TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................4 KEY FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 CONVENTIONS OF THE TOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 BEGINNING MAP DESIGNERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 ADVANCED MAP DESIGNERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LAYING OUT A MAP..............................................................30 BASIC DESIGN DECISIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 SINGLE-PLAYER OR MULTIPLAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 DRAMA VS. REALISM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 THINK SPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, AND TIME OF DAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HOW TO BUILD A RIVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 HOW TO BUILD A MAP PERIMETER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 HOW TO CHANGE THE TIME OF DAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 HOW TO MAKE A MAP AVAILABLE TO THE GAME . . . . . . . . . . . .54 HOW TO BUILD A DAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 PLAYERS, TEAMS, AND THE BUILD LIST ..............55 PLAYER LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HOW TO GET THE AI TO ATTACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 HOW TO CONFIGURE THE AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY TREE . . .73 HOW TO CHANGE THE MAP SIZE DURING A MISSION . . . . . . . .73 HOW TO TRIGGER AUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 DEBUGGING ..............................................................................75 DEBUGGING OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 SELECTING DUPLICATE OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION NOTE: The Command & Conquer™ Generals World Builder tool is provided on an “as-is” basis. It is not supported by Electronic Arts Technical Support. Please see the EA Tools End User License on boot-up for details. Welcome to Command & Conquer Generals World Builder. This development tool is used by Electronic Arts designers to create single-player missions and multiplayer maps for Command & Conquer™ titles, and now it’s available to you.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN ✯ Prior to starting World Builder, set your display to 800 x 600 or higher in the Display control panel. For information on how to set it, see your Windows® Help file. To get up and running in World Builder, you should do the following: ✯ World Builder supports the use of dual monitors. You can design on one monitor and test your designs in the game on the other one. 1. To create a new map, select NEW from the File menu.
BEGINNING MAP DESIGNERS After installing World Builder and reading this Introduction, beginning map designers should read the Getting Started (➤ p. 7) chapter to learn the basic elements of the application. In the Laying Out a Map (➤ p. 30) chapter, some fundamental concepts in designing maps are presented. Start building a very simple multiplayer map by following the Eighteen Steps to Creating a Multiplayer Map (➤ p. 36). If you have questions during the process, you can refer to the Tutorial: How To (➤ p.
GETTING STARTED Because the tools of World Builder are easy to use, you can begin building usable, multiplayer maps immediately. This chapter discusses how to develop multiplayer and single-player maps in World Builder. ✯ Since single-player maps require behavior scripting of CPU-controlled opposition, you should begin by building multiplayer maps.
ELEMENTS OF A MAP All Command & Conquer maps are composed of three basic components: terrain, textures, and objects which are generally developed in that order. Using the tools of World Builder, you can add, remove, raise, lower, and shape the terrain to describe the land forms of your map. On top of the terrain, you layer textures that give the appearance of grasslands, desert, snow, asphalt, or any other earthly surface.
Trigger Areas Waypoints Waypoint Paths Other Map Elements You can define trigger areas as polygons to be referenced in scripts. These areas are invisible to the user but visible to every unit in the game. Through scripts, units can take actions based on activities inside and outside of trigger areas. A waypoint is a marker that you place on the map. Through scripts, you can reference the waypoint as a location on the map.
THE DESKTOP Read this section to learn more about elements found on the desktop of the Command & Conquer Generals World Builder. Menus Toolbar Object Properties window Layers window Status Bar Work window ✯ Work window – The main window in the application, the Work window is where all terrain, textures, and objects are placed and manipulated. ✯ Toolbar – Across the top of the Work window, the most commonly used tools are available as clickable icons. For more information, ➤ Toolbar on p. 22.
RESIZING YOUR MAP To your map, you can add more space or subtract terrain to trim off the unused pieces. It’s best to resize your map before you have added many objects or waypoints. ✯ You should have at least an extra 70 tiles (700 feet) on each side of your map as additional workspace. ❍ To resize your map, select RESIZE from the File menu. For more information on creating bodies of water, ➤ Resize Map on p. 15.
