1 .................. Foreword
2 ................. Legal Stuff
3 ................. FAQs
4 ................. Getting Started
5 ................. Quick Overview
6 ................. Height Module
7 ................. Color Module
8 ................. Texture Module
9 ................. Water Module
10 ................. Environ Module
11 ................. Object Module
12 ................. Path Module
13 ................. The "Shift-F9 view"
14 ................. The Console
15 ................. Saving Your Map
16 ................. Converting Your Map to Multiplayer
17 ................. Credits
18 ................. Contact Information
19 ................. Version History
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1: Foreword |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Hello and thank you for checking out this FAQ/Walkthrough for the
Battlezone II: Combat Commander Level Editor. This walkthrough is meant
to help people avoid the numerous headaches I've encountered in designing
maps for this game. Hopefully this will provide the only instruction
you will need for designing single-player Instant-action maps, and
Multi-player Instant maps. (Sorry, I don't know the processes for
Multi-player Deathmatch, Capture-the-Flag or Strategy) So without
further a-do, let's get started.
Actually, this is not a copy-protected document. Therefore, you may
distribute this document wherever and however you please as long as you
follow a few simple conditions. First, don't make any money or other
profit off of this. (And should you decide to convert this to HTML, then
don't put up any web-ads!) Second, Give credit where credit is due. Third,
You may modify this, but if you do, make it clear where my work ends and
where your work begins. That way, you won't take credit for my work and
I won't take credit for yours. And that's about it, in fact I want you
to give this away. Maybe it will help someone else out. I would also
like to be notified if you post this elsewhere. You don't have to, I
just wouldn't mind keeping track of how succesfull this FAQ is or isn't.
The following I don't know if they are really frequently asked but I do
think they could be points of confusion so here they are.
1. My map won't open right. When I try to open it in the Instant Action
menu I'm in a Sabre with nothing but gray around me. What's wrong?
A. You forgot to create a file. Let's say your map is called "mymap.bzn"
in which case you should create the following file in notepad:(or Wordpad
or whatever) mymap.inf. This file should contain the following in this
format:
missionName is the map name that is displayed in the level-select menu.
mapTga is the picture that is displayed in the level-select menu screen.
The file it refers to should be in the same directory as your other files.
mapDesc is the description that is displayed in the level-select menu
screen. It should be another file created by notepad (or, well, you get
the idea)and should be a short description of your level. (Both of these
lines(mapTga = "mymap.bmp" and mapDesc = "mymap.des") are unnecessary but
nice.)mySide is a necessary line telling the computer who the Humans will
play as. 0 = Scion 1 = ISDF
1.1 My multi-player Instant Map calls itself a strategy map. What going
on?
A. I put this under question 1 because they are closely related. You have
to put the following lines below what is already in your .inf file (Note:
The numbers in parentheses at the beginning of the lines are my own
addition. DO NOT put these in, they are only here to designate what
changes the formatting of this FAQ has made. Another-words, they are used
to show that what might be multiple lines here, should be one-line in the
real thing. I.E, the two lines with the number 5 beside them should be on
one line in the actual document as should be the ones with 7, 8, etc.)
(1)[NetVars]
(2)// For master list of descriptions, see source
etwork\vars.txt
(3)ivar0 = 0 // Kill limit, 0= unlimited
(4)ivar1 = 0 // Time limit, 0= unlimited
(5)ivar2 = 6 // player limit. Commenting out this line means current
(5)setting not changed
(6)ivar3 = 1 // 1=Teamplay on, 0=Teamplay off
(7)ivar4 = 786432 // Bitfields saying which vehicles out of
(7) mpvehicles.txt are allowable. 33= both scouts
(8)ivar5 = 2 // All=0, DM=1, Strat=2, all other values undefined (used
(8)in filters)
(9)ivar6 = 0 // Vehicles allowable II (if ever implemented)
(10)ivar7 = 2 // Strategy02.dll starting prefs: turrets at AI level 2,
(10)rest AI 0,
(11)default scrap, nothing extra [see vars.txt for gory details on
(11)bits]
(12)
(13)// Svar0 (.bzn filename, used to look for an .inf file like this)
(14)// *not* read in, as that would cause an infinite loop
(15)ivar9 = 25 //unit limit, 0 is unlimited
(16)ivar11 = 1 // locks team play
(17)ivar12 = 1 // lock all to team 1
(18)svar1 = "Team Humans" // Team name for team 1
(19)svar2 = "Team Computer" // Team name for team 2
You may modify these as wanted, but this alone should be okay for you.
2. How do I get a file for mymap.bmp?
A. You could create one in Paint or a similar program, or you could have
the computer generate one for you. To make a Bitmap (assuming you
installed Bz2 to the Default folder) for your Map go to the run menu and
type:
The ***** is the name of your Map. You will then find the picture in the
Addon folder.
3. My biometal pools look funny. the textures clash with the terrain, what
can I do?
A. First, paint the surrounding terrain the same color as the biometal
pool ground. then paint the same texture as the biometal pool ground.
Blend to make sure there are no sharp edges and there you go. If you don't
have the right texture then tough luck I can't help you. Sorry.
4. My plant shadows are going crazy! They're just one big, black blob!
What's happening? What can I do?
A. Right now there is nothing you can do. But in the future you can prevent
this from happening. Inside your main Bz2 folder there is a file called
Render.cfg. Open this file with Notepad and look for a line like this:
;darkplants = 1.
Change the 1 to 0. Otherwise a shadow will be under your plants. Now this
is desirable but this particular shadow will grow every time you save
and load your map creating an unsightly blob.
5. My files won't save right. What's wrong?
A. If your filenames are over 8 characters in length then that may be your
problem. Otherwise, I can't help you. Sorry.
6. I accidentally deleted my player craft! What can I do?
A. Only one thing: be more careful next time. That is one mistake that is
irrevocable.
