Scenario Design 101 - Art of War #2 Map Making Part One

ruxius · Post by **ruxius** » Sun Apr 15, 2001 1:28 pm

Hi Don , it works greatly also in SPWAW4.5
Congratulations classmate for that tip !
"Z" LOCKS
"Z" AGAIN UNLOCKS
It's very useful !!!
are you a secret agent of the Teacher ?

by the way you said we will have the possibility to add our images to the map ? is that another tip you give to me ?
Please don't be shy..

Now I go reading again the new feature's list..

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Sun Apr 15, 2001 4:38 pm

Don't forget to read the manual about scenario editing and design. There are good tips there.

Don did well to mention the "z" key. I do intend to mention it and some other helps later in another map article. (I plan on doing three at least on that theme).

With 5.0 you can take it a step further. You can just type in an icon # when getting buildings. Once you know the icon # of a building, type it in and then click on the map and you'll get exactly the building you want, no more click..click...click...ARGH!

It is in version 5.0. It is a simple three step process.

1. Click on the building type you want (that may take two clicks..sorry)

2. Press shift+1 key (the ! key) and then type in a #.

3. Now the building you want is chosen and locked (same as "z" key) and you can click it right onto the map.

More about this later, plus a couple of charts that show the icons and their #, coming up soon.

Wild Bill
Wild Bill

Don · Post by **Don** » Mon Apr 16, 2001 12:42 am

are you a secret agent of the Teacher ?

No - most of my knowledge comes from emailing WB about 300 times asking how to do things!

I figure the whole reason for this school is so that he doesn't have to go through THAT again!

Believe me - I'll be watching to see if I can pick up a few things myself!

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Mon Apr 16, 2001 1:00 am

You have learned well, Sapper. Now the student has become the teacher. And I too, am still learning, always learning. Fascinating, isn't it?

It was no problem, Don...never is for me. Someone should take the mantle from these old tired shoulders

Counting down to Lesson 3. We are ready. Are you ready?

WB

ruxius · Post by **ruxius** » Mon Apr 16, 2001 4:48 am

Thanks Teacher for your tips..
I am glad that creating 'barracks' now will be more easier. I hope that list of buildings will be allowed to be edited so that I will find a way to add huts (for istance)..

This is an happy classroom and I am very happy to be here !!
This forum makes me laugh , makes me hoping , makes me learn...makes me feel creative..,makes me a member
And Don your 300 posts now give us a 'great service'

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Mon Apr 16, 2001 5:37 am

I have one particular wooden building, kind of squared, small, and it looks very much like a wooden hut or a small guard shack. When I want to do jungle villages, that is the one I go with.

I have asked Paul Lewis, author of these great new buildings, to do us some shacks and huts.

I'll check and see how it is going. They are coming, Ruxius!...WB

ruxius · Post by **ruxius** » Mon Apr 16, 2001 2:20 pm

WWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW !
Good telling Teacher ! Ruxius very happy !

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Apr 17, 2001 3:26 am

question on map making. I notice that on a lot of maps, especially desert maps, all of the road and railroad hexes are also rough terrain hexes. Is this to represent drainage ditches on the side of the road, or embankments, either of which would provide some cover? Are there any better ways to do a railroad embankment? i've been experementing with using rocks, and 5 height terrain to block LOS, but it is a timetool.

any ideas?

Don · Post by **Don** » Tue Apr 17, 2001 3:37 am

Usually, in my experience, what is put below RR tracks is purely for looks. In the desert it's harder to find something to contrast with the brown sand and rough probably does it the best.

The only way you'll find what is best for you is to experiment and to look at maps made by others.

With roads there is quite a bit you can do to keep vehicles on it (using rocks or boulders), or penalize units for leaving it with rough, rock, etc. You are doing it correctly, but yes it takes time to figure out what works the best. No one can really say what is best for your scenario situation, but as you learn this stuff then you will get to know just what you need to do on a certain map to get the results you want.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Apr 17, 2001 4:07 am

i just tried doing a height five hill/rocks/railroad combination to create a railroad embankment. It seemed to work pretty well. If should provide decent cover, and only allow infantry and tracked movement. I could even make a railroad bridge over a road, by putting a gully in place of the railroad for three hexes, running my railroad over the top of that (to create the bridge), and then running a road accross the center of the railroad bridge. The railroad bridge remains visable, and looks passably like the road cuts under it. The info box calls out a roadbridge in the hex, so the movement should be fast. Haven't checked to see how units respond to it though.

