XMaps is designed so that it can be used in multiplayer and stand-alone games alike. To make this possible, it's divided into two parts - a server package and a client package. If you're running a server, or you want to play stand-alone, then you need to install XMaps so that you can set up map lists and use XMaps' features.
If you're only going to connect to UnrealTournament servers running XMaps, though, you don't need to have XMaps installed - the server side of XMaps controls map selection and so on. When you connect, the server will send you the XMaps client package (if you don't already have it). This is an optional download, so you can hit the F10 key to cancel it if you prefer. If you only use the XMaps client package and it gets updated, take a look at the Client Updated advice below.
In a multiplayer environment, once you have the XMaps client package, you can use the Client Setup window and the HUD Menu to control the server, if you know the server's Administrator password. When you're running stand-alone, you automatically get access to all these features.
Extract XMaps.umod from the file you've downloaded, and run it to install or upgrade the Mutator. The umod installer will add the entries it needs in your UnrealTournament.ini file for running XMaps on a server, but if you're upgrading, it cannot remove the old INI file entries. See 'Upgrading XMaps on Servers' below for an explanation of the problem and how to work around it. If you don't run a server, there's nothing to worry about.
If you just get a File Associations dialog box when you run the umod installer, check out the Installing Mutators section of the Mutators FAQ, which should be able to help.
If you're installing XMaps using the umod installer on a Mac, check out osX for loads of useful information and an installer program that'll make the job easier.
Upgrading XMaps on ServersWhile an upgrade will appear to work perfectly well using the umod file, there are aspects of the UT/XMaps setup that have to be modified by hand. The problem is that umod installers cannot remove lines from UT INI files, so the XMaps umod installer cannot remove a server's reference to the old version of the client package. This is true whether you upgrade or re-install XMaps.
What this means is that clients may run the wrong client package when they connect to your server, and XMaps won't work. To correct this problem, you must remove the INI file line for the old client package by hand. Unfortunately, because the umod installer is restricted this way, there's nothing I can do about the problem.
See Running XMaps for more information about these INI file entries, and what you need to do when you upgrade a server. Note that, if you un-install then re-install XMaps, your XMaps settings - map lists and so on - won't be deleted. Of course, you can make a complete backup of your XMaps setup at any time by copying all the XMaps*.ini files to another location.
If the Client Package is updated as part of the new version - and it usually is - take a look at the Client Updated advice below.
Un-installingOpen Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel, select UnrealTournament and click the Add/Remove button. Check the XMaps option in the list presented, then click Next and remove the mod. When you uninstall this way, your XMaps settings are preserved, in the XMaps*.ini files. If you're un-installing from a server, I'd recommend you also remove the old client package line from your server's INI file (usually UnrealTournament.ini) to avoid the problem described in 'Upgrading XMaps on Servers' above.
Extract the contents of the archive into your UT directory as described below.
XMaps.u, XMapsClient232.u, XMaps.int and XMapsClient232.int should be placed in your UT\System directory.
XMapsClient232.u is the only part of XMaps that needs to be downloaded to clients when you're running a server. If you run your own server, you may have already found that you can used compressed packages when your downloads are redirected - this can speed up the download process considerably. Consequently a compressed version of the package is also included in the non-umod archive, XMapsClient232.u.uz; place it in the web server directory you've configured for redirected downloads. As you'll see, compression reduces the file by about 55%.
All other files constitute the XMaps documentation, and are best placed in your Help directory, in a dedicated XMaps sub-directory.
In addition to installing XMaps' files automatically, the umod installer version also creates empty INI files for XMaps on new installations. UT doesn't like mod items trying to read large amounts of information from INI files that don't exist - it can significantly slow down XMaps' configuration windows when you select it from the Mod menu. So, if you haven't installed XMaps before, and you're installing it manually, I'd recommend you create the following (empty) files in your UT\System directory:
XMaps.ini
XMapsExtended.ini
XMapsFavourites.ini
XMapsGames.ini
XMapsRandom.ini
Once you've extracted XMaps into UT, you'll need to add a single UT INI file entry to get it to run as a server package. See Running XMaps for more information about these INI file entries.
Upgrading with the Non-umod ArchiveWhen you upgrade XMaps, the new XMaps package will replace the old, and since its file name doesn't change between versions, all your existing INI file settings will continue to work.
The name of the XMaps client package, however, is changed to prevent version conflicts between clients and servers (only the client package gets downloaded to clients). If you're running a server, and upgrade XMaps at any time, you'll want to remove the ServerPackages entry for the old version of the XMaps client package from your server's INI file (usually UnrealTournament.ini). See Running XMaps for more information. You'll probably want to remove the old client package (and it's .int file) from the server as well.
If the Client Package is updated as part of the new version, take a look at the Client Updated advice below.
Most XMaps updates will include a modified Client Package, to introduce new features or fixes. Where possible this is avoided, since it means your clients will need to download the new version. It does, however, mean that they'll never get a version conflict when they try to join your server. The only problem with this approach is that your clients will need to convert their old INI file to maintain their settings and Admin Passwords.
To make this process easier, an XMaps Client Copier program is available from the XMaps website (look in the Downloads section). This will copy any version of XMaps client INI file to any other version. If you prefer to update the file by hand, for example when upgrading from XMapsClient231 to XMapsClient232, follow these steps:
If you're upgrading from a version earlier than 201, then the first time you use the Game Options button XMaps will upgrade your existing Extended and Favourite map lists. This can sometimes take up to a minute or so, but usually only takes a few seconds.
Since XMaps supports any game type installed in UnrealTournament, it can take a short while to load the Game Options window (1) when you've installed XMaps for the first time, or (2) when you upgrade from a pre-203 version. Once this is complete, though, XMaps will have stored all the game-type information; it won't take more than a second or two to load Game Options after this. See Game Types for information on what you should do in XMaps when you install, uninstall or upgrade a mod that supports a new game type (such as MultiCTF or Weaponer).
You can leave the Map Randomizer installed if you already have it; just don't try to run both mutators at the same time. They both work the same way (see Technical Notes), so one of them won't work. To be blunt, XMaps does everything Map Randomizer did better, and much more besides. So, you may as well remove Map Randomizer - open Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel, select UnrealTournament and click the Add/Remove button. Check the Map Randomizer option in the list presented, then click Next and remove the mod.
Note that, since XMaps remembers the size and position of its Setup windows, you may find that you need to increase the size of the Game Options window when you upgrade to a version that introduces a new Setup Page to XMaps.