7. My multi-player map enemies are Allies. What's wrong?
A. You opened up your maps .bzn file in notepad and saved it didn't you?
Well, let's hope you have a backup because otherwise you'll have to start
over. Now in case you're wondering I will explain this. A text editor like
notepad will take binary data and attempt to turn it into aski characters
(that gibberish you probably saw). If you save the file then the binary
data will remain aski characters. Ruining the file and your map. If you
must change something there, (like the .dll your map uses.) Then use a
pure text editor. The only one I personally know of is a freeware program
called frhed. Use an internet search and get it.
8. I made a mistake in my map. But I've already changed the dll file it
uses and now I can't open it. What can I do?!
A. This happens to the best of us. Fortunately it's easy to fix. Open the
.bzn file of your map in a pure text editor (like frhed NOT notepad. See
previous question.) and do a search (crtl-f in frhed) for ".dll" this
should find it for you. You can then change it. (Note: frhed is weird. You
have to use the delete key to remove a character in a file.)
9. My map is the wrong size. What can I do?
A. Press Shift-F9. You should see a diagonal line running across your map.
You may have to zoom out using the minus key. If it's not there then you'll
have to create it by pressing 1 then 2 to get into edit path mode. and
clicking at the point you want to be a corner of your map. And clicking
again at the other corner. Then click in the gray text box in the
lower-left corner and in the corresponding text box type in: edge_path.
If the text box doesn't appear then press escape and keep trying, it may
take a dozen or so tries but it should appear. If it is already there
then just click and drag its end point where you want them.
10. My spawn points are in the wrong places. How can I fix this?
A. Press Shift-F9 and look for two points entitled Recycler and
RecyclerEnemy. Move these two position the player and computer start
points.(If the aren't there then you can create them. See previous
question.)
11. In higher Terrain detail levels my ground is invisible and my water
is the wrong color. What's going on and what can I do to fix it?
A. What's going on is you made your map in low detail. In low detail
you only see one texture layer. In higher detail you see more then that.
And if the texture layers aren't full the ground's invisible. To fix
this simply enter the editor and start texturing all the layers of the
map. To make it easier, run the editor in high detail. You could also
use the console command editor.texture.fill to fill the currently
selected layer with whatever is in the texture eyedropper. The problem
with the water is similar. In low detail you only see one of the two
water layers for each water table layers. If you notice in the water
module, there are two RGB value settings. You have to set them both to
get the right effect.
12. Why does my Editor not quite fit your description?
A. I've heard that there are various editor upgrades you can get. These
shouldn't drastically affect the accuracy of this FAQ but it could cause
small differences.
13. The object lists don't list any scrap. Many other items are missing to.
What should I do?
A. Scrap, Biometal Pools, and numerous other items aren't in the lists
for some reason, I don't know why. The only way to get these items is to
load a level that has the missing item in it, use the eyedropper tool on
the item, and write down the config name. Then go back to your map, type
the name into the config box and press enter. You can now use that item.
14. I tried to place pieces of loose scrap around my map, but they keep
disappearing. What's happening?
A. Certain scrap pieces (Not biometal pools) are set to disappear like that.
To avoid this, don't use any scrap items except for "npscrx." This object
config name will create scrap that remains until a scavenger picks it up.
15. My water direction settings do nothing. What's going on?
A. Your Repeat settings are probably too high. Try lowering the number
in the Repeat box for both layers.
16. Every time I load my map, the number of recyclers increase by one,
what should I do?
A. Every time you load a map, the spawn path points (Recycler and
RecyclerEnemy) make a new Recycler, causing your problem. So, open
your map, delete all recyclers, and save it again. That should solve your
problem.
17. When I try to load my map, its map name, description, and/or picture
is wrong and it won't load right. What's wrong?
A. You have it in multiple places. If you have the same map in multi-player
and instant action, for example, this will happen. Either delete or move
all but one of the copies, or change the filenames so that they don't match.
(Don't forget to change the filenames referenced in the maps' .inf files)
Hopefully any further questions of yours will be answered in the Walkthrough
part of this FAQ.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 4: Getting Started |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Okay, let's get going. First, we have to open the editor. I don't know
why but the game designers kind of hid it. There are two ways to get to
the editor.
1: Modify your Bz2 shortcut by right-clicking on the shortcut icon and
selecting Properties. This will open up a box giving the various properties
of the shortcut. in the box labeled "Target:" put the following:(Assuming
you placed Bz2 in the default directory)
C:\Program Files\Battlezone II\bzone.exe" /edit
2: Inside the game press crtl-~ (The tilde key "~" is right below the Escape
key. Just a reminder) to access the in-game console. More on this later on,
for now just type in the following: game.cheat bzeditor and press enter. You
should then see the screen flash yellow and hear a voice say "Enable edit on."
Whichever way you do it you now get to it the same way. (Note: if you do it
the first way it's a one-time thing. While with the second-way, you have to
do it every time you want to start editing.) Basically, you now start by
opening up a story map or, more preferably, a single-player Instant-action map.
And in-game, preferably very early on, press crtl-e. You should then see a
License Agreement window. Read it, then either say yes or no. If you say no
then forget about editing, but for the purposes of this document let's assume
you said "I agree." Now, if you opened up a Instant Action map then continue
on to the next section. If you opened up a story map(not recommended) then
you should go under the Path Module of the editor(upper-right button) and
in the text box, type in the following:
As you can see, you are now in a 3-d satellite view of sorts along the
top are the module buttons (more on these later) and along the left side
are the individual controls for the modules. (more on these later) In the
lower-right corner is a mini-map and in the upper-left corner are the view
controls. Right now let's focus on the view controls.
Right now they should be set to Solid. This provides a complete
representation of your map. To the right of that is the option for Wire.
When active this provides a basic black and white wireframe model of you map.
This is very useful for working with height. I say black and white but
objects do appear like normal, which can make things easier when looking
for small objects like biometal. Below the Solid option is the Height option.
This provides a wire-frame view that is color-coded to the terrain's height
values. Personally I don't find this any more useful than the wire-frame
view unless you're dealing with minuscule details, but you may find it more
useful than I do. To the right of that is the Color option. This provides a
wireframe view that is color-coded to the terrain's color settings. Personally
I find this even less useful that the Height option. It's downright misleading,
I think, but you may do what you want.
