HW
Tutorial: Revelations
This
Tutorial is designed to take you through the creation of a custom
map entitled 'Revelations'. To make things as easy-peasy
as possible I have included all the files you will need in a
folder called 'HW Tutorial Map Files' and if you don't already
have it, you can download a zipped version of it here.
Alternately you could quite happily dredge up all the files
from any existing map you already have.
For
our map Revelations,
we will have a huge central cluster in the dead centre of our
map with another six smaller clusters of asteroids around it
at the cardinal points. One directly above, one directly below
and four on the same plane as the central cluster, to the ‘north’,
‘south’, ‘east’ and ‘west’.
Our
map will have a maximum of Six Players and they will start within
each of the smaller satellite clusters. We will have a lightly
defended ‘Research Station’ in the central cluster which will
be purely decoration (and sensor disruption terrain), made up
of mainly non-harvestable asteroids (or ‘dust’).
A
simple wee map to start you off.
notes:
The
Homeworld Tutorial Map Files Folder.
I will be mentioning this folder a lot. This folder will contain
every file I talk about throughout the tutorial. Dont let this
stop you trawling through other custom maps, you could always
grab each and every file from almost any map. Its just easier
for all concerned if i give you all the stuff in the one folder.
The
Multiplayer folder. (..\Sierra\Homeworld\Multiplayer).
This folder is found in the Homeworld folder, and is where all
your multiplayer maps are stored. When you first install the
game, if it is there at all, it will be empty, when you download
a map from a multiplayer (online) game, this is where the map
is stored, you need to restart Homeworld for the game to recognise
it, and thus list it in the Multiplayer\Skirmish
Vs CPU settings screen. Go find it now, if it don't exist then
create it, just make sure you name and place it exactly as i
have shown above, directly into the Homeworld folder.
'The
Map Folder'.
Homeworld maps all have their own folders, in fact each map
is made up of a number of folders that I often refer to as sub-directories.
There will be a folder for each amount of players the map can
hold. A map that can accommodate 4 players (such as a 2v2 team
game map) will be made up of three folders, a two player folder,
a three player folder, and a four player folder. There will
never be a one player folder obviously... When I refer to 'Map
folders', these are what I'm talking about, they always have
a number at the end so are easily differentiated.
Jumping
in and out of the game: ALT-TAB-ing
Using the windows shortcut ALT-TAB to switch between the game
and desktop is how all the tweaking is done. Did you read the
point about downloading maps over WON when online? The 'restarting
homeworld so it recognises the new folders added' bit? Well,
the same process happens whenever you add a map folder into
the Multiplayer folder, you wont see it listed in the game until
you quit and then restart the game. But happily this does not
apply to the folders contents, you can add empty folders
containing nothing but a description file and still have them
listed when you start up the game, then add what you need to
the folder, delete it, change it, swap it for another file etc,
all while the game is running, ALT-TAB back into the game, reload
the map, view your changes.
I
find on my CPU the transition between Homeworld and windows
to be much faster when I use the in game options to turn off
the graphics card and select ‘(SW) Software’ as the rendering
system. But this may just be my CPU…
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