Video Tutorials for the Mission Editor

[Webwing]

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I just checked bestsharing.com stats.

So far 201 downloads! That's incredible!

Again, thanks for all the kind words. I really appreciate it.

The idea is to have a complete set of tutorials to show all the aspects of the editor necessary to have a reasonably complex mission put together. It's not ever gonna be a thorough guide though. More like a base for people to build upon.

I just hope I can keep up with the demand!

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[Xray]

Thanks for the video fix guys.

[Sabai]

Originally posted by Webwing:

Thanks for the feedback!!!!!

I was not sure how usefull they would be. I thought people that already used the editor would find nothing new in them and people that did not like the editor wouldn't pay attention.

I'm glad I was wrong!!

I'm checking to see what happened with the links of the videos.

Some kind of problem with bestsharing.com, the links are correct.

I'll delete them and upload them again.

Sorry for the trouble!

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hehehe i learned stuff from your 1st vid , i didn't place the units the same way as you showed and lost time , also for the camera i learned some!

for the rest , well i was glad to get a confirmation that what i was doing was right ....

no pun intended to the developpers but the editors tutorial seems to have been made in a hurry like " hey don't spend too much time on this manual , nobody is gonna read it anyway "

NOT!!

[BAT502]

OUTSTANDING. Thats all there is to say. OUTSTANDING!!!!

[DeLaVega]

Hi Webwing,

first I want to thank you for your post at my video "release" thread.

Second, I want to thank you for your thread of your video release.

Although I only watched the second part of your tutorials I want to ask you, why you offer this for free? It reminds me of the Video Tutorials you can separately buy of all the Adobe stuff. Why aren`t such videos part of the software? But that`s another topic.

You have done a great job!

I have one particular question and thought the 2nd tutorial can help me, but it didn`t, so I wanted to download the first one, but this only worked at 10 KB\s and in the moment I guess I`m a little impatient. So, I hope you don`t mind asking you here.

Probably you have noticed that all scenes in my last video were "built" by the help of the editor, but what really annoyed me was the use of a Placeholder. I don`t know why, but at first all units stood at the places where I placed them in the editor, but afterwards it didn`t work anymore and I had to use the placeholders. Then I realized that it took more time to give every unit a placeholder than just load the map and let every unit move to their places manually and then save the game at that point. BUT, this worked only fine until the game (and savegame) crashed and I had to start all over again.

So:

Was it only coincidence that it first worked without placeholders? Do I really have to attach each unit to one? (which is annoying especially at mass attack scenes )

If so, what placeholder I have to choose for infantry units?

Since I couldn`t find any infantry placeholder I attached them to "container, AA, or whatever other unit is not on the map" placeholder but that didn`t work and afterwards all infantry started at one point on the map.

I really appreciate, if you have time to answer me.

Thanks again for the idea of the tutorials, really well done!

If you only had posted them a little earlier, then it would have saved an "actually I never touch an editor dummy" much time to get into this "business".

[Topo]

Excellent, thanks a lot!

[Webwing]

First let me say that I'm not a DEV and I don't work or have anything to do with BF. So, those tutorials are just my tips for other players like myself. I try to show other players the stuff that I have learned from reading the documentation that came with the game, looking at the code of other missions and basically just messing around with the editor.

There is a lot of stuff in there, parameters and commands for which there is no info and that I don’t have a clue what they are there for. I’ll just have to go messing with it to find out I guess.

What I mean to say is that this is totally unofficial!

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My motivation to do this was that I saw people a bit intimidated by the Editor and there was lately all this talk in the forum about code and script that was scaring people even more, interesting though it was. So I decided to go the other way.

As for your question about Placeholders I’ll tell you what I have found so far. Again I’m no expert and the DEVs probably have a better answer for you.

Placeholders are only necessary for your units. If you don’t use them they will show up in the center of the map.

For detachments you use…. the detachment placeholder!!!

If you created a mission only for your movie, then you don’t need any units in Army1! Or you might need at least one.

This way you get rid of the placeholders.

Create 2 more armies. Make them enemies in the diplomacy tab. Make your army neutral.

I did a mission just for a movie too. I used several points for the various camera positions and also to make units “teletransport” to the points I wanted them to go. It works fine.