Now that we have those four buttons down let's move on to the modules.
(I nearly forgot to mention this, use plus and minus to zoom in and out)
Allright now on to the modules. The modules are what allow you to change
most aspects of your level in Bz2, and the first one I'll talk about is
Height. The first thing you'll probably notice is the greenish are around
your cursor. This shows where you will be adjusting the height. The Width
and Depth settings on the left, just below the view mode buttons, adjust
the size of this greenish area, here after referred to as the "brush".
Below that are the brush shape settings:
Square: A hard edged brush
Circle: A hard edged circular brush
Cone: A hard-edged cone shaped brush
Bell: A soft-edged bell shaped brush. (Note: For soft edges use the Bell
shape. This will provide a more organic look to your world.)
Below those are the Paint modes.
Paint: A mode that makes use of the Foreground and Background (I'll get
to them in a minute) it instantly changes the land under the brush to the
set height.
Spray: A mode that also uses the Foreground and Background
settings. Unlike the Paint mode however, Spray starts at the current height
and gradually changes the land to the set height. The speed of the change
is set by the Pressure setting.
Raise: This one disregards the Foreground and Background settings entirely.
Instead, the left mouse button gradually raises the height of the land and
the right mouse button gradually lowers the terrain. The speed of the
change is affected by the Pressure value.
Eyedrop: A mode that does not paint any heights, but instead can be
used to acquire the value of a pre-existing height. Press the left mouse
button to store the current setting of the land under your brush to the
Foreground setting. Press the right mouse button to do the same to the
Background setting.
Below the modes come three more values.
Pressure: Affects the speed of the afore mentioned Spray and Raise modes.
Foreground: Determines the height, in meters, of the land that will be
painted with the left mouse button.
Background: Does the same as Foreground with the right mouse button.
Using this module, you should be able to do everything you could possibly
want to do regarding the height of the land in your map. But there is still
plenty to do, we're just getting started.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 7: Color Module |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Next comes the Color module. Here we set the colors of the various pieces
of terrain in your map. Here you may notice that this module's tool set
on the left is quite similar to that of the Height module, and the brush
size and shape modes work the same as the Height module. Even the Paint
and Spray work the same. However the Raise button now gradually changes
the colors of the terrain, rather than the height. Similarly, the eyedrop
tool samples color now, not height. Below that are the same pressure,
foreground, and background settings only now the foreground and background
are color settings using RGB values. (RGB stands for Red-Green-Blue and
is often used in color making. The first number adjusts the amount of red
in the set color, the second number sets green, and the third sets blue.
The proper number values range from 0 to 255, and range from light to dark
with 0 0 0 being black and 255 255 255 being white. Experiment)
Texturing in Bz2 is similar yet again to coloring and height mapping.
But this time you probably notice that you have another toolbar on the right
side of the screen. This bank of images corresponds to the various textures
you may use. The references are found in your map's .TRN file and may be
modified using Notepad. Textures in Bz2 use .tga, .bmp, and Softimage .pic
files (NOT the Mac format files of the same name) You may use any naming
convention as long as the file name is no longer than eight characters
before the extension. The files should be created and saved in 24-bit
format. Or you could just use those that come with Bz2. (Note: textures
don't tend to have colors because much of the coloring is derived from
the color module. However for small details, like a yellow line on a road,
you may want to use color in
your textures)
The texture module tool set works less like the height module tool set than
the Color module did. The differences are as follows:
Raise: this automatically makes the Foreground value 255 and the Background
value zero, basically allowing you to erase or reveal more or less of the
painted texture.
Blend: this now blends or smoothes out the edges of textures.
Eyedrop: This tool now samples textures. It will update the sampled texture
and the Alpha value of the sampled point. (The Alpha value sets the
transparency of something with 0 being fully transparent and 255 being fully
opaque)
Pressure: This is now a percent value (0-100) used to determine the speed
of which a value reaches a desired value.
Foreground: This now determines the Alpha value of the brush.
Background: Same as Foreground except painted with the right-mouse button.
Texture: This correspends with the TileTexture numbers listed in the map's
.TRN file. You might as well ignore this and use the Texture toolbar on
the right of the screen.
(WARNING: The following is from what I have gleaned from other people. I
personally have never fully figured out how texture layers work.)
You probably noticed that I skipped over the layers options. Well, here I
talk about them and bring up an important point that I wanted to say
earlier but couldn't easily: Work with the editor on high terrain detail.
In low and medium terrain detail the player only sees part of the terrain
and water layers. If you edit in Low terrain detail then a player in High
terrain detail might have invisible terrain and funny colored water. (see
Faq Question #11 for more details)
By layering textures you can create advanced texture effects. Far beyond
what a beginner need do. The best I can say is look at what others have
done. Specifically, use the Solo button (The S button right beside the
numbered layer buttons) to view only one layer at a time and experiment
yourself.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 9: Water Module |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
Now, you'll probably notice that the water module (which can also be used
to create lava) has a very different looking tool set from the previous
modules that we've worked with. It also has many more settings. Don't
worry, it is very intuitive once you get to know it.
The first thing you should know is that there can be up to 16 water layers
in a single map. Each with different coloration, speed (or velocity),
texture, flow direction, height, etc. However, each layer is actually
comprised of two different layers which create a type of rippling effect
in the water. These two layers can have different colors, texture, speed,
and certain other variables, which are separate from the other layer.
Now let's break down each text box and what it does.
First, the Width and Depth settings. These adjust the size of your cursor
in open spaces. To best illustrate what I mean by " open spaces" I want you
to dig a hole with the height module. Now go under the water module and
Solid view. Unless you have your height setting wrong in the water module
(see below) you should see that your cursor appears to conform to the edge
of the terrain. Click to place some water there. Now go under the wireframe
view. You'll see that your cursor is now a box and you can see the water you
placed as an outline of a box. Now I want you to do one more thing. Go
back to the Height module and dig another depression within the box you
can see in the wireframe view, but separate from your previous hole. Now
observe the
difference. Your second hole should be at least partially filled with water.
