custom campaigns / mission

[imij0607]

I was wondering if there is a good link for making custom campaigns. I read somewhere that you can download custom campaigns. I'm assuming there is a file that you edit and what not.

Thanks =)

[astano]

To download custom campaigns and missions, try these two places:

http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=select&id=2

http://cmsfmods.heroku.com/scenarios

You can make custom campaigns by stringing together your own scenarios with a campaign script. To do this you need the maps, a core units file, and a campaign script. The manual starting on p. 107 talks about the scenario editor generally, and campaigns in particular starts on p. 143. There's a sample campaign script in there as well. Unfortunately, that's the best resource I've found. A search of the forums will turn up a few other threads. There are also a few tutorials on the Repository and a handful of threads on these forums about making your own scenarios.

Hope that helps. I myself have (so far) only fooled with the editor for my own purposes. Perhaps someone with more experience will be along to tell you more.

[imij0607]

hey thanks for the links astano ~

i haven't proweled through the manual yet with regards to the editor. i tried opening the .cam file, but unfortunately i don't have the right program to open it with. i'll go through the manual and work with that as well. i forgot that CMSF doesn't use a point system when purchasing forces. i think this really makes it hard to balance things. i'm hoping that when CMx2 comes out that the CMSF community will be able to somehow use that logic and apply it to CMSF ~ maybe battle front can do some quick points for units, and then port it over.

=)

[astano]

Unfortunately you can't open and mess with the .cam files. The only way to edit a campaign is to have all the component pieces before they were compiled - the core units, campaign script, and scenarios - edit those as you want, and then recompile it. Since there are no campaigns out there that have provided all of those for download you're pretty much out of luck on that front.

As for trying to balance forces in a scenario - not sure how much of this you already know - that has been a long-running debate and there a few methods you can use. You can crank up Red's experience, leadership, ammo, etc. modifiers to be more on par with Blue force's. Of course, that still leaves you with the problem of Red's inferior equipment. If you have the Marines module, that adds Airborne troops, BMP-3s, and T-90s for Red, which are much more capable than most of their other stuff. On the other hand, giving Blue some of the below-average kit included in the NATO module will also put Red on more equal footing equipment-wise.

You can of course just outnumber Blue, but building a Red battalion vs. Blue company scenario requires a big map and quite a bit of work. If you're up to it more power to you.

By far the most common way to balance a scenario has been to give Blue very restrictive objectives and time limits - for example, asking them to clear a town with one company of infantry in less than 2 hours with under 10% casualties. You can also punish Blue for using its firepower carelessly, with the Preserve and Destroy objectives, so that the Blue player can't just level the map with his tanks.

As for porting over the point system from Normandy, don't count on it. I believe that BFC has said they won't be taking features from Normandy for CMSF retroactively.

[imij0607]

good to know about retroactive stuff...i did see the comments about CMSF being created with chinese / korean stuff - that would be cool...still waiting for someone to do vietnam with either engine.

i haven't had the time to read the manual for campaign creation...i'm hoping to be able to build something. do you know if CMx2 will have the same ability to build campaigns like CMSF does?

[astano]

Well, we know that CM:BN won't have anything different from CM:SF in campaign terms. There may be some streamlining-type changes to the editor, but otherwise it should all be the same on that front.

[LUCASWILLEN05]

There was the Barbaossa to Berlin campaign game which was, very disappointingl cancelled. Something like that for CMSF where you could command several battlegroups on a side making operational decisions in the way that you do in a tabletop minaitures campaign game would be really great as you could run much larger actions that way.

Howver, whether there are the tecnical skills to create the operational/tactical interfaces needed and the budget to get it done to acceptable standards for the user is another matter. Possibly thiz is why the original campaign project was cancelled.

Luke