Hand-Made in the .bzw file

General talk about the map making process.
Post Reply
User avatar
Zverina
Internet Troll
Internet Troll
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:30 pm
Location: Ground

Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Zverina »

Heya there.

We have *many* programs/editors that help us create Maps, however, have you ever done it only by writting in the .bzw file?

For that, you have to know all the "commands" for a specific object, but what is the most important, you have to imagine how it will look like and how it is going to be.

With that, it makes it a bit harder, but i sure is a lot of fun.

So, do you pheraps own, or have you made a Map uing .bzw file write-in only?

If you did or you till do that, please, do share.

Thanks.
The result of saying that you can beat me is the same as bragging how Ponies are stupid... You always die in the end.
User avatar
blast
General
General
Posts: 4931
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 3:49 pm
Location: playing.cxx
Contact:

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by blast »

Pretty much everyone that has made a decent map has done some hand editing. And there are quite a few that do a lot of hand editing. Some people would map out the coordinates on paper or in some other software, and then use that to create the map objects.

Additionally, some people (like myself) write scripts to generate portions of a map.
"In addition to knowing the secrets of the Universe, I can assure you that I am also quite potty trained." -Koenma (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Image
User avatar
Zverina
Internet Troll
Internet Troll
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:30 pm
Location: Ground

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Zverina »

I do know that, but many help out with BZEdit, or any other Editor, and as I said, with Only .bzw.

Also, there are a lot pf Map makers, good ones, just not seen. :)

Thanks in the post.
The result of saying that you can beat me is the same as bragging how Ponies are stupid... You always die in the end.
User avatar
L4m3r
Hater of Everything
Hater of Everything
Posts: 724
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 5:15 am
Location: Los Angeles

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by L4m3r »

I don't make a whole lot of maps, but when I do, I usually code everything "by hand". Sometimes I will write scripts to generate stuff also, like Blast, when the map calls for it. I don't really use objects that are complex enough to require a 3D modeler, and I need more precision than something like BZEdit can provide. The only tool I use is a calculator, to work out the trigonometry.

"The Compound" was written entirely in Notepad, on and off over the course of a few months.
Optimism is just a milder alternative to denial.
User avatar
Zverina
Internet Troll
Internet Troll
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:30 pm
Location: Ground

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Zverina »

I see, cool.

I use all the stuff BZEdit has to offer as well, with the addition of a thing called a Mesh.

I once made around 100 objects using only 1 mesh.

Also, the unique things about my maps are the variables I set in the .bzfs file.

There are many options to do, and a whole different gameplay may come out of them. :)

Edit: I use no calculator! :D
The result of saying that you can beat me is the same as bragging how Ponies are stupid... You always die in the end.
User avatar
JeffM
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 5196
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2002 4:11 am

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by JeffM »

BZEdit is a joke, nobody should ever use it. The author did a very bad job on it and it is very unstable. Everyone hand tweaks/edits maps. We know this from experience.
ImageJeffM
User avatar
Zverina
Internet Troll
Internet Troll
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:30 pm
Location: Ground

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Zverina »

Well, my 1st map was made by BZEdit, and it turned out great.

If I would run it now, I m sure it will get players on. :)

... But i am sure you were aiming for how the editor edits.
The result of saying that you can beat me is the same as bragging how Ponies are stupid... You always die in the end.
User avatar
Tanx
Private First Class
Private First Class
Posts: 125
Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:14 pm

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Tanx »

almost every map I've done has been done via texteditor. to do so I've always used graphpaper to do plot out an overhead view, either remembering the z heights in my mind or writing in near the object on the piece of graph paper. I've only used a 3d editor once, and that was my last project, and only for a few objects. Its best to be able to handedit every type of .bzw object imo, and to understand how they work. And if you want to make more complex meshes by hand, you'll want to use a calculator. specifically for finding out the x/y coordinates for a vertex that would require using sin and such. I also used graph paper to plot sin waves when I created the different dyncolors for the christmas tree in christmas ffa. But you can only go so far with meshes by hand. especially if you use texcoords or drawinfo. Its becomes tedious to do texcoords and drawinfo.

Figuring out the trig for some of my more complex objects was quite fun, but thats just me.
known as: Tanx, Eoncho, ckw.
Bzflag player since 2001.
User avatar
Zverina
Internet Troll
Internet Troll
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:30 pm
Location: Ground

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Zverina »

I actually explain myself Meshes as dots conected with each other.

3 dots connected with lines may form a side. (triangle)

You may also color that side.

With 4 dots connected, you can make an object. (three sided pyramid)

Simple. :)
The result of saying that you can beat me is the same as bragging how Ponies are stupid... You always die in the end.
User avatar
Sniper752
Private First Class
Private First Class
Posts: 192
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2009 8:43 pm
Location: TRAVL Headquarters, Orbiting Mars in the year 2236

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Sniper752 »

I use iBZEdit (pretty much the only map .bzw editor) It has its quirks and such, but its pretty stable. Downside is, it doesn't fully support meshes, and does not at all support textures or spheres/cones/arcs/etc.
Generally I will finish the map in iBZEdit, naming everything so I know what it is in the text file. Then I add materials and textures and sphere's and other objects by hand.
[center]::|:|::|Sniper752|::|:|::
Map Maker
Avid Airsofter
Owner: Hosting.BZAddict.net ports 5242 and 5243
Admin: bzsupreme.webarts.bc.ca[/center]
User avatar
Derpy Hooves
Private First Class
Private First Class
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:13 pm
Location: Equestria
Contact:

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Derpy Hooves »

Tanx wrote: so I've always used graphpaper to do plot out an overhead view
Graphpaper! Never thought of that! I will have to try that, thanks!
I have used blast's BZWorkbench, that is the best graphic map editor I've used.
ImageI just don't know what went wrong!
Jacko H
Private First Class
Private First Class
Posts: 123
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:15 am

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Jacko H »

I think most good map makers use hand editing in some stage of the map making proccess. Otherwise we would still have the same boring maps and badly crafted bases, ect.
Jacko Productions:
World War III, Kill Or Die, Nazarath, Warlock Adrenaline, Rabbit Season, Firing Range (Just Be Simple), Death Island.
User avatar
blast
General
General
Posts: 4931
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 3:49 pm
Location: playing.cxx
Contact:

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by blast »

Derpy Hooves wrote:
Tanx wrote: so I've always used graphpaper to do plot out an overhead view
Graphpaper! Never thought of that! I will have to try that, thanks!
I have used blast's BZWorkbench, that is the best graphic map editor I've used.
It's not "mine". I just have some builds of it on my site.
"In addition to knowing the secrets of the Universe, I can assure you that I am also quite potty trained." -Koenma (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Image
User avatar
Derpy Hooves
Private First Class
Private First Class
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:13 pm
Location: Equestria
Contact:

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by Derpy Hooves »

Oh? Who's is it then?
Thanks for hosting it on your site anyway!
ImageI just don't know what went wrong!
User avatar
JeffM
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 5196
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2002 4:11 am

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by JeffM »

bzworkbench is part of the project, it "belongs" to the same "people" that bzflag belongs to. Tim Riker.
ImageJeffM
User avatar
The Purple Panzer
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 8:13 pm
Location: Stonington, CT
Contact:

Re: Hand-Made in the .bzw file

Post by The Purple Panzer »

I used to do lots by hand - I created a template that you can print that lets you sketch a map and read off the coordinates. If you like you can grab it here:
http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~bentz/bzfl ... mplate.pdf

I often will print this out just to sketch ideas.

(At the bottom of the sheet, which is essentially customized graph paper, are some key parameters about tank sizes, ranges, etc.)
Post Reply