TitanWing
07-25-2007, 11:27 AM
We've needed this tutorial for a looong time. So I made it! I will cover the basic melee uses of custom terrain such as inverting (ramps facing NW or NE) and/or widening ramps and widening and/or lengthening bridges.
SCMDraft2.0.8.0 (http://stormcoast-fortress.net/downloads/scmdraft2ZIP/download) is needed to make both.
Inverted Ramp
To make an inverted ramp, you must use the terrain palette (activate it by going down to "windows -> terrain palette") and choose "copy/paste" on the drag box on the palette.
Then you must open a map that has inverted ramps or use these files:BWM.net map database (http://www.panschk.de/mappage/maplist.php?orderby=mapname&PHPSESSID=9e36bd58652fe319e88142f5232e9232). They have all the ramps for every tileset under the name "(0)[rampname] Ramp".
You can only make this work by using ramps from the same tileset you are using.
With ramp map open, go to copy/paste and select the ramp by click/drag and press CTRL -> C. You have now copied it.
Then open the map you are making. Set the terrain to copy+paste and press CTRL -> V. Now simply click everywhere you want to make inverts. The ramps at BWM have null tiles (the black ones) you will need to use rectangular terrain to fill those in.
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Widened/Lengthed Bridges
To make a widened/lengthed brigdes. You can either copy it from another map like to make inverted ramps or you can make it yourself. Since you now know how to copy+paste terrain, I will explain how to use the "tile-set indexed" mode of the terrain palette.
First, make a bridge. Then while in the doodad layer, select the bridge and righ click on it. Click "covert to terrain". You can now copy+paste pieces of that doodad.
It is recommended that you start by setting the corners to the places you want. I have created a sample of the two in jungle tileset.
I give you full permission to edit/use anything in this file.
Note: Sometimes when copy+pasting terrain, you may need to switch the terrain to "isomtrical' and select a terrain type "water" for example THEN press CTRL -> V. It's one of SCMD's bugs that comes with making a program from scratch. Sometimes the terrain won't appear when you simply press CTRL -> V. This is when you do the above.
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Widened and/or Inverted Ramps
Making widened ramps is tricky. First off, you need to have a normal or inverted ramp already placed on the map (if it's a normal ramp, you must convert it to terrain). Next, you need to set the terrain palette to copy+paste. Start with the sides, copy the side of the ramp you want to extend and paste it where you want the ramp to end. You must make sure this point will still line up when you finish the ramp. Next, copy the transition from dirt to ramp and the base of the ramp (it's 2 matrixes wide), then paste it in the correct pattern across to the other end that you just pasted earlier. Now move up the ramp, taking two tiles at a time and finish the ramp layer by layer until you get to the top.
This description isn't the best, it will take some time for you to learn how to do it, so practice it before you start doing it in your maps. Aesthetically pleasing ramps are your goal, so try to reduce blockiness as much as possible.
Square terrain and copy+pasting have numerous uses outside of just these two. Many UMSs make pretty amazing things with SCMD. The possibilities are almost endless, but you need to be careful not to make your terrain "blocky" which is using tiles that clearly do not match together leaving straight lines and other aethetically unpleasing issues.
The sample map at the bottom of this post contains samples of everything I just discussed. Feel free to copy terrain from this map as you need it, but remember it will only work properly in the jungle tileset.
SCMDraft2.0.8.0 (http://stormcoast-fortress.net/downloads/scmdraft2ZIP/download) is needed to make both.
Inverted Ramp
To make an inverted ramp, you must use the terrain palette (activate it by going down to "windows -> terrain palette") and choose "copy/paste" on the drag box on the palette.
Then you must open a map that has inverted ramps or use these files:BWM.net map database (http://www.panschk.de/mappage/maplist.php?orderby=mapname&PHPSESSID=9e36bd58652fe319e88142f5232e9232). They have all the ramps for every tileset under the name "(0)[rampname] Ramp".
You can only make this work by using ramps from the same tileset you are using.
With ramp map open, go to copy/paste and select the ramp by click/drag and press CTRL -> C. You have now copied it.
Then open the map you are making. Set the terrain to copy+paste and press CTRL -> V. Now simply click everywhere you want to make inverts. The ramps at BWM have null tiles (the black ones) you will need to use rectangular terrain to fill those in.
________________________________
Widened/Lengthed Bridges
To make a widened/lengthed brigdes. You can either copy it from another map like to make inverted ramps or you can make it yourself. Since you now know how to copy+paste terrain, I will explain how to use the "tile-set indexed" mode of the terrain palette.
First, make a bridge. Then while in the doodad layer, select the bridge and righ click on it. Click "covert to terrain". You can now copy+paste pieces of that doodad.
It is recommended that you start by setting the corners to the places you want. I have created a sample of the two in jungle tileset.
I give you full permission to edit/use anything in this file.
Note: Sometimes when copy+pasting terrain, you may need to switch the terrain to "isomtrical' and select a terrain type "water" for example THEN press CTRL -> V. It's one of SCMD's bugs that comes with making a program from scratch. Sometimes the terrain won't appear when you simply press CTRL -> V. This is when you do the above.
________________________________
Widened and/or Inverted Ramps
Making widened ramps is tricky. First off, you need to have a normal or inverted ramp already placed on the map (if it's a normal ramp, you must convert it to terrain). Next, you need to set the terrain palette to copy+paste. Start with the sides, copy the side of the ramp you want to extend and paste it where you want the ramp to end. You must make sure this point will still line up when you finish the ramp. Next, copy the transition from dirt to ramp and the base of the ramp (it's 2 matrixes wide), then paste it in the correct pattern across to the other end that you just pasted earlier. Now move up the ramp, taking two tiles at a time and finish the ramp layer by layer until you get to the top.
This description isn't the best, it will take some time for you to learn how to do it, so practice it before you start doing it in your maps. Aesthetically pleasing ramps are your goal, so try to reduce blockiness as much as possible.
Square terrain and copy+pasting have numerous uses outside of just these two. Many UMSs make pretty amazing things with SCMD. The possibilities are almost endless, but you need to be careful not to make your terrain "blocky" which is using tiles that clearly do not match together leaving straight lines and other aethetically unpleasing issues.
The sample map at the bottom of this post contains samples of everything I just discussed. Feel free to copy terrain from this map as you need it, but remember it will only work properly in the jungle tileset.