Scenario Design 101 - Art of War #3 Map Making Part Two

[Wild Bill]

Map Making! That is where we are. We've talked earlier about the generalities of map making. Now we are going to do a little practice.

Before you begin this tutorial section, read the post on the forum, "MAP BUTTONS." That is very important. Then come back here.

Ready?

YOUR TEXT FILE

Here is the text for your scenario. We are going to number it Scen210. So this file will be Scen210.txt. Oh, be sure and type in your name in this text where it says, "Scenario Design:"

---------------------
______THE BREAKOUT*
*
____Meeting Engagement:*
____US Army vs Germany*
*
_St Pois, France, Aug. 5, 1944*
Location: Near St. Pois, France*
_______Turns:10*
*
Scenario Design:
**
The massive bombing raids near St. Lo have left most of the German defenders either stunned or dead.*
*
This is your chance as part of the US 70th Tank Battalion for the breakout from the hedgerows into open country.*
*
You will take your tank forces and move south. You are to seek out German armored forces, remnants of 2nd Panzer Division that might be in the area.*
*
When you find them, you are to destroy them and take the objectives*
*
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VERY IMPORTANT! You will probably want to copy this text out, print it, and then follow along with SPWAW open before you. You are also to save it as Scen210.txt and put it in your SPWAW\Scen directory. We'll come back to it later.

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1. Start SPWAW. Go to Solitaire Play, then to editor. Now look in the center of the screen. These are your controls for setting up the map palette.

Choose "summer," then "small," then "edit."

You should see a blank green screen; it is not real big top to bottom. That is fine. This is a practice.

Press the "." (period) key. Now you see that you have a hex grid superimposed on your map. This will help you to be precise in laying down terrain features. You turn it on and off the same way, pressing the "." key. Try it a few times.

This will be a simple map. We are not going to do anything fancy here. You will become more adept and do fancier things later.

Before we begin, let's put in a little geographical orientation, or north, south, east and west. From our Text we know that the Americans are moving from north to south. We also know that the game plays from side to side.

So we'll make the left side the "north" side of the map. Click on the pencil-pad button. Now click on hex 3,25. You don't want to put it on the edge, because when you zoom out it may disappear on you.

A text box (black) has appeared. Type < NORTH >, then hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard. The word "NORTH" should now appear in hex 3.25.

I also usually type in the other directions too. You should do the same. Put < East > in hex 24,2 - <SOUTH> in hex 47,20 and <WEST> in hex 25,36.

And while you are typing in text, go to the bottom right of the map and Click on hex 43,33 <Scenario Design>. Then click on hex 43,35 and type in <Your Name> (really, your name - you are the designer). Now we are ready to add some features.

SAVE!

Now before we go any further it is IMPORTANT that you save as you go. PLEASE! Save as you go. Each time we perform a step in this tutorial, stop and save. Then start on the next step.

How do you save a map? One of your buttons (the floppy disk button) is the save button. Click on it, find an open slot and save there. Give it a name you will recognize. This one we will call breakout map. SAVE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE RIGHT NOW. Then come back here.

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2. The first thing we are going to include are "natural" features, no manmade stuff such as roads, buildings, farms, etc.

First click on the level 1 hill button. Now, with your cursor, find hex 8,9. Just move your mouse arrow over the map till you find it. When you do, right click in that hex.

Now you should have a hill with 8,9 as the center and all adjacent hexes also hill terrain. Now move to hex 10,9 and do it again. Next to hex 9,11. You should have a triangular looking hill.

Very few hills look like this. They are more uneven. So left (no right click here) click in hexes 11,7 - 6,9 - and 10,13.

Now that looks a little more like a hill, doesn't it?

Now use your "Zoom out" key and take a look. Also look at the larger map, lower right. See how that level 1 hill is outlined on your larger map?

Now make 2 more hills, much like this one, but a little different shape. Put one in hex 27,13 and 14.28. Make them uneven but not exactly the same as your first one.

You should now have three low level hills of varying size on your map.

STOP AND SAVE!

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3. Next on the list is a stream, running top to bottom. As you know, streams don't normally run in a straight line but follow the contours of the earth.

First find the stream button. Then click on it. Choose the option, "stream" ("0").

Move your cursor to 16,0. Click in that hex, move your cursor down to 15,1 (diagonal down left) and click. Now you have the beginnings of your stream.

Now streams have a feature like roads, walls, or hedgerows. You can either click stream hexes in one at a time, or you can click in a line. We'll do the latter as an experiment. Click now on hex 13,13. You now have a stream line running almost straight up and down.

It probably added terrain, either beach-like, rough, or swamp terrain. You may not like that. If you want to erase, go to the "normal" or "plain" button (5th one down, left hand column) and click over any hex you want to erase. Then go back, pick the stream button and click in your stream again.