QUITTING THE PROGRAM ❍ To safely exit the program, select EXIT from the File menu. ✯ If prompted, save your work, or unsaved changes are be lost. WORKING WITH MAP FILES This section covers the basic file functions of making maps—from creating a new one to distributing a completed one to your Command & Conquer Generals friends. CREATING A NEW MAP ❍ To create a new map, select NEW from the File menu. In the dialog box, enter the X and Y size of the map, as well as the initial height of the terrain.
ERASING YOUR WORK In World Builder, a few mouse clicks can undo or erase your worst blunders. UNDO/REDO If you make a simple mistake, undo it. ❍ To undo the last action, select UNDO from the Edit menu, or press v + Z. ✯ The last 10 operations can be undone. Changes to your view of the map cannot be undone. ❍ To redo an undone action, select REDO from the Edit menu, or press q + v + Z. DELETING OBJECTS ❍ To delete one or more objects, select the objects in the Work window. Then, press y.
COMMAND REFERENCE The Command Reference contains all of the menu and toolbar commands available from the desktop. Additionally, you can learn more about useful displays such as the Layers List and the Object Properties window. ✯ Menus can be accessed from the menu bar at the top of the screen. ✯ The toolbar appears on-screen, and its display can be toggled in the View menu. For more information, ➤ Toolbar on p. 22. ✯ The status bar appears along the bottom of the application window.
SAVE Save changes made to an existing project. If the current project is new, then you must enter a filename. Keyboard Shortcut: v + S SAVE AS… Save the current map under a new file name. JUMP TO GAME Save the current map, exit World Builder, and load the map in the game. Keyboard Shortcut: v + J NOTE: If your system is capable, you can have World Builder and the game open at the same time and thus do not need to use this command. RESIZE MAP Add or subtract area on your map.
EDIT MENU UNDO Remove the last operation performed on your map. ✯ The last 10 operations can be undone. Changes to your view of the map cannot be undone. Keyboard Shortcut: v + Z REDO Perform again the last map operation that was undone. Keyboard Shortcut: q + v + Z CUT Remove all selected objects and place them on the clipboard. Keyboard Shortcut: v + X COPY Duplicate all selected objects and place them on the clipboard.
SELECT MACROTEXTURE… Note: This feature is disabled in the beta release of World Builder. It may be available in a subsequent version. Select the background texture of the map. REPLACE SELECTED… Replace all instances of the selected object with another object. In the object library, navigate the object tree to find the object to replace. To make the replacement, click OK. ✯ Object properties are inherited by the replacement objects.
VIEW MENU SHOW GRID NOTE: This feature is disabled in the beta release of World Builder. It may be available in a subsequent version. Keyboard Shortcut: v + G SHOW TEXTURE NOTE: This feature is disabled in the beta release of World Builder. It may be available in a subsequent version. Keyboard Shortcut: v + T SHOW TERRAIN Toggle display of terrain changes on the map. SHOW OBJECT ICONS Toggle display of colored icons beneath objects to assist in selecting and manipulating them.
❍ ❍ ❍ To change the angle of impassability, enter a number from 0 to 90 in the Angle textbox. To preview the effects, click PREVIEW. The changes are displayed in the map. To accept the changes, click OK. To cancel and exit without changing the angle, click CANCEL. SHOW ALL OF 3D MAP Toggle display of the entire map. Use this toggle to see how your work in a local area fits into the entire map. ✯ This feature can impact performance, so keep it OFF when you don’t need it.
SHOW BRUSH FEEDBACK Toggle display of the texture or terrain brush passing over the map. RELOAD TEXTURES Terrain, object and texture manipulations can cause textures to disappear or to get scrambled. Select RELOAD TEXTURES to reload the textures of your map. TOOLBAR Toggle display of the Toolbar (➤ p. 22). Some tools are available only through the toolbar. STATUS BAR Toggle display of the Status Bar (➤ p. 27) at the bottom of the screen. LAYERS LIST Toggle display of the Layers List (➤ p. 27) window.
TEXTURE SIZING INFO… Display the amount of space and its percentage of the total available occupied by regular and blended textures. Each map can contain up to 4MB of texture space for regular and blended tiles. You are unlikely to reach the maximum limit for blended textures, but you should check your usage for regular tiles. ✯ When you are selecting textures in the Terrain Materials Options window, a percentage is listed before each texture name.
