User Guide

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. Whether the base faces human- or CPU-

controlled opponents, experience suggests that it’s possible to defend two entrances effectively. However,

defending a third entrance is very hard to do. If all bases face similar challenges, the game gets

interesting in a hurry.

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For single-player base areas, you should consider the nature of the mission and how much of the tech

tree is going to be available to the base creator. If he can access everything, then the confrontation is

likely to be large and requiring of many base structures. However, for specialized single-player missions

with a reduced tech tree, you may not need to build a large base area. It can be a good idea to give a

human player a few buildings with which to commence the mission.

2. The minimum width for each base entrance is five tank lengths. You can create smaller entrances, but

they are easy to defend and can inhibit CPU-controlled units from finding pathways through them.

3. Place all of the structures that you think the player needs in order to win the game. The USA and

China sides tend to require more space, as they need power and have very large structures like the

airfield. Place all of the structures with room between them so that tanks and infantry can maneuver.

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If you’re building a single-player map, you may want to place the structures using the Build List, as you

can see the power requirements needed for the base. If more power is needed, more power plants and,

hence, space are needed.

4. Draw a polygon trigger area around the base area. When you are satisfied that you have enough space

to build your base, draw a polygon trigger area around it. This polygon trigger area is just a marker.

5. Delete the placed buildings. Unless you have placed the buildings using the Build List and intend to

keep them on your map, remove them.

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To remove a group of objects, use the Select and Move tool to click and drag a rectangle around the

objects. Then, press

6. Flatten out the base area. When you have defined the polygon trigger area, you should make the space

inside of the area as flat as possible. While the building of base structures can flatten some small

undulations in the terrain, structures cannot be built on a slope of any significance. So, it’s best to use

the Height Brush tool to make the surface as even as possible. For more information,

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Height Brush on

p. 23.

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Don’t worry about scenery objects such as trees and rocks. They are excavated by the construction units

when base structures are built.