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Battlefront is using the Battlezone 2 map editor (repost from the main forum)


tFighterPilot

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It's from 1999 but still working!

 

http://media.pc.gamespy.com/media/617/617664/img_2161924.html

 

Few to none of you have played Battlezone 2, and most probably none of you have ever found out its map editor, which is hidden as a cheat code. It's a great map editor for terrain, yet not nearly as good as Radiant for other stuff, that's why everything but the terrain is done in 3D Studio Max. My guess that the entire Kamino and Bespin levels were done in 3D Studio Max, as the map editor it self won't do.

 

Anyway, that means that mapping for this game will be very easy, as easy as making a map for a strategy game.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Originally posted by Haus33

I was wondering...

 

You said making maps for this game would be very easy. That doesn't mean that they will lack quality, does it?

If it isn't using 3D models made in 3D Studio Max then they will be simply terrain, but every map will be using them (unless someone will want to make a pure desert map)
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Quote from a dev on the original thread

 

Hi,

 

The editor is based on on the editor you may have used in BZ2, but it is expanded in capability and does not work like the BZ2 editor, in that you could activate the BZ2 editor from within the game. It is not really designed at this point to be a slick user editor. To really use the editor like we do, you would have to have access to all the raw data files that make up the level files, which are 'munged' (compressed) into that file. Perhaps you could uncompress the various compressed files with a hack, but you would also need a copy of the current editor and some other tools we use, or hack the BZ2 editor to work on the SWB files.

 

Maybe that is possible, I'm not sure as I have not keep up with the BZ2 editing comunity and the current level of hacking talent working with it. Hopefully the users will push us (Lucas Arts-Pandemic) to release a refined editor for users, if that is something a lot of people will really want.

 

Perc.

 

P.S. Level design is easy if you have complete freedom to do what you want. We have to please and consider many different opinions, and work in a large team, with diverse goals.

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I can't wait to carve some maps for SWBF. I too would like to be in the game industry.

 

I've made maps for Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Counter Strike, Operation Flashpoint, MOHAA and BF1942. My MOHAA & BF maps still get a lot fo play & praise and I get contacted from clans and mods to add them to their server or map packs.

 

Isn't it awesome to make somthing and see people enjoying it?

 

I have some ideas for SW maps and would love to be a part of a mod group which plans on tweaking and refining the game for realism and to expand it.

 

check out my current maps here:

http://bf.filefront.com/file/;18768

 

http://moh.filefront.com/file.info?ID=10060

 

http://www.alliedassault.com/pafiledb/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=1323

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um yeah, you could remove embedded buildings. Set bot waypoints, AI configurations and generate scenarios. It was by far the easiest thing to work with but still took hours to tweak and refine so that maps could be played several different ways and still have the intended outcome. The hardest part was just doing the briefings and getting all the functions there working right.

 

Did you ever play Xwing alliance? That was fun to throw scenarios together and play with some friends. We used to play through on either side then swap or all work together against 1 objective.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Fighter Pilot,

I do mapping for Raven, Unreal. I have 3D max. But I have to ask you what editor is this, and how to a get a copy?

If it is the same engine that is running SWBF, then I would like to work with it and get to learn it before plug ins or a SDK are out. Hope you can help.

 

Vinny

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Originally posted by TEXVINDICTIVE

Fighter Pilot,

I do mapping for Raven, Unreal. I have 3D max. But I have to ask you what editor is this, and how to a get a copy?

If it is the same engine that is running SWBF, then I would like to work with it and get to learn it before plug ins or a SDK are out. Hope you can help.

 

Vinny

tFighterPilot is banned, I'm his evil twin brother... Well actually I'm tFighterPilot

 

Anyway, Battlezone2, as I stated before, is from 1999, so it isn't the same engine, not even close, although it had good graphics for its time, and not bad even for now. The editor was integrated in the game, and was only available when playing a map. Weird stuff. I'm sure the editor was changed grately for battlefront, so there's no way it could help.

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As far as Max goes, I actually use it professionally, so have it avaialble. The thing is, are the models IN *.max format, or are they exported as *.3ds, or a proprietary format, or what? Other that *.max, it's possible to get freeware converters which will go from many free modelling packages formats' to 3ds, dfx, or whatever. *.max formats can also be converted to and from with something like Polytrans, but it does cost.

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Skell I use Lightwave and also have Polytrans. I do 3D for my biz as well. Right now there is no way of knowing what format Pandemic uses in their files. I hope it's not proprietary. Of course you and I know the problems with that.

 

I've looked through some of the files with an Hex editor and haven't seen any call outs to standards like mp3 for sound or 3ds/max for models. We'll have to wait and see if someone can properly open the LVL files.

 

EDIT: CortoCG mentions models and animations were done in Softimage. The base Softimage package is now down to $595

Hmmm.

 

richcz3

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