TOOLBAR The most important tools for shaping the terrain, painting textures, placing objects, and adding waypoints and trigger areas to your maps are located in the toolbar above the main application window for easy access. ❍ To activate a tool, click its icon in the toolbar. ❍ To learn the name of a tool, move the mouse cursor over its icon in the toolbar. FILE TOOLS All of the File tools in the toolbar are available from the File menu as well.
TERRAIN BRUSH OPTIONS In the Terrain Brush Options window, you can configure the options for the terrain brush used in the Height Brush, Mound, and Dig tools. ✯ Brush Width. The diameter in cells and feet that is affected by the Brush Height setting. ✯ Brush Feather Width. Distance beyond the center circle in which the changed terrain is blended into the surrounding terrain. ✯ Brush Height. The height by which each application of the tool raises or lowers the terrain.
TEXTURE TOOLS When painting textures, you should follow a large-to-small approach as you do for defining terrain. Start with the Large Tile brush or Flood Fill tool to paint terrain over large areas that have few distinctive features. Then, you can use the Single Tile tool to get to the nitty-gritty. In the Terrain Material Options window, you can select the texture to apply. A sample is then displayed.
OBJECT TOOLS The Object tools on the toolbar assist in the placement of single objects and sets of objects on your map. Using the Place Object tool, you can place single object types one or more times on your map. For specialized objects like roads, fences, and scorchmarks, individual tools let you get the right look. To place natural-looking groves of trees, use the Grove tool.
LINE TOOLS Waypoint Tool Polygon Tool Border Tool With the line tools, you can create waypoint paths for units to follow, trigger area polygons for use in scripts, and the perimeter for your map. WAYPOINT TOOL The Waypoint tool lets you place single waypoints or waypoint paths for moving objects to follow. ❍ To place a set of waypoints, select the Waypoint tool. Click a location in the map, and the waypoint is created. Drag to another location, and click again. A waypoint path joins the two waypoints.
STATUS BAR OBJECT COUNT The number of objects on your map. Try to keep it below 100 objects per player in multiplayer maps and 1,800 objects for single-player maps. WAYPOINT COUNT The number of waypoints on your map. (X-COORDINATE, Y-COORDINATE) The current X, Y coordinate of the cursor. HEIGHT The height of the terrain over which the cursor is located. RGB COLOR VALUES The RGB color values of the terrain over which the cursor is located.
OBJECT PROPERTIES Whenever you select or place an object, the Object Properties window appears and lists the properties assigned to that particular object. NAME An object’s name is used both in the game and in World Builder to identify the art asset. TEAM Identify the faction to which the object belongs. SCRIPT NOTE: This feature is disabled in the beta release of World Builder. It may be available in a subsequent version. INITIAL HEALTH % Select the amount of health with which the object begins.
AGGRESSIVENESS Select an aggressiveness rating from the drop-down list. ❍ To put the object in sleep mode, select SLEEP. An object in sleep mode responds to movement orders and nothing else. It is a good way to get units into a new position without allowing them to be distracted by the environment. EA TIP: Through scripts, changes to a unit or team’s aggressiveness are simple to do and significant in effect. With an elevated aggressiveness, units appear to be executing a series of commands.
LAYING OUT A MAP The best Command & Conquer maps tell a story. Whether it is a single-player or multiplayer map, a good one creates a sense of time and place, as well as establishing the nature of the gameplay. Based on the terrain and resources on the map, savvy players immediately begin formulating their strategies, which in turn shapes the struggle to win the campaign. However, a good designer never takes control of the storytelling away from the player or players.
NOTE: You cannot limit a start location to a particular army, so do not design start areas of your map to be for the GLA only, for example. ✯ Don’t isolate bases from each other. Isolation inherently favors sides with air power, so the GLA is at an immediate disadvantage on those maps.
EA TIP: If you have yet to resolve some of these fundamental issues, you should try to figure them out as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can regularly use the SAVE AS… feature to save copies of your map. MAKE A SKETCH Whether you do it by hand or in an art application, create a sketch of your map before you begin.
