Scenario Making Advice

[chiphart]

I'm in the middle of creating my first scenario and I'm enjoying playing around with all the options in order to get things right. I have a series of questions, though:
<ul>
[*]Does anyone have any good scenario making resources/urls/tutorials? I've read some already, but I don't want to miss any.
[*]I did once read an excellent bit on how to create victory hexes that, if placed under ammo dumps, could become unreachable if the player blew them up by accident...anyone know where this is? [I can't find it anymore.]
[*]Boy, I'd really like an UNDO key in the map editor.
[*]Perhaps I'm missing something, but is there an easy way to add/subtract/edit units from a scenario as you're building it? In other words, I don't want to pick all my units at the beginning, place them, and then discover I've got too much of A and too little of B. Sure, I can buy a ton of stuff and then kill it off, creating some props, but I don't like that...I want to say, "Oh, some Ghurkas would look good here, let me get some. A Stuka would work nicely on this run...", etc.
[/list]
I have many more questions, but I'll spare people at the moment. Any help is greatly appreciated...thanks!

[bchapman]

"I did once read an excellent bit on how to create victory hexes that, if placed under ammo
dumps, could become unreachable if the player blew them up by accident...anyone know
where this is? [I can't find it anymore.]"

Do a search for "Ammo Dumps". There several discussions on Ammo dumps. I can't help you on the rest, but would like to know the answers myself.
Good luck
Bascom

[Warrior]

How can you take an ammo dump without blowing it up? By the time you kill all 20 guys, the dump goes.

[Don]

"Boy, I'd really like an UNDO key in the map editor."

So would the rest of us!

"Perhaps I'm missing something, but is there an easy way to add/subtract/edit units from a scenario as you're building it?"

Nope. If you think you'll be adding units, you can include a few snipers that can later be changed into the units you need (thanks WB!). Other than that, anytime you hit the "Buy" button you'll wipe out all of the waypoints you've set (for both sides!).

As to the resouces/tutorials question, whatever you've read is probably enough, especially if you read the one by Wild Bill in the manual. Some things aren't covered, but the main thing is to get in there and see how things work. The more you experiment, the faster you'll learn. If you run into something not covered in the manual, then do as Bascom says and do a forum search - it's probably been talked about.

Don

[Wild Bill]

This is good advice from Don. The only thing I would add is that there is an "undo" key of sorts. It is the clear terrain hex.

If you do need to undo some of the map use that one.

You can use it in three ways:

1. With a left click you can clear one hex

2. With a right click you can clear seven hexes (the one you click on and the six surrounding hexes.

3. Or you can set the number of hexes you want to remove with the fill range key.

Example: I click on fill range. It asks for a #. I type in ten.

Then I click on a hex and click the "fill" button. Now all hexes with a 10 hex diameter from the center hex will be filled with a clear hex pattern. Careful with this one.

I use it for example to put in a lot of water for amphibious assaults or trees for a heavily wooded area.

You'll have to play with these on a plain map to get the feel of them. Hope this helps.
Good luck with your scenario, Chiphart!

Wild Bill

------------------
In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

[chiphart]

Originally posted by Wild Bill:
This is good advice from Don. The only thing I would add is that there is an "undo" key of sorts. It is the clear terrain hex.

First, I'd like to thank people for their replies so far.

WB - I know exactly what you mean, but that Clear Terrain hex doesn't work when you accidentally put a long road in the wrong place or drop some water in the wrong way. I find myself having to save the map after nearly ever decision I make, which is a pain (as I am sure you must know).

I was wondering if there is a reason for the fac that the computer does indeed wipe out all your work if you hit the "buy" button again? It would be really nice to be able
to jump back and forth from the "purchase" screen to place the units properly.

Either way, count me among the many who love SPWAW.

Chip

[Wild Bill]

The clear button should eliminate any other terrain, even water. Now a lengthy road is another matter. It would be nice to have an undo feature where you could choose length, width, etc, much as in the Campaign series of games.

And yes, I am sorry we could not get that changed. The having to reset objectives when clicking on the buy button is a pain.

I would never set any objectives until I was SURE that I had done all the buying I intended to do.

We've brought the editor a long way from what it was, but as in the case of most scenario editors, it still has problems.

Good luck with it...WB
===========

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

[Don]

"I find myself having to save the map after nearly ever decision I make, which is a pain (as I am sure you must know)."

Yes, but it is better than the opposite happening, where you work for 2-3 hours, never save, and have the power go out for 2 seconds, shutting down your computer and prompting you to go look for the suicide pills. Of course, I've never had this happen to me! (Heh-heh!)

Don

[MindSpy]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by chiphart:


No no no no no no no no.

The worst is coming up with several good ideas, saving along the way, testing them out, working on the nuances,
then finally arriving at the end where the last piece buries everything and clearly the original was clearly better as it was and
all the fine tuning was wasted as all the pieces hinged on their collective performance.

I don`t really want fancy articles that tell me all the great things we can do.
I think?
What I really want is an Editor that does all that I ask of it,
but,
then again I guess that`s why I`m not married.
Don`t think I will ever learn to do everything Me wants to do either!!!

MindSpy

[Supervisor]

If you do not set unit objectives and waypoints until the absolutely last thing and do 2 or 3 versions of the scenario at the same time, then you can add and delete units without any problem on the buy screen.



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Grenadier
Matrix Games Technical Writer

[Figmo]

Chiphart,

One tidbit I've been playing with lately is that the AI moves units in order - i.e. A formation first, B second, C Third. So, if you want your KVs to move before the T-34s select them first. It could have a major impact on how the scenario plays vs the AI and it will affect how units move down a road - if a C formation is behind an H formation - you may get a traffic jam - then you'll have to get Patton out there sort it out.

Figmo