Map Editing

To create a map in Glest you will need to download the Glest Tools. Sourceforge Download The information is for Glest Map Editor v0.3.0

Introduction
Glest Map Editor is a basic map editor for Glest, the realtime strategy game. Glest Map Editor allows to define map dimensions, surface height, surface type, object location, resource location, number of players, faction starting points and some other parameters. You can not define unit or building placements, the reason for this is that a map can be played with various tech trees with different types of units and buildings. To play a map created with this map editor just put the .rsm file on the map folder of the game.

Editor Window
Glest Map Editor has a single window, on top is the Menu Bar, on Center-Left the Map Display, at right the Tool Bar, and on bottom the Info Label.

Map Display
Map display reflects the current state of the map. The big 'X' show the location of each player starting point. The map is divided in cells, each cell has a state: height, surface type, object type and resource type. The way the map reflects the state of the cells is as follows: Intensity of color reflects height, the darker the color is, the lower the height of the cell. Color reflects the surface type: green is surface 1, brown surface 2, grey surface 3, blue surface 4 and cyan surface 5. An 'X' means that there is a resource on this cell, the color of the 'X' indicates the type of resource. An inverted 'L' means that the is an object on this cell, the color of the inverted 'L', indicates the type of object. Note that a cell can't have a resource and an object at the same time.

You can interact with the map display as follows: To left click over the map or to move the mouse while pressing left button modifies the map. To move the mouse while pressing right button moves the map. To move the mouse while pressing the center button or shift+right button zooms the map.

Toolbar
The toolbar defines the way the map is modified when you left click on the map display. Depending on the selected radio button you can edit height, surface type, object type, resource type or starting points.

Radius
The radius combo box is always available and indicates the number of cells modified when editing the map, a radius of one modifies only one cell, a higher radius modified more cells. This value has no sense when defining starting locations.

Height
When height radio button is selected you alter surface height, radius and height combo boxes allow to modify surface in different ways

Surface
When surface radio button is selected, you edit map surface type. Surface types depend on the tileset, but you can assume that surface 1 is grass, surface 2 road and surface 3 rock.

Object
When object radio button is selected, you place objects over the map. Objects depend on the tileset, but you can assume that objects 1 and 2 are trees 3 is a chopped tree and 4 and 5 are types of stones. Tech trees can use objects as resources (Experimental tech tree uses object types 1 and 3 for wood rersource). The difference is that 3d models for objects are defined on the tileset while resource 3d models are defined on the tech tree.

Resource
When resource radio button is selected, you place resources over the map, one map cell can't have a resource and an object at the same time. Resources depend on the tech tree, you can't make any assumption of the types of resources unless you want to create a map designed for one concrete tech tree (in this case the map will probably can be played only with this tech tree). Experimental tech tree, only uses resource 1 (as gold, resources 2, 3, 4 and 5 will be ignored).

Starting Points
Each player needs one starting point, this point is where its initial buildings and units are placed. If there is not enough space near the starting point to place all the units/buildings, an error will happen.

Load
Loads a map file.

Save and Save as
Saves a map file.

Exit
Closes the editor.

Reset
Resets the map, you can specify map dimensions (from 16 to 1024), and default altitude and surface types.

Reset players
Changes the number of players of the map and resets starting points.

Info
Here you enter the map author, title and description.

Advanced
Two parameters can be edited here, altitudeFactor and waterLevel. Altitude factor is a number that divides altitudes when surface is drawn in the game. It defaults to 3, that means that a cell that has an altitude of x, will have a real altitude of x/3 when rendered. Water level is the altitude of the water in the game, note that units can walk over every cell that has a an altitude greater or equal to waterLevel-1. Water level is also divided by altitudeFactor.

Reset zoom and pos
Resets the zoom amd position to its default values.

About
Displays the copyright notice.

Mouse buttons
Shows a brief explaination of how to use mouse to interact with map display.

Info label
Here are displayed some parameters of the map.

Playing
Copy/cut the map file to the maps folder of Glest. It should now be in the list of maps in the game setup.

Buttons
Buttons for Glest Map Editor are in development. If you want to help, please visit: