Quick-Start Tutorial for Level Creation

This tutorial covers the basics of Battlecraft Vietnam use but does not address some of the more advanced
tools. For use of those, please refer to the manual. This tutorial was created for Battlecraft 1942, but is
still valid for Battlefield Vietnam.

Step One: Starting A New Level

Step Two: Learning the Camera and Movement In Battlecraft Vietnam

THE THREE CAMERA VIEWS AND MOVING THE CAMERA
Step Three: Terrain Modification.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOOLS AND THEIR USES:

ACCESSING THE TOOLS
QUICKLY CREATING PLAYABLE TERRAIN:
Step Four: Placing Objects

5
6
6

THE OBJECT CACHE

PLACING OBJECTS FROM THE CACHE
MANIPULATING OBJECTS ONCE THEYRE PLACED
COPYING AND PASTING OBJECTS
Step Five: Placing Control Points and Soldier Spawn Points

7
9
9
11
11

CONTROL POINTS
SOLDIER SPAWN POINTS

11
12

Step Six: Creating Object Spawn Templates and Using Them

CREATING AN OBJECT SPAWN TEMPLATE:
Step Seven: Painting Your Terrain
GENERATING SURFACE MAPS
Step Eight: Finishing Up

Introduction:

12
12

14
15

15

This guide to level creation is intended for the novice user. Of course, there are probably
some tips and tricks in here that could benefit even an experienced user of Battlecraft.
NOTE - to make tips easier to spot, all tips and tricks will be italicized and off to the
right side:

Like so.

I have done my best to be completely consistent in my use of terminology; all tools will
be referred to using their tooltip name, and all tools referred to will be in Bold. I am not
going to be explaining exactly how to use tools in this guide; for a complete explanation
of all tools and their functions, read the Battlecraft Vietnam Users Manual.

NB: Control-L is the

shortcut key to test
your level. I advise
you to frequently use
this while creating
your map, as the
appearance of things
in Battlecraft Vietnam
is slightly different
than in Battlefield
itself.

Step One: Starting A New Level

When Battlecraft Vietnam starts you will be presented with a screen asking you to
choose a mod or create a new one. You can either choose one of the two default Mods:
DesertCombat and GCMOD, or create a new mod named BFVIETNAM, which will
allow you to access the original levels (as well as providing more functionalitysee
below) or name it something else entirely. Note that in order to use the shadow
generators and/or use the Test This Level feature, the level you are working on will have
to be in the BFVIETNAM Levels folderthe default of which is:
C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield
Vietnam\Mods\BfVietnam\Archives\BfVietnam\levels
Since it is possible to make mistakes in level creation that will interfere with the running
of Battlefield Vietnam, it is suggested that you make a backup copy of your Battlefield
installation.
If you choose to create a new mod, you will be presented with an Edit Mod
Settings screen. If you are working with a default Battlefield Vietnam installation, just
hit OK. If you have it installed to a non-default location, modify the Game Path setting
to point to the directory where the BFVIETNAM.exe is located.
The object list setting is only for working with a mod with non-standard
vehicles. More detailed instructions on how to configure Battlecraft Vietnam to work
with mods are available in another document.

The Edit Mod Settings Screen

The first thing to do when creating a new level is to determine the rough
schematics of the level: how big you want it, whether there will be water or not, which
theater to set it in, and which game rules will apply. These are the only variables that
cannot be changed after the level is created, so take some time to think about exactly
what you want before choosing them.

The New Level Screen

Its important to note that Use Water In This Map starts off unchecked by
default. So, if you want rivers, lakes, etc. in the map, you must check Use Water In This
Map here; you will not be able to change this once the map is created.
After setting up your level in this screen, you will either go straight to your newly
created level or, if you chose Random Map Generation (above), you will be taken to the
Random Map Generation menu. This can be done as often as you want while making a

level by clicking on Tools and selecting Random Terrain Generator from the drop
down menu.

Accessing the Random Terrain Generator tool from the menu

Choosing Cancel
From The Random
Map Generation
Menu Doesnt Cancel
the level creation, it
just cancels the
random terrain. So, a
new, flat map is
created with all the
other settings in
place.

Step Two: Learning the Camera and Movement In Battlecraft Vietnam

The Three Camera Views and Moving the Camera

When Battlecraft Vietnam first opens a level or creates a new level, the camera
defaults to Camera FlyMode. There are two other camera modes; Camera On Terrain
Mode, which snaps the camera horizontal with the surface of the map, and Camera TopDown Mode, which provides a birds-eye view of the map. The keyboard shortcuts for
these modes are O, for Camera on Terrain Mode; I, for Camera Fly Mode; and P, for Top
Down Mode. To move the camera around, use the arrow keys or W-forward, A-left, Sback, D- right. In order to rotate the camera, hold down the right mouse button and move
the mouse. In order to zoom in and out when in Camera Top-Down Mode, hold down
the right mouse button and move the mouse up and down.

