IronTaxi's Mapping Tips and Tricks
Posted: 2006-08-19 06:10
---Sticky this thread and edit into post 1 please---
Checklist to completing your first map start to finish
Introduction: The following is a checklist of steps to create a map from start to finish. It does not explain the entire process, but does list the process in order and links to some excellent threads on each subject.
A basic user guide to the editor can be found at "...\Battlefield 2\bf2editor\Help\Workshop\LevelWorkshop.doc"
1) Create the Terrain. There are a number of different options available to you, but the easiest and most recommended for your first go at a map is by following the tutorial "Creating the Basic Terrain", which can be found in the a wiki here. Once you know the basics, you may find it easier to create the layout of the terrain first in photoshop by editing heightmaps, a tutorial for which can be downloaded here. Once you want to get much more advanced with terrain creation and heightmaps, you may want to try out Terragen.
2) Texture the Terrain. Refer to the tutorial "Creating the Basic Terrain", which can be found in the a href="."/wiki/index.php/Creating_a_Basic_Terrain">wiki here. This tutorial should be read to grasp the basic concepts of color and detail textures, but you may find the actual texturing of your map much easier with TPaint, or BF2Ecomap.
3) Place your objects, spawnpoints, configure level settings. The official tutorial, "Creating the Basic Level", which can be downloaded here.
4) Overgrowth
5) Undergrowth
6) Roads
7) Water (Basically- extract the 'server' zip file of a bf2 map, then find the water.con file, and copy it into your map folder....)
8 ) Layers- 16, 32, 64 player map sizes
- Control Points
- Spawn points (in level editor, right click, add spawn point.)
- Object Spawners (in level editor, right click, add object spawner, choose object, press okay)
- Area around flag where it can be capped
- Combat Area
- Commander assets
9) Loading screen
- Background
- Music
- Map image thingy
- Intro of map
10) Ambient Sounds
11) Ambient Effects (birds etc)
12) Sky Settings (Basically- extract the 'server' zip file of a bf2 map, then find the sky.con file, and copy it into your map folder....)
13) Environmental Maps
14) Lightmaps, but i found that far too complicated for me, so i made this topic and mschoeldgen[Xww2] explained it simply for me....
15) Ticket Ratio
16) Minimap
17) Do all the Singleplayer stuff (if you want...) ( i have never done singleplayer... so if that info isnt the best.... tell me- i will change the link)
18 ) Pack Map- Mod Manager, Pack Map, then go into the Map folder, and delete everything apart from the server.zip, client.zip, & 'info'
edit- all links added
edit- edited the first half of the post with more information, introduction <- who edited this? (thanks)
