User:Aquanim/DraftMapMakingGuide - Revision history

Stuart98: /* Upload */ Remove mention of springfiles as it's dead.

2026-10-03T18:53:56Z

Upload: Remove mention of springfiles as it's dead.

2020-09-23T16:44:12Z

Particle and sound effects

2020-09-23T16:43:17Z

Features (geovents, trees, rocks, etc)

2020-09-23T16:40:32Z

Uploading to Zero-K Server

2020-09-23T16:38:36Z

Minimal Brief Guide

2020-09-23T16:32:31Z

2020-09-23T16:30:14Z

2020-09-23T16:28:20Z

Skeleton Of A Map

2020-09-23T16:26:31Z

Minimal Brief Guide

2020-09-23T13:24:01Z

Compile Your Map

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 * Your map isn't set up right. Test it locally again and make sure your map works.
 * Something on the server has gone wrong. AFTER testing your map locally and finding that it works there, contact an admin. Uploading your map to a file-sharing service so the admin can look at it may help.
 = Skeleton Of A Map =

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 == Particle and sound effects ==
-Find a map that does the thing you want to do, look at how that map did it. For reference some fairly simple examples from my maps are Rogues River (sound effects), Aurelian (precipitation), and Mercurial (plumes from the water).
+Find a map that does the thing you want to do, look at how that map did it. For reference some fairly simple examples can be found in Rogues River (sound effects), Aurelian (precipitation), and Mercurial (plumes from the water).
 == Lava ==
 Good luck... I'm not sure anybody has come up with an entirely bug-free implementation of this yet. Banana Republic might be your best bet for a reference.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:43, 23 September 2020
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	== Features (geovents, trees, rocks, etc) ==		== Features (geovents, trees, rocks, etc) ==
		+
		+	This method of placing features requires you to have some s11n gadgets in /LuaRules/Gadgets and some s11n and lcs stuff in the /libs/ folder. If your map doesn't have these then get them from the blueprint or some other map.

	* Put the files defining the features you want in your map file. This includes a definition in the /features subdirectory, model files in the /objects3d directory, and textures in the /unittextures directory. The easiest way to get these is to borrow them from existing maps. There is a features library as well... ask around in #zkmap for a link then update this page.		* Put the files defining the features you want in your map file. This includes a definition in the /features subdirectory, model files in the /objects3d directory, and textures in the /unittextures directory. The easiest way to get these is to borrow them from existing maps. There is a features library as well... ask around in #zkmap for a link then update this page.

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 * Scroll down until you find the "Upload map or game (sd7 or sdz):" file on the right-hand side
 * Upload your map
-If this doesn't work there are two potential reasons:
+If the upload step doesn't work there are two potential reasons:
 * Your map isn't set up right. Test it locally again and make sure your map works.
 * Something on the server has gone wrong. AFTER testing your map locally and finding that it works there, contact an admin. Uploading your map to a file-sharing service so the admin can look at it may help.

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 This guide assumes that you are using a version of Zero-K installed through Steam. You can still make maps if you installed by some other method but you may need to modify some of the later steps.
-If you want to see what the map's file structure is meant to look like overall, scroll to the [[https://zero-k.info/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Aquanim/DraftMapMakingGuide#Skeleton_Of_A_Map Skeleton Of A Map]] section.
+If you want to see what the map's file structure is meant to look like overall, scroll to the [[https://zero-k.info/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Aquanim/DraftMapMakingGuide#Skeleton_Of_A_Map Skeleton Of A Map]] section. It's also a good idea to un7zip some existing maps and take a look to see how they are set up (and borrow anything which seems useful for your map).
 Some or all of these steps may be possible to do using just Springboard; I will leave that guide to somebody who is familiar with the Springboard workflow. I mostly use it for features.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:32, 23 September 2020
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	This guide assumes that you are using a version of Zero-K installed through Steam. You can still make maps if you installed by some other method but you may need to modify some of the later steps.		This guide assumes that you are using a version of Zero-K installed through Steam. You can still make maps if you installed by some other method but you may need to modify some of the later steps.
		+
		+	If you want to see what the map's file structure is meant to look like overall, scroll to the [[https://zero-k.info/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Aquanim/DraftMapMakingGuide#Skeleton_Of_A_Map Skeleton Of A Map]] section.

	Some or all of these steps may be possible to do using just Springboard; I will leave that guide to somebody who is familiar with the Springboard workflow. I mostly use it for features.		Some or all of these steps may be possible to do using just Springboard; I will leave that guide to somebody who is familiar with the Springboard workflow. I mostly use it for features.

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 Some or all of these steps may be possible to do using just Springboard; I will leave that guide to somebody who is familiar with the Springboard workflow. I mostly use it for features.
 == Download Tools ==
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 * Test your map on the live server so there is a publically accessible replay or two - games against AIs are fine
 * Ask a moderator to support/feature your map
 = Tools and Resources =

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:28, 23 September 2020
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	== Skeleton Of A Map ==		== Skeleton Of A Map ==
		+
		+	All you really need is the stuff in solid grey boxes: mapinfo.lua, .smf and .smt files, a metal layout, and a startbox config.

	[[File:Mapskeleton.png\|The skeleton of a map]]		[[File:Mapskeleton.png\|The skeleton of a map]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:26, 23 September 2020
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	Some or all of these steps may be possible to do using just Springboard; I will leave that guide to somebody who is familiar with the Springboard workflow. I mostly use it for features.		Some or all of these steps may be possible to do using just Springboard; I will leave that guide to somebody who is familiar with the Springboard workflow. I mostly use it for features.
		+
		+	== Skeleton Of A Map ==
		+
		+	[[File:Mapskeleton.png\|The skeleton of a map]]
		+
		+	(Note: Some of the things labelled as "necessary" probably technically aren't; there are many ways to construct a map that Spring will accept. This guide will walk you through one that should be reasonably coherent and up to date.)

	== Download Tools ==		== Download Tools ==

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 * Scroll down to the NVDXT option and make sure it says "-Sinc -quality_highest". Also probably a good idea to tick the CLEAN option.
 * Untick everything else, press "Save options as" if you like, then press the "Compile" button.<br />
 == Construct .sdd File ==