Step Three: Terrain Modification.

Now that youve got a level to play around with, its time to get the terrain
looking the way you want it to. Now, of course youll want to make little tweaks later,
especially to make the terrain fit more exactly with buildings and other objects that you
put down. Its a good idea to roughly map out your levels terrain before you begin
adding anything else to it.
Introduction to the tools and their uses:

Ingeneralwehavefoundthatforthebeginningofamap,usingthePoint
ManipulationToolinconjunctionwiththeSmoothingToolisthebestwaytocreate
hillsandvalleys.TheFlattenToolisthebestwaytocreatelevelareasforbases,butis
alsothebestwaytocreateriversandroads.TheRaisingToolandCarving(lowering)
Tool,whilenotaseffectiveorpreciseasthePointManipulationTool,canbeagood
wayofmakingrealisticlookinghills.Finally,theRoadToolisalsoagoodtoolfor,er,
creatingroadsthoughonlyiftheterrainisnttoosteeptostart.Incaseyoujustcant
takethetimetoreadthemanualbecauseyouresogoshdarnedexcitedaboutmakinga
level,heresabriefoverview.

Accessing The Tools

The terrain editing tools are always available through the keyboard shortcuts.
Using any of these tool shortcuts will also change Battlecraft Vietnam into Terrain
Mapper mode. The shortcuts are detailed at the end of this section. Once in Terrain
Mapper mode, the shortcut icons for all the tools are available.

The Terrain Mapper and associated shortcut icons

Readingfromlefttoright,thesebuttonsthePointManipulationTool,thePointAuto
Smoothingtoggle,thesizemodifierfortheautosmoothing,Carve(Lower)Terrain,
RaiseTerrain,SmoothingTool,FlattenTool,Roadtool,andtoolsizemodifier.The
sliderbarontherightistheintensitymodifier,whichmodifieshowquicklyterrainwithin
theareaofeffectisaffectedbythetool.
Quickly creating playable terrain:

ThePointManipulationToolisoneofthetrickiertoolstomaster,butquite
useful.Basically,youclickonvariouspoints(theintersectionsofthegridlinesin
wireframeview)andadjusttheirheightbyeitherpressingplusandminusorby
holdingtheshiftkeyandmovingthemouseupanddown.Holdingdownthe
CTRLkeyallowsyoutopaintcontrolpointswhereveryoudragthemouse
usefulforwhenyouwanttocoveralargeareaquickly.Afteryoudothisto
roughlymapouthighandlowterrain,youshouldswitchtotheSmoothingTool
(keyboardshortcutB)tosmoothoutdesiredareas.
TheFlatteningToolshouldthenbeusedtocreatelevelareasforbuildings,bases,and
vehicles.Touseit(keyboardshortcutN),placethemouseonapieceofterrainatthe
heightyouwishtomakealevelarea.Presscontrolandclickonterrainwiththedesired
height.(thesquarewillturndarkbluewhilectrlisheld.)Afterwards,whereveryouclick
willbeleveledtothatselectedheight.Thisisalsoagoodwayofcreatingroads.
Keepinmindthefollowing:
Unsmoothedterrain
causesproblemsin
gameitmaycause
soldiersandvehicles
passingoverittotake
damage,aswellas
causingproblemsfor
soldiersattemptingto

crouchorgoprone
onit.
TheWireframeor
TexturedWireframe
Viewisthebestviews
tousewhen
modifyingterrain.
UseJandL,
respectively,togetto
theseviews.
Youcanusethe
numbers19to
changethesizeofany
oftheterrain
modificationtools.
Youcanchangethe
intensity(thespeedat
whichthetool
operates)withShift+
10
The following
shortcuts change
which tool is being
used: C carve. Vraise. B- smooth. N
Flatten. Mroad
tool. Xtoggle autosmoothing.
You can undo an
action by pressing
ctrl+Z. This will work
in all Mapper Modes
except Surface Map
Painter. There is No
Redo

Step Four: Placing Objects

The Object Cache

The first step in placing objects is to add the objects to your object cachethis is
a list of objects in the level tree that represents all the types of objects currently placed in
the level, as well as all the types of objects that you have added during your current
session. The object browser is the tool you use in order to add objects to the cache.