When you placed the water you didn't fill in your first hole, you merely
created a miniature water table that your first hole just happened to reveal.
When you dug your second hole you uncovered the water that was there ever
since you placed it for your other hole. Therefore you should be careful.
The cursor you see in the solid view may or may not be all of your cursor.
Layer: This chooses which of the 16 water layers you are currently editing.
Height: This sets the height of your water. The best way to calculate the
height of your water is to take the height you want your water to be and
divide by ten. (Don't be afraid to use decimals) (Note: If you want your
water to be decorative and not a threat to tracked vehicles, make your water
very shallow. Never more than 20 meters deep I'd say. If you want Attilas
to be fine but not, say, Assault tanks, try somewhere around 30 meters deep)
Veloc: This sets the speed, or Velocity of the water. If you notice, there
are two Veloc settings. The first one is for one layer, the other is for
the other layer. (All settings like this do the same to both layers. For
instance, there is no difference between the two direction controls than
that they control separate layers. As such, I won't bother mentioning when
a setting has two boxes)
Repeat: Sets the size of the water textures. Basically controls the size
of the ripples in the water.
Direction: Self-Explanatory. Sets the direction the water flows.
Texture: Sets the texture used for the water. The known texture layers for
water are: water256.tga, toxic_water.tga, plutoice.tga, and rendlava.tga.
(You could probably use any .tga file, that is just a theory though)
Color: This sets the RGB value of the water.
Alpha: This sets the Alpha (transparency) of the water.
Glow: This decides whether the water will give off light or not.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 10: Environ Module |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
This Module was originally going to be used to place things like rocks,
trees, bushes, algae, etc. However, before the game was shipped this
function was moved to the object function, leaving the Environ module
useless. Ignore it, there's nothing you can do with it.
This module places objects, obviously. Rocks, trees, vehicles, buildings,
bridges, scrap, etc. First, before you do ANYTHING check FAQ question #4.
Now, after you did that, let's move on to an overview of the module.
Place: Puts an object where you're cursor is.
Erase: Removes the selected object.
Eyedrop: Copies the parameters of the selected object. (Note: If you want
to change the parameters of an object that has allready been placed then
you have to use this tool. Eyedrop its characteristics, make your changes,
and place the object again. Now delete the old one)
Move: Allows you to move an object by clicking and dragging it. This also
allows you to rotate an object. (To rotate an object, move your cursor over
it and then move it slightly away, but don't deselect it. You should see a
little white line between your cursor and the object. Now press the
right-mouse button and the object should rotate to face the white line)
Ground: With the Ground button on, all objects you place will be placed at
ground level.
Align: This allows you to align an object to the center of the wireframe
square it is occupying.
Height: When Ground is toggled off you can place an object at a specific
height using this box.
Config: This is the best way to select what object to place. Basically type
in a value, like npscrx for scrap, and you will be able to place that item.
Label: This allows you to name an object to better keep track of it in the
editor. It does not affect anything from the player's perspective.
Name: This changes what the player sees with his targeting computer. Like
when you move your targeting cursor over a biometal pool it says "Biometal
Pool." With this tool you could change the words "Biometal Pool" to whatever
you want.
Team: This changes who the object will be allied with. 0 is used for
environment such as plants, 1 is the player's team, 5 is the enemy, and I
think every any other number makes an object allied with the player but not
under their control. (Note: I have heard, but NOT confirmed, that 6 is the
team number used for Player 2 in multi-player strategy games. By strategy I
mean human base against human base NOT human base against computer)
Group: Sets what group the object will be in (a.k.a which F key will select
the object).
Skill: Sets the AI level of the object.
Lists: Allows you to easily select certain (but not all) objects. Look
through them.
Now there is one thing you MUST DO if you intend to play your map with a
computer. Near your recycler, place an object with the config name: pspwn_1
If you don't, the AI won't work on the computer's side.
This sets what DLL the level uses. This is vital. Pay attention to the
following list: Deathmatch games: deathmatch01.dll, Multi-player Instant
Action games: mpinstant.dll, Multi-player Strategy games: strategy02.dll.
Single-Player Instant Action games: instant.dll.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 13: The "Shift-F9 View" |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Hopefully now you know how to use the tool I've been calling the "Editor"
but we're not done yet. There are two more tools to learn. The Console and
the "Shift-F9 View." Better name anyone? ;) This section will teach you how
to use the Shift-F9 View. (Hereafter called "the Satellite View"
Now, to access the Satellite view, have the Editor mode active. Now make
sure you are in the game. Not paused, not in the editor, not in the console.
Now press Shift-F9. You should be in a graphically simplistic satellite
view. Don't be fooled by the graphics, this tool is vital and very simple
to use. The only controls are the left-mouse button, the plus and minus keys
(to zoom in and out), the delete key (self-explanatory), and the number keys.
You should see three menus: Edit, Draw Mode, and Commands. Ignore Commands,
judging by the team names (American and Soviet) it is merely leftover from Bz1.
It is useless for us unless you want to give yourself free scrap (or take away
but who would want to do that?) You can probably ignore Draw Mode. This sets
what all is drawn in the main display. Experiment if you want but don't turn
too much off. What we need is the Edit Menu (To start with it will say Edit
Mode but this title changes as you use it) Press 1 then 2 to select Edit Path.
Now you can do all sorts of stuff, most of it unknown to me I'd guess. All I
have for the default BzII mapmaker is what I have that works for the Route 66
pack. So the following list may include some that don't work. However, I know
that some do work. (In short, don't blame me if some of them don't work or some
aren't in here. I didn't write the following, I just copied it in from the
Route 66 mod pack)
"All path point names are case-sensitive. They must be spelled exactly
as shown here; otherwise, the game may crash or certain objects will
not be built as expected.
- Recycler
The Recycler path point determines the area where the human team
recycler will be located. This should be placed in or near the
intended human team base building area.
- RecyclerEnemy
The RecyclerEnemy path point determines where the computer team
recycler will be located. The recycler will be deployed very near
this point, so the path point should be located with care.
- holdserv
The holdserv path point is meant for the location of service units
intended for computer team maintenance. This path point should be
located near the RecyclerEnemy path point.
- cbun1, gtow1, gtow1b
The cbun1, gtow1 and gtow1b path points must be placed near each other
and aligned with the map grid. Failure to place these points properly
may prevent the computer team constructor building the corresponding
command bunker and gun towers. This could result in "AI Freeze". If
the computer team is Scion, only the gtow1 path point will be used.
These path points should be placed in or near the computer team base area.
- cbun2, gtow2, gtow2b
The cbun2, gtow2 and gtow2b path points must be placed near each other
and aligned with the map grid. Failure to place these points properly
may prevent the computer team constructor building the corresponding
command bunker and gun towers. This could result in "AI Freeze". If
the computer team is Scion, only the gtow2 path point will be used.
These path points should be placed in or near the computer team base area.
- cbun3, gtow3
The cbun3 and gtow3 path points must be placed near each other
and aligned with the map grid. Failure to place these points properly
may prevent the computer team constructor building the corresponding
command bunker and gun towers. This could result in "AI Freeze". If
the computer team is Scion, only the gtow3 path point will be used.
- gtow4, gtow5, gtow6
The remaining three gun tower patch points are used only when the
computer team is Scion and may be placed anywhere a gun spire can be
built.
- hold1 - 4
These are the standard hold points referenced by AIP file Hold plans.
The hold path points may be placed anywhere; locations near critical
scrap pools or choke points are good places for hold points.
- stage1 - 3
These are the standard stage points used by AIP Attacker plans to stage
attacking vehicles on their way to human team targets. The stage path
points are best located near enough to the human team base to avoid
allowing the vehicles of an attack group getting separated between the
stage point and the target. Care should be taken to position the stage
path points so the attacking vehicles have an unobstructed path to their
targets.
- holdTRT1 - 3
The holdTRT path points should be placed within the computer team base
area in the line that would be followed by the human team ISDF bomber.
If the computer team is ISDF, TRT's will be positioned at these path points
to defend against aircraft attacks, the bomber in particular.
- artlef1 - 3
The artlef path points should be placed on an elevated area near the
computer team base in the line that would be followed by the human team
ISDF bomber. If the computer team is ISDF, specially modified Archers
will be placed at these path points to defend against aircraft attacks,
the bomber in particular.
- artlgas1 - 2
The artlgas path points should be placed on an elevated area near the
human team base within mortar range. During the latter stages of a game
session, if the computer team is Scion, Archers will be positioned at these
path points to provide opportunity attacks against human team units.
- attack1 - 3
The attack paths are three sets of connected path points that provide a
running path for attacking squads dispatched by the G66 DLL. These paths
may be run along virtually any course; however, care should be taken to
avoid steep slopes, deep water and other obstructions. It is best to
place the starting path point near or within the computer team base and
place the ending path point within the human team base.
- mbtattack
The mbtattack path is a set of connected path points that provide a running
path for attacking hovercraft dispatched by the G66 DLL. Since only
hovercraft will be dispatched on this path, it may run over terrain that
might not be accessible to non-hovercraft vehicles. Water for example is
not an obstacle. It is best to place the starting path point near or within
the computer team base and place the ending path point within the human team
base.
- patrol1 - 3
The patrol paths are sets of connected path points whose starting and ending
points are near to one another to form a closed loop. Units dispatched by
the G66 DLL onto these paths will patrol continuously from beginning to
end over and over.
- build1 - 2
Extra units built by the G66 DLL are inserted into the map at the build
path points. Assault group leaders are created at build1 and support units
are created at build2. These path points should be placed within or behind
the computer team base area.
- asmbl1
Newly created assault group leaders, whether built by the G66 DLL or the AIP
files, are dispatched to the assembly path point. There they will wait until
support units are built for them. When the complete assault group is ready,
the G66 DLL will dispatch them to an attack path. The assembly point is best
placed within or behind the computer team base area.
- furyspwn
If the human team builds an ISDF Bomber Bay, one or more Furies will be
created by the G66 DLL at the fury spawn path point and dispatched to attack
the human team base or to defend the computer team base. The fury spawn path
point should be placed in an elevated or otherwise relatively inaccessable area.
- turretEnemy1 - 6
A single computer team turret will be placed at each of these path points.
These can be placed anywhere on the map, though the computer team base area,
scrap pools and choke points are among the best places to put them. Some of
these turrets will be repositioned to hold points at startup. At the computer
team reinforcement interval, new turrets will be placed at these points, if
the previously placed turret has been destroyed.
- SentryEnemy1 - 3
A single computer team Sentry or Missile Scout will be placed at each of
these path points. These can be placed anywhere on the map. At startup,
these vehicles will be dispatched to patrol paths. At the computer team
reinforcement interval, new vehicles will be placed at these points, if the
previously placed vehicle has been destroyed.
- RcktTwr1 - 6
A single Rocket Tower or Rocket Pod will be placed at each of these path
points for the computer team. These can be placed on any flat surface on
the map. These units will not be replaced when destroyed.
- PwrGen1 - 2
A Power Generator is required for every three Rocket Towers. Failure to
provide the proper number of Power Generators to accomodate the Rocket
Towers will prevent the computer team building its base. If you place
three or fewer Rocket Tower path points, place at least one Power Generator
path point as well. For more than three Rocket Tower path points, place both
Power Generator path points. These path points may be placed on any flat
surface on the map. Destroyed Power Generators will be replaced, though they
will not likely appear at the original points since their construction will
be directed by the AIP files.
- Turret1 - 3
A single Human team turret will be placed at each of these path points at
startup and placed under the commander's control. At the human team
reinforcement interval, another turret will appear at each of these points.
- Scout1 - 3
A single Human team scout will be placed at each of these path points at
startup and placed under the commander's control. At the human team
reinforcement interval, another scout will appear at each of these points.
- Tank1 - 3
A single Human team tank will be placed at each of these path points at
startup and placed under the commander's control. At the human team
reinforcement interval, another tank will appear at each of these points.
