Map editor wish list

[wedge2211]

Hey all,

 

Here's a list of things I wish the map editor included. Feel free to comment/elaborate/add...and I hope SAGEKING or Darth Torpid pop in here!

 

1) I wish that the map editor included a galactic map editor. Essentially, this would just be a GUI for editing the galactic map XML and planets.xml. I know that this can already be done, but many more mappers will be attracted to the scene if this is implemented and many others will find a GUI easier to deal with, more intuitive, and easier to figure out than Notepad. Actually, maybe some enterprising modder could just write such a GUI himself if he was so inclined--but, as always, I'd like to see an official tool.

 

2) I wish the map editor included a built-in function to add and edit scripts and cutscenes within a tactical map. Using such a feature, mappers could make interesting story-driven, single-player maps and campaigns such as the capture of the X-Wings or the rescue of the Kuat engineers in the Rebel EaW campaign. I'm thinking of something like the script editor that was part of the StarCraft map editor. That scripting system was both simple and powerful, and I'd love to see something similar for the Empire at War map editor. We could have a lot of neat user-made campaigns!

[Destroyder121]

What i want is the ability to modify a unit for a certain map, i.e attack strenght and such, and what a certain building can build. Though player should be notified if these values are changed when they join a game with such a map.

[Slocket]

Using such a feature, mappers could make interesting story-driven, single-player maps and campaigns such as the capture of the X-Wings or the rescue of the Kuat engineers in the Rebel EaW campaign. I'm thinking of something like the script editor that was part of the StarCraft map editor. That scripting system was both simple and powerful, and I'd love to see something similar for the Empire at War map editor. We could have a lot of neat user-made campaigns!

 

You can using Mike's Lua Editor. It is the Story script. Not all are finished, but just copy one and modify it. Takes some practice but that is where the story scripts are at and you can make your own I assume.

 

But yes, would have been nice for an official script editor, the petro lua is goofy.

[Mike.nl]

Actually, all Lua sources were packed with the map editor.

Look in GameData\Mods\Source\Data\Scripts\

This basically means the decompiled Lua files on my site are now obsolete

 

I'm not sure if you can just compile them with luac50.exe and run it in Empire at War.

I suppose you should just try. If the game doesn't accept the compiled luas, run "lup2lua -r" over it as usual.

 

On a side note, the shader sources are there as well. They say it's for 3D studio max, so you can see the units properly in the viewport, but they're much more valuable to me than just that

[Darth_Torpid-PG]

Sorry, I doubt that the editor will get a galactic section - it's really very trivial to set up galactic campaigns via XML. There is some cut-scene/cinematic functionality in the editor that was used for win/loss movies and such, but in-mission cinematics are all handled in LUA. You guys basically have the same tools we used to make the original game and are using to make the expansion.

[Darth_Torpid-PG]

What i want is the ability to modify a unit for a certain map, i.e attack strenght and such, and what a certain building can build. Though player should be notified if these values are changed when they join a game with such a map.

 

I'd love this functionality myself - it would make things easier Unfortunately, there is currently no code support for this.

[zac naloen]

Sorry, I doubt that the editor will get a galactic section - it's really very trivial to set up galactic campaigns via XML. There is some cut-scene/cinematic functionality in the editor that was used for win/loss movies and such, but in-mission cinematics are all handled in LUA. You guys basically have the same tools we used to make the original game and are using to make the expansion.

 

 

I quite like the tools you've given us, you can create a decent space maps in about 10 minutes. And without even reading the manual i picked up on how to use it quite quickly.

 

Creating land maps is another matter.

 

One thing i;ve noticed is that it seems to use a hell of a lot of system resources, its constantly drawing 100% cpu power in my task manager.

[Darth_Torpid-PG]

I hear you. I can make a pretty good space map in about an hour. A good land map takes close to a day, and that's not counting the day or so it takes for an artist to do a beautification pass. It's a lot of work, but you can get some really good looking stuff if you are patient.

 

And yes, the editor is a resource hog.

[Darth_Extas]

For one thing, I had to download DirectX SDK, although the program still did not register that I dled it. So need something simpler that does not involve the needs of DirectX SDK or something similar because it seems like the Map Editor does not want to open. So this is a major problem, DirectX SDK caused my Direct3D not to work, while I was trying to open it.

[zac naloen]

Sorry, I doubt that the editor will get a galactic section - it's really very trivial to set up galactic campaigns via XML. There is some cut-scene/cinematic functionality in the editor that was used for win/loss movies and such, but in-mission cinematics are all handled in LUA. You guys basically have the same tools we used to make the original game and are using to make the expansion.

 

 

Any chance of some kind of reference point, i don't know about anyone else but i'm not too great a geometry lol.

 

how about a grid of the galactic map? with x,y coordinates. I want to create a Canon layout galactic map.. but without some seriously lengthy trial and error thats way more effort than im capable of.

 

also, in terms of making custom galactic maps, how do you make the game recognise it as custom?

[Darth_Torpid-PG]

The galactic map is just an XYZ coordinate map. I believe Byss is around 0,0,0 or pretty close. If you look at PLANETS.XML you will find the <Galactic_Position> for each planet. Most times the Z coordinate will be zero. When you make campaigns, all you do is include the planets you want.

 

If you're looking to rearrange some planets, the way I usually do it is copy and paste the coordinates from a planet that is near where you want, and then adjust in small increments.

[Athanasios]

Or download the .xls made by malric in PFF forums. It has all the planets positions in a nice Cartesian system drawn on .xls (excel) sheet.

 

I have downloaded this one and forwarded to Orao since he's in GC modes stuff, ill contact him asap i see him...