Old Art

The endorsed library of art and objects.

Tools

Sandbox2

The editor of the game levels, we call maps. Besides the editor itself, there are external programs that ease some steps in creating the map. Most notably creating an terrain, or calculating the time of day light effect (ToD)

NOTE: the Sandbox2 editor was never intended to be used without underlying version control software preserving the progress of the map creation

NOTE: Map creation by the means of Sandbox2 was never conceived to be performed by an lone individual. This alone might be the reason why some portions of the work pipe might seem overwhelming and too arduous.

Quite few of the artists are known to have taken an longer hiatus even before an map got finished, let alone after. It is quite a lot of work and quite an palette of skill to master - so prepare to take the time, if you want to do it proper.

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PROTIPS:

• 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 meters 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.

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Setup

Since the new launcher is in service, the Sanbox2 is part of each installation. The various tools have each it's separate requirements and/or quirks

Art creation

Being wast as it is, the Sanbox2 database of assets and items isn't a thing that can be glanced over in a day or even a week. It is recommended to take few steps at a time, not to overwhelm one self with it.

Tweaking

Tweaking an existing map that actually has the source files present. Useful to grasp the editor and its basic concepts.

• starting the editor
• moving in the editor by the mouse and keyboard
• entering the game mode
• saving the map - usually breaks the editor - requiring an restart
• selecting objects
• modes of transformation and constrains (steps) of transformation
• what are prefabs - usage and processing
• groups - creation, manipulation and save & restore to disk
• modification/editing of the cgf (3d art) files
• adding new brushes or entities to the map
• changing present objects 3d art
• the material editor - picking and assigning materials
• materials - effects and options
• database editor - editing archetypes of entities
• entities - editing individual entities
• special entities - doors, elevators

Creating

Those, set up to create a new map, usually have found that there is no terrain fit for the idea. Or time of day lightning (ToD). Or the general setting of the map in question is too different.

Concept

To most efficiently create an map from scratch, it is strongly advised to define it outside of Sandbox2 editor beforehand.

1. Have the size determined first, usually MW:LL maps are 8km x 8km defined as 4096px x 4096px height maps. Some maps have "natural limits" that occlude the "outer world" from the player, such maps can be constrained to the actual play area size. Others, "wide open" maps, are best created double the size and the "outer world" is obscured by "distance fog", distant mountains (or slopes), or the like.
2. Decide of the game type - TC maps can be used for both TC and TSA games, SA are specific to Solaris arena game types.
3. figure out the game flow - how the match should flow, how the game will develop as the players progress with their spawn funds (and maybe more join or some leave towards the end of the match).
4. figure out the setting - DoT lightning - is it warm or cold climate? adjust the shades later accordingly.
5. does the intended terrain require any special software for terrain shape design?

Creation

After all those are defined and known in advance, one can approach the process of starting an creation from scratch.

• starting from an empty map - folder structure
• creating the initial basic terrain outside the editor - file formats and properties
• fine tuning the terrain in the editor - the tools and tips
• setting the ToD - quirks and tips
• water
• clouds
• weather
• layers
• vegetation - how to efficiently make vegetation - pitfalls ("flying trees")
• further immersion factors
• effects

Specifics

Game mode specific considerations.

• TC
• TSA
• SA

Terrain_Control_Tutorial_for_Mappers is based on Wilsons Terrain Control Mapping Guide.

MWLL_Flowgraph_Nodes are additional Flowgraph nodes available in Sandbox 2 Editor for crysis

Ancient_demise's 3 hour long map creation video.

Improving

Making (or tweaking) an map with items outside of the present MW:LL asset pool.

Adding Art

Making art and assets not currently present in MW:LL and importing them into the Sandbox2 and further to the MW:LL pool. For further information, refer to not yet endorsed art.