New Kid on the Block Options

[Frankman]

Hello people, I'm new here, and I'd like to get started with map-making. I've been playing Tiberian Dawn since the very beginning, and have only recently started playing computer games again. I've been messing around with the map editor, with little success, I learn by trial and error, and so far it has mostly been error

Anyways, expect to see a few maps in the coming weeks from me. I'm positive that I'll have plenty of interesting things set up. I do, have a couple of questions though:

1. Are custom textures possible? I'd like to make asphalt roads and railroads.

2. Are custom buildings possible? It doesn't look like there is much to them in TD, but the default ones can be rather repetitive (I like large, and usually multiple civilian villages).

3. I'd like to mod the SSM and Commandos into the regular game (for both sides), is it hard-coded into multiplayer?




That being said, if there is any other rookie advice, I'm open to it. I should have some teasers up soon enough.

[Lin Kuei Ominae]

welcome aboard.

1. Are custom textures possible? I'd like to make asphalt roads and railroads.

For TD and for a map only? No!

2. Are custom buildings possible? It doesn't look like there is much to them in TD, but the default ones can be rather repetitive (I like large, and usually multiple civilian villages).

Not in TD, except you plan to make a mod. But then you can only replace original buildings. You can't add new stuff to TD.

3. I'd like to mod the SSM and Commandos into the regular game (for both sides), is it hard-coded into multiplayer?

There are some TD editors for DOS and C&C95 out there. Those are able to change the hardcoded values, so you can change the stats for the units and lower in this case the techlevel for the SSM and Commando.
Though, if you create your own map, just set the Techlevel of the player to 98. This way you can build the commando and SSM in this map too.

This post has been edited by Lin Kuei Ominae: Jun 16 2008, 10:59 AM

[Nyerguds]

1. Are custom textures possible? I'd like to make asphalt roads and railroads.

For TD and for a map only? No!

Unless you are prepared to do a LOT of map editing in a hex editor. It is not possible to add new tiles, but it IS possible to add new frames to existing tiles and use those. Of course, no map editor will support them, so you'll have to edit the map manually with a hex editor to add them.

I've done stuff like that in some missions, like this:
http://cnc2sw.planetcnc.gamespy.com/stuff/mod/A10crash2.gif
The tile I've added this to is the so-called UFO thingy. It has a ton of black tiles at the end of it for no apparent reason (in fact, XCC can't read i because it overflows on them)
http://cnc2sw.planetcnc.gamespy.com/stuff/mod/P04_1.gif

The new P04 tile file I now use looks like this:
http://cnc2sw.planetcnc.gamespy.com/stuff/mod/P04.gif

On the map, each tile is 2 bytes; the first one indicating which tile to use, and the second specifying which frame of it to use. So where the map editor can only place "47 00" for this, I used "47 01", "47 02", etc to put my custom tiles on the map.

Note that the passability of these tiles is determined by exe data which is quite hard to edit, but basically, if you take a 100% impassable tile, the frames you add to it will be impassable too. If you take a 100% passable tile, the frames you add to it will all be passable.

If you have one that's partially passable, I think all added frames are impassable, since the new tiles won't be on the exceptions list in the exe which the tile uses.

This post has been edited by Nyerguds: Sep 7 2008, 11:23 PM