So once add new object is double-clicked on the level

tree (as shown to the left), the object browser opens.

The Object Browser

As you can see, the Object Browser contains a list of all the peaceable objects in
Battlecraft Vietnam. When an object is selected, it gets added to the list of cached
objects. The list in the object browser is filterableif you enter in afr in the filter, only
objects whose names contain the whole phrase afr in their names will be displayed in
the list. Likewise, if the structures button is clicked, only structures will be shown in
the list.

Example of a Cached Object

So after an object has been selected in the Object Browser and OK has been clicked,
the object is then added to the cached objects list, as shown above.
Placing Objects From The Cache

Once you have objects in your cache, placing them on the map is simple. You just click
on the specific object and drag it onto where you want to place it on the map. The icon of
the mouse will change to a stylized house as this goes on. Once the object is placed on
the map, it is also added to the Static Objects list in the level tree. In addition, it will be
permanently added to the Cached Objects listif you cache objects but dont place them,
they will be cleared when you open or create a new level.
Manipulating Objects Once Theyre Placed

Battlecraft Vietnam contains a very large number of tools to allow you to modify objects
once theyve been placed. As well as being able to move objects, they can also be rotated
along all three axes, raised and lowered, and snapped to the ground. Refer to the
appropriate section in the manual, 8.G, to learn how to use these thoroughlyor just read
the brief summaries below and poke around with them. The main thing to remember is
that, like the terrain manipulation tools, moving the mouse up and down while holding
shift is normally the default method for manipulation.

The Object Modification Tools

From left to right starting from the white arrow icon, these tools are the Selection Tool
(spacebar to deselect all, hold down control to select multiple objects) Translation Tool
(to move objectsclick on this, then click on where you want the object to go)
Raise/Lower Object (remember that if you have Snap Objects To Ground enabled, you
will not be able to lower anything into the ground) Rotate X, Rotate Y, Rotate Z, Nudge
Tool, Snap Objects To Ground Toggle, Lock Selected Object, Unlock Selected
Object, Lock All Objects, and Unlock All Objects.

Snap All Objects To

Ground (Tools >
Snap All Objects to
Ground) is a useful
tool to use if you have
significantly changed
the terrain in your
level after having put
objects down.
However, be careful
with itif youve
spent a long time
adjusting the
positions of your
bunkers to be halfburied in sand, using
Snap Objects to
Ground will ruin
them.
You can move, rotate,
etc. multiple objects
at the same time. Use
CTRL+click in order
to select multiple
objects, and then
whatever tool you
select will affect all
the objects you have
selected.
Press spacebar to
clear all selected
objects.
The Nudge tool is the
best option when
trying to move objects
small distances, and
the Translation tool is

better when moving

objects larger
distances.
Copying and Pasting Objects

Once objects are placed, they can be copied and pasted. This is the easiest way to create
forests, large-scale cities, etc. In order to use copy and paste, simply hold down the
control key while clicking multiple objects. Once youve got all of the desired objects
selected, either select copy from the menu or hit keyboard shortcut CTRL+C. Then
press CTRL+V and click where you want to place the objects.

Step Five: Placing Control Points and Soldier Spawn Points

Control Points

Any new Battlecraft Vietnam map starts out with two main bases (un-capturable bases);
One for each side. In order to place control points, you must drag from Drag new
control point to the map, just like dragging an object from Cached Objects to the map.
Once youve done this, a new control point will be placed on the map. Control points
start out with default valuesfor modifying values, refer to section 9.D of the Guide.
The one value you probably will want to change is area valuesee the tip below. In
order to bring up the Edit Control Point screen, double-click the control point, either in
the viewer or in the Level Tree. See the Tip below for how to set area value to enable
ticket bleed.
The most important thing to remember is
that Area Value governs ticket bleed on
maps (where when one side holds certain
control points, the other team begins to lose
tickets steadily). In order for this to work
correctly, the total Area Value of the points
controlled by one team must equal or exceed
100.
Also very important: You cant have more
than 7 control points in any map. 8 or more
control points will make Battlefield
Vietnam unable to launch.
The new control points will automatically be
assigned to the base that it is closest to (Axis
or Allied) unless otherwise changed in the
Edit Control Point screen.

Soldier Spawn Points

In order to place soldier spawn points, you must drag from Drag new soldier
spawn to the map, just like dragging an object from Cached Objects to the map. A
new soldier spawn will appear, and automatically be attached to the closest spawn point.
The soldier spawn has values that can be modified, just like a control point. To modify
the values of the soldier spawn, refer to section 9.E of the Guide. In order to bring up the
Edit Soldier Spawn menu, just like with control points, double-click on the spawn point,
either in the viewer or in the Level Tree. You can put as many soldier spawns as you
want on your level, up to 1048. Spawn points can be manipulated just like objects
rotated, lifted up or down, moved, etc. NOTE: Soldier spawns will automatically be
assigned to the control point closest to it.

Theres one little important binary value in the soldier spawn edit screen. And thats
SpawnAsParaTrooper. If you raise the soldier spawn off the ground, conventional wisdom
dictates that you put a 1 in this field so that the soldiers spawning in the air will auto-deploy
their parachutes. However, if you want to leave it up to the soldiers to do soI personally prefer
to pull my chute when Im an inch away from the groundthen leave it at 0, and soldiers will
spawn in the air, falling.

Step Six: Creating Object Spawn Templates and Using Them

Unlike placing static objects, control points, etc, object spawns require that a
template for the spawn point be created before the actual spawn point. This, however, is
also one of the more fun and powerful tools in Battlecraft Vietnam.
Creating an Object Spawn Template:

For detailed information about the various modifiable aspects of spawn points,
refer to the Guide, section 9.f. However, if you just want to create some quick object
spawns for your level, heres how:
Step 1: Click Add Template from the level tree, under Object Spawns. This will bring
up the Edit Object Spawn Template.

The only really important values here, if youre in a hurry, are team 1 object
and team 2 object. This determines what vehicle spawns when a certain team owns the
spawn point. So, if team 1 is the Germans and Team 2 is the US, and you want to make a
light tank spawn template, change team 1 object to PanzerIV and team 2 object to
Sherman. After the template has been created, you can use it to create as many object
spawns as you wantjust drag it from the level tree and drop it on the map.
The other thing you have to decide about your object spawn is whether or not a
control point will govern it. In other words, do you want the objects to just spawn all the
time, or to spawn only when a certain control point is held? If you want to associate the
spawn point with a control point, you have to change the OsID value in the edit Object
Spawn menu. (In order to access the Edit Object Spawn Menu, simply double-click on
either the object spawn point itself or the listing for the individual object spawn in the
Level Tree) Once in the Edit Object Spawn Menu, the OsID is a dropdown menujust
change the OsID to the name of the control point you want to associate the spawn point
with. NOTE: If this value isnt changed, the object will be assigned to the control point
closest to it.

Step Seven: Painting Your Terrain

Now that youve got your objects, spawn points, etc in place and the terrain how you
want it, its time for the final steps for your level. For detailed information on this, go to
section 8.F in the Guide. To just go ahead and paint on the material, switch to the
Material Mapper by pressing the shortcut button on the toolbar.

The Material Mapper

After that, pick your terrain type from the drop-down menu (the one reading default
here) change your brush size with the number next to the paintbrush, and paint away.
Switch between surface views of your materials by clicking the little orange scroll to the
right of the drop-down material chooser.

You can also paint

the desired texture
over the texture
placed in the
Material Mapper
Mode by going into
the Surface Map
Painter Mode. This
will not place
different texture, just
alter the way the

texture looks by
making the texture
darker, or lighter, or
changing the color,
etc. For more on this,
refer to section 8.H in
the Guide.
Generating Surface Maps

Okay, so youve got everything on your level like you want it: Now you should generate
your surface maps. To do that, click on Surface Map Assignments, the grid-like
shortcut button in the middle of the toolbar. Choose default and press okay, or select
(by clicking on) only those squares you wish to be have the terrain rendered on. Then go
to Tools > Generate Surface Maps and press okay. This process will take awhile.
Generate Terrain Shadows
In order to generate Terrain Shadows, you use a tool found in the same drop-down menu
as Generate Surface Maps. Select Tools > Generate Terrain Shadows, select Select
all and press okay, or select just the squares you want shadows generated on. After this
process is finished, select okay to the question Do you want to merge terrain
lightmaps?
Generating Object Lightmaps
In order to do this, make sure that you have the files from the samples folder unzipped and in a
new folder named StandardMesh in the Battlefield Vietnam root directory. Then, select Tools >
Generate Object Lightmaps. This process will take longer the more objects you have in the
level.

Step Eight: Finishing Up

Your map is now ready to go. Save it, distribute it to your friends. Make sure they have
it in their BFVIETNAM Levels directory. Serve it up (making sure Content Check is
OFF) on a dedicated server with content checking off, and play your little hearts out.
This Tutorial does not cover all of the functionality of Battlecraft Vietnam. For a
complete overview of all available functions, please refer to the Battlecraft Vietnam
Users Guide