The Homeworld Map Makers Primer v2.1 FINAL

 
HW Tutorial 6.0 Preview

 

Part Six: Overview

In this
section you will take a first look, a preview of your map.

6.1

Copy the relevant map folder to the Homeworld Multiplayer directory.

6.2

Load up the Map and take a look around.

6.3

Tweak the Map and take a look at the changes you make.

6.4

Part Six Summary.


Quick Links Relevant to this Chapter

 

6.0 Preview the Map

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.

 

6.1 - Copy the relevant map folder to the Homeworld Multiplayer directory.

Now, copy your Revelations2 folder into the Homeworld/Multiplayer folder (if its not already there). Your Revelations2 folder should contain the following files;

Revelations2.level
Description.txt

Mothership_0.missphere

Mothership_1.missphere

ResourceSphere_1.missphere

Downslope.btg

Downslope.hsf

AsteroidCentre.dist

DustCloudCentre.dist

AsteroidLong.dist

nebula.dist

Make sure that it does, then away you go and start up Homeworld.

 

6.2 - Load up the Map and take a look around.

In the Multiplayer/Skirmish Vs CPU/Set Up Game/Basic Options screen, your mission is listed as; ‘Revelations (2-6)’. Take note of the description box when you select your map, make sure all is well.

If you cant see your map listed then you have made a mistake somewhere, most likely in the naming, check that the folder name matches exactly (Case and Spelling!) the name your map has in the Revelations2.level file, as I was saying here. Possibly, you never actually changed the map name itself in the *.level file and it may have been recognised but the game has it listed as something else, ie Tutorial Map or whatever. If you can see it then select it anyway, we can change everything later.

6.2.1 - You only have the map set up for two players at the moment so start up a 2-player game on your map.

Did it work? It should have, if not be sure to go through each stage of the tutorial checking you done everything right added everything I told you to, and remember; case and format. Case and format and Spelling. One spelling mistake or a mistake in the case of a file whether its the file name or its listing in the level file will cause a crash.

6.2.2 - In the game, look around, marvel at your stellar work thus far. You should see two MS's 100km from each other, either side of the nebula that lies at the heart of the ‘Hyperspace Arena’ map.

6.2.3 - Pay attention that the background matches the light source (A minor yet important point. My original version of ‘Lughnassad’ had the lighting all mixed up and I only noticed after I had spent ages placing all the resources and stuff. I had to virtually rewrite the whole damned thing after that. Man, I was royally miffed).

6.2.4 - Are you happy with the music?

6.2.5 - Are the two players facing the right direction and are all the ships placed okay? (fire off a probe at the CPU Mothership to check this, or, record the game then check the recording for it's disposition and facing. I think recording is the best option here, its a good habit to get into, especially if you have 8 players to check).

6.2.6 - When you are finished quit out of the map, back to the main menu and press Alt-Tab to jump back to desktop, you will want to keep Homeworld running from now on.

 

6.3 - Tweak the Map and take a look at the changes you make.

Okay, lets tweak a little bit. We’ll fool around with your description box and the light source. Remember you are now working from the files within the Homeworld/Multiplayer Directory itself if you created your map elsewhere. Remember, don't touch the map folder itself! From here on only save/delete/rename/etc. the files this map folder contains.

6.3.1 - The Description box looks a little bunched up lets space out those lines of text a little. This is easily accomplished here by adding in two more lines beginning with ‘Description<tab>’ in the Description.txt file. Add these lines in the relevant places so your first few lines will look like this;

Description    Revelations (2-6 Players)
Description    

Description    Hooray me! My First Map! Am I not just the dogs bollocks?

Description    

Description    Settings: Crates off.

Description    AUTHOR: Dylov (dy.lov@techemail.com)

Description    VERSION: 1.0 (April 19 2000)

You could if you so wish make the revelations titled Bold by adding the usual '&' (shift-7) in front of every letter, but note that if you do this, the game still regards the '&' as a space used and even though you cant see the '&', you will still see the effects it will have on long titles, you will find it wraps.

6.3.2 - You’ll have noticed that /downslope\ has set his light source as almost directly above and slightly more to the rear of your Mothership starting position, so lets move the background about a little to match up the star with the light source.

In the level file change the background line a little, we won't rotate it up/down (as /downslope\’s background is completely unforgiving for even a minor changes) but we will rotate the left/right (rotz) by a small amount though, say; 20°. (Remember that x=0° when we rotate the map, we are rotating it ‘anticlockwise’, by 20°).

The line should now look like this;

Background    Downslope, 20, 0

6.3.3 - Still in the level file, lets change the Overall map size a little. We can see that 150km radius gives two thirds volume of empty space around our players at the core, so as we aim to make an inward looking map, lets reduce the size a little... Actually lets reduce it a Lot! Cut the smUniverseSizeX, smUniverseSizeZ and smUniverseSizeY size down by half to 75km (75000).

6.3.4 - Okay have a last look at the settings for the map in the Description.txt file, check that only crates are switched off, are you happy with the starting RU’s and the bounty level? Sweeeet…

6.3.5 - Away into Homeworld (ALT-TAB) and look at the results to these changes. Looks much better huh?

 

6.4 - Summary

Okay, so the map is working, the Ships are set up for players One and Two, the Game Settings, Background, Lighting, Universe Size and Sensor Manager settings are done. All that really remains is the resources and the extra players. And look how simple this has been so far! We're over halfway done so lets quickly push on and finish the two player map fully, by setting up our resources.

 

Quick Links:

HW Primer:
Chapter Five - The Resource Spheres Files

Quick Jump to Relevant Areas in the Primer:
5.7 A few points for troubleshooting The Mission Sphere Files

Quick Jump to Relevant Appendices:
Appendix B: Errors


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