3. The third and fourth lines are the start position names for the start locations specified in the map grid. These are optional, but recommended so that players can easily and quickly select the right start location to start from. It must be of the format: <start position character>: <start position name>
4. The lines after this are the actual map grid. It must be of the dimensions specified in the row count and col count values given in the first and second lines and must contain at least one start position. Here, a . signifies an empty cell, a # signifies a wall and A to Z signifies start locations in order.

The line order doesn't really matter (except for the map grid) but it's better to use this format to avoid confusion. It is important to note that empty locations in the map grid must be accessible by all players. Otherwise, it will result in certain matches that won't end because the game sees uncaptured cells and waits until they are filled which is impossible as they are inaccessible.

The .png file

This map preview image file is optional. It will be shown in the map selector widget behind the name of the map. Make sure that it isn't a very high size image file as that could result in unexpected slowdowns.

The map preview image should be named the same as the map file. So, for the example map file Bolt.map, it should be named Bolt.png and should be placed in the same location as the map file.

The location to place the map and preview files

Once you have the .map and optionally, the .png files ready, put them in the following locations for the game to pick it up:

• On Android: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.cg.zoned/files/ZonedExternalMaps/
• On Linux: /home/username/.zoned/ZonedExternalMaps/
• On Windows: C:\Users\username\Documents\Zoned\ZonedExternalMaps\

Once you've done that, the map will be available to play in game.

_{Note: In Zoned versions v0.0.1-beta and v0.0.2-beta, the location to place the files on Linux is /home/username/Zoned/ZonedExternalMaps/}

Sample custom external map: Bolt

Click here if you'd like to download the zip file containing the .map and .png files for the Bolt map.

Additionally, if you'd like to share your maps and try out maps created by others, join my Discord server or check out the Discussions page.

Future changes and updates

• Custom external maps are currently available only in the splitscreen multiplayer mode. Support for them in the local multiplayer mode is planned in a future update (Available from version v0.0.3-beta onwards)
• An in-game map editor is planned in a future release so that it's easier to create and edit map files.