Difference between revisions of "Map Editing/Sandbox"

From MechWarrior: Living Legends Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
m (Endorsed Art)
(Swap sandbox and article)
 
(One intermediate revision by one other user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
=Introductioin=
+
This is a placeholder page.
Map making is a complex topic. Numerous artists send work hours down the so called "pipeline" to produce an actual map.
 
To make the topic easier to understand it is good to familiarize with the tools needed before actual hard work is being done.
 
  
Here we will cover:
+
It will eventually detail the basics of map editing, such as where to get [[Sandbox 2]], how to load MWLL's assets & pre-fabricated assets (prefabs) into the editor and ways of creating terrain. Some tips & tricks will be mentioned.
  
- tools and operations
+
* '''''Save your map often and create backups!''''' This is '''critical''' in case your working version becomes corrupted.
  
- endorsed art and alien art
+
* Plan your maps before you actually begin making them. Have a good idea of how the map will ''flow'', that is, how players are likely to interact with the terrain, buildings and/or capture zones you intend to place. You may want to run your draft map/terrain past other players to help refine your design.
 +
* Make sure the path of the editor shortcut you use ends with the command switch -mod mwll, otherwise it will not work properly. Place this switch at the end of the file the shortcut points to.
 +
* Most heightmaps are generated as 4096 x 4096 units in size, using a scaling of 2 metres per unit.
 +
* Hold down the right mouse button to rotate the camera on spot. Holding down the middle mouse button lets you slide the camera side to side & up and down. Holding both the middle & right mouse buttons enables you to zoom in and out. You can also use the scroll wheel for finer control and the Speed value near the bottom of the Sandbox UI changes the sensitivity of camera movement.
 +
* To load MWLL's prefabs into the editor, go to View > Open View Pane > Database View, click the Prefab Library tab and locate mwll_assets.xml. They will then appear under the Prefab section on the right-hand pane.
  
- setup and usage
+
AncientDemise's 3h mapping stream will be linked [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yJzhQj42LE&feature=youtu.be here].
 
 
= [[Old_Art|Endorsed Art]] =
 
Endorsed art, or, assets that exist in the game already. To make a new and exciting map, the experienced mapper will always resort to existing art before trying to solve problems with adding new assets.
 
 
 
Moreover, experienced mappers are already familiar with the quite extensive library of assets in the sandbox2 editor and didn't even had the chance to try all out, let alone dry the ideas of whats possible and at hand.
 
 
 
[[Old Art|Endorsed Art]]
 
 
 
1. [[Old Art#Tools|Tools]]
 
 
 
2. [[Old Art#Setup|Setup]]
 
 
 
3. [[Old Art#Art_creation|Art Creation]]
 
 
 
= [[New Art]] =
 
By the sole nature of this mod, it depends of an certain pool of assets that share little in common with the original game.
 
 
 
By the nature of the development of this mod, some of the key assets may still be missing, while some, others, may come into consideration.
 
 
 
Here we will deal with importing assets that are not already in the Game and Sandbox2 editor.
 
 
 
[[New Art]]
 
 
 
1. [[New Art#Tools|Tools]]
 
 
 
2. [[New_Art#Setting_up_the_system|Setting up the system]]
 
 
 
3. [[Asset_creation|Test Flight]]
 

Latest revision as of 23:29, 4 December 2017

This is a placeholder page.

It will eventually detail the basics of map editing, such as where to get Sandbox 2, how to load MWLL's assets & pre-fabricated assets (prefabs) into the editor and ways of creating terrain. Some tips & tricks will be mentioned.

  • Save your map often and create backups! This is critical in case your working version becomes corrupted.
  • Plan your maps before you actually begin making them. Have a good idea of how the map will flow, that is, how players are likely to interact with the terrain, buildings and/or capture zones you intend to place. You may want to run your draft map/terrain past other players to help refine your design.
  • Make sure the path of the editor shortcut you use ends with the command switch -mod mwll, otherwise it will not work properly. Place this switch at the end of the file the shortcut points to.
  • Most heightmaps are generated as 4096 x 4096 units in size, using a scaling of 2 metres per unit.
  • Hold down the right mouse button to rotate the camera on spot. Holding down the middle mouse button lets you slide the camera side to side & up and down. Holding both the middle & right mouse buttons enables you to zoom in and out. You can also use the scroll wheel for finer control and the Speed value near the bottom of the Sandbox UI changes the sensitivity of camera movement.
  • To load MWLL's prefabs into the editor, go to View > Open View Pane > Database View, click the Prefab Library tab and locate mwll_assets.xml. They will then appear under the Prefab section on the right-hand pane.

AncientDemise's 3h mapping stream will be linked here.