ACCOMMODATING VARYING STYLES OF PLAY In addition to getting feedback on bugs and overall quality in your map, playtesting with other people lets you see how your map might be played by players with different gaming styles. It’s important to avoid forcing players to win a game with only one playing style. You also do not want to allow players to win by relying on a single gaming style.
LAYOUT DO’S AND DON’TS The previous section alludes to a number of the critical design considerations for any map. Whether it is a single-player, multiplayer, or Skirmish map, the following Do’s and Don’ts apply. DON’T ✯ Don’t litter the map with sources of money. For good balance, each player should have access to ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ 34 $40,000 to $60,000 with comparatively the same difficulty in gaining and holding the resources.
DO ✯ Do utilize space. Space, space, and more space. Create plenty of open space in your maps. You should physically lay out a base at the start points to provide ample room for the player or AI. ✯ Do choose a theme for your map and stick with it. Maps that change direction in the middle of ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ development are easy to spot. Choose a climate, time of day, and a location (urban or rural) for your map.
EIGHTEEN STEPS TO CREATING A MULTIPLAYER MAP World Builder is a deep and sophisticated tool that you can use to create dynamic multiplayer maps. While our in-house designers have been using and perfecting this tool for years, you can begin right away to create exciting maps of your own by following these eighteen steps. ✯ Skirmish maps are created from completed multiplayer maps. By adding a few elements to your finished multiplayer map, you can create a good Skirmish map.
✯ Units that come to the edge of your map can, in some cases, exit the map. To prevent such exits, create impassable terrain on the perimeter or paint impassable textures to prevent passage. For more information, ➤ How to Paint Passable and Impassable Terrain on p. 46. ✯ Build large areas for your bases. A rule of thumb that some designers have used is to make a base area the size of 5 x 5 Command Centers.
8. Create waterways. Next, create the bodies of water on your map. Left-click on the Water Tool in the toolbar. Then, click and drag in the map to create the perimeter of the water polygon. Adjust the settings in the Water Tool Options window to set the height of the water and the density of control points in it. ✯ When shaping a water polygon, you do not need to fit it exactly to the shape. In fact, you can shape a water polygon around multiple lake beds or rivers.
12.Roads, railroads, and bridges. Roads, railroads, and bridges can be key tactical points on your maps and add color to your urban landscapes. These elements are specialized textures that are treated like objects. For more information, ➤ How to Build a Road on p. 49, ➤ How to Add a Sidewalk on p. 50, and ➤ How to Build a Railroad on p. 50. ✯ Groves. You can also use the Grove tool to place natural-looking groves of trees on your map with just a few clicks. For more information, ➤ How to Build a Grove on p.
A FEW EXTRA STEPS FOR SKIRMISH MAPS A good multiplayer map makes a good Skirmish map as well, because a Skirmish map is, in fact, a multiplayer map that is playable by only one player. All other players are controlled by the CPU. The design of a Skirmish map is identical to the method described to build multiplayer maps, with a few extra steps. ✯ For more information on creating multiplayer maps, ➤ Eighteen Steps to Creating Multiplayer Maps on p. 36. 1.
5. Define entrances to each base with waypoint paths. Did you build three entrances to each base in your multiplayer map? Those entrances must be identified and named so that the AI can figure out how to attack each base area. The names to these sets of waypoints are specific. ❍ To define an entrance to a base, click the Waypoint tool in the toolbar.
BUILDING SINGLEPLAYER MAPS Designing single-player maps is a bit more complicated because the designer is responsible for all of the challenges. Instead of relying on players to challenge each other, you must present a carefully constructed set of challenges for a single player. The time you spent learning the nuances of each side’s strategy and tactics can now be applied to your single-player designs.
TUTORIAL: HOW TO World Builder tools are easy to learn and versatile in application. While many of these tools take a few seconds to master, some of the core design tasks require attention to detail to produce professional-quality maps. This section covers the step-by-step processes for completing core tasks necessary to build a map, and you may find a tip or two to simplify development and improve results.
HOW TO BUILD AN AREA FOR A BASE When you design a map, you must designate areas where each side can build its base. A base area must be of sufficient size to accommodate all of the buildings that the side needs in order to win the map. What is this size? Unfortunately, there is no golden rule. However, if you follow these steps, you should minimize the amount of reworking required during the remainder of your designing process. 1. Each base should have a minimum of three entrances to it.
