Developer Mode

[kevinkins]

I edited the cfg file and saw the "new" edit button on the last page of the battle generator. Once in, the software posts a message indicating I am in developer mode. However:

- I see only the player's troop, the AI is missing
- I Hit the the save scenario button and an xml file is saved
- Don't see a way to reload the save scenario for editing

Any ideas guys? I know it's early on. Anyone tried making/editing a scenario yet?

Kevin

[nikolas93TS]

That is scenario developer mode, which is not the same as developer mode where you can see AI.

As for saved scenarios, you edit them in New Mission menu, or at least you edit unit positions. When you open the list, you will notice new "Edit" button above "Play".

This is what was written on beta forum:

"Hopefully you can get into making scenarios so you can tell your thoughts about the system. Ideally there should be a full-blown scenario editor with all the tools in one screen, but this is not quite possible yet because of the way the system has been built. Unlike most wargames, AB has been a skirmish generator first, and the canned scenarios have come second. So far not many of them have been created. We'd like to hear about your experiences before proceeding further.

In a scenario you can have 'no-go zones' that restrict movement. You can try them by selecting a max sized battle area and pushing the 'refresh no-go' button in the objectives screen of the Battle Generator. In the data\scenario folder you find the file movement.bmp, from which the no-go data is read. The size 512x512 pixels matches the max sized scenario size, 512x512 cells. The image size and the scenario map size must match. The image uses an 8 bit grayscale BMP format, and you must use that exact format in your scenarios. When you're in the objectives screen the file is read from the data\scenario folder, and when you start the mission in the Battle Generator the same 'no-go' settings are used, but currently if you want to use it in the saved scenario you need to manually copy it to the folder of your newly generated scenario, so it's there when you load it as a 'single mission'. If the file is not found then the zones won't appear in the scenario.

The scenario is saved to the game folder you see when you push the 'save' button in the last screen of the Battle Generator. The scenario.xml file in the folder can be edited manually, but be aware that changes may make the scenario unplayable. Here's a description of a few attributes you find there:

forceADescription: Force A briefing.

forceBDescription: Force B briefing.

objectiveX: You can change the objective name by editing "name".

forceXFormationN: Formation names can be edited here, e.g. "Dismounted Scout Section". The next "-1,-1" is the default start position for the player side. "FORMATION" is the default formation setting, which can be: LINE, COLUMN, WEDGE, VEE, MARCH, ECHELON_LEFT, ECHELON_RIGHT, ECHELONED_LINE, FREE.

I'm planning to add formation rotation when there's the in-game scenario edit feature where you can drag or place the formations to their default positions, rotate them and set the default formation setting.

In the data\scenario\development.cfg file you can enable the 'developer mode' by changing the developerMode value from '0' to '1'. This enables a few additional hotkeys. You'll find them in the hotkeys menu under 'developer mode'.

Other notes:

You may have noticed that if the Force A 'type' is set to 'dynamic' then the scenario is not playable as the Force B, because the Force A AI doesn't have the behavior template available (mechanized/armored/infantry).

About purchasing units: The purchase points should always be used as close to the maximum as possible (except if you're purchasing for the Force A in the 'dynamic' mode) so the Victory Point systems functions optimally.

When editing the .xml or other files I strongly recommend using a more advanced editor than the standard Windows Notepad. It can corrupt the files. I use Notepad++."

[kevinkins]

Thanks for the quick response:
- Did not know there are two modes
- ctrl-shift-D makes the AI appear in developer mode
- scenario editor mode is started in the new game menu > single mission screen > then select the file you created using the generator > hit edit
- Before hitting edit, select the side to edit where it says "choose sides"

OK, I think I have it. Did notice in developer mode the AI spites are very tiny. Also, in scenario editor, can the designer modify the placement of objectives? Seems like they are locked into the place originating from there initial placement in the generator.

I think this thread will be helpful to others. So thanks again.

Kevin

[nikolas93TS]

Yes, you can change names and positions of objectives (and it theory add new ones, or delete them) in the scenario .xml file. Coordinates are hard to grasp, but you can do it with some trial and error. We should hopefully improve that soon so it can be done directly from game.

[kevinkins]

Thanks. Probably best to get the objectives right in the mission generator. Oh, those spites are small until they are spotted. Other than positioning units on both sides, what other goodies does the designer have available in scenario design mode? Thanks again.