I'm gonna make my first map....

[Night Crawler]

Hello everybody,

One day(yesterday), I get up in the morning with one idea, making my first BZFlag map. So I went into web site where it explain how to make map in BZFlag, but I don't understand very well english and it's why I need illumination of you guy, pro of map making...

Question 1: Is there any program made exclusively from map making.
Question 2: which 3d program can I use to make maps
Question 3: I saw block note full of text where is the programing of maps and where are all objects. How can I write the code of a map that has been done with something like blender? Do I need to do that or can it be automaticaly done?
Question 4: Do you have any hint for a beginer in map making?
Question 5: In what do I write the code
Question 6: Can somebody give me an example of map that he made so I can take a look and try to learn by myself(But i will take all hint that people can give me )

[Tanner]

IDMM

-Tanner

[Mostly Harmless!]

1: BZEdit-- highly limited.
2: Wings 3d
3: Erm.. I'd like to know this too.
4: Have fun -- don't try to make a Rabbit Chase map.
5: NotePad!
6: ...

[ducatiwannabe]

1. As mostly harmless said, bzedit is good. I've used BZEdit for the longest time. It doesn't make 2.0 objects but you can add those later. You can get it here at the forum.

http://my.bzflag.org/bb/viewforum.php?f=24

Available for windows. Although, they recently came out with iBzedit for macs. A thanks to BinarySpike.

2. Yes, blender, wings3d, and anim8or. I suggest wings, because it works best overall (IMHO) Google it and you should find a free download.

3. Not quite sure I follow you. If you mean can you write out code, yes. For standard boxes:

box
name Box
position 0 0 0
rotation 0
size 10 20 15
end

What exactly are you asking?

4. Start Simple. You don't have to be a LouMan in one day.

Tanks can't easily jump higher than 18, don't forget to make it so they can reach a top of a block or something.

5. If you use bzedit, you just click on the boxes and move them, size them, etc., and it will automatically write the code to a .bzw file. These can be opened by text document (windows) or another text program.

If you want to handcode them, make a txt document, open it up, and start typing code such as the box code I showed you above.

Personal Opinion: Start with bzedit. You can open one of your maps later and look at the coding before starting handcoding. Besides, you can see what you are doing on BZEdit and it generally gets the process done faster.

6. Are you looking for a 2.0 map or any map? I could send you some examples if you want.

Tanner's link to the help on mapmaking should be helpful. Let us know if you need anything else

If you have problems with BZEdit here is a help thing I wrote out...
http://www.rangfar.com/hosted/bzflagwor ... .php?t=257

[Night Crawler]

You can be sure that I will not try to do something like Louman does with Alpine Assault... I will make something in BZedit that will be far more simple. I'm gonna take the mac version(because I only have mac...).

Ducati : In the question 3, I was asking if we need to write all box, piramide and mesh code. Sorry if it was not a well formulated question...
The answer you give me is ''no, bzedit make it for you''.

Ducati : Yes I would like if you could send me something(must be conpatible with the mac version).

I will post furter question here. But I will not start now with map making cause I'm going somewhere for Christmas. I will try like in one week perhaps...

Tanner : Tx for the link, but was I was saying in my post that I have little difficulty to understand everything. Perhaps it will be more easy once I will have started

[Hannibal]

As of now, there is no visual bzw editor for mac. BinarySpike is working on one, but I dont know when it will be ready for use.

in answer to question 3: there is a .obj to .bzw editor somewhere. That is for taking an object made in Blender or Wings3d and putting it in a map.

BZEdit is good in that you can see what you are doing in front of you just by clicking.

[Tanner]

As of now, there is no visual bzw editor for mac. BinarySpike is working on one, but I dont know when it will be ready for use.

in answer to question 3: there is a .obj to .bzw editor somewhere. That is for taking an object made in Blender or Wings3d and putting it in a map.

BZEdit is good in that you can see what you are doing in front of you just by clicking.

That somewhere is right in the topic above this one:

http://my.bzflag.org/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2698



-Tanner

[eagle]

Night Crawler
1.BZEdit
2.wings 3D, get someones tool to make wings to .bzw
4. make it simple
5.notepad