HOW TO PAINT TEXTURES You can paint textures in large or small tiles. 1. To paint a texture, select either the Large Tile or Single Tile tool in the toolbar. 2. In the Terrain Materials Options window, you can navigate the texture tree to preview and select the texture to paint. ✯ When you are selecting textures in the Terrain Materials Options window, a percentage is listed before each texture name. This percentage reflects the memory consumed by painting the texture.
HOW TO PAINT PASSABLE AND IMPASSABLE TERRAIN During the course of development, your manipulations may create terrain forms that are impassable to vehicles and units. You can paint those units as passable. Similarly, you can paint passable terrain as impassable, which is more commonly done. WARNINGS It can be tempting to repaint the entire map as either passable or impassable as you see fit. However, doing so may cause problems, so please read the following warnings and paint with caution.
HOW TO PLACE OBJECTS FROM THE OBJECT LIBRARY Objects include structures, infantry, vehicles, aircraft, and all types of civilian items. ✯ Place only objects that appear at the beginning of the map. Objects that are created and appear later in the mission are placed using scripts. For more information, ➤ Scripts on p. 61. 1. From the toolbar, select the Place Object tool. 2. In the Object Selection Options window, navigate the tree to find the object to place. Click the object.
HOW TO ADD AIRCRAFT Depending on the type and role of the aircraft that you are adding, you should follow these steps. HOW TO ADD A HELICOPTER ❍ For Chinooks and Raptors that are part of a mission at its beginning, place them on the map like any other object. HOW TO ADD A JET AIRPLANE Only the USA and China sides have jet aircraft. 1. USA Auroras and Chinese MiGs require airfields. Prior to adding these jet planes, you must provide them with an airfield.
HOW TO BUILD A FENCE NOTE: While fences can add nice touches to your maps, each section of fence is an individual object. Your object counts can climb very quickly if you build a long fence. So, use them cautiously, and try to select longer fence objects from the object library. 1. Before building your fence, flatten the terrain beneath its location. While you can place fences over uneven terrain, the results are mixed. 2. Select the Fence tool in the toolbar. 3.
HOW TO ADD A SIDEWALK The process of adding a sidewalk next to a road is simply adding a second road object parallel to the first. 1. Click the Road tool in the toolbar. 2. In the Road Options window, select the sidewalk to apply. 3. In the map, click the start location of your sidewalk. Try to match the turnpoints and shape of the road. 4. Change the type of corners as needed to get the proper appearance. 5.
5. Associate the train with the track. Select the Place Object tool from the toolbar. Select a train engine object from the Civilian Vehicle category of the object library. Place the icon of the engine on top of a waypoint, its arrow pointed in the direction of the next waypoint. ✯ You can have only one engine per train. ✯ You can place multiple trains on a single track. If they collide, they can explode. 6. Place the cars of the train behind the engine.
HOW TO BUILD A GROVE OF TREES Using the Grove tool, you can create random groups of multiple types of trees to give your vegetation a natural appearance. Some tips: ✯ Trees are objects and can impact performance in large numbers. You can create nice effects with as few as six total trees. Create groves of more than 40 trees only if you’re sure you want them. ✯ When creating forested areas, remember that you are creating the impression of a forested area; you are not creating an entire forest.
HOW TO BUILD A LAKE USING WATER POLYGONS If you are building more than one body of water in your map, you can create additional water polygons to turn into lakes. 1. If you have not done so, use the terrain tools to dig the bed of your lake. 2. Click the Water tool in the toolbar. 3. In the Water Options window, click CREATE WATER POLYGON. 4. Click the start point for the water polygon. Click the location of the next point.
HOW TO BUILD A MAP PERIMETER The map perimeter defines the playable area for the player and all of the units in the game. Each map must have at least one map perimeter. During the course of a mission or game, you can activate and deactivate map perimeters to change the boundaries of your map on the fly. This technique is particularly useful for single-player missions in which the user should proceed step-by-step from one challenge to the next. 1.
