Difference between revisions of "Starter Guide"

Latest revision as of 21:36, 4 September 2012

This page is a handy categorization of different links that should help map-makers to orient themselves around the large numbers of wiki articles on GalaxyWiki. It is adapted for complete beginners as well as for advanced mappers. If you are of those that prefer Video Tutorials, you might want to check our Video Tutorials Category. However, keep in mind this wiki currently has a much bigger textual resource.

GalaxyEdit Modules

First of all, if you are completely new to the Galaxy Editor, it is highly recommended to read the following tutorial:

The very basics of GalaxyEdit.

It gives a basic explanation of GalaxyEdit's Modules. If you already know what each Module does, skip this link and continue reading…

Links per Module

The following links are there to give a minimally more in-depth view of the different Modules.

Terrain (F5)

Cameras: Cameras are used to set the point of view of the players via triggers. Very handy in many situations, though it's not really something you'll mess with with small/basic projects.

Doodads: Doodads are used to decorate your terrain. This page also provides some useful tips.

Foliage: Foliage are all those little bushes and other doodads that are placed all around in a map. The Editor offers you a way to automatically generate them.

Pathing: Pathing is used to prevent units entering certain areas. You can also use this to guide units into certain locations by preventing them from going anywhere else.

Regions and Points: Regions and Points explained.

Terraining Tips: A very great resource for easy to intermediate terraining tips.

Terrain Types (Textures): Images of all the textures of every single Tileset.

Water: A little explanation of how Water works in GalaxyEdit. Also presents some interesting Water-related tutorials in the "See Also" section.

Triggers (F6)

AI: You want to create an Artificial Intelligence for your computer players? Here's a basic tutorial about it.

': This is an improved GalaxyScript language.

Banks: How to do ranking and preserve data even after the players have left the game. Very useful for RPGs, for example.

Collision Detection: How to detect the collision between two objects.

Custom Camera Setting (First Person and Third Person): Explains in detail how to implement such a system into your map.

Day/Night Simulation: Self-explanatory.

Dialogs: You'll eventually get to use those. For example, they are used for leaderboards.

Dialog Items: These are used to fill Dialogs.

GalaxyScript: The scripting language developed by Blizzard for GalaxyEditor. Mainly used for advanced triggering.

Inventory: Self-explanatory.

Items: Items you can put in an Inventory.

Kill to Cash: Explains how to reward players with resources every time they slain units.

Leaderboards: Show information about individual players to multiple players.

Random integer: A simple pre-made trigger that generates random integers.

Text Message: Any text you want to display to the players will require you to mess with this action.

Timers: Self-explanatory.

Trigger: If you're new to triggers, read this!

Trigger Libraries: If you're searching for a system already made and designed, ready for you to use and change just some basic information, well, you're searching for a Trigger Library!

Trigger Functions: Intermediate triggerer technique used to save time and reduce the amount of repetitions.

Variables: Yet another essential tool for your map-making career.

Data Editor (F7)

Abilities: If you want to mess with an already-existing ability or want to create a new one, you'll have to work with those.

Actors: [Temporary link] Working with Actors (Author: ProzaicMuze, member of SC2Mapster)

Aura Spell: An Aura spell is an ability that affects the surroundings of the caster.

Behaviors: Those are used for Items, Abilities, Units, and much more!

Build time: A basic tutorial that consists of a single image. It shows you how to modify the build time of a unit.

Custom button: Pretty self-explanatory. Be aware that having a custom button is required if you want to create a new ability (but you of course can use an already-existing button's graphic). We also have a YouTube video up.

Create a unit from scratch: Self-explanatory.

Data Editor Theory: A general explanation of the Data Editor. Very useful! Also contains a list of the most used fields of the 'Units' tab.

Designing an Ability: Gives a basic idea of what must be done when creating a custom ability.

Effects: Those are used for Abilities.

Footprints: Footprints manage the size of an object's pathing map and make sure that a building's placement requirements are met.

Host Site Operations: Used to attach Models on other Models, HSOs can be really handy.

Inventory: How to create an inventory system for your map.

Items: Setting up items for an inventory system can be a hard task if you don't know how to do it properly.

Kill to Cash: Explains how to reward players with resources every time they slain units.

Mana Drain: This is when an ability is toggled on, and it drains mana over time (think of Cloak ability).

Missiles: How to create missile abilities.

Modifying the Supply Limit: Self-explanatory.

Movers: Movers manage how things move in the game.

Polishing Spells: Graphics are -extremely- important in -any- map. Make sure you polish those spells up!