- ammo1 - 3
A single ammo kit will be placed at each of these path points. Another
such kit will appear at the human team reinforcement interval.
- repair1 - 3
A single repair kit will be placed at each of these path points. Another
such kit will appear at the human team reinforcement interval.
- Fury1 - 6
A single computer team Fury will be placed at each of these path points
at startup. Fury1 through Fury3 will be flying vehicles; Fury4 through
Fury6 will be ground vehicles. At the computer team reinforcement
interval, the type of Fury placed at each of these points will be
reversed.
- Interceptor1 - 3
A single computer team Interceptor will be placed at each of these path
points. Another will be placed at each point at the computer team
reinforcement interval."
{End Route 66 List}
The following is the list of path points to use with the Battlezone II
Community Project: Forgotten Enemies, a community authored expansion pack.
Like the previous list, I did not write this, I merely copied and pasted
from mpipathpoints.txt. A file that comes with Forgotten Enemies.
FE MPI Required Path Points
---------------------------
Recycler: location of player recycler
RecyclerEnemy: location of computer recycler
pgen1,2,3,4,5,6,7: Hadean battery trays or EDF command bunkers built by AIP
epgen1,2: Hadean battery trays built by AIP
ipgen1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9: EDF Power Generators built by AIP (EDF only)
stage1,2,3: Attacking vehicle groups "stage" at these points
hold1,2,3,4: Vehicles placed by AIP to "hold" areas at these points
patrolBase1: scouts and Sentries will patrol this path during sieges
patrolBase2: other hovercraft will patrol this path during sieges
FE MPI Semi-Required Path Points
--------------------------------
spike1,2,3: Hadean Spikes, EDF Gun Towers or Scion Gun Spires built by AIP
def1,2,3: Hadean Defenders, EDF Gun Towers or Scion Gun Spires built by AIP
gt4,4a: Hadean Defenders, EDF Gun Towers or Scion Gun Spires built by AIP
gt5,6,7: Hadean Spikes, EDF Gun Towers or Scion Gun Spires built by AIP
gt8: Hadean Spike, EDF Gun Tower or Scion Gun Spire built by AIP during siege
fact: Xenomator or EDF Factory built by AIP (not used by Scion)
cbun: Eyes of Xyr or EDF Command Bunker built by AIP
armo: Weapon Vat or Armory built by AIP (not used by Scion)
sbay: Repair Vat or Service Bay built by AIP (not used by Scion)
train: Believers Vat or Training Center built by AIP (not used by Scion)
tcen: Tower of Xyr or Tech Center built by AIP (not used by Scion)
bbay: Bomber Bay built by AIP (EDF only)
kiln: Scion Kiln built by AIP (Scion only)
antm: Antenna Mound built by AIP (Scion only)
dowe: Dower built by AIP (Scion only)
stro: Stronghold built by AIP (Scion only)
FE MPI Optional Path Points
---------------------------
mpic#_fvturr_ivturr_evturr: placement of extra turrets at start
mpic#_fbspir_ibgtow_ebgt2g: placement of Gun Spire, Gun Tower or Spike at
start
mpic#__ibpgen_ebpgen: placement of extra EDF Power Gens or Hadean Battery
Trays at start
jamm1, jamm2: Scion Jammer built by DLL (Scion only)
gtow1: placement of extra turret at start
gtow2,3,4,5: placement of extra turrets at start
scoutEnemy1,2,3,4,5: placement of extra scouts at start
tankEnemy1,2,3: placement of extra MBT's at start
ScavengerEnemy: placement of extra scavenger at start
ammo1,2,3: placement of ammo pods at start and at reinforcement intervals
repair1,2,3: placement of repair pods at start and at reinforcement intervals
Optional Portal Path Points
---------------------------
portalPatrol0: units emerging from PortalF0 patrol this path
portalPatrol1: units emerging from PortalF1 patrol this path
portalPatrol2: units emerging from PortalF2 patrol this path
portalPatrol3: units emerging from PortalF3 patrol this path
portalPatrol4: units emerging from PortalF4 patrol this path
portalPatrol5: units emerging from PortalF5 patrol this path
portalPatrol6: units emerging from PortalF6 patrol this path
portalPatrol7: units emerging from PortalF7 patrol this path
portalPatrol8: units emerging from PortalF8 patrol this path
portalPatrol9: units emerging from PortalF9 patrol this path
groupE: Cerberi units built here by DLL
Portals
-------
PortalA0 - PortalA9: units emerging from these portals goto path point
"hold1"
PortalB0 - PortalB9: units emerging from these portals goto path point
"hold2"
PortalC0 - PortalC9: units emerging from these portals goto path point
"hold3"
PortalD0 - PortalD9: units emerging from these portals goto path point
"hold4"
PortalE0 - PortalE9: reserved for Cerberi units, built at path point
"groupE"
PortalF0 - PortalF9: reserved for units patroling paths "portalPatrol#"
Portals must be object "hbport" and they must be assigned to team "0". Be
sure to orient portals within a group alike. For portal group "F" be sure
to set up the corresponding patrol paths so the assigned units always enter
on the same side. For all portals, make sure the emerging unit can move
directly away from the portal immediately. If a unit assigned to a given
portal group moves too near any portal in that group, it will be "captured"
by the portal and transported to the next portal in the group.
Units to be assigned to the portal groups must be assigned to team "6" and
placed very near the portal which they will enter when created. The DLL
will remove these "seed" units at game session start. Unit names must follow
the pattern "PortalUser$" where "$" is a capital alphabetic letter, "A"
through "Z". The standard portal-using units with their standard names and
default portal (or hold point) assignments are:
Units assigned to portals should be "pu" variants only. The complete type
list supported is: "vputank", "vpuatank", "vpuwalk", "vpuewalk", "vpuscout",
"vpusent", "vpumisl", "vpuarch", "vpurckt", "vpuscav", "vpuserv", "vpumbike",
"vpumort", "vputanku", "vpuatanku", "vpumislu", "vpurbomb", "vputurr".
The AIP files may contain "BuildMinimums" plans for units assigned to
PortalA0, PortalB0, PortalC0 and PortalD0. These portals are intended to
be paired with one other portal of their group which lies near one of the
hold points, hold1, hold2, hold3, or hold4. As units emerge from the paired
portal, they will be directed by the DLL to the associated hold point. From
there the DLL sends the group to attack the human team's base. These units
will go to the hold point even if the assigned portal group does not exist or
has been destroyed.
At least three units are expected to be sent to PortalA0 and PortalB0 to
be sent to attack the human base. Otherwise, the units will stay at the
hold point until at least three units are sent to the hold point through
the portal. At least two units are required for the attack through
PortalC0 and PortalD0.
Cerberi and other allied race units, ODF names beginning with "a", are
built by the DLL at path point "groupE" and immediately go to PortalE0.
When they emerge from one of the other PortalE# portals, they are sent
to attack human team base buildings and units by the DLL. PortalE0 and
the "groupE" path point should be placed "off map" where the players can
not easily approach them.
The AIP files may contain "BuildMinimums" plans for units assigned to
PortalF0. When they are built, these units immediately go to the assigned
portal. When they emerge from another portal in the group, they are sent
by the DLL to the associated "portalPatrol#" path. This path may be a loop
which returns to the same portal, or it may lead to another portal in the
group. These patroling units will patrol each path and teleport to the
next in a continuous cycle.
Notes
-----
a) Avoid locating the computer team base on the south side of the map.
Computer team buildings are always oriented facing south. By placing the
base in the north, or to the east or west, units emerging from the recycler
and factory will have less difficulty moving out of the base. Otherwise,
the recycler and factory can be an obstacle to the free movement of these
vehicles.
b) The large base buildings occupy four grid squares. Mid-size buildings
occupy two squares. When placing path points for these buildings, do not
center the path point on the building's desired location, as would be done
for the smaller one-square buildings. Place the pathpoint in the center of
the lower or lower-left square to ensure the larger building is properly
placed.
c) The "required" path points must be placed on the map. The computer team
cannot be placed and function without them.
d) The "semi-required" path points are needed to locate key buildings.
Failure to place these path points may not cause the computer team to
malfunction, but it may result in haphazard base development. Furthermore,
failure to carefully plan the placement of power generators and other
buildings can result in a placement conflict during the course of a game
session. The computer team will "freeze" and not be able to proceed if
it cannot build a required structure because of placement conflict.
e) The "optional" path points may be omitted to avoid placing the associated
start-up units. Be aware that start-up units requiring power will need an
appropriate number of power generators somewhere on the map at start up.
These power generators may be near the powered units, as they would normally
appear, or they may actually be located beyond the map's "edge_path" to
prevent their destruction by players.
f) Hadean and EDF base buildings must be placed contiguously. Careful
planning and placement of the path points is required to avoid placement
conflict and construction failure because of "gaps" between buildings.
On the other hand, the Scion operate more efficiently if their buildings
are given some placement separation. The base buildings are constructed
in this order by location:
g) The path points "spike1" and "def1" must be placed contiguous to "pgen1".
h) The path points "spike2" and "def2" must be placed contiguous to "pgen2".
i) The path points "spike3" and "def3" must be placed contiguous to "pgen3".
j) The path points "gt4" and "gt4a" must be placed contiguous to "pgen4".
k) The path point "gt5" must be placed contiguous to "pgen5".
l) The path point "gt6" must be placed contiguous to "pgen6".
m) The path point "gt7" must be placed contiguous to "pgen7".
n) Place the "stage" points carefully to give attacking units an
unobstructed path to the player team base area. Attacking units that get
blocked by the terrain may cause the computer team to "freeze" and prevent
progress beyond that point in their strategy.
o) avoid placing start-up objects, especially set-pieces, on path points
where objects will be built during the game session, even if they are of
the same type. This will help avoid construction conflicts.
p) RECOMMENDATION: to test computer team base building without having to
fight off attacking hordes, follow these steps:
1) make a backup copy of the *inst0*.aip file
2) replace the content of the *inst0*.aip file with *inst1*.aip
3) strip out all attacker plans from the new *inst0*.aip file
4) strip out CollectField plans, if there is no loose scrap on the map
5) start an MPI session using the modified map
6) DO NOT DEPLOY YOUR RECYCLER
7) observe the computer team constructor(s) until base building is
complete
As long as you do not deploy your recycler, the DLL will not switch
to another plan file, so you will not have to face attackers and can
observe the computer team's base construction in relative peace. Be careful
not to approach the computer team's recycler too closely; otherwise, the
DLL will switch to the siege AIP file and begin building attack groups.
The safe distance for stock DLL maps is 300m. For the modified FE DLL,
the distance is 150m. By this means, base construction testing is simplified,
allowing rapid turnaround between testing, map modification, aip file
modification and retesting. Once this testing is completed, restore the
*inst0*.aip file from the backup you made.
q) RECOMMENDATION: always place some loose scrap on the map. This will get
the computer team scavs moving right away so they do not block the recycler
and keep the constructor from moving freely. It doesn't have to be much.
Place four to six pieces of scrap at five to nine locations around the map.
No more than two or three of these scrap fields should be located near the
human team base area.
{End of Forgotten Enemies list}
Now, let me tell you how to place these paths and path points. First
lets say this: path points are paths with only one point. Now, to create say
a single patrol path, you would click where you want the patrol to begin,
then click a short distance away, then click again, and so on until the path
is finished. Now click in the small box in the lower-left corner of the
screen. A windows box should appear. If it doesn't then press Escape and try
again. It may take around a dozen tries or it may work first time. It varies,
but it should eventually work. Now name your path "patrol1." (or whatever,
depending whether you're creating a patrol or not) (I have no idea what the
other options are for. So don't ask.) Now that's about it for the Satellite
View.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 14: The Console |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
The Console is a tool that is very easy to use, yet it is infinitely complex.
