Player limitations on maps image - Command & Conquer Unofficial Patch 1.06 Mod for Command & Conquer

I just implemented a feature that allows maps to work correctly if they have less than 6 starting points. As you see on the image, all maps have the supported number of players put before them now.

This was done to fix a problem where the game ALWAYS generated 6 start positions and then randomly distributed the players over it, which meant that if there were less than 6 start locations set in the map, the game would use random data left behind in memory as start locations. This obviously caused problems.

With this change, the game's internal support for 6 players is automatically reduced to the amount supported in the map. This change happens at the moment the host selects a map in the list, and the change is propagated to anyone who has joined the game channel at the moment they see the map change. This way, map makers can finally make 4-player or 2-player maps without any problems.

So how does it work? Simple. It just counts the amount of valid start locations (waypoints below #12) in the map's ini file, and sees if it's smaller than 6.

Ingame, if a game channel contains more people than the selected map allows, the host will simply not be able to start it until some people leave the channel. The game will show the message "Too many players! This is a #-player map."