[lowfighter]

And any newcomer which might find them useful. It's not systematic but still can be helpful. It deals with operating various changes to maps, in this case Stalingrad map.

Download

http://rapidshare.com/files/175689217/S ... PTOOLS.rar


It contains 3 folders
Stgrad: contains all files needed for Stalingrad map
Actortool: contains the tool for assembling and disassembling actor.static files. Actors.static files contain the objects which are placed on the map (houses, runways etc)
Actor_cutter is a utility used to split...but about this later
It contains a file mapbuilder.rtf showing containing the way to bring FMB into map mode.
All the applications in the rar file can be readilly downloaded in the maptools forum, I just put them here together casue it's a bit more handy to me like that..
For time being the task is to have a working map in FMB (and FMB map mode) separate from the original.
So:
1. Create in il2root/mods/mapmods/maps/ a folder let's say CUJO_stalingrad
Open the stgrad folder in the archive and copy all the files from stgrad foder to

il2root/mods/mapmods/maps/CUJO_stalingrad

2. Create a folder il2root/maps/CUJO_stalingrad
Don't place any files into il2root/maps/CUJO_stalingrad.

3. Open with notepad map all.ini file which is probably located in

il2root/mods/mapmods/maps/

and add wherever you please the lines

CUJO_Stalingradsummer CUJO_stalingrad/sload.ini
CUJO_Stalingradwinter CUJO_stalingrad/load.ini

Save.
4.Start game open FMB and see if you can open the "new" maps CUJO_Stalingradsummer
and CUJO_Stalingradwinter

However the "new" maps are with default textures and if you want to use for example vpmedia texturing for stalingrad locate sload.ini and load.ini which came with vpmedia pack and replace the sload.ini and load.ini already present in il2root/maps/CUJO_stalingrad with vpmedia ones..Check again what happen in game..

Next task: we want to delete some objects from the map and also we want to add some industry texture north of the town. For that we need the actortool and actor_cutter also FMB operating in map mode.

1. Open mapbuilder.rtf and read it. Backup bldconf.ini present in il2root/
Open bldconf.ini with notepad and do the changes according to mapbuilder.rtf
2. Start game and try to open say Norway map. Does it work? Zoom in around some town and while holding "alt" and right mouse button draw a box around the village. You'll see the objects in the village get selected. If you hit "delete" the village is deleted. Open Object and scroll around to see what menu contains.
3. Exit game
4.Start game and try to open CUJO_Stalingradwinter. After a while you'll get an memory error and game will close. That is because FMB map mode can't handle maps which have number of objects over some limit. As the objects are stored in actors.static files FMB map mode can open maps with actors files up to maybe 700 KB, but Stalingrad has a larger file so you get the error.
So what we have do is to break the actors.static into two smaller parts such that using them the map will load in FMB map mode
That'll be lesson no. 2..

[CUJO_1970]

This is great stuff lowfighter! Thank you!

Perfect timing as well, I will have some time off for the holidays starting Wednesday and will really be able to start digging in to this thing.

[mandrill7]

Thanks, lowfighter. Will check out your tutorial later today.

[Guest]

Many thanks, lowfighter!
This is the sort of stuff I need, as I'm struggling to find the time to tackle my map - these little tutorials are just the ticket! :lol:

[lowfighter]

Aha so I have now 3 students...

[fly_zo]

.... please m8 , write basic tutorial regarding manipulating with map mods / load.ini and texture files .

just basic subjects ... no need for info about making new map from scratch .


i'll make pdf file out of it and sticky as big as house

pretty please

Z

[kapteeni]

Aha so I have now 3 students...

I used to be one too. This is a very valuable and most needed tutorial!!

[lowfighter]

Zo I'll go on with these lessons and maybe if it grows as a coherent body we can have a sort of guide. I really thought quite often about doing or starting one but I just haven't reached any conclusion about order of tackling things, different ways of dealing with one map task etc.
So I'll go on with this and I hope I'll not make it even more confusing.. The lesson succession will be a dynamical one, for example I said lesson 2 would deal with breaking large actors into smaller ones, but I changed my mind and I'd deal first with basic manipulations of maps in FMB map mode..
So, are you guys ready for second lesson?...Or did your PC's explode already during the first one? :lol:

[Guest]

Good idea, lowfighter....
I'm a keen student....I've fallen behind with the modding scene a little because of various setbacks, but now I'm keen to get my map up and running! 8)
I'm sure you'll have many 'silent' students, as well.... :lol:

[CUJO_1970]

lowfighter, what you are doing is greatly appreciated and needed.

