MISSION EDITOR MANUAL CONSUMER VERSION This Mission Editor tool is a proprietary tool designed specifically to create missions for NovaLogic’s action games. Since each game has different requirements and variables, the Mission Editor is constantly undergoing changes to best fit the current project. This manual covers the mission editor for Delta Force: Task Force Dagger.
Table of Contents Section 1: Navigating the Tool....................................................... 3 Section 2: Creating a New Mission ................................................ 6 Section 3: Editing General Information.......................................... 7 Section 4: Groups and Layers ...................................................... 10 Section 5: Inserting Items ............................................................ 11 Section 6: Waypoints .......................................
Section 1: Navigating the Tool There are a number of keyboard controls and toolbar buttons that will help you work more efficiently. Many functions are mirrored in the pull down menus, but learning the key commands will prove to be more useful. If you want to try out some of these commands, open the sample mission by clicking File then Open and select “Sample.mis”. This will bring up a map and some objects already laid out for you.
The main editing screen.
Screen Buttons: C – Character Map – Press this button or the F1 key to show a full color representation of the terrain. H – Height Map – This button or the F2 key will bring up a topographical view of the terrain. The lighter the color on the map, the higher that part of the terrain. Solid dark areas are usually low, flat spots, which are good for bases or airfields. D – Depth Map – This view simply shows the contour map of the terrain. The closer the lines are to each other, the steeper the grade.
Section 2: Creating a New Mission This section outlines the basic steps required to start making a mission for Delta Force: Task Force Dagger. The following pages detail the more advanced instructions, but for now we will go through the basic steps to familiarize you with the process since some of the later steps are dependent on the previous ones being set up correctly. Refer to Appendix C to see an example of a simple mission. Step 1: Start the DFTFDMED.exe program.
Section 3: Editing General Information Under Edit in the Tool Bar, select General Information to set the basic mission details. You will see the General Information window shown below. Mission Name – The name entered here will appear in the mission select screen once it is exported. Mission Designer – Put your name here. Mission Terrain – This pull down menu contains all of the terrains you can use to build a mission.
Dialog File (*.dbf) – Not used in this version of the MED. Mission File (*.rc) – Not used in this version of the MED. Default Equipment – You can choose the gear that the player is recommended to carry for your mission. If the player makes no changes to their gear, the item selected for each inventory slot will be loaded as the default.
text only. The actual win and lose conditions are set up through the events (see the section on Events and Area Triggers) which display the specified text on screen. Wind Settings – If you want wind to play a part in your mission, set the wind speed and direction here. This can affect sniping severely. Light Wind = 25 kph, Heavy Wind = 50 kph, Hurricane Wind = 90 kph Visible Campaign Variables – A long name for something no longer used in this game.
Section 4: Groups and Layers The most important part of building a good mission is organization. Planning your groups and layers is a major part of that organization. You can quickly get lost in a sea of meaningless numbers and objects unless you take the time to properly label everything. A little work in the beginning saves a lot of headaches later on. Groups Groups are used to classify related items, such as a squad of enemy helicopters, and set an identity for Events and Waypoints (explained later).
Section 5: Inserting Items Items represent everything that exists on the map from enemy vehicles and buildings to waypoints and event triggers to scenery such as trees and water towers. To add an item press the INSERT key to enter Insert Mode and left click to set a new object down. This will bring up the Insert Item window where you can select the type and sub-type of item that you want to place.
you modify will be changed for all items currently selected (where possible). Item Attribute Definitions Social Security Number (SSN) - The tool automatically sets this number when an item is placed. Every unit gets a SSN to differentiate it from other items in the mission. Layer - All units belong to a layer. Selecting an appropriate layer will help you to better organize the mission. See Section 4 for more information on Layers.
Team: This designates good guys, bad guys and neutral guys. Red will target/attack blue and vice-versa whether marked as goals or not. Neither blue nor red will target a neutral item unless “Neutral Targeting” is selected (detailed below). Name: If a name is given to a blue team asset, that name will appear over their head during the mission to identify them to the player. Alert State - Selects the item’s initial alert status. This status can be changed through the use of events and area triggers.
