Map development

Development < Map development

Map making: SM2

Maps, are a complex mixture of heightmaps and textures. Fortunately, there are several people who share their knowledge with us. Their few tutorials will make your life as mapper a lot better. You can also use the SpringMapEdit tool to edit existing map or make new ones.

Full Guides For Map Making

• aGorm's map creating Guide
• aGorms Ultimate Map Making Guide(unfinished)
• IceXuicks Map creating Guide
• Forboding Angel's map creating Tutorial
• Another tutorial from a designing point of view
• A Complete Map Making Tutorial (under construction)
• Runecrafter's Map Tutorial
• Simple map making guide
• Beherith's map creating tutorial using the World in Conflict map editor

Specific Guides

• Gras on maps
• Spring Map Definition(smd) reference
• Everything about Compiling your map
• Some things about map balance
• Map sizes in pixels and memory information about map sizes
• RogerN's height map tutorial
• Basic howto: create map texture with Povray

Features. Stones, rocks, trees, for your map can be found in This thread

Skyboxes

• Notes about skyboxes notes on a prerendered sky box or cube map.

Tools

• Frostregen's SpringMapEdit. 3D editing, Compiles and import SM2 directly. Beginner friendly but still powerful.
• Maelstrom's SMD Generator
• Mother's Mapconv Map converter program, a few tweaks added by Beherith.
• Jnossen's SM3 feature placer
• Maps:Map Designer Hugh's 3D map designer. Splatting, heightmap editing, splat painting, SM3
• Starting position creator: Or you can always find out the hard way which x/y coordinates are good by starting spring and having a look at the mouse cursor coordinates.
• Coordinate Helper widget A small widget that helps you with finding coordinates ie for start positions. Every time you put down a marker it will log its position in infolog.txt and also in MAPNAME_coordinates.txt Helpfull if you need to get lots of map coordinates and do not want to write them down by hand. (it writes SpawnResource in front of the coordinates but you can ignore or edit the widget)

Reference and FAQs

• How maps are stored in the engine
• Maps:Noob Mistakes
• Water Height: Mapconv vs. Heightmap

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TIPS:

A useful tip, on almost every map in a 1v1 you will start opposite your opponent unless you choose your position. this is because random order simply randomly distributes players at the default start points which in almost every map are opposite each other. One exception that I know of is flooded desert where you both start on the left hand island.

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Make sure that your map's ideas and game-play is sound before you release it for good. Do a lot of beta testing and learn about good level design! You can learn about what makes a good map by playing on good maps, so play often and map well. -url00

Map making: SM3 (Experimental)

SM3 (Spring Mapformat 3) is getting allong nicely and maps using this format can be made. The following is documented so far.

• jcnossen's brief description on how this mapformat works.
• The first FAQ for the new mapformat.

NOTE: SM3 format is broken at the moment, do not use it. It only renders at all if sm3 shaders are disabled in springsettings, and even then with very low fps working now: http://springrts.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=396749#p396749 but performance is untested, . Software rendering is corrupted on nvidia cards, but not on ati ( unverified )

Mappers Clan

Map Making Guild: That weird fish aGorm set up a clan for poor mappers that can't get into a clan on there gaming merit... (Mainly for himself therefor...)

Map Mutators

Mutators are files that add new content to exiting game files. Appearently that is possible for maps too: http://springrts.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=21808