And I agree, there are probably a lot more silent students as well.

[dunkelgrun]

(Not so) silent student here. Following this thread with intertest. Some things I already know; a lot of things I don't.

Thanks lowfighter.

:cheers:

[lowfighter]

I feel even more motivated if I see there are some more people interested 8)
So of it is ok tomorrow I'll post lesson 2 dealing with simple map changes using FMB in map mode..texture placement roads heights buildings etc

[lowfighter]

http://rapidshare.com/files/176303407/myemptymap.rar

This deals with basic operations in FMB map mode. Download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/176303407/myemptymap.rar
1.Open the archive and place the myemptymap folder in il2root/mods/mapmods/maps/
2.Add myemptymap myemptymap/load.ini to maps all.ini.
3.Create folder myemptymap inside il2root/maps, don't put anything in that folder
4. Make sure that you are in FMB map mode (bldconf.ini) and also in conf.ini set forest=2 (if you have forest =3)
5. Start game and open myemptymap
6. Go to object and scroll up and down through different categories, the first field gives the category the second field gives items you find for that category, for example if first field is Slovakia Castles the second field will list different Slovakia castle objects.Zoom on the map till you get the landscape details. Then hit "insert" and at the point where the mouse arrow is an object will be inserted namely that one which appears in the second field of the object window. So that's how you can add objects.
7. Among the categories listed in object menu there's one called "tile", select that and scroll through second field, you'll see a list:
lowland
lowland1
lowland2
...
airfield
airfield1
...
woods
...

Select some let's say lowland2 and hit insert. You'll see a small patch of a certain texture is inserted, hit repeatedly "insert" while moving the mouse around and you can extend the zone with the "new" texture. Let's call that texture "lowland2" . Do similar with all others and see what each represent..You'll see there are town, village, industry textures too..The wood one will place forest, however don't try placing forest for a while.
8. Another category is "height". Select height and then in the second field select "fil". You'll see a red ball in place of the mouse arrow, and as you move the mouse you see the ball changing position in a jumpy way. Go to 3D mode by hitting "enter" and scroll the mouse wheel up and down, you'll see the elevation changes accordingly around the red ball position. Change the position of the ball and scroll again. The game memorizes the height achieved with the last scroll so now if you move the ball around and at the same time hit "insert" the same height will be "pasted" over the place.
There are also "peak" and "blur" options in the height menu. Also if you right click the mouse you'll see a "fill tile size" option, see what happens when you select different sizes and then try to do the height changes.
9. "road" category has highway country and rail options. Select highway, and hit insert several times with mouse arrow changing position slowly let's say moving from south to north(you got to try it) so you''ll have a road segment. If you hit "delete" you can delete the segment at which the arrow is pointing..
10. Go to file and "save". As a good rule while you work click save from time to time, sometimes the game crashes. Here's an example:
11. Go again to object and select "woods". Hit insert while moving slowly the mouse, you'll see forest popping up, if you keep doing it the game will crash.
12. After you crashed navigate to il2root/maps/myemptymap and you'll see that now the previously empty folder contains some files. It contains an actors.static an map_T.tga and an map_h.tga. These are the files which were changed during your FMB session. Copy them and paste them into

il2root/mods/mapmods/maps/myemptymap

overwriting thus the old ones.
So whenever you modify a map in FMB you have to do this transfer, because the game reads files
il2root/mods/mapmods/maps/myemptymap
but it save changes into
il2root/maps/myemptymap



13. Start the game again, you should see the changes you operate during last session.
14 map_h was modified when you played with heights
map_T was modified when you inserted textures and roads
actors.static when you inserted / deleted objects

More about them next time

[Guest]

Just a question re: point 3 - must i create a folder in il2root called maps, and a new folder inside that called myemptymap?
There is no maps folder in my il2root at the moment.... :?:
Or are you meaning il2root/mods/mapmod/maps... :?:

oops...just realised i have a more fundamental problem - I used to have the unlocked FMB tools- lost in the great HD crash of 2008 -
What do I use to unlock the FMB with now? The d/l link in the tools area is dead. :roll:

[kapteeni]

To all new mapmodders. Here is one tip:
I suggest that you make a backup copy of latest actors.static by renaming . I Use version numbers, like actors_1.0 and so. Sometimes the actor.static file can corrupt, if game crashes or you can easily get carried away and start to change everything :oops:
Hope that i did not confused you.
Regards
Kapteeni