The movie commands are not documented though. So there are parameters, for instance in the fadein, that I don’t know what they are there for….

Hope that helps you.

[G.Mooyman]

Excellent work Webwing!!

Figured most stuff out already but learned some tricks like setting up the camera. Keep up the good work!

[DeLaVega]

Thanks for your answer Webwing. But wouldn`t army 2 and 3 fight each other, while mine is just not usable? I will try to work around the placeholder thing with the way you suggested and create more armies. The camera work I do manually with the mouse while the units are moving, but what really consumes time is to put the units where you want. Even with the placeholder it`s not accurate. When I wanted to place an AT gun close to the trench it looked very close in the editor, but in the game it looked further away than the map editor showed. So you have to do much tuning. Anyway it`s a better way to create the shots that I want. (Better than using the missions like I did in the first 2 parts) Thanks again!

[Webwing]

Originally posted by DeLaVega:

Thanks for your answer Webwing. But wouldn`t army 2 and 3 fight each other, while mine is just not usable?

If you need them firing then they must be enemies. If you don't need them to fire make them allies.

You can move the units from Army1 (neutral) to the others using the script.

Also you can move the camera around using the script too. You can even choose a unit and tell the camera to target that unit. Just like in the opening videos in the missions in game.

Originally posted by DeLaVega:

I will try to work around the placeholder thing with the way you suggested and create more armies.

Forget about placeholders!

You really don't need them for your movies.

Use only the units in army2 and army3 and then... no placeholders required.

If I were you I would make the whole movie as a script/trigger. And then film the result in game. The camera movements are smoother this way. You can point the camera in one direction and then tell it to turn X degrees, etc. You tell the camera to move from A to B in X seconds and to change the height. A lot of control.

Still, I think your movies are absolutely fantastic so it's just a matter of finding ways to save you time really.

[Manx]

Thanks for making these excellent video tutorials Webwing. Would be nice if BFC/1C rewarded you with a free copy of the expansion when it comes out.

About placeholders - not sure of the technical reasons why the devs needed to go down this route when it would be so much easier if you could just place units on the map and that's where they will be positioned in the game.

[War RaVeN]

Originally posted by Webwing:

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TOW Editor Tutor 05

AirSupport, ArtSupport and MortarSupport (Coming soon)

Yea, great! I just got stuck there

[DeLaVega]

Webwing, yes, with the neutral and enemy armies I understand. Actually, they are only friendlies shooting at each other in the video.

Next time I will put them in Army 2 and 3 and if no placeholders are needed and they still stand where I put them in the editor, I will make a documentary about you, how you make the tutorials.

About the camera movement: What you said about pre-arranging the cam sounds reasonable, but since there`s no replay feature, I think you still need to be flexible on the battlefield and pay attention where something is about to happen.

Therefore I think I still have to imitate fluent cam movements with the mouse. If you know in advance that this particular tank will explode it would be fun to arrange the cam with a script. But arranging it and then try several times just to wait for an explosion is very time consuming. But I appreciate your suggestion!

[pad152]

Placeholders ? - is there any easy way to find the placeholder of a specific unit?

[Nikki Mond]

Great tutorials. But We need another one to make our enemy units do something and move. I can walk right up to them and they don't react. Well I look forward to learning how to move enemy units and make them fight.

Also I cannot cut and paste within the trigger editor? I tried copyng some trigger code but there is no copy/paste.

[Webwing]

Originally posted by DeLaVega:

Webwing, yes, with the neutral and enemy armies I understand. Actually, they are only friendlies shooting at each other in the video.

Next time I will put them in Army 2 and 3 and if no placeholders are needed and they still stand where I put them in the editor, I will make a documentary about you, how you make the tutorials.

About the camera movement: What you said about pre-arranging the cam sounds reasonable, but since there`s no replay feature, I think you still need to be flexible on the battlefield and pay attention where something is about to happen.

Therefore I think I still have to imitate fluent cam movements with the mouse. If you know in advance that this particular tank will explode it would be fun to arrange the cam with a script. But arranging it and then try several times just to wait for an explosion is very time consuming. But I appreciate your suggestion!

The problem is the quality level of your movies and the precision that you require. There is no easy way to achieve this as you know. But that's your own fault for being such a prefectionist.