Blind – Won’t see his friends getting shot even if they are next to each other and won’t see enemies. Deaf and Blind are good for keeping hostages from running away from firefights or keeping a Blackhawk from engaging enemies as it flies overhead. Standing – Fires weapon from a standing position instead of the default kneeling position. Good for units standing behind bunkers. They are easy to snipe. Prone – Fires weapon while laying down instead of the default kneeling position.
3 – Set tbunk’s blink group to 1 and check the “Parent” box. As a parent object, this bunker will always be rendered. Any above ground object that has below ground objects joined to it must be marked as a parent. Click OK 3 – Now place a level tunnel piece, “ttune”, south of the first one. Get out of insert mode and highlight the piece. If you zoom into the end you’ll see that there is a double line that flares out at the ends. This is where you usually line up pieces. Zoom out a bit and select “move”.
The walls look different from their adjoining rooms - Texture maps do not always match because they are from two different sets of parts. The O series differs slightly in color from the T series of parts for example. You should make an effort match sets so they do not look out of place. Group rotation – If you rotate a number of structures at once, you may have to realign them. Z axis – Be sure to check your Z axis often, especially after physically moving a tunnel.
Tunnel Diagram Below is a diagram of a partial tunnel complex showing the blink groups, the piece names, and Z altitudes. The tunnel placement walkthrough explains how to place the first four sections of this complex from sections A to B. A - This is the bunker that leads the player below ground (as is the bunker at D). It must be on level ground and its Z value (not absolute) must be 0, 0. It descends 8 meters below the surface. B – Note the arrow and “D” this shows that the piece has a downward slope.
Section 6: Waypoints Waypoint groups tell vehicles and soldiers where to go. Before you can assign a unit to a set of waypoints, you have to name them. Choose Waypoints under the Edit menu to bring up the waypoint window. You can name a waypoint group with whatever name you chose, but it should be self-explanatory. The “Waypoint Size” show’s how many individual waypoints are part of a waypoint group. If you check the “Waypoint does not loop” checkbox, then the unit will come to a stop at its last waypoint.
7. Click on the map somewhere near the “start, player” marker that you placed earlier to add the first waypoint. 8. In the Insert Item window, click on Markers then select waypoint. The waypoint will now appear on the map. 9. Click somewhere nearby to place your next waypoint. 10. Notice that Markers and waypoint are already selected in the window that opens. Just click on OK. 11. Repeat steps 8 and 9 a couple more times. 12. Get out of Insert Mode by pressing the Insert key. 13.
Section 7: Events and Area Triggers Events One of the most complex and powerful parts of mission editing is creating events. With this tool, you will be able to set up a series of actions that only occur when certain conditions are triggered. Each event is set up as an IF-THEN statement. In other words, IF a condition is met by the game, THEN the event takes place. An explanation of the various trigger and event If-Then statements can be found in Appendix B.
Delay (seconds): This is how many seconds must pass before the actions will execute. 0 delay means that the actions will be carried out as soon as the trigger conditions are met. Please note that the delay will not work properly if you are using events to trigger other events. Pre-Mission Event: Not used Post-Mission Event: Not used Win and Lose conditions / Sub-goals In the General Information window are the Win and Lose sub-goal pull down windows.
Section 8: Exporting and Playing Missions You will not be able to play or test your mission until you convert it into a file that the game can recognize. When you are at a point where you would like to test your mission, save your current file normally. This saves the editable .mis file. Next select Export Binary Mission under the File menu to export and save. Your custom mission will have the extension of “.
Section 9: Sound Markers One of the most important aspects of any game is sound. Environmental sounds help set the mood and locale while dialogue moves the story forward and gives the player vital information. Sounds are triggered in a few ways. Some are inherent to the objects to which they are attached, such as vehicle sounds. Others are placed as invisible objects that have looping sounds such as running water or birds. Sound markers can be fond in the Insert Items window under the Markers heading.
