Map Editing

To create a map in Glest you will need to download the Glest Tools. Sourceforge Download

File:Mapeditor.jpg

The editor with the map 'The Ruins' loaded

Introduction

Glest Map Editor is the default map editor for Glest, the open source 3D real-time strategy game. Glest Map Editor allows the user to define map dimensions, surface height, surface type, object location, resource location, number of players, player and computer faction starting points and other significant parameters. The map editor cannot 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.

Editor Window

Glest Map Editor has a single window

• Top: Menu Bar
• Center-Left: Map Display
• Right: Tool Bar
• Bottom: Info Label

Map Display

Map display reflects the current state of the map.

The map is divided into 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:

• The big 'X' show the location of each player starting point.
• Intensity of color reflects height, the darker the color is, the lower the height of the cell.
• Color reflects the surface type: light green is surface 1, dark green 2, brown surface 3, gray surface 4 and red surface 5.
• An 'X' means that there is a resource on this cell, the color of the 'X' indicates the resource type.
• An inverted 'L' means there is an object on this cell, the color of the inverted 'L', indicates the object type.

Note: Objects and resources cannot share the same cell.

Users may interact with the map display as follows:

• Left clicking over the map or to move the mouse while pressing left button modifies the map.
• Moving the mouse while pressing the right mouse button scrolls the users viewing location on the map.
• Moving the mouse while pressing the center button or shift+right mouse button zooms the map view.

Toolbar

The toolbar defines the way the map is modified when left clicking on the map display.

Depending on the selected radio button, users may 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.

• Height: When height radio button is selected, users can alter the map surface height. (radius and height combo boxes modify the surface in different ways)

• Surface: When the surface radio button is selected, users can edit map surface type(s). Surface type(s) may vary between various tilesets, but the default settings are:
  • surface 1 is grass
  • surface 2 secondary grass
  • surface 3 road
  • surface 4 stone
  • surface 5 custom
• Object: When the object radio button is selected, users can place objects on the map cells. Objects depend on the tileset, but the default settings are:
  • object 0 undefined
  • object 1 tree -- walkable(false) blocking object -- and wood resource type
  • object 2 dead tree -- walkable(false) blocking object
  • object 3 stones -- walkable(false) blocking object
  • object 4 bush
  • object 5 water object
  • object 6 dead tree -- walkable(false) -- blocking object
  • object 7 Hanged/impaled/caged gallows --- (random model placement chance) -- walkable(false) blocking object
  • object 8 obelisk/statue/broken statue ---(random model placement chance) -- walkable(false) blocking object
  • object 9 large mossy rock/big stone --- walkable(false) blocking object
  • object 10 Invisible object --- walkable(false) blocking object
• Resource: When the resource radio button is selected, users can place resources on a map cell. Resource types depend on the tech tree selected, but the default settings are:
  • custom 0 undefined
  • custom 1 gold
  • custom 2 stone
  • custom 3 undefined
  • custom 4 undefined
  • custom 5 undefined

Note: Tech trees can use objects as resources. The difference is that 3d models for objects are defined on the tileset while resource 3d models are defined on the tech tree.

• Starting Points: Each player requires one starting point, this point is the map location where the 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 occur and the game will not load.

Menu Bar

• File
• Load: loads the selected map file.
• Save and Save as: saves a map file.
• Exit: closes the editor.
• Edit
• Reset: resets the map, users can specify map dimensions, default altitude and surface types.
• Reset Players: changes the number of players on the map and resets starting points.
• Info: here is where users enter the author, title and description of the map.
• 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.
• Misc
• Reset zoom and pos: resets zoom and position to the default values.
• About: displays the copyright notice.
• Mouse buttons: brief explanation of mouse functionality when interacting with the map.
• Info label: here are displayed some parameters of the map.

Playing

To play on a map created with this map editor just copy the newly created .gbm file to the map folder within the Glest directory. The new map will be displayed in the list of maps on the game setup screen.