Anyway I'm sending you a file with some cinematic commands and my comments on them. They still might be of some use to you.

[Webwing]

Originally posted by Nikki Mond:

Great tutorials. But We need another one to make our enemy units do something and move. I can walk right up to them and they don't react. Well I look forward to learning how to move enemy units and make them fight.

This was never meant to be a complete mission! It will take a few more tutorials for you to have one. The first tutorial is the basic set up.

I'll probably use your suggestion and make the next one about moving units around and changing firing modes, etc.

Originally posted by Nikki Mond:

Also I cannot cut and paste within the trigger editor? I tried copyng some trigger code but there is no copy/paste.

Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V don't work for you????

One usefull thing you can do is open two instances of the Editor. In one you open your mission. In the other you open another finished mission. This way you can copy the code of one to the other.

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[Mastiff]

can we get a sticky on this anyone? :cool:

[Webwing]

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Video tutorial 5 uploaded.

Some pretty basic codes and explanation for people that are looking at the trigger codes for the first time.

Hope it helps people to see that it's not that complicated after all. Makes them curious to find out more for themselves.

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[lipp98]

man this is really nice of you Tanks!HEHEHEHE!

[War RaVeN]

Originally posted by Webwing:

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Video tutorial 5 uploaded.

Some pretty basic codes and explanation for people that are looking at the trigger codes for the first time.

Hope it helps people to see that it's not that complicated after all. Makes them curious to find out more for themselves.

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Webwing,

Thank you again for this very helpful tutorial. Your great input is the basis for building up a strong community like we have for CMBO, CMBB and CMAK.

Looking forward to the next one...... AirSupport, ArtSupport, MortarSupport and mines?

And yes, it make me curious to try out some things myself, but

failed again with the airsupport I overlook something....

Regards,

War Raven.

[pad152]

Tutorial 5 Trigger? If unit 43, the one used to test the distances is killed the other units would never hold & defdned correct?

Could is be changed as:

SET @dist = Distance(UNIT, 43,POINT, "defend1")

SET @dist2 = Distance(UNIT, 44, POINT, "defend1")

if ( @dist < 10 or @dist2 < 10) Then

.

.

.

ENDIF

[Webwing]

Originally posted by War RaVeN:

Webwing,

Thank you again for this very helpful tutorial. Your great input is the basis for building up a strong community like we have for CMBO, CMBB and CMAK.

Looking forward to the next one...... AirSupport, ArtSupport, MortarSupport and mines?

And yes, it make me curious to try out some things myself, but

failed again with the airsupport I overlook something....

Regards,

War Raven.

Thanks WarRaven,

I wish I got some feedback from this last tutorial. Not sure if I got the point across, for people with no previous knowledge of code.

I will wait for the patch before I do the next tutorial. Apparently there will be waypoints and some other changes that might affect the editor as well. I don't want to do something that will be redundant in a weeks time.

[Webwing]

Originally posted by pad152:

Tutorial 5 Trigger? If unit 43, the one used to test the distances is killed the other units would never hold & defdned correct?

Could is be changed as:

SET @dist = Distance(UNIT, 43,POINT, "defend1")

SET @dist2 = Distance(UNIT, 44, POINT, "defend1")

if ( @dist < 10 or @dist2 < 10) Then

.

.

.

ENDIF

Exactly!

If you chose the number of the detachment unit instead of an specific soldier they will probably count the first one to arrive. Might be an option too.

The enemy units in this case are really far away from the player so I don't think you need to worry too much.

But the idea was to show the logic behind it and for you to start playing with variations, exactly like you did!

Be careful with the spaces in your code. Click on the little green icon on the top left corner. This will turn syntax errors red.

SET @dist2 = Distance(UNIT, 44, POINT, "defend1")

This would give an error.

You need spaces between words and simbols, like this:

SET @dist2 = Distance ( UNIT , 44 , POINT , "defend1" )

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[ May 23, 2007, 03:37 PM: Message edited by: Webwing ]

[Androo]

1 - 3 are great, but the links for 4 and 5 seem to be down. Or is it just me?

And 5 is the one I really need- dang it!

Anyway, thank you for your efforts Webwing!