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Maps editor.

In the game the maps editor is invoked with the key F2, switched off – F1.

Creating a map.
In order to start the game in the editing mode it is necessary to fulfil the following command:
theGame.exe edit <map title>
In order to make new landscape editing more convenient it is proposed to write one of the titles
of the pre-created map storages, called base maps, as a map title. A map is made of sets of triangles
(polygons). Maps differ according to the polygons dimensions; a side of a polygon can be 3 and 4
meters long. The collection of landscape polygons is called a polygonal net. The net can be orthogonal
(i.e. consists of rectangular triangles) and hexagonal (i.e. consists of equilateral triangles). The way,
the textures lay without transition in relation to each other, depends on it.
Base maps:
200x200
300x300
300x300hp
300x400m
400x600
90х90_3m
The numbers denote map dimensions in meters. The maps 300х300hp and 90х90_3m have
orthogonal net. All the others have a hexagonal one.

Editor

Upper Panel:
MAP: <the title of the map, loaded at the moment>.
For example, MAP: 90x90_3m
When pushing it there appears the window Map editor menu, offering to perform the following
actions with the map:

Save – to save changes in the loaded map;


Save As…- to save this map under another title;
Reload – to reload this map without saving unwritten changes;
Load…- to load another map;
Exit – Exit to the main menu.
Esc allows to hide this panel without any actions.

Editor modes panel:


Entity – the mode for work with entities, displayed on the map, models and stamps mainly.
Anchor – the mode of editing anchor points for accelerating the searching of long distance
ways by materiel. It is used at the final stages of mission creating.
Land – the mode, which allows to perform actions with landscape: to change heights,
texturing, to change colour of triangles vertexes and to correct map sizes.
Clip – the mode, which allows to assign zone of travel limitation for units and the camera on
the map sides.
Edifice – the mode of settings of the buildings, the roofs of which must disappear and the
interior must be shown, when the gamer's soldier enters inside.
The lateral editor panel:
Clip camera position – allows to switch on and off the limitation of the camera position
according to the settings of the Clip mode. The line is available at any editor mode on.

The following parameters appear if the mode Entity is on:


Rotation lock angle – fixing of the entity rotation for the angle, multiple to the given one.
Season – allows to choose the season, in accordance to which the texture of the entities
displayed on the map (mainly for trees and bushes) will be chosen.
Preset – allows to choose a group of matters for the following location on the map.
The list of entities, appropriate to the chosen group is depicted in the window a bit lower.
At the present moment the following entity groups are available:
Fauna – animals and birds;
Construction – constructions;
Flora – trees and bushes;
Fx – special effects (not all special effects are depicted and saved in the map);
Landscape – base maps; entities, changing the landscape; stones; stamps; water.
It is not recommended to display base maps in the editor. Instead of this it is worth using them
as a base for creating other maps.

Properties of entities
The parameters are depicted in the panel Properties, when an entity is marked out on the map.
In the first line there is depicted the name of the marked entity, its properties – below. The
following belongs to the parameters, changed in the editor:
Decal – switches the mode Decal for stamps, related to the entity;
Shadow – switches depicting of the shadow;
Texture – allows to choose a texture from the list of available ones;
Opacity – allows to change the transparency of the polygonal views of the entity;
Scale – allows to change the zoom of the entity.
In order to switch a parameter off it is enough to take away a checkmark in the line of the
changed property. In order to change a parameter it is necessary to click on the field in the line of the
changed parameter. For example, you can change the texture of models. For that you must click with
the mouse on the window Texture and on the empty field near, or on the name, shown in the field, for
depicting the whole list of the textures, available for this model. For changing the value you must click
on the field twice.

Representation Layers
The image of the scene consists of several layers. All the entities on the map are drawn in one
or several layers. The list of layers is shown in the panel Render layer list, which can be called with the
key F11 beyond the dependence on the switched editor. With the help of checkmarks it is possible to
switch the depiction of separate layers for map editing convenience. Drawing the layers takes place in
the order, they are indicated in the panel Render layer list. Some layers do not use the information
about the remoteness of the polygons from the observer; as a result there may be an incorrect image
(stamps, which are seen through a mountain; in this case it is most likely that such a stamp uses an
incorrect layer, or it must not be used in situations like that).
Actions with the entities on the map.
In order to display an entity on the map, it is necessary to chose it from the list with a left
mouse button, to move the cursor to the working field of the map and to click with the same button in
the necessary place.
An entity remains selected till the moment of selecting another entity or pressing the right
mouse button. It allows to display several same entities on the map consecutively.
Marking a separate entity on the map is performed with a click of the left mouse button near
the conditional center of the entity. In order to mark out a group of entities it is necessary to outline
them with a frame, holding the left mouse button pressed. If the key Shift is held pressed during
marking a group or a single entity out, the selected entities are added to the present marking.
Performing this operation about the entities, already marked out, excludes them out of the group.
Canceling of the whole marking out is performed with a click of the left mouse button on the field of
the map.
It is possible to rotate, move, copy and delete entities. these actions are performed over the
marked entities.
Rotation is valid both for a separate entity and a group of entities.
If the key Ctr is pressed, the rotation relative to previous orientation (i.e. additional turn) is
performed; but if Ctr. + Shift are pressed, then entities are oriented in the direction of the mouse cursor
independently of their previous orientation. The relational rotation for a group of marked entities
occurs around the conditional general group center, and the independent rotation — around the axis of
every entity.
Moving – occurs with right mouse button click in the necessary place. Fixing is performed with
a click of the left mouse button on the map field; that takes marking off.
Copying – occurs by means of pressing keys Ctr+C, the marked group is stored. For inserting a
copy it is necessary to move the mouse cursor to the necessary place and to press Ctr+V. At the same
time the moving mode is switched on for the marked group.
For deleting the key Delete is used.