RockinHarry · Post by **RockinHarry** » Wed Apr 18, 2001 1:07 am

Originally posted by A_B:
I could even make a railroad bridge over a road, by putting a gully in place of the railroad for three hexes, running my railroad over the top of that (to create the bridge), and then running a road accross the center of the railroad bridge. The railroad bridge remains visable, and looks passably like the road cuts under it. The info box calls out a roadbridge in the hex, so the movement should be fast. Haven't checked to see how units respond to it though.

Hey,...sounds interesting A_B!

I´ll check this out, too.

________
Harry

RockinHarry · Post by **RockinHarry** » Wed Apr 18, 2001 1:21 am

Originally posted by ruxius:
I hope that list of buildings will be allowed to be edited so that I will find a way to add huts (for istance)..

If you know, how to work with Freds ShapeEdit, you´ll can do it!

For example, I was able to supplement Ter026zx.shp files (wooden buildings) with winter versions just for fun and the game eats it!

Of course, you have to share these edited shape files with all, who want to use the maps/scenarios made with them!

________
Harry

ruxius · Post by **ruxius** » Wed Apr 18, 2001 5:37 pm

Originally posted by RockinHarry:
If you know, how to work with Freds ShapeEdit, you´ll can do it!

Gurgle...very INTERESTING mate..think that I tried a lot of programs with the hope of doing that matter..but no one worked on that file's format ...
Now consider that I have a sort of magic respect with FChlanda programs..actually I am trying an approach to that 'dimension' with SPWAWed...I finally found how to open a save game and I tried to get rid of weapons #2 and #3..for some units of my scenario..I was very hopeful..but at the end despite retail button and saving the file I had the same old problem..no way to erase a weapon..
What you say about SHPeditor is great I will look for that program hoping to have there different results..
Thank you !

RockinHarry · Post by **RockinHarry** » Thu Apr 19, 2001 8:54 pm

Hi ruxius,

what you can do with ShapeEdit, is to sort the graphics in and out of the Shapefiles for example.
It has functionality for windows BMP file format, you can im- and export them.

The graphics can be changed in any Pix program then, I use PSP6.0 for example. You just have to take care on the pixel height/width of your to be edited BMP file. Once you finished your little "rembrandt", you can reimport it into ShapeEdit and watch it then in the game after.

Unfortunately, freds program page is down so you can´t dl his great little proggies anymore.

Mail me, if you´re interested..

regards

________
Harry

ruxius · Post by **ruxius** » Fri Apr 20, 2001 10:57 am

Ciao Harry ..may I call you so ? to me it's more comfortable..tell me if you don't like it ...
I have looked in my old directory..I have got a SHpED version 0.50a designed for Panzer General..I opened it and finally I saw for the first time a shp image..it was not really good to see from within that program..if you have a more recente version I would be very glad to receive that one from you...
NOw I have to spend some time to understand how it works..then I will have a lot of questions for you...

It has functionality for windows BMP file format, you can im- and export them.

found !

The graphics can be changed in any Pix program then, I use PSP6.0 for example. You just have to take care on the pixel height/width of your to be edited BMP file.

I will ask you more about this...

Once you finished your little "rembrandt", you can reimport it into ShapeEdit and watch it then in the game after.

very interesting..I sign your email in my list ..thank you mister !

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Fri May 25, 2001 4:05 pm

Don Doom · Post by **Don Doom** » Wed Jun 27, 2001 2:28 pm

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Wed Jun 27, 2001 7:37 pm

Up we go!

Don Doom · Post by **Don Doom** » Thu Dec 06, 2001 2:08 am

bummped

Mikimoto · Post by **Mikimoto** » Thu Dec 06, 2001 2:20 am

Bump!
¡Bravo Maestro!