Whatever you do, don't scroll down to see the length of this lol. If you're a bad reader (like myself), then take several breaks. This tutorial is divided into two parts (recommended stopping points) so you don't have to take in all this information in one day, but believe me, learning to build maps is worth a day's work. Just seeing 20 other players dancing in your own creation is a unique feeling that you gotta see for yourself :D
Building your first Map
[s]to read this tutorial with images, click this link: Building your First Map[/s]
Dead Link!
Before we get started, I would like to point some things out. First, open your editor. If it appears as a blank white screen, click on view on the menu bar. Go to viewports, then click on configure. At the window that pops up, click okay. These windows that appeared are your viewports. Before you start exploring, I want to caution you not to push random buttons on your keyboard. You may change your view or maybe accidentally do something to your map. Also the editor has a nice history of crashing. Just to be on the safe side, save your map frequently.
In the first part of this tutorial, you’ll understand the basic concepts of building your first map.
Build a Cube
Apply textures
Add Actors
Save your map
There will be more advanced parts following this one to take your first map another step. I highly recommend going above and beyond in what you read so the information may stay with you. So lets begin…
part I
Building a Room
To start any map, we need to build a room. We’ll start with a simple cube. Right click the cube button on the right side of the editor.
A Cube Builder window should pop-up. Here is where we can adjust the size of our room. 256 is a small room. 1024 is medium sized room. While above 5120 yields a large room.
Got the dimensions? Good…. Now hit the build button, and you may close the window. If you noticed at the bottom left quadrant, called a ViewPort, you only see a red box. That box is not your room. The red box is like a drawing utensil, like a paintbrush or a colored pencil. This red box will not show in the game until you click on the “add” or “subtract” buttons on the right hand side of the editor. Hover your mouse over these buttons to see their names. Since this is our first room, we must hit the subtract button, first.
There is your room. That is what you’ll see in the game. Feel free to move around in your viewports to inspect it. Get use to moving the camera. Hint: hold the left mouse button to move, hold the right mouse button to change angle, hold both buttons to strafe the camera.
Applying Textures
Do you think it’s time to juice it up? I think so. We need to paint the walls, floors, and the ceiling. Painting is similar as applying textures to all six surfaces. If you want to add textures, you must click the texture browser button on the top of the editor. You can maximize the widow that popped-up so you can concentrate on selecting textures without the editor’s viewports distracting you in the background.
You noticed that there are only two textures available, and they are not very good textures to place on walls. So you should open other texture packages. Hit File, then open, in the very top left corner of the Texture Browser window.
The creators of UT 2k4 did a poor job in organizing the textures. You can check out my Texture Index: [s]Texture Index[/s] page to view the themes each package has to offer. Be sure to check the categories of each packages. You can find all categories in the drop box in the upper side of the window. When you found your texture, click on it. The greenish shading around it signifies it's selected. Minimize the Texture Browser window. Back to your room, nothing happened. That is because you haven’t selected and applied the textures to specific surfaces.
Selecting surfaces is easy to do. Either left click or right click a surface. The Surface you click on should appear light blue. As you know, this room has four walls. We need to select all four walls to save time. Two methods on selecting walls: you can right click each wall and ignore the menu that opens. Or you can hold Control (Ctrl) and click on a wall to toggle selection. If you mess up selecting surfaces or actors, you don’t have to start over. You can always hit Undo (Ctrl + Z).
Once you got your selection ready, right click on any selected surface to display the menu. Now click on “Apply Texture: (Name of Selected Texture)”.
DING!!! Your walls now have textures applied to them. I don’t know about you, but I think it looks much better than before. Now we just need to apply textures to the floor and the ceiling. It’s best if you do a different texture than the walls so open your texture browser button at the top.
Saving your Map
Got your textures? Good… Lets not forget to save our map. You can save this map as you would to any document, file save. Naming your map is slightly unique from a normal document. You will have to add a prefix to your map’s name to match the gametype you desire.