Then with the stream button chose, click on 13,13, then click on 6,19. Now your stream is longer and slanting to the left. Let's do it again, same procedure. Click on 6.19 and then 0,24.

Now you should have a stream running from 16,0 to 0,24 in a diagonal sloping line. It is flowing around the hill at 8,9.

STOP AND SAVE!
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4. Finally for this lesson, let's put in some grass and trees. This is open country so we don't want too many. Click on the grass button (middle column, third button down), then right click in hexes 5,29 - 6,3 - 20,11 - 19,4 - and 16,18. Then do the same process at various points over the rest of the map.

Oh, and don't forget the map edges or corners. I find many designers forget about those areas. Even though the focus may not be on the edges or corners, we want a nice looking map all over, not just in the center.

Don't overdo it, and be sure and leave the edges of the grassy areas a little uneven, just as we did with the hills, with a few left clicks on each spread of grass.

Now it should be looking like something for you. But we need trees. Nature teaches us that grassy areas usually have trees so we'll put trees in those areas.

I'll help you with one area. Do the other grassy areas in more or less the same fashion. Click on the "tree" button, then click in a tree (or trees) in hexes 20,11 - 19,13 - 18,13 - 17,10 - 18,11 - and 21,11.

Continue this process to varying degrees on all your grassy spots...oh and some along the banks of the stream. Don't put too many, but spread 'em out pretty good.

STOP AND SAVE!

Look at the post below from Rick and you'll see a general idea of how your map will look if you have followed the above instructions. Thanks Rick.

Be sure and copy out the text file at the top of this lesson.

That is enough for now. Keep practicing all this week as I instructed you earlier. Next week we'll put in the "man-made" features. I'll see you then.

[Tankhead]

Ok Wild Bill I think the post was to long here is the picture the original one.

[Wild Bill]

Many thanks, Rick...WB

[Wild Bill]

Moving it up...WB

[Don]

Hmmm, that already looks better than most of my maps! LOL

Seriously, pay attention to the "Stop and Save" commands. In 5.0 if you hit the editor exit button you'll be promted to save, but in 4.5 if you hit the exit button in the editor you just lost all of your work back to your last save - and I've done that after working for 3 hours and not saving! Doh!

[skukko]

Don has it I actually did my first "church" (100x160) map twice, at first attempt it took 7 hours and when I was planning to save it I simply exited the editor by mistake and tiredness...then it took 12 hours to do almost alike...in these times it is possible to save few times? eh?

mosh

nice pix Rick, is it from your backyard ? :p

[Wild Bill]

Well, you know I am curious. I am wondering if anyone has tried to design this map and how it came out. Anyone? Anyone?...WB

[TheZel66]

WB,
Great class so far!

Question: How do you see what the elevation is for a particular hex? I'm trying to use your suggestion in building walls that you cant see over, and it doesn't seem to work. I'm not 100% sure though until I can verify the elevation height.

Thanks in advance.

[ectizen]

Originally posted by Wild Bill:
Well, you know I am curious. I am wondering if anyone has tried to design this map and how it came out. Anyone? Anyone?...WB

One highly compressed, low quality jpeg coming right up!



I don't have as many trees, and my hills untouched so far, but I think it's looking ok. I quite pleased with the cluster of trees nestled between the bend in the stream and the side of the hill.

[AlvinS]

WB

Thank you for sharing your design experience. I am enjoying this class. My question is: are we using only half of the map that comes up when we select "Summer", "Small" then "Edit"? I am following the map coordinates in your lesson and they come to the middle of my map. If the answer is yes, then how do I get rid of the un-used portion of the map?


P.S. Are you going to let us in on your method for laying mines in a scenario. I am always a nervous wreck playing one of your scenarios. While playing, I sometimes can run 2 units (follow the leader style) through an area with no problem then, BLAM! my third unit, usually an important one, goes up in smoke. Impressive. If the sound is turned up, I am usually suppresed for a couple of turns.

[lnp4668]

Originally posted by AlvinS:
WB

Thank you for sharing your design experience. I am enjoying this class. My question is: are we using only half of the map that comes up when we select "Summer", "Small" then "Edit"? I am following the map coordinates in your lesson and they come to the middle of my map. If the answer is yes, then how do I get rid of the un-used portion of the map?


P.S. Are you going to let us in on your method for laying mines in a scenario. I am always a nervous wreck playing one of your scenarios. While playing, I sometimes can run 2 units (follow the leader style) through an area with no problem then, BLAM! my third unit, usually an important one, goes up in smoke. Impressive. If the sound is turned up, I am usually suppresed for a couple of turns.

