Basic Mapping

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After you've configured Hammer to run with Empires, you're ready to start making maps.

Step 1: Build a large room

Build a huge room that will represent your level. If you're doing an outdoors map with vehicles, make sure to allow lots of room. If you want to have a sky insted of a solid roof, then use the ToolsSkyBox texture on those walls that will be the boundery to the sky

Step 2: Add Entities

You're going to need one of each of these:

• Emp_info_params Important!
• Emp_info_map_overview
• Emp_building_imp_barracks
• Emp_building_nf_barracks
• Emp_nf_commander Norhern Faction command vihicle (optional)
• Emp_imp_commander Imperial command vihicle (optional)

Step 3: Create your map's resource file

The best way to do this is to go to your empires directory and look under the resources/maps directory. Copy one of the existing map's files there and rename the copy to match the name of your map (plus the .txt extension). Edit it and make adjustments as needed. This will let players select spawns when ingame

Step 4: Set up your map's materials directory

Go to your Empires\materials\maps directory and create a folder that matches the name of your map. Then either create or copy one of the existing .vtf files to serve as a placeholder until you can get around to making one for yourself. These hold images to be overlayed on the mini-map and spawn menu.

Step 5: Flesh it out

Deciding Gameplay

Empires suports a few quite intresting gameplays with more to be added later.

The standard one witch involves capturing resource nodes and building bases, this gamemode is used on maps sutch as duststorm and crossroads. The games winner is whoever removes the emenys command tank. For it to work you need a barracks (emp_building_imp_barracks, emp_building_nf_barracks) for each team, a command tank per faction (emp_imp_commander, emp_nf_commander) and also a resource node (emp_resource_point, preferebly marked by a emp_resource_point_prop so that one can figgure out where the rt's are) to be able to play properly None of above enitys are competly neccisary, the game will work aslong as there are a way for people from both teams have ways to spawn.

The second one is as seen in battlefield and other games based around capturing and holding flags. somtimes having command tanks, somtimes not. This gameplay is slightly fetured on escort, on witch it has been converted into a push type of gameplay by not having the flags to be recaptureble by the northern faction.

To set up a flag you need to have atleast one brush based capture point (emp_cap_point) This brush will be invisble ingame. These brushes have the following important options:

"Number of this capture point" witch allowes other flag related brushes and flags to link to this brush. Use a number betwen 1->?

"Location name" What name will be displayed ingame

"Time to Capture" Time it will take for the flag to be captured in seconds "Time to Neutral" Time it takes for the other team to remove your ownership from it before they can start capturing in seconds

"Players required (NF/Imp)" Two boxes witch allowes the mapper to decide how manny people you will have to have present inside the cap point brush for it to be captured

"Owner" Whoever owns the flag by default (if annyone)

"NF/IMP capturble" Two boxes witch allowes the mapper to decide if both factions or witch ones of them can capture a flag

"Resource to give to NF/IMP" Two boxes that allow the mapper to give the flag the ability to generate resources for the holding team, mesured in resources per second

"Tickets to take from NF/IMP" Two boxes that allow the mapper to give the flag the ability to take tickets from the holding teams emeny, mesured in tickets per second

To be able to spawn at a flag you need to place spawnpoints These are called emp_info_player_Imp for the imperials and emp_info_player_NF for the northern faction These Enitys are related to a specified spawnpoint by the usage of the "Number of the parent capture point" box, where the coresponding number to whatever the flag you want the spawn to be triggerd by have. The "enabled?" otion is what decides if it will be possible to spawn there even if the flag is not captured. If this is set to Dissabled then the capture point will only work when the faction that the capture point actually belongs to own the flag

Adding Buildings

Buildings are in the form of entities. See the Entity Index for a complete list. Buildings are the entities with building in their names.

See Also: Entity Index