How to create Maps for EE2 & EE2X - Handbook from Loew

Modding, Map Editor, IES Scripting and Other Tutorials
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How to create Maps for EE2 & EE2X - Handbook from Loew

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Walkthrough for creating up a skirmish/multiplayer map for Empire Earth II (TM)


NOTE: The Empire Earth II (TM) map editor is not supported by Mad Doc Software, Sierra, or Vivendi Universal Games. Use at your own risk.


Welcome to the walkthrough for making a multiplayer map for Empire Earth 2. After working through this, you should be able to generate maps to be used for skirmish games against the computer or in multiplayer against friends and foes alike.

1. START EMPIRE EARTH II (TM)


2. OPEN THE EDITOR

From the Main Menu, select Map Editor button - this will open the editor and generate a flat, blank 64 x 64 tile map.

You will note that the map that has been generated already has some Territories assigned to it. This is an important first step when creating your maps, as many features of Empire Earth 2 are dependent on the size and numbers of Territories the map will have. Some more information regarding creation of Territories will be outlined below.

The top row of the editor contains the Menu items, which include:

- File
- Edit
- Tools
- View
- Map


3. GENERATE THE MAP

For the purposes of creating the Multiplayer map --> select File --> then New.

From here you will see two choices, to create either a Flat map, or a Random map. Choosing to generate a Flat map will generate a featureless, evenly surfaced map, which you can then tweak using the Terrain Tools. Choosing to generate a Random map, will create a map based on the choices you plug into the fields that are presented to you.

When you have a basic layout you like, Save the map.


4. TERRAIN FEATURE PAINTING

When you are satisfied with the basic layout of the map geography, Select the Tools option from the Menu bar and then Terrain Modification

This will then take you to a Selection of Terrain modification options labeled Elevation, Terrain, Water and Cliffs.

When placing water it is important to take into account that ships can only be generated in area painted with the Ocean Brush and that Rivers are painted using the River brush. Always remember, that Ocean is for naval units, Rivers are only traversable by bridges.

Each of these tabs has a set of parameters that you can adjust to make changes to your map. Feel free to experiment with them and then when you are finished once more save the map.

This set of windows will allow you to adjust things such as the size and shape of the Brush used, Raising/Lowering of Terrain, Painting the terrain with a variety of Terrain textures, carving out Oceans and rivers and painting cliffs.

Other options that are of particular use in making Skirmish or Multiplayer maps from the Tools menu are:

- Forest Painting
- Object Placement
- Starting Positions
- And Territories

Forest Painting is used to place down various types of trees that are used to gather the wood resource. Starting positions is used to set the position that players will start the game at. The Territories option is the brush tool that is used to generate or adjust Territory lines.

Object Placement will only be used to place World Player objects, such as resources and ambient objects. Any player-specific objects, such as units and buildings, will not be saved on a Skirmish/Multiplayer map. Make sure to place at least one or two of each resource type in each Territory. This will ensure that player's will be able to expand into those areas to create resource centers.

Selecting starting positions will generate a number of start points on the map (where each player will begin with their first City) dependant on the size of the map and certain terrain features. These can be adjusted based on the parameters set in the Start Position window. The tool does auto-generate the first few starting positions, but you will have to place any additional starting positions down manually based on the max number of players you want on the map. Also keep in mind that you need to make sure there is plenty of flat land around the start position to ensure a city center can be placed there.

Territories are very important when laying out the map. A good rule of thumb to follow is to make sure that there is enough room in each player's starting Territory to construct other buildings. It’s a good idea to provide at least two or three Territories that players can expand into and claim, so that they can increase their population limit, build more structures, harvest more resources, etc. This also gives players more room to fight over later in the game.


5. SAVE THE MAP

When you have the basic layout of the map you like, do not forget to Save. Do this often so that you will not lose your work. In order to save this as a Skirmish or Multiplayer map, you will need to save the map using the Save As Map choice.

Using the Save As Map choice will save your work as a map file, rather than a scenario file.

***This is an important step, as scenarios files will not be visible in the Map selection choice in the Multiplayer Lobby.***


6. SET SEASONS

As a last step, select the View option from the Menu and then select Preview Seasons. This will allow you to set the month and Time of Day for your map. When you know what you want your choices to be, click apply and then save the map.

Congratulations!

You have successfully created a skirmish/multiplayer map for Empire Earth 2. When you set up a multiplayer game, select the option to load a custom map. Select your map, and when you launch the game, the other players will download the map automatically.
List of tutorials, useful threads and utilities (look here before posting): Here

Add Pics to Map: viewtopic.php?f=54&p=25184#p25184

Loews Work: viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5160

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