I second that. My heart hate it everytime things go blam and I jump out of my chair

[Silvarius]

Hello Wild Bill,

Just a small post to support your very nice initiative. I unfortunately cannot write here very regularly, but please know that I read and practice all your posts about this topic with much interest.

Thank you once again.

Silvarius.

[bchapman]

Wild Bill,
I'm printing everything off and taking it to work to read and study. I will attempt the map as soon as I get off of these 12 hr night shifts and get about 10 hrs of uninterrupted sleep.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experise and allowing the other guys to input their experiences.
Bascom

[Wild Bill]

Good responses, guys. Thanks.

Zel, run your cursor over the map and to the hex where you have placed the hill and the wall. It should tell you the height. Let me know what it says.

It looks very good, Citizen. You did well. Yes a few more trees, not too many and a little grass would fill it out nicely.

Alvin, yes it should be set on "small" Simply start the editor, reset it from wherever the size is to "small." It sounds like you have a medium or large map.

It will then be the right size. It won't hurt your map as long as you don't touch the random button. Be sure and resave after you do this. Try this and let me know.

For you and Inp, the thing about mines. I set mines realistically, or where I feel they will do me the most good. Here are some examples. If my flank or part of my line is open, I put mines out to fill it in.

For bunkers and pillboxes, I use mines to protect their exposed and indefensible sides. I don't put them in the rear. That just would not be realistic at all.

When you have difficult terrain and easy terrain, I pepper the easy terrain with mines, not saturate, just pepper. I want to give the attacker a chance to get through. A solid wall of mines seems unfair to me.

Thanks for the note, Silvarius! Just letting me know you are there occasionally is enough for me. That is just the incentive I need to keep going with this...WB

[TheZel66]

Theoretical Questions:

We discussed in these classes that natural map objects should be designed first, and then man-made objects. But what about scenerios that have specific key man-made objectives which play a major role in defining the game. Wont we need to think about these objects before/while we design the natural landscape? (example, goal is germans to capture/control a major road intersection)

Also, wont we want to also keep in mind that natural objects need to not only look natural, but also need to lend themselves for a challenging/engaging/fun scenerio? (example two, we may want to place hills in certain positions to make attacking/defining objectives more challenging)

Cheers

[Don]

We discussed in these classes that natural map objects should be designed first, and then man-made objects. But what about scenerios that have specific key man-made objectives which play a major role in defining the game. Wont we need to think about these objects before/while we design the natural landscape? (example, goal is germans to capture/control a major road intersection)

Yes, you will need to know where your road is going to be as you lay down your elevations, rivers, etc. One of the hardest things in map design is to lay N-S roads, and intersections, and then have to re-do them because you added some hills. Sometimes it cannot be done, and part of the map has to be erased and redone.

Also, wont we want to also keep in mind that natural objects need to not only look natural, but also need to lend themselves for a challenging/engaging/fun scenerio? (example two, we may want to place hills in certain positions to make attacking/defining objectives more challenging)

That is a major point - many, many strictly historical battles cannot be done if made exactly the way they happened. That's why many scenarios are "based", or in my current scenario, "loosely based" on the original. If the terrain is impossible to duplicate in SPWAW, or the battle would be no fun to play as it happened, then a choice must be made to either not do it at all, or alter it into a good, playable scenario. I have no problem altering things to make a good scenario, because otherwise it would not be played at all.

[AlvinS]

WB

I tried your suggestion

Alvin, yes it should be set on "small" Simply start the editor, reset it from wherever the size is to "small." It sounds like you have a medium or large map.

It will then be the right size. It won't hurt your map as long as you don't touch the random button. Be sure and resave after you do this. Try this and let me know.

I still get the same size map. It is 39 by 99. I even started from scratch and selected "Solitare", Then "Editor", Then "Summer" and Then "Small". I get the same size map everytime. When I come into the editor those choices are selected by default. I even reselected them, but to no avail. Any other suggestions as to what I am doing wrong?

Thank you for your time.

[Don]

Sometimes I cannot change map sizes in the editor (or type)- it gets a "memory" and it just won't change. Just exit out os SPWAW, restart it and then load the map you want.

[AlvinS]

Don

I tried your suggestion, but I still get the same size map when I select small (39:99).

Thanks for your reply. I'm sure I'll eventually get it figured out. If not, I will wait for the Mega Campaign to arrive in the mail and try it again then.

[Wild Bill]

Well, my apologies, Alvin,

I did use a smaller map, custom size. It may be in your map directory. It is a 50x40 (40 is the width, 40 is the length top-bottom).

Either way, though you should be able to do the left side of the map fine with what I have given you. Then the right side, well do it as you wish, with more or less the same basic type of terrain.

Of course the 50x40 map is better. I'll send it to you. It will be in version 5.0 along with some other sizes...WB