Roam: This is how you make a unit wander around.

Sharing Units: How to make a unit shared by multiple players.

Timed Life: A basic tutorial that explains how to make units die after a certain time (just think of the Infested Terran).

Turrets: [Temporary link] Working with Turrets (Author:ProzaicMuze, member of SC2Mapster)

Unit Properties: Complete list, with descriptions, of the fields found under the 'Units' tab.

Upgrades: ?

Validators: ?

Veterancy: This is used to create heroes, mainly.

Weapons: Self-explanatory.

Worker: Workers are a unit type. It can be kind of complex to manipulate them.

Text (F8)

Text Module: If you have a lot of messages to change through triggers, but already know it'll be a real pain because you must first find them, then click the action, then the message, and then modify it, it is highly recommended to use the Text module instead.

Import (F9)

Import Module: This module is very easy to work with: you Import files with Ctrl+I... and you're done! Just make sure you save before leaving the window.

GalaxyEdit Window

To the right of the menu called Modules, there's a menu called Window. The tools in there are used by intermediate and advanced mappers. Though one you should definitely care about is the Lighting one.

Links per Window

Previewer (Ctrl+Shift+V)

Previewer: This is used to preview animations. With it, you can look at every single animation that StarCraft II contains. It also contains sounds. You can also make up custom mix of animations/sounds with this.

Lighting (Ctrl+Shift+F10)

Dungeon lighting (Author: Obliviron, member of SC2Mapster): Explains how to achieve a dungeon-like ambience (total darkness, except where light sources are). (Similar effects can be designed via triggers. To know how, please follow this link about a Flashlight system.)

Lighting guide (Author: Obliviron, member of SC2Mapster): A very great tutorial that explains in the effects of every field of the Lighting Module. Contains images!

OmniLights: OmniLights are little light sources that you can place on your map.

Lighting: Playing with the lighting will let you create a custom ambiance that will suit perfectly your map. Maps leaving the default lighting are often looking dull.

Script Test (Ctrl+Shift+F11)

Null.

File Transfers (Ctrl+Shift+T)

Null.

Messages (Ctrl+Shift+M)

Null.

Console (Alt+`)

Console Window: Used to debug maps.

GalaxyEdit Map

To the left of the Window menu button, there is one named "Map". You'll use this one every single time you'll create a new map. This menu contains:

Map Properties: Used to define general things related to the map itself.

Map Info: Change the name of your map from there. You should also give yourself credits as the author. The "Basic Description" isn't used anywhere, but the "Extended Description" is the one shown under your map's image preview on Battle.net

Map Options: ?

Map Bounds: Modify your Camera and/or Map's boundaries from there. This allows you to create a map with custom dimensions.

Map Textures: This is where you change the tileset (or just a single texture!) of your map.

Map Loading Screen: Self-explanatory.

Player Properties: Player-related settings are situated in there.

Players: Used to define players' Controller, Race, Color, Start Location, Name, and Decal.

Team Placement (Basic): If all you need to do is to set the allies for each individual player, then use this.

Team Placement (Advanced): If you have to set custom enemies as well as the allies, use this.

Object Groups: ?

Map Status: This is very useful in the case that you've opened a map showing a simple system but you aren't sure which fields have been modified. For example, this map, about a Flashlight system, may let you think that all you need to do to implement the system is to reproduce this trigger, but with the Map Status window, you'll be able to notice the little field that was modified in the Data Editor.

Cinematics: Temporary video link - Part 1 of 4 (Author: OneTwo)

Game Attributes: They are used to give some choice to the players from within the lobby. For example, Special Forces: Elite let's you choose your Hero from the lobby.

Game Variants: They are used to define how the game lobby is set up.

WARNING!

Sometimes when publishing a map there are conflicts between Player Properties and Game Variants. Here's a trick that will help reduce the chances of this happening:

Map Properties: Set the Race, Color and Controller there.

Game Variants: Leave the three fields named just above (Race, Color, Controller) empty (default).

Others/See Also

FAQs
General Mapping Tips
How to balance your map
How to publish your map
Increasing Maps' Quality - This is a talk page and you are invited to participate to it.
OneTwo's video tutorials - OneTwo is well known for going very deeply into his subjects, yet always only giving relevant tips and advices.
ProzaicMuze's tutorials - This SC2Mapster's member has made quite a lot of high-quality tutorials. This link will bring you to a list of his tutorials.
SC2Mapster's Assets DB - Contains, among others, a Trigger Libraries DB.
SC2Mapster's Wiki DB - If you haven't found what you are searching for in our wiki, try there.
Time Management