| 5 | | In the third pre-alpha and later releases you can either start Atlas by clicking the scenario editor in the main menu of the game, or launch it directly by following the below directions: |
| 6 | | Assuming that you're on Windows, go to the \binaries\system\ folder in your 0A.D. folder and check for the file called "Atlas.bat". Double click that and you'll see a command window, don't worry though, you don't have to write commands to edit 0 A.D. maps (The 3D world in which the game takes place is known as a map, and both words will be used in this tutorial), it's just loading the program in the correct way. In some seconds you'll see the actual Scenario Editor itself. |
| | 5 | In the Alpha and later releases you can either start Atlas by clicking the scenario editor in the main menu of the game, or - and this is the way to do it in case you've checked out the game using SVN - launch it directly by following the below directions: Assuming that you're on Windows, go to the \binaries\system\ folder in your 0A.D. folder and check for the file called "Atlas.bat". Double click that and you'll see a command window, don't worry though, you don't have to write commands to edit 0 A.D. maps (The 3D world in which the game takes place is known as a map, and both words will be used in this tutorial), it's just loading the program in the correct way. In some seconds you'll see the actual Scenario Editor itself. |
| 119 | | ''The contents of the Map Tab'' |
| 120 | | |
| 121 | | === Map Tab === |
| 122 | | The buttons on the Map Tab are few, but they're powerful. Especially the first two, as they erase everything you've got on the map and replace that with, in the first case an empty map (no difference in height, only the same green texture all over it, no objects), and in the second case a complete random map (different heights, different textures, objects). |
| | 118 | ''The contents of the Map Tab'' The buttons on the Map Tab are few, but they're powerful. Especially the first two, as they erase everything you've got on the map and replace that with, in the first case an empty map (no difference in height, only the same green texture all over it, no objects),and in the second case a complete random map (different heights, different textures, objects). |
| 126 | | On the next row we've got a text-field and a button, it may not seem like they're able to do much, but they can create an entire world. Or rather the underlying mechanisms, the text in the text-field is the filename of a random map script located in the /binaries/data/mods/official/maps/ folder. A random map script a text file which tells the program how to generate a map, including modifying the terrain, adding terrain textures, and adding objects, based on some defined rules. (Random maps are ''currently'' not working, they need to be reimplemented due to the simulation system having been rewritten.) |
| 127 | | |
| 128 | | On the last row we've got the Simulation test buttons. When you start a simulation with the start button the map “becomes alive”. There are waves in the water and units starts to attack nearby enemies, and the in-game GUI is displayed. That's of course very much like starting a game, but the difference is that while you're in Atlas you can do everything you normally can in Atlas, but while running the game. That's very good when you want to test how units react to each other or changes in the environment. You can move units around, add new units, change height of different parts of the terrain, etc. Except for the changes to units the new changes remain when you reset the simulation. |
| | 122 | On the next row we've got a text-field and a button, it may not seem like they're able to do much, but they can create an entire world. Or rather the underlying mechanisms, the text in the text-field is the filename of a random map script located in the /binaries/data/mods/official/maps/ folder. A random map script a text file which tells the program how to generate a map, including modifying the terrain, adding terrain textures, and adding objects, based on some defined rules.(Random maps are ''currently'' not working, they need to be reimplemented due to the simulation system having been rewritten.) |
| | 123 | |
| | 124 | ==== Simulation/Testing the map ==== |
| | 125 | On the last row we've got the Simulation test buttons. When you start a simulation with the start button the map “becomes alive”. There are waves in the water and units starts to attack nearby enemies, and the in-game GUI is displayed To hide the in-game GUI press the '''G''' key. That's of course very much like starting a game, but the difference is that while you're in Atlas you can do everything you normally can in Atlas, but while running the game. That's very good when you want to test how units react to each other or changes in the environment. You can move units around, add new units, change height of different parts of the terrain, etc. Except for the changes to units the new changes remain when you reset the simulation. |
