Modding Questions

[~{PLA}~ Seth]

Hey guys, lately I've been wondering how to make custom maps. Where do you get the mod tools? How do you do it?  Because I've been wanting to make my "dream" map for a couple of weeks. Oh, I've noticed that on lots of custom maps, they use parts from other maps. I'd like to do that on it.

When I do learn how to do it, here's a quick preview of what the map will look like. (If you care)
It'll be a Rhen Var map, with lots of parts from Harbor and Citadel. There's a big, open arena in the middle, with a CP close to the center of it. (I imagine this will be a very contested CP) There will be about 5 or 6 doors leading out, with 2 or 3 of them big enough for tanks and other vehicles (Excluding speeders, they can go through any of the doors) but only one big enough for the AT-TE or AT-AT. This map will have all but a few of the aerial vehicles in the game*. In the southeast corner of the arena, there will be a really high tower with stairs to climb, with each floor getting slightly smaller, with a CP at the top in a small room with health and ammo droids. (I imagine snipers will LOOOOOVE having this for a CP) Underneath all that, there's a series of underground tunnels, with a cp in the middle of them. These tunnels will look like the Crypt in Citadel, except for the fire in the middle. Last thing about the arena: The walls are about as high as an AT-AT, but the tower is higher still. Now, outside the arena, vehicles are free to roam, with vehicle repair droids here and there. Also, the Empire's AT-AT or the Republic's AT-TE starts on the middle of the south side of the map. Then, there are fortified CP's on opposite ends of the map, where most of a side's vehicles spawn. These cp's will be the heavy kind, taller and take longer to capture.
That's basically it.

******** There will also be a no-vehicle version of this map, with all vehicles removed. Note that speeders and staps will remain because it will be a big map. This is for people who prefer it this way AND mostly for online play, to keep tankeers from parking their butt at your last CP and blasting anything that turns his reticle red in sight. I  really hate when someone does that. 

[aeria.]

Mod Tools
http://starwarsbattlefront.filefront.com/file/Star_Wars_Battlefront_Modding_Tools;34987

Tutorial
http://starwarsbattlefront.filefront.com/file/Star_Wars_Battlefront_Modding_Tutorial;46828

and of course, Gametoast!
http://www.gametoast.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2454

If you have any questions, feel free to post here and/or Gametoast.

BTW, this should be in the mod factory Forum

[Radical_Pi]

http://starwarsbattlefront.filefront.com/file/Star_Wars_Battlefront_Modding_Tools;34987 for the mod tools

I also recommend you install:
http://www.secretsociety.com/forum/downloads/BF1/ZeroeditorUpdate122904.zip -- Update to the world editor
http://www.secretsociety.com/forum/downloads/BF1/BFBuilderProWIP030605.zip -- Enhanced version of the new map maker
http://www.secretsociety.com/forum/downloads/BF1/Boundaries_fix.zip -- Fixes crash in world editor

Make sure you install these before running BFBuilder(Pro). The ZE update and boundaries fix can be installed in DataTEMPLATE via the instructions in the files and it should pass the updates onto any new maps

Now, to make your first map, run "0 BFBuilder Pro.hta". Click Project->New Project. I recommend making a test map to learn how to add textures to the world, place objects, paths, etc. Look in the documentation for how to do those.

Name the map whatever you want, and make the mod id whatever you want too. Playable eras is up to you, but for a test map both is the best. Click "Create New World" and it will start working. BFBUILDER IS NOT HANGING. BE PATIENT.

After that, click on the Edit button (not on the menu, on the bar that just showed up). It should launch ZeroEditor. Agree to the EULA and get working.

Go to the Documentation folder and go through the world editing tutorials. After you're done with them, you should know the basics of how to work in ZeroEditor. Go ahead and play around with it. I do have a few things to share with you though.