The mode Land includes:


Heights – heights;
Colors – coloration of the polygon vertexes;
Textures – texturing
Terrains – types of territories for correct depicting of special effects and actors' behavior;
Polygons – changing map sizes by means of adding or deleting polygons.

In all the given modes the cursor has the shape of a circle, the size of which is varied with the
buttons "+" and "-". The size and position of the circle assign the zone of usage of the selected action.
Horizontal scroll bar Sharp-Soft allows to change the degree of using the current action when moving
off the center of the circle. In the mode Sharp the action is applied equally to all vertexes within the
circle. In the mode Soft the effect is a maximum in the center and comes to naught at the edge of the
circle.
All the actions occur with the vertexes. In order to depict the vertex net the key combination
Alt+W is used. Some presses of the combination allow to depict the net in different ways and to switch
it off.
Heights

With the left mouse button the heights are increased, with the right button — decreased.
Changing the heights occurs either with every mouse click or when the mouse is moved with the
button pressed. Fixing one level of the height occurs with the key Alt pressed.
Heightmap – if switched on, depicts the heights map or the map of territory types в
зависимости от режима depending on the mode (Heights или Terrains).
Water altitude – water level on the map. The default water level in the point is zero. It
influences upon the height position of the matters with the mode of compensation Water, and on the
automatic partitioning of the territory type Water by depth.
Colors

All default vertexes on the map are coloured grey.


Adjustment occurs either with selecting achromatic colours from the palette or with moving
sliders, as when selecting colour.
Colour painting is performed by means of selecting a random colour from the palette or by
sliders position. The lower window shows the selected colour at the given moment. The left mouse
button paints the selected colour on the map, and the right one paints the inverse colour.
Painting the colour is more intensive with every mouse click or with moving the mouse with
the button pressed.
Selecting the colour from the map is possible with the help of the pressed key Ctr with a mouse
click.
Textures

Library – library selection from the list of existing. Creation of one's own library is possible by
means of the button Create. Libraries are used for rapid access to the materials, which are often used.
A library consists of a list of materials; each of them contains up to two textures. If there are
two textures, then such material allows to create bumpless conversion between them.
It is possible to rearrange the textures by the arrow between the images of the selected textures.
In order top create a new material the button Add is used; it adds a copy of the marked
material into the working list of the library. Then the textures are changed. The name of the material
may be changed in the insertion string under the buttons Add and Remove.
Replacement of a texture is performed with a mouse click on the texture image in the window.
These actions call out the window Select file with the list of proper names of the textures and the
window of their representation:

If there are two textures in the selected material, then the index of their mixing is changed by
pressing correspondent mouse buttons in the necessary place on the map (left texture is shown with the
left button; the right texture – with the right button). At the same time the current material is set for all
polygons in the circle of the brush.
If there is no left texture in the material, then the polygons, containing this material, are not
represented. If there is no right texture, then such material realizes translucency of the left texture.
The default base map is filled in with the material, standard for that map. In order to edit the
material, used in the map, it is necessary, holding Ctr, to click the mouse on that place on the map,
where the required material is used. At that in the list of materials either existing material is marked
out or a new one is created. If the button Fill is pressed, the whole map is filled with the current
material.
Conversions
For a bumpless conversion between the textures of different materials on the same map the
position of the textures in the materials is assigned according to the following diagram, in which 1 and
1а – one texture, 2 – the second one, 3 and 3а – the third structure. In future this principle is repeated.
In such a way the conversions appear on the map:

And in such a way the materials must be arranged in the editor:

Material#1 --------------------------- >

Material#2------------------------------ >

Material#3---------------------------- >

Material#4 ---------------------------- >


Terrains

All the default map is filled with the type of territory Ground – earth. After selecting the
necessary type of territory from the list in the lateral editor panel the painting of the net with the
corresponding colour is performed.

Polygons

In this mode polygons are added with the left mouse button, with the right button – deleted.
Note:
Before to continue editing of the added polygons in other modes one should store and leave the
game. Then it is necessary to load the map again and to continue editing.
Clip
The mode represents the limit of gamer's units movements with a yellow line, and the limits of
camera centre with a blue line.
The position of the lines on the map may be changed if the cursor is brought to them –green
colour shows cursor control of the line – then, having pressed the left mouse button, it is possible to
draw the line to the necessary place.
In the lateral editor panel one can indicate the parameters of the ultimate moving away or
approach of the camera and the camera angle of inclination.
The parameters take effect if there is the checkmark Clip camera position.
Map rotation occurs if the mouse wheel is pressed; camera approaching-moving away – by
turning the mouse wheel.

Edifice
In order to depict interior when the gamer's soldier enters a building it is necessary to create a
group with a help of the button Add… on the panel Edifices. At the same time there appears the
dialogue Input, which offers to name the group. Then it is necessary to mark one or several buildings
out and to press Add on the panel Units of…
When the gamer's soldier enters one of the buildings in the group, every roof in the group
disappears, representing the interior.
Switching the mode occurs with putting in - taking off the checkmark in the line Show
interiors
In this way the buildings, relating to the same group, look after the gamer's soldier has entered
one of the houses:

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