Welcome

Welcome to v1.01 of the Cataclysm Map Makers Primer. This work is the natural progression of the Homeworld Map Makers Primer as Barking Dog have changed very little from the original Homeworld release. Everything that has changed, has been covered. Because they are near identical bar these few changes, I have opted to edit the Homeworld Primer, upgrading it so it can stand alone for Cataclysm mapping. Annoying if you already know how to map for Homeworld possibly, but easier all round for me to write and all those first timers interested in mapping to read. So rather than an update to bring those Homeworld Mappers up to speed, this is a stand alone document that covers everything the mapper needs to know in the one place.

Don't assume that I have not accidentally missed anything out in the HW:C Primer, I am still learning and uncovering new aspects myself. So, be sure to pass on any information you discover and I will add it to this Primer, along with your name in the credits.

The Tutorial

The included tutorial ‘Downward Spiral’, will take you through each stage of map creation in a step by step process, covering as much of the nuts and bolts as possible. I would suggest you follow each step carefully, as set out, so you can get a good grounding in the process of building maps for HW:C. The tutorial will take you through the process of making a map, depositing you at the relevant places in the primer to read up on each aspect as it is used.

Even if you have no intention of actually making the map (although I strongly suggest you do), read each part of the Tutorial as its pretty much exactly how I went about the creation of the map and they are full of really Top tips.

The Map Makers Tools

MS Excel 2000 and TextPad (v4.4), and that's it. And I cannot recommend them enough.

If you can’t get hold of MS Excel any spreadsheet utility that supports comma delimited files (‘.csv’) will do fine. Using Excel helps unbelievably, especially when making sweeping changes to your map, I will cover use of Excel later [See Useful Tools].

‘TextPad’ was a revelation, recommended to me by TAKER I downloaded after I had completed my first map (I used notepad at first), now I would not dream of using anything else, for the purposes of maply creation it is invaluable. Happily, its shareware too, you can download and use it for free while you evaluate the product, and I guarantee you register soon after. Or at least agree that’s it’s a good product and feel bad for not registering... You really should get down to the Helios Website and download a free Evaluation copy. [See Useful Tools].

Every Map I mention in this document is available from the Project Red Map Archives and BPLlama’s superb web site; The Homeworld Map Archive. [See Appendix C].

Good Luck and Happy Map Making!

Dylov [22/12/00]

So whats changed from Homeworld?

Both Homeworld and Cataclysm are identical bar a few key differences. All the Objects have changed, and they are already listed and available for your perusal in Appendix A. Several new objects such as Crystals [5.4], Meteor Storms [5.9] and Slipgates [5.10] have been added. And the Multiple Map Folders have been completely done away with, due to the fact that player starting positions are random, only a single folder is now required for each map. Which is nice.

Some points to Remember:

	‘CaSe’ is Important, I will be constantly reiterating this point. It’s really important. It really is. Truly. I kid you not. Important. If your map crashes you should always check your case first. Check your capitalisation at all times!
	Format is important. This too is really important, try opening up all the Description.txt files you can find (every map in your Cataclysm/multiplayer folder will have one) See how none deviate from the Format? They may deviate a little in the first five lines beginning with Description<tab>, amounts but nothing else. Try it with every *.level file and you will see they only deviate in the amount of ‘MissionSphere’ lines present, but the Format is the same. By Format I also include Spelling, make sure everything is spelt the same. Take note. I spent ages trying to figure out why the 6-player version of the included map Revelations kept crashing and I finally traced it to the formatting in one of the Mothership files, I had replaced a comma with a full stop. That simple mistake kept crashing me back to desktop.
	Case and Format and Spelling of all the lines in all the files and all the names of all the files that make up your map is really massively important. Take care of them.

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