Prefix Gametype
DM- Deathmatch (This is what you'll use for Monster Mash)
DOM- Domination
BR- Bombing Run
CTF- Capture the Flag
ONS- Onslaught (This is what you'll use for Spam Vikings)
AS- Assault
Prefixes are not case sensitive, but it’s best to capitalize the prefix. After the Prefix, you may name the map to your liking. Try to avoid spaces and punctuation like a period or comma. Brackets, numbers, and parenthesis are okay to use.
Ready to play your level? Lets give it a shot. Hit the Play Map Button located at the top right hand corner of the editor.
Once you get your script running, it won't run successful. If you check out your script, it claims you are missing some actors. You shouldn't be able to play your map since you are missing a Player Start.
Adding an Actor
Putting in a player start is not a difficult task. Go back to your editor; we are going to add an Actor. Right click the bottom surface (the floor) where you want the player to spawn. When the menu pops-up, click on “Add Player Start Here”.
You should see some sort of joystick icon at the place where you right click. That is all you need to do to add a Player Start, very easy. Save your map, and play your map. You aren't finished yet.
When you play your map, you should die before you could do anything. The cause of this is because you didn’t compile our map. Compiling your map will tell the engine to calculate AI nodes and Geometric brushes. To build all, simply click on the build all button on top of the editor. Now Play your map and see what happens….
The last error you see is the total darkness problem. This issue occurs because you didn't place any lighting throughout your map. If you go back to your editor, your map should appear normal still. You should change the view of your bottom viewport. Click on the Dynamic Light button, located between your left viewports, to view what your map’s lighting.
That explains quiet a bit. So let’s add lighting. It’s slightly more difficult than adding a player start. Right Click the center of the floor. At the menu, click on “Add Light Here”. It looks ugly having your walls lit up and your floor completely dark still. We will have to position the light in the middle of the air to illuminate the floor. Select the Light Actor (the little light bulb). Once selected, it should appear green.
Now for the tricky part, hold down the Ctrl Button on your keyboard. Hold both mouse buttons (as if you would strafe the camera). Now move the mouse up with all three buttons held at once until the light is approximately in the middle. If you are still having difficulty moving the bulb up, you can try the viewports on the right to move the Light up. To move the Light Actor, simply hold the Ctrl and left mouse button, then drag it up to the middle.
Build All, Save Map, and lastly hit Play Map.
:cheers: Hurray :cheers: You have built a successful room. Whenever you are done playing around in your box, and you wish to enhance your arena, then continue on reading :P
Part II
I'm sure that building only one box isn't good enough. Part II will help improve your gameplay. Here, you'll learn how to:
Add multiple rooms
Rotate actors
Add weapons
Due to the length of this forum post, this will be short & choppy. If you are still having trouble with any part, you should check out my site as for examples & images.
No, I'm not trying to sell anything off of my page or anything. I'm simply don't feel like making a HUGE forum post with 80 images.
Adding Multiple Rooms
Okay, first adjust your red brush's dimensions so it's the size of your new room. Hit build & close that window. Select the red brush builder. Now we gotta move the thing into a new location so we can add a second room. On either viewport, hold down control & left mouse button. As soon as you drag the mouse, the red brush will follow. Pretty neat huh.
Soon as you position the red brush into a good location, hit the subtract button & a second box should appear !
Feel free to add multiple rooms. Get the hang of subtracting new rooms. Remember when positioning any actor that the editor is 3 dimensional. Use your other viewports to make adjustments to the Z (height) dimension. Don't forget to add textures to your new rooms. It's not necessary to use the same textures for every room you build, be diverse :)
Duplicating
Duplicating is a process that is similar to copy and paste. Only difference is that you don’t need to hit Copy then paste. All you need to do is hit duplicate, and another copy of every selected actor is spawned about 1 UU (Unreal Unit) to the X & Y value from the original selected actors.