PLAYERS, TEAMS, AND THE BUILD LIST Using the Player List and the Build List, you can define the CPU-controlled players in the map and the order in which they develop their bases. Teams are groups of units that can be assembled by CPU-controlled players based on a set of priorities and conditions and then given orders. For more information, ➤ Building Teams on p. 56. PLAYER LIST In the Player List, you can add new players to your map, and edit their settings, including any alliances.
BUILDING TEAMS In World Builder, you can create team structures so that CPU-controlled players can assemble groups of units to attack opponents, defend their bases, and secure territory on the map. In no small measure, the presence and structure of teams determine the ability of a computer opponent to present a worthy challenge. Teams can be created from units that are on the map at the beginning of the game or from units that the player has yet to create.
✯ Priority. The priority for a team indicates to the AI the importance of building the team. A higher priority number is more important. You can set the priority to be any positive integer, yet be sure to use a consistent range. ✯ Build for. When a team’s script condition and priority have been met, the AI attempts to build the team for the number of frames in this field. Time in the game corresponds to 30 frames/second in most cases. ✯ Success/Failure Priority Increase/Decrease.
BEHAVIOR TAB In the Behavior tab, you can define the team’s behaviors based on the events listed in this tab. ✯ In subroutines referenced in this window, you can use the drop-down selection, “” to indicate this defined team. NOTE: Scripts referenced in the drop-down lists must be subroutine scripts. When the condition in this tab is met, the subroutine is activated, and its condition is tested.
BUILD LIST The Build List tool lets you sequence the construction of structures for all CPU-controlled players. Through the Build List, you can add buildings aligned with a player to the map, choose whether they exist at the beginning of the mission, and sequence their order of construction. NOTE: You must create a Build List for CPU-controlled players in a single-player map. In multiplayer maps, these players can default to use a template.
RE-ORDERING THE BUILD LIST After you have placed objects, you can change the order in which they are built through the Build List. ❍ To indicate a structure is on the map at the beginning of the mission, select the structure. Then, check the box next to Structure Already Built. ❍ To change the placement of a structure in the Build List, select the structure. Then, click the UP or DOWN buttons to move it in the Build List. ❍ To remove a structure from the Build List and the map, select the structure.
SCRIPTS The Scripts facility is the mechanism for creating mission briefings, introductory sequences, ramping of difficulty, behaviors of ambient objects, and the tactics of CPU-controlled opponents. Using a simple, descriptive format, you can build very powerful scripts to govern game events, unit actions, and other environmental variables in your map. NOTE: Scripts are not the only way to change unit and team behavior.
❍ To create a new script condition, click NEW. In the window, select a condition from the drop-down list. The condition is displayed. Click any blue links to define the condition from the available list of parameters. To define the condition, click OK. NOTE: There are quite a few different conditions from which to choose, and you can build very complicated scripting conditions if needed. However, it’s recommended that you begin with simple conditions to learn how the Script tool works.
RAMPING DIFFICULTY The Active In settings are the primary mechanisms for ramping difficulty in your maps. When building maps with variable difficulties, you should begin by creating all scripts on the either the hardest or easiest difficulty setting. When you have completed the map to your satisfaction for the defined difficulty level, adjust the Active In settings of your scripts to test them under other difficulty settings.
IMPORT AND EXPORT Scripts can also be imported to and exported from a map for use in other maps. ✯ If you are logical and consistent in the naming of your map elements, then it is much easier to reuse scripts from one map in another. ❍ To export a script, select it and click EXPORT SCRIPTS. In the dialog, select the options for your export. Click OK. Select a destination for the .SCB file, enter a name, and click OK. The selected scripts are exported.
TIMERS Countdown timers monitor the passage of time in the game. Timers come in two varieties: Seconds timers and Frame timers. Both timers assume that in the game one second equals 30 frames. On faster machines, the game can perform at this rate. On a machine that is producing 18 frames/second, the rate for timers is still assumed to be 30 frames/second. So, on a slower machine, while 30 frames may last nearly two seconds in real time, they are treated as a single second in game time.
TRIGGER AREAS Trigger areas are created with the Polygon tool. When you create a polygon on the map, you can name it and then reference it in scripts. They are very powerful elements of the scripting library. It becomes apparent very quickly that you can create scripting systems that know everything about every player on the map. However, testing many trigger areas simultaneously can slow down the frame rate. Also, it is less realistic to have all-knowing armies.