Section 10: Design Guidelines Now that you know the mechanics of making a mission, you must consider how to put the pieces together in a way that will be fun for the player and fit with the style and design of the existing missions. Difficulty Any mission you create will be difficult for other people. No matter how easily you can complete your mission, believe anyone that tells you they have trouble. There are a number of ways you can adjust the difficulty with good mission design.
3. Don’t try to kill the player at this point, the last fight can be thrilling, but shouldn’t be deadly E. Finish 1. The player should feel accomplishment and not wonder “Why’d I win?” Details Don’t get wrapped up in triggering small details or events. Often times, you can spend too much time on one scene than should be spent. People won’t sit and watch the AI move around for long. They’re more likely to just shoot whomever they spot. So it’s not as much a matter of what the AI is doing, as where the AI is.
4. When you right click the mouse with no items selected, you can choose to View by Side; this will turn all of the bad guy’s items red, all of the good guy’s items blue and all of the neutral items green for ease of game balancing. 5. When placing buildings, use the F3 view to find a good flat spot. 6. In Capture the Flag missions, it’s a good idea to drop a “null” marker on top of any flag you put down, then set the null marker to the team color of the flag.
Appendix A: Terrain Types There is a pull down menu for your mission terrain in the General information window. Each image on this page is a snapshot of the various terrains you are able to choose from that menu. If you change terrains after laying down items, you may have to manually readjust the item’s z-axis number or it may end up underground.
Delta Force Task Force Dagger - Mission Editor Manual - 06/11/02 Page 28
Delta Force Task Force Dagger - Mission Editor Manual - 06/11/02 Page 29
Appendix B: Trigger List The following “If” and “then” statements describe a situation that must take place to trigger an event. When you select one of these trigger types in the events window, more options will open to allow you to specify what you want to be the trigger. For example, if you select “Group” as an “If” trigger, then a new pull down menu will open up. Pull down this menu until the group that you want to be the trigger is selected. “IF” Statements Trigger Types Null: Always False.
Play Wavlist: Not Used Blue Win: Triggers a game win for the Blue team and ends the mission. Red Win: Triggers a game win for the Red team and ends the mission. Green (Neutral) Win: The neutral team wins...hardly ever used. Group Velocity: Change the movement speed (KPH) for vehicles. Area AI, Red: Changes the AI of everyone on the red team within a specified area trigger. Area AI, Blue: Changes the AI of everyone on the blue team within a specified area trigger. SubGoal Won: Sub Goal X has been achieved.
Appendix C: Sample Mission With the Delta Force: Task Force Dagger Mission Editor open, select File, then Open, then select the “Sample.mis” file. This mission was built for you to have a head start on designing a mission. The tutorial terrain uses a snowy, mountainous map on a dark, windy, and rainy day. E A - The lower left side of the map shows the starting position for the player. The second blue dot is the player’s waypoint. B – This area has four guards who belong to the group “Enemy Guards”.
(3) No Civilian Casualties – If both trucks enter Area Trigger 2, a subgoal is won. (4) Guards killed – If all four guards are taken out, another subgoal is triggered. (5) Destroy Helicopter – Destroying the convoy helo will trigger yet another subgoal necessary to win the mission.
Appendix D: Key Commands Mode Keyboard Mouse 2D SHFT+CTRL+Q Quick Test Mission (Requires NL EXE) U LEFT RIGHT UP DOWN SHFT+UP SHFT+DOWN Unselects currently selected item Edit Item Attributes Move Items Left 1/256 meter Move Items Right 1/256 meter Move Items Forward 1/256 meter Move Items Backward 1/256 meter Move Items Up 1/256 meter Move Items Down 1/256 meter CTRL+LEFT CTRL+RIGHT CTRL+UP CTRL+DOWN Move Items Left 1 meter Move Items Right 1 meter Move Items Forward 1meter Move Items Backwards 1me
