[Setup - Download Optional Color Maps]
This step is optional. If you do not do it, you will just get black &white maps in your editor. To get color maps:
download TC2MMaps.zip from MadMinuteGames
unzip the contents of TC2MMaps.zip into your TC2MSDK/Maps folder. Your folder should now look like this:
Start your editor. Currently compositing the maps takes 30-40 seconds on program & scenario load. I willl improve this
[Running the Scenario Editor]
Navigate to the folder where you unzipped
the BullRunEditor files. There are 2 ways to launch the program. Either is fine, which one works depends on the way
Java is installed on your machine.
(A) Use the JAR FILE - - double click on the BullRunEditor.jar file in
Windows Explorer.
(B) USE THE BAT FILE - double click on the BullRunEditor.bat file in
Windows Explorer. A DOS window will open and the program should launch. If it
doesn't launch, look at the DOS window for errors. When the program does run,
some feedback is sent to the DOS box. Most of this
is for debugging and can
be ignored unless you are having problems.
Loading may take as long as 45seconds on some machines. This is a known issue and will be fixed.
[Possible Errors on Launch]
['java' is not recognized as an internal or external
command...]
If you do not see the splash screen and you have this
error:
please see above and java.sun.com to make sure you have Java 5.0
Update 1 (aka 1.5.0_01) installed and in your PATH.
You should make sure your
PATH environment variable to point to the Java installation
you can check
your PATH by typing this in a Command Prompt:
echo %PATH%
[Wrong java version]
if you type java -version at
the command prompt, you should see the following output on your command
line:
java version "1.5.0_01"
[Can't find TC2MSDK]
You have a non-standard install of TC2M or the SDK. Never fear! Read the details on a custom install.
If you have a later version of java, the program should still run. Earlier versions will not run the Editor. Follow the instructions for installing Java, above.
[Using The Scenario Editor]
**Back up all your current Custom Scenarios!**
[Tutorial 1]
- Be sure to at least read the 'by-hand' tutorial at http://www.madminutegames.com/modding/article1.htm
- Start the Scenario Editor by Double Clicking on the ScenarioEditor.bat file
- File -> Load Open Default Scenario brings up a File Chooser
- Navigate into the Burnside folder
- Select the level.ini file, and hit Open
- On color map, click on the Blue Box surrounded by the yellow circle. This
is 'you'.
- (Advanced Users) Changing who 'you' is can be done by hand editing the level.ini [Rank] fields.
- You should notice that the Order of Battle window has expanded to show
'you" (Burnside) in the order of battle. Also the Unit Table window shows a
bunch of information about Burnside's unit.
- Unit Table -> Show allows you to display various information about the selected units. Most of these fields are editiable too.
- Move Burnside the the Wilkins House by (Middle Mouse) or
(Alt+ Left Mouse) dragging his icon on either the Color map or the Larger
scale B&W map.
- You can Zoom in and out by right clicking on the Map.
- You can Rotate the selected Units by Ctrl+Middle Mouse dragging.
- Rotate Burnside to face South (down). The little stick indicates the direction he is facing.
- Now let's add a new Unit to Burnside's command. We'll have them keep him company near the Wilkins House.
- Select the 2nd_NH in the Order of Battle. Note that the information on the
Unit Table changes. The map may also shift to center the Unit.
- Right Click and Hold on the 2nd_NH entry in the Unit Table. Select Duplicate from the menu.
- A New Unit Appears on the Order of Battle tree. It's called Unnamed_Infantry_Gray...
- Select this new unit in the Order of Battle. It is positioned right on top of 2nd_NH. Not so good.
- Move the Unit (Middle Mouse) on the map to the field just above the Wilkins house, very close to Burnside.
- We will rename the Unit... Units must have
idnames to be used, otherwise they are ignored by CWBR. N.B.
idnames and names are different. idnames are used by CWBR to keep track of the
units. They must be unique for each unit. They shouldnt have spaces. Use _
instead. Names are what is displayed to the user in CWBR. The can be
whatever you want and can have spaces.
- Make sure that your Unit Table -> Show -> is at Default.
- Double click on the empty idname field.
- Enter 1st_AL in the idname field of the Unit Table
- Likewise, enter 1st Alaskan Regt in the name field.
- Now we will save the scenario as a New Scenario
- File->Save As
- Enter Alaskans as the name for your new scenario. Hit OK.
- This made a new directory in your CWBR install: Scenarios\Alaskans.
- Now Start up CWBR.
- Go to Custom Scenarios.
- Choose Alaskans
- You should be in htere as Burnside, now near the Wilkins house, and with a new regiment of fresh faced Alaskans to command.
[Menus]
[File menu]
-Open Custom Scenario - one from your
Bull Run install. Navigate into the directory that contains the level.ini file,
select the level.ini and click OK.
-Open Default Scenario - one from the
CD
-Save and Save As save the units.csv. Save As also moves over the other
Data Files from the previous Scenario. You probably want to do a Save As after
editing one of the default scenarios.
-Import Order of Battle - Import any
units format .csv as the current scenarios units list. Arranges them on the map
by Corps.
-Import Selected from unitlocs.csv - Will move and orient the
currently selected units to match what you exported out of the Bull Run game
when you hit the 'l' (L) key.
-Open Last Open Play - Allows you to load your
last open play game as a scenario.
[Scenario menu - level.ini.]
-Set Player's Unit to
Current - Used to change which unit is the player in the Scenario. See Scenario
Table for more options
[Windows]
[MiniMap & Terrain Map - edits
units.csv]
MiniMap is what you see in the game, Terrain Map is the
greyscale used by the engine to determine underlying terrain types (not the
elevations!).
- Left click to select Units. Left Click + Ctrl to
multiselect.
- Middle Drag (or Left Click + Alt) to move selected Units
-
Middle Drag + Ctrl (or Left Click + Alt + Ctrl) to rotate selected units
-
Right Click to Popup to:
+ Select Subunits, Select Parents
+
Sort Units (Rearranges them on the map in an organigram style layout)
+ Switch between Objective and Unit editing mode
+ Add and Remove
Objectives
+ Load a custom background image. This must be square, but
any resolution is OK.
Map automatically figures out scale
for new image.
- Right Click + Shift to Zoom In
- Right Click + Ctrl to
Zoom Out
[Order of Battle edits units.csv]
A hierarchal
browser. Double Click to get the Branches to open.
Entries that say
Placeholder are 'undefined' units. They will not be exported back into the
units.csv but are placeholders to keep the proper ranks.
Units that say
"UnnamedBlah" Have some or all attributes defined except a unique idname. You
will have to give them a unique idname for them to export.
Right Click to
get
Copy, Paste, Duplicate, Remove menu.
currently there is no
checking to see if idnames are unique. I'll get this in there ASAP.
[Unit Table - edits units.csv]
For Editing the
attributes of the selected units. Use the SHOW menu to choose which attributes
to show. There are Combo boxes for Unit Class and Weapons & Formations
entires.
[Objective Table - edits objectives.csv]
Use the
SHOW menu to choose which attributes to show. There are Combo boxes for
Major/minor objectives. If we get more info about objectives, ill add more
options.
[Scenario Properties Table - edits level.ini]
change settings such as time, weather. See Scenario Menu in main menu bar
for other options
[Events Table - edits events.csv]
- Edit Menu
- Cut and Copy events from the table.
- Use Shift Selected Event Time to shift selected events times.
- Use RIGHT Click to access context sensitve menu
- In ALL Columns
- Duplicate the objective to the slot below
- Paste Events that were Copied Or Cut from the Edit menu
- Make New Events below current one
- Over the Trigger Column
- change trigger type if not a Time event or an evtobjdone (These are special cases)
- Over the Unit Column
- Assign event to currently selected Unit or Objective. Seletciton can be done on the maps or the OOB Tree
- Over the Command Menu
- Select from a list of common commands. This will place an example command in the cell
- Over the LocX or LocY Column
- Use the 'Copied Position.' This is set on the MiniMap right click popup menu and is represented by a Magenta crosshair
[Version History]
Features
add total strenght calc for units above regt.
Start and End times for objectives always register as 00:00:00
No prompt to save before exit
Need lucid errors if any .csv is incompatible with the loading scenario
Almost out of Bulleit