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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