You’ll see what I mean, select some of the previously made brushes. It’s the same process of selecting surfaces. You can either right click, ignoring the menu, or you can hold ctrl and click on any actor to toggle selection. When using the Ctrl method, try not to accidentally move the actors out of place. You cannot select the brushes using the main viewport, you must use the other viewports to select brushes. You’ll know when brushes are selected when that appears in a different color than normal.
Right click on any selected brush to open the menu. Click on duplicate. At first, you think that nothing happened, but actually there are two copies of each selected brush. They’re just almost right over each other. Don’t deselect them, we can position all of them at once. As if you were moving a single red brush, hold ctrl & left mouse button, & drag all of your duplicated brushes in one move. Once they're in position, it seems like nothing happened when you returned to your lower left viewport. To see what you actually did, hit the build all button & your changes will appear right before your eyes. The Duplicating move is very useful when you are building symmetrical maps. Because all you need to do is build one side, then duplicate the other.
Rotation
Rotation is a handy tool to learn. It provides alot more flexibility when duplicating.
On the top left viewport (bird’s eye view) and with any actor selected, hold down ctrl and right mouse button, this time. With the buttons still held, move the mouse either left or right until all brushes/actors begin to rotate. Fairly easy, & fairly handy :)
Don't get too excited with your new rooms. Before you hit “Play Map”, you must not forget your previous errors. Remember back in Part I that things appear completely dark, and we couldn’t see what we were doing in the room?
Don't forget to add lights so you can see what you are doing in there :glasses7:
Lets not forget our player starts. We still have everyone spawning in that only room. That means that the fighting will be done only in that room. The other rooms will appear abandoned. We should add player starts in other rooms.
If you haven’t noticed, whenever you selected a player start, there’s an arrow pointing into a certain direction. This tells you what direction will the player face when they spawn. You should rotate the player start (top viewport) to angle them to your desire. This will prevent players from facing the wall when spawning.
Adding Weapons
Almost nobody likes to fight in a map only using the mp5 for a whole hour. Since weapons don’t appear on the little menu that pops up, we will need to do something extra to make it appear on the menu. You will need to open the actor class browser, on top of the editor (next to the texture browser).
Now a huge menu will pop up! Don’t panic though. This is just a list of all placeable actors in the system. With this menu you are able to add, well, almost anything. Scroll to the bottom and click on the plus sign next to XPickUpBase. Another menu will drop down. Now you can either click on the word XWeaponBase or the plus sign next to it then click on NewWeaponBase to select the actor. You’ll know that you selected the word when the word is highlighted.
You only need to click on it once. Double clicking it will open the actor’s script. If it ever appears, you may simply close the window. Resume to your editor. Right click a floor surface where you want a weapon to be placed. When the menu displays, click on Add XWeaponBase Here.
Now a weapon base should appear in your main viewport, however it won’t spawn a weapon until you tell it which weapon to spawn. To do this, you’ll need to right click the weapon base and open its properties, using the pop-up menu.
Now a new window appears. Click on XWeaponBase to open more options. In the one and only weapon type option, click on the blank space next to the option to show what choices you have. This will tell the weapon base which weapon to spawn.
Assault rifle will be replaced with mp5
AVRIL will be replaced with the Anti Monster rockets
Once you got your weapon selected, you’re welcomed to close the properties window. If you want another weapon, you don’t need to open the actor class browser since the XWeaponBase actor is already selected. You can simply jump to another floor surface and add another weapon base and choose a weapon for that actor to spawn.
If you want multiple weapons to spawn in one spot, a weapon locker will be handy for Monster Mash. Go back to the actor class browser. Go to pickup, & select weaplocker. Then you can add weapons using the weap locker properties. I highly doubt that deemers in lockers will be accepted in MM. The last thing we need is to have everyone grabbing a deemer every 15 seconds. Just to save you the time, don't place deemers, ion painters, or nuke layers in lockers.
You’ll be pleased that you are now capable of adding other pick-ups to your level. Open the actor class browser, and click on the plus sign next to pickup, then ammo, then UTAmmoPickUP, and lastly, select any of the options to place ammo within your arena.
