Map question

[Lockmart Lawndart]

I'm new to this game and I have been poking around the editor, but how does one go about editing the map. I saw the map for the War in the Med scenario and I'm curious how they made it.

Much Thanks in advance

[el cid again]

There are three different things that create the map:

1) Art. This is more or less chrome. It is used ONLY by players - and yet it is nice if it is pretty and it is vital that it show useful information at the right places.

2) pwhex.dat file. This is more or less the "real" map - invisible to players - but what the program thinks is present in terms of terrain and hexsides. Players can reveal communications codes or hex side details with the right settings - but they can NOT show terrain types - so the art should do that for them in each hex.

3) location file = wpl000.pwf - this defines other aspects of certain hexes = dot hexes or locations like cities. Economics and bases are defined here. This is somewhat visible to players but they must click on the location to get it all - although symbols for cities do show up on the map as apparent art - which they are not. The symbols can be modified in some respects - however - in their own art files.

Modders usually change the location file. Artists usually create art files. Not many do pwhex files - and there is a vast amount to do in that file to create a new map. Measured in man years. Andrew Brown, I and anyone who did something like the war in the Med are pwhex modifiers. Most use a special program - usually custom - but you can use witpexcel or witp editor x to do it.

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: el cid again

There are three different things that create the map:

1) Art. This is more or less chrome. It is used ONLY by players - and yet it is nice if it is pretty and it is vital that it show useful information at the right places.

2) pwhex.dat file. This is more or less the "real" map - invisible to players - but what the program thinks is present in terms of terrain and hexsides. Players can reveal communications codes or hex side details with the right settings - but they can NOT show terrain types - so the art should do that for them in each hex.

3) location file = wpl000.pwf - this defines other aspects of certain hexes = dot hexes or locations like cities. Economics and bases are defined here. This is somewhat visible to players but they must click on the location to get it all - although symbols for cities do show up on the map as apparent art - which they are not. The symbols can be modified in some respects - however - in their own art files.

Modders usually change the location file. Artists usually create art files. Not many do pwhex files - and there is a vast amount to do in that file to create a new map. Measured in man years. Andrew Brown, I and anyone who did something like the war in the Med are pwhex modifiers. Most use a special program - usually custom - but you can use witpexcel or witp editor x to do it.

I just posed the same question in the general forum and was pointed here. Could you please tell mw what you mean by What is witpexcel or witp editor x?

[el cid again]

These are programs - both variations of MS Excel - optimized to make pwhexing easy. Andrew's son is a Excel programmer - and he has a custom editor of his own - but won't distribute it.

You can find these programs on many WITP sites - or send an address - and it can be mailed to you.

The problem is these programs are raw - no great directions - so you need to ask questions until you "get it" -
pwhexing is tedious - hex side by hex side coding - also a communications code for each hex - one of 248 or so - and a terrain code for each hex. Neither Andrew nor I ever fixed the unused high arctic which remains more or less a mess.

As with all WITP programming - you start with stock or a mod - and modify that.

RHS now has a whole bunch of pwhex files - and even a program that lets you change a pwhex detail during a game. We plan to do this automatically and dynamically some day - in AE. So the game looks at a date and changes the road to a rail line - etc.