1) ZE can only open files in a directory at or below the location of the zeroeditor.exe. That means you can only access objects in Data*** or lower, with *** being the ID you gave your map. If you want to use objects from another map, go to BFBuilder\Assets\Shipped Worlds\*world* and copy the MSH and the ODF from the MSH and ODF folder, respectively. Most of the stuff you want will probably be ***_bldg_***.odf and .msh. Those files go in BFBuilder\Data***(Your map id)\Worlds\***(map id) and the MSH and ODF folder there. To place the object, get the ODF of it, not the MSH. You don't need to do anything else with the files other than place the object on the map. When the object is added to the map, it will be automatically compiled into the map.

2) Objects common to most maps (CPs, turrets, vehicle spawns (those are a bit complex), etc.) are in BFBuilder\Data***\Common\ODF. EDITING THESE FILES DOES NOTHING!!!!! They are only there as placeholders, and are loaded from the global common.lvl. Any com_weap or com_inf or com_holo is not meant to be placed on the map by you, and are linked to by other objects. Things of importance to you would be com_bldg_controlzone.odf and variants. You want nothing that has _exp in it. You also might be interested in com_item_healthrecharge and com_item_weaponrecharge, which are the health and ammo droids.

3) Vehicles. The most confusing part of world editing. While you may feel an urge to grab the ODF of the vehicle and drop it on the map, THAT IS THE WRONG THING TO DO! All usable vehicles must be placed by a com_item_vehicle_spawn object. They will show up on the map as an arrow showing which way the vehicle will face. To set the vehicle, input the ODF name of the vehicle (ask someone if you are unsure of the name) to the Object Instance property field meant for each team (I hope you can figure that out). ATK is the one used when that team has the CP, and DEF is for when the team doesn't have the CP I believe. Vehicles also require changes to the LUA code, which I can't explain right now.

I've got to go, so I might add more later

P.S. admins this should probably be moved to modding

[~{PLA}~ Seth]

Well, I thought about putting it in the mods section, but all I saw were releases and requests.

BTW, approximately how long does it take to make an average custom map? I'm not doing any mad randomness like Boonta Eve does, played like a regular map.

[Radical_Pi]

It really varies based on how much you want to put into it. If you are just making a fun little map that isn't too complex, then you could finish it in a day. Some totally new and complex map could take maybe a month to do, it all depends on how much time you have and how much you want to put into it.

[aeria.]

Pi pretty much summed up the basic information you need to know to get started. I suggest reading the tutorial on my post above for more information. It can be very useful when starting the ZeroEditor.

[Radical_Pi]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. If you have the DVD version of SWBF, you need to install my BoPC fix that is stickied in the modding forum, or zeroeditor will refuse to run at all.

[~{PLA}~ Seth]

Ok, thanks for the links! I'm pretty sure my disk is DVD, but I'll check. And about the complexity, it isn't TOO much. About 85% of the map will be taken from Harbor or Citadel, with maybe some Hoth in certain places.

[Radical_Pi]

k great.

I almost forgot, when you unzip the BFBuilder files, in the Assets folder you should find something called SPTest.exe. Move that to the same folder as the main battlefront EXE. it is an ingame debugger and you should be sure to run any map you make by it. It will save the errors it finds to a file called BFront.log, which I can use to find most problems.

Also, if you have any problems, feel free to contact me in the SB or on XFire

Also, save adding the vehicles for last, since I need to tell you what to do in LUA

[~{PLA}~ Seth]

I doubt the map will be completed in a month. With school in session, I won't have much time to make a map. It's during Christmas Break and Spring Break that most of this map will be done, so I probably won't need help until then, since I'm not starting it till around Christmas. But if I get SWBF2 for Xmas, it'll take even longer. But then there's.... *Raves on*

[Rexy]

NO! Dont sink into bf2... There are man eating ghosts...

[~{PLA}~ Seth]

I can think of a few people in BF1 that are man eating ghosts... But anyway. I'll start around Christmas, regardless of if I have BF2 or not.