Keep in mind of channels. Since your map will be played online, you must keep in mind of your channels. Each pick up, each adrenaline takes up a channel so don't stuff up one room with 15 adren pills.
We're not done yet. You still gotta place some spawn points for monsters. All the monsters will spawn on actors called pathnodes. You can place pathnodes as if you were placing playerstarts. Once you add one, you should notice that they look like floating apples. That's a pathnode. Place about a dozen of them in every room you built. Big rooms maybe can fit about 3 dozen. I'll say to place at least 100 pathnodes throughout your lvl so the monsters will spawn fast enough.
Nicely done lad! You now have a working map with multiple rooms, and you can have a decent match with diverse weapons. The rest of your knowledge can be learned through other advanced tutorials or experience. Practice building maps. Get the hang of adding rooms. Try out some new shapes like cones, cylinders, stairs, etc...
Add static meshes through the Static Mesh browser.
_______________________________
That should just be about it for the first map. Although you've taken a giant leap in your mapping experience. I'm afraid to say that this is only the start of this lengthy road. There are many other places to visit and to see, and it is up to you in where to find them and take in what you can from them.
One more thing about being a mapper is knowing the challenges ahead of you. If you've decided to take this map to a place that require some critiquing, be prepared for some feedback. Since this may be your map, and you are welcome to take it wherever. However you must remember that some marinas may have some requirements before you anchor your map in their bay.
A true mapper will not be afraid of this. You will get compliments, you will get complaints, neither of these should discourage you from mapping. If you are a true mapper, you will not let a bump stop you in your tracks. You will keep going, always reaching for the horizon.
Mapping Tutorial: Building first Map
Last edited by DW_Ant on Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:47 am, edited 2 times in total.
The difference between successful people from others is
not in the lack of strength,
not in the lack of knowledge,
but rather in the lack of will.
FFE466
_________________________
{F}{AH}{CivFR}{XC}{U}{DF}{CJ}{SD}
not in the lack of strength,
not in the lack of knowledge,
but rather in the lack of will.
FFE466
_________________________
{F}{AH}{CivFR}{XC}{U}{DF}{CJ}{SD}
good stuff my friend, although i am getting frustrated, i dont have half the textures on my computer...
and when i test run it, all the walls turn black when i shoot....
i am going to need to further study this map making thing, awesome tut :D
and when i test run it, all the walls turn black when i shoot....
i am going to need to further study this map making thing, awesome tut :D
It could be a lighting issue when the walls are black. Did you position the light bulbs in the middle of the room, or if it's a big room, did you place multiple lightbulbs?
You also can increase the light's brightness or radius through their properties, too.
You also can increase the light's brightness or radius through their properties, too.
The difference between successful people from others is
not in the lack of strength,
not in the lack of knowledge,
but rather in the lack of will.
FFE466
_________________________
{F}{AH}{CivFR}{XC}{U}{DF}{CJ}{SD}
not in the lack of strength,
not in the lack of knowledge,
but rather in the lack of will.
FFE466
_________________________
{F}{AH}{CivFR}{XC}{U}{DF}{CJ}{SD}
Thats good, but you should check out 3d buzz, for ut2004, and ut3 video tutorials. I have used almost all of them. They Are very easy to follow, and explain more that could have not been said written down. The site is
http://www.3Dbuzz.com
http://www.3Dbuzz.com
-
- Killer in Training
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:36 pm
- Xfire: thechosenhelldemon
- Location: Netherlands
it's very good explaining how to map but eehm can you explain me something....
i build a map with multiple rooms... but how can i get tothe other rooms than??
i build a map with multiple rooms... but how can i get tothe other rooms than??
{LE}Leon
Limited Edition but always in storage at MonsterMash server 1 :D
i raised from dust and i shall become dust..... but in the meantime i shall KICK SOME ASS!!!!!
Limited Edition but always in storage at MonsterMash server 1 :D
i raised from dust and i shall become dust..... but in the meantime i shall KICK SOME ASS!!!!!