PLAYERS AND TRIGGER AREAS You can also perform checks for the presence of a player’s army in a trigger area. ✯ [Skirmish] Player Has Units in an Area: The player has any number of units in an area. ✯ [Skirmish] Player Doesn’t Have Units in an Area: The player is completely outside of an area. ✯ [Player] Player Has Comparison Unit Type in an Area: The player has more than, less than, or equal to the entered number of selected units in an area.
HOW TO CREATE SUBROUTINES A subroutine is a script that is accessed via another script. You do not perform a test to run a subroutine. Instead, you call it from another script. ✯ When defined, subroutines are always active and can never be tested. Subroutines are useful for optimizing your scripts, especially if you call actions multiple times under multiple conditions. Through subroutines, you can create a generic set of actions that can be applied to multiple teams.
HOW TO SPAWN OBJECTS You can add flavor to your maps by spawning objects that execute scripted actions to change the nature and course of the mission. For example, you can script civilians to walk across the map, requiring your protection. ✯ Be sure to spawn objects outside the map perimeter, as they appear out of thin air when spawned. 1. To spawn an object, use the action [Unit] Spawn – Object. Select the object and team to spawn.
6. If the team should spawn inside the transport, click the box next to Load members into transports. 7. In the Script Builder, build a subroutine to get the transport to move to a defined waypoint and to drop the team. 8. In the Behavior tab of the Edit Team window, select the defined subroutine from the On Create dropdown list. HOW TO SPAWN TEAMS ✯ [Team] Spawn a reinforcement team: Use this action to spawn a reinforcement team that you have defined.
HOW TO SCRIPT ACTIONS FOR AI TEAMS When you create a new player, whether it is human- or CPU-controlled, a default team for the player is created. The team name is “team” followed by the name of the Player. This team contains all units for the player. You can script actions to apply to this team, which apply to all units for that player. INITIAL ACTIONS When a team is created for the AI, it’s a good idea to have a set of scripted actions for the team to follow.
HOW TO CONFIGURE AND EXECUTE PRIORITY LISTS FOR THE AI A priority list can be applied to a team or unit to rank the importance of destroying targets. Items with a higher priority are always targeted first, even if there are targets of opportunity in the vicinity. You can use priority lists to create better strategies for base attack, base defense, reconnaissance, anti-tank, and anti-air. 1. Use the action, [Attack Priority Set] Set modify priorities for all of a kind. 2. Give the priority set a name. 3.
HOW TO CONFIGURE THE AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY TREE In the single-player campaigns, you may have noticed that the entire technology tree may not be available on some missions. Through scripts, you can make specific structures, units, or abilities unavailable. Additionally, you can define the beginning and limiting rank for a mission, which limits the Generals Abilities available to players.
HOW TO TRIGGER AUDIO You can use the conditions and actions in the Multimedia section of the Script Builder’s lists to manage the audio in your map. The following conditions and actions are useful. PLAYING SOUND ✯ [Multimedia] Play a speech file: Use this action to play back a speech file. Select a speech file from the drop-down list. To hear a preview, click PREVIEW SOUND. You can select whether to allow sound overlap. If it is set to FALSE, all other scripted audio gets turned off as it plays.
DEBUGGING During the course of developing a map, you may discover problems with it. Textures can get blended poorly, objects can get misplaced, scripts can acquire bugs, and designers can get confused. The following chapter offers some basic suggestions for how to debug problems with your maps and their scripts. DEBUGGING OBJECTS SELECTING DUPLICATE OBJECTS When you copy an object and then paste it, the new object is pasted on top of the original one. Looking at the two objects, you see one image.
REPAIRING TEXTURE ERRORS To produce good texturing requires plenty of design work in World Builder and lots of computation by the application. During development, you may see bad blends between textures, or you may accidentally create the computationally intensive three-way blends. HARD TEXTURE EDGES While painting textures, you can create hard edges to your texture fields and need to soften them with blending. Instead of blending the whole texture field outward, you can blend a single edge inward. 1.