You can change numerous parameters of your map in it. I've seen it said by
another FAQ writer that "There are so many commands that you can use that I
don't think I've explored them properly myself, and I've been making maps for
this game for nearly 3 years now." (Name of writer unknown. Source: Number 1
(Check the Credits section)) He also said that it is nearly impossible to document
every command. I must agree, but I will cover as many as I think you need.
Access the console by pressing crtl-~ key just as you may have done to access
the editor in the first place. (I would recommend doing this in-game or at the
pause menu in such a way that you can see the sky, as this tool is used to
change many sky parameters among other things)
First let's discuss the basic format of commands in the console. let's do this
by activating rain and changing its color. first, type "ls" into the console
and press enter. (Make sure you're resolution is 960X720 or higher, else you
won't be able to see all of the commands) (You don't have to type in ls, I
just wanted to let people know it was there) Now type in rain and press enter.
(From now on I'll stop telling you to press enter, I think you'll live) You
should see a list of further commands. Amongst them is the one we want:
Cmd toggle. We want that one, so now type rain.toggle (You don't have to
type rain first you could just have opened up the editor and have typed in
rain.toggle and gotten the same result) Now it should come up with a list of
statistics. These are the current settings pertaining to rain. They
will vary depending on what map you started with, but for the purposes of this
tutorial let's say rain is disabled. To enable it (Yes you could have done the
following first but Hey, I'm trying to teach you how to do it on your own not
to be a speed demon) type rain.toggle 1 This should enable rain. Type
rain.toggle to view the change in the list of statistics. On just about
everything in the console, 0 equals disabled and 1 equals enabled. Now lets
change color. Type in rain.color You should see the current RGBA value of the
rain. (RGBA stands for Gamma-RGB) let's change this to a toxic-looking rain.
type in rain.color 0 80 20 50
Now your rain should be a green with a little blue with a Gamma value of 50.
Now let's do something extra. Maybe we should turn that rain to snow. Type in
rain.texture snowflake.tga Now it's snowing! (lightflare.tga is the normal
texture for rain) Now if you leave the level, even if you press crtl-S, these
changes won't be saved. To fix this, type in sky.save Now press crtl-S and
save the changes, if you want.
Other functions in the Console work much the same way. Type in the name of a
directory, and you get a list of subdirectories, type in the directory, a
period, and a sub-directory, and you get another list or some settings,
depending. (Or in some cases like that of sky.save, seemingly nothing
happens, but it is actually quite important. Experiment) It would be
ridiculous to document everything but I would like to explain some things.
Dome: This is one of the many settings that govern the sky. Type in
dome.name *****.xsi to change the dome. The available .xsi files are as
follows: banedome.xsi, plutodome.xsi, miredome.xsi, and rendsky.xsi
Sprites: You can add Sprites to your sky by typing in sprites.texturename *
(The * stands for any of the following filenames)
Fog: Fog seems obvious, just go under the fog directory. Well, that is
fine for creating patches of fog but what if you want fog everywhere? Go
to the sky directory. There you will find sky.fogcolor and sky.fogrange.
Lightning: I've never actually gotten lightning to work myself but the
settings are under sky.bolt, a hidden directory. (By this I mean you can
type in sky and not find the a listing for bolt)
Team Colors: You can change the team colors by typing game.teamcolors * *
(I know Red and Blue will work, others might. The first asterisk stands
for the humans. For example: If I wanted blue humans and red computer then
I would type game.teamcolors blue red then press enter)
Free Units and Buildings: If for testing reasons (or plain dirty cheating
reasons) you need unlimited resources, type in game.cheat bzfree This will
make all buildings and unit costs go down to 0.
That's about it, happy editing.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 15: Saving Your Map |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
To save a map, press crtl-s inside the Editor. This should bring up a save
window. Now save your single-player Instant-Action Map in the
"Battlezone II\data\missions\instant\mymap" directory. (Substitute "mymap"
for your map name)
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 16: Converting your map to multi-player |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Okay, this should be easy. You have a single-player map that you want to
be multiplayer. Okay then. Open up your map, delete the recyclers (see
FAQ #16 but don't save the map just yet) Now go under the Path module and
change the DLL to mpinstant.dll. Now save the map in the
Battlezone II/addon/missions/multiplayer/mymap folder. (Use whatever you
want for mymap) Now exit Bz2 and copy your single-player .inf,.bmp,and
.des files over. Now move your single-player map out of the Battlezone
directory.(Don't delete or you'll lose it. It could be useful for back-up
purposes. Don't leave it there either. See FAQ #17)
Now you should be done. However be sure to test it by starting a new LAN
game(No one else has to connect) And play the map by yourself.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 17: Credits |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Although most of this is mine. I couldn't have done it without help from
other sources. All but the last two of these offered general information.
No one but me actually wrote this. (Unless you count those two lists of
paths and path points in section 13)
1. The Pandemic Lizard Map Tutorial
2. Damage.ex's Map Making and Advanced Map Making pages
3. Pandemic Studios BZII Art Director Carey Chico for his Map Maker
instructions
4. The Battlezone Launch Pad
5. The creators of the Route 66 pack for their list of paths and path points
6. The Battlezone II Community Project: Forgotten Enemies (I have to admit,
anyone who doesn't have this expansion pack doesn't know what they're
missing. Get it, even if all you have is a 56K modem, get it. It's available
free over the Internet)
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 18: Contact Information |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
I have had bad experiences in the past with spam so let me make myself
clear: do not E-Mail me unless it is in direct relation to this FAQ. Please
use the Subject line: "BZII Mapmaker FAQ". Usefull criticism would be appreciated
but hate mail is not tolerable.
My E-Mail address: horigan@earthlink.net
Now Goodbye and I hope I helped you out in some way.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 19: Version History |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Version 1.00:
First version, what more do you need to know?
Version 1.5 :
Fixed some grammatical and spelling errors, added section 19: Version
History. Added section 15: Saving Your Map. Revised section 18: Contact
Information. Revised section 13: The "Shift-F9 View". Slightly revised section 2:
Legal Stuff. Slightly Revised section 17: Credits to accomadate the changes made
to Section 13.