-
- 1337 Haxor
- Posts: 288
- Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:48 am
- Xfire: dont remember
- Location: Belgium
- Contact:
@leon: The easiest solution is building another room, and drag it between the two rooms so they connect. Or you could use teleports.
Now for Ant, verry nice explaining the basics, havn't read it through tough.. not such a good reader either. :p
But one problem I'm having is with the teleporters. I can't seem to let them work.. I have done all the tutorials thought me. Could you explain if you have the time.
Thx KingJulian*
Now for Ant, verry nice explaining the basics, havn't read it through tough.. not such a good reader either. :p
But one problem I'm having is with the teleporters. I can't seem to let them work.. I have done all the tutorials thought me. Could you explain if you have the time.
Thx KingJulian*
I got class in three minutes so I'm going to make this as quick as I can.JulianKingOfNothing wrote:But one problem I'm having is with the teleporters. I can't seem to let them work.. I have done all the tutorials thought me. Could you explain if you have the time.
Thx KingJulian*
TeleporterA (The place you want to go to):
Properties ---> Events ---> Tag: "Any name"
TeleporterB (The place you go to to teleport):
Properties ---> Teleporter ---> Url: Must equal to TeleporterA Tag property.
If you want the teleporters to teleport to eachother then simple take this extra step:
TeleporterB
Properties ---> Events ---> Tag: "Any name different from TeleporterA"
TeleporterA
Properties ---> Teleporter ---> Url: Must equal to TeleporterB Tag property.
Don't forget to find the right rotation for each teleporter, you don't want players teleporting to the other place, facing the wall. (Rotate through the Top Viewpoint): Yaw axis.
The difference between successful people from others is
not in the lack of strength,
not in the lack of knowledge,
but rather in the lack of will.
FFE466
_________________________
{F}{AH}{CivFR}{XC}{U}{DF}{CJ}{SD}
not in the lack of strength,
not in the lack of knowledge,
but rather in the lack of will.
FFE466
_________________________
{F}{AH}{CivFR}{XC}{U}{DF}{CJ}{SD}
-
- 1337 Haxor
- Posts: 288
- Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:48 am
- Xfire: dont remember
- Location: Belgium
- Contact:
Tyvm ant, have fun in class :ssleepy:
-
- 1337 Haxor
- Posts: 288
- Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:48 am
- Xfire: dont remember
- Location: Belgium
- Contact:
Maybe it's my fault, but I can't get it to work. I tried several tutorials. And always before I test, I build all. Except with this tutorial you wrote, i just build changed paths..DW_Ant wrote:I got class in three minutes so I'm going to make this as quick as I can.JulianKingOfNothing wrote:But one problem I'm having is with the teleporters. I can't seem to let them work.. I have done all the tutorials thought me. Could you explain if you have the time.
Thx KingJulian*
TeleporterA (The place you want to go to):
Properties ---> Events ---> Tag: "Any name"
TeleporterB (The place you go to to teleport):
Properties ---> Teleporter ---> Url: Must equal to TeleporterA Tag property.
If you want the teleporters to teleport to eachother then simple take this extra step:
TeleporterB
Properties ---> Events ---> Tag: "Any name different from TeleporterA"
TeleporterA
Properties ---> Teleporter ---> Url: Must equal to TeleporterB Tag property.
Don't forget to find the right rotation for each teleporter, you don't want players teleporting to the other place, facing the wall. (Rotate through the Top Viewpoint): Yaw axis.
I can't get it to work, no matter what I try
Is there enough space on the other end of the teleporter for the player to teleport?
Are the collisions of the teleporters set to default values?
Are the collisions of the teleporters set to default values?
The difference between successful people from others is
not in the lack of strength,
not in the lack of knowledge,
but rather in the lack of will.
FFE466
_________________________
{F}{AH}{CivFR}{XC}{U}{DF}{CJ}{SD}
not in the lack of strength,
not in the lack of knowledge,
but rather in the lack of will.
FFE466
_________________________
{F}{AH}{CivFR}{XC}{U}{DF}{CJ}{SD}