STRETCHED CLIFF TEXTURES When textures are stretched over cliffsides, the effects can be grotesque. You can try these three approaches to get a better effect: 1. Smooth Height tool. In the toolbar, select the Smooth Height tool. After setting the options for the tool, click and drag all over the cliffside to scrub out the roughness on the cliffside. Turn up the Feather Rate to its highest setting. For more information, ➤ Smooth Height on p. 23. 2. Map Cliff Textures.
OPTIMIZING YOUR MAP As you build your map, it’s important to optimize periodically. It’s very easy to use the tools of World Builder to create maps that play too slowly on even good machines. When the frame rate for the game gets too low, the gaming experience is degraded. From time to time, you should perform these tasks to optimize your maps for good performance on all platforms. ✯ If you’re having problems with performance in World Builder, consult the suggestions at the end of this section.
MAP SIZE ✯ If your map has grown to larger than 400 x 400 tiles, you should consider reducing the open space between areas of your map. Alternatively, you can save two copies of the map and continue developing two separate maps. ✯ There is a script available called, “Oversize Terrain.” Do not use it. Used mostly for cinematic sequences, the script allows the camera to display a larger area of the map during pans and tilts. However, it is a huge hit on the frame rate and is not worth the cost.
BODIES OF WATER ✯ Use the default water polygon as much as possible. If you consider the water polygon as sea level in your map, you can use it to build multiple lakes and even the border of the ocean. ✯ Never overlap water polygons. It drastically increases the number of control points. Instead, create a single, more elaborate water polygon. RESOURCE COUNTS ✯ There should be $40,000 – $60,000 of resources per player on the screen. ✯ Limit the number of units that generate resources on your map.
IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN WORLD BUILDER World Builder is a high-performance application that makes significant demands on your system’s resources. If you are experiencing slow-downs in screen updating, try the following to improve performance of World Builder. ✯ Reduce the amount of map displayed on-screen. World Builder slows down if the display area is too large. Under the View menu, select VIEW PARTIAL MAP SIZE. Choose a smaller size of map to display. ✯ Close all other applications.
GLOSSARY Term 3D Wireframe Ambient Sound Auto Edge Out tool Blend Single Edge Build List tool Camera Cliff Textures Dig tool Global Lighting Grid Grove tool Impassable Area Impassable Area Options Layer Layers List Macrotexture Map Perimeter 82 Definition The underlying mesh that describes the shape of the terrain. To see the 3D wireframe, select SHOW WIREFRAME 3D VIEW from the View menu. Ambient sounds can be placed on your map to create a nice sense of environment.
Mesh Mold tool Mound tool Object Object count Object Library Object Properties Pick Constraint Player Player List tool Polygon tool Ramp tool Road tool Scripts Shadows Smooth Height tool Status Bar Team Terrain Terrain Brush Options The Mesh Mold tool can be used to add pre-formed shapes to the terrain. For more information, ➤ Mesh Mold Tool on p. 23. Use the Mound tool to raise the elevation of the terrain under the cursor. For more information, ➤ Mound Tool on p. 23.
Texture Three-Way Blends Time of Day Toolbar Trigger Area Unit Water Plane Water tool Waypoint Waypoint count Waypoint path Waypoint tool 84 A texture is a two-dimensional graphic image that is laid across the terrain to give the appearance of a land form. For example, textures can look like grass, mountain, sidewalk, or road. When the Auto Edge Out tool is used to blend more than two textures together, three-way blends can occur. Three-way blends can significantly slow down the game.
APPENDIX A: A GOOD INITIAL SKETCH The enclosed drawing is the original concept sketch for the Skirmish map titled, “Alpine Assault.” In the drawing, you can see how closely it compares to the final produced map. Additionally, the artist has indicated where passable slopes are located. One suggested improvement to this drawing would be to differentiate between supply depots and oil derricks, which are technically limitless. You might want to print out this page and compare it to the map in the game.
NOTICE Electronic Arts reserves the right to make improvements in the product described in this manual at any time and without notice. This manual and the software described in this manual are copyrighted. All rights are reserved. No part of this manual or the described software may be copied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form without the prior written consent of Electronic Arts. Software and Documentation © 2003 Electronic Arts Inc.
