This is a simple How-To on making a map for Deer Hunter 2005. It does not cover everything having to do with the Map Editor. If you have any questions, please use the Forum named ‘Map Room’ in the SCH Forums. This How-To was made by Cope. Enjoy! Hope it’s useful to you.
- How to make a Map for Deer Hunter 2005
First here are some tips on how to move around in the Map Editor-
You have to use the keys A S W D to move forward, backward, and side to side. You can use your mouse to point you in the direction you want to go in.
Use the space-bar to change from Navigation mode to Edit mode. (You can tell you're in Nav or Edit mode because it will tell you at the bottom of the screen).
Press the key ‘end’ to be set at head-height of the hunter. (it’s pretty close)
Press the key ‘Ctrl’ while pressing one of the A S W D keys to go very fast.
Press the ‘Shift’ key while pressing A S W D keys to go very slow.
Open the Map Editor, a box will appear that says ‘Project Template Selection’ and Deer Hunter 2005 is highlighted. Click Select.
Now the screen is black. Go to ‘File’ and click ‘New’.
A new box will appear.
The first line says ‘Directory’ this will be the map’s .spk name.
The second line says ‘Name’ this will be the name that shows in the map list, in the game.
The third line says ‘Description’ this will show as the maps description in the map list, in the game.
The next 3 boxes define the maps terrain. You only need to change the one that says ‘World Height’. Change this from the crazy high number to something like 400 or 500. 500 will make medium to large hills. For a flatter map, make this a smaller number like 100.
Now click Create.
You might be under the map now. Press the spacebar to go into navigation mode, and press ‘End’ to get above the map.
Now you are looking at your map, with a red white and blue ground. We’ll change this now.
Ground cover is referred to as Layers.
To put in the 1st layer, there is one already named ‘dummy’. You can leave it named dummy, or change it. During this tutorial let’s keep it named dummy.
To add the layer to dummy, make sure ‘dummy’ is highlighted and scroll down under ‘Multi-layering’.
Under First Texture press the button with the … on it.
A new box will appear. Choose your first texture. Make sure your first texture has .det at the end of the file name.
Now below First Texture, choose your second texture by clicking the … button. Choose a similar texture, but make sure the end of the file name has .mac
Now click the Green button. This will apply your texture to the map. If you want to change it, go ahead, follow the steps above. Make sure you press the Green button to see the results. Save the map.
**Note- Do not change the tile numbers under the textures. They do not need to be changed for this application!!
To add a new layer, i.e. dirt road, etc, Highlight a new layer in the list above. (Undefined) Change the name to whatever you want it to be (dirt road, underpond, etc.) Press the Green Button to make the name change in the list. Select your layers by using the same steps above. Save the map.
To apply this layer to the map, make sure it is highlighted in the list, and scroll down to the tab ‘Brush Edit’. Select your size and strength. Left Click on the map to apply the layer where you want it, and Right Click to erase it. Save the map.
Now we’ll edit the terrain to apply the hills.
Go to the Terrain Surface Edit icon.
Under the tab ‘Fractal Edit’ you’ll see a grayscale map.
Under that it says ‘seed’, and is set at 41. That’s fine, click ‘Random’ until you see a map you like. (White shows high points, black shows low points.) When you are happy with the map you see click ‘Apply’. (note-you can’t go back to a previous map.)
Save the map.
Go to the location you want to add your pond/lake. (You can dig a lake bed using the tools in the Terrain Surface Edit, or just use the natural lay of the land).
Now Click on the Water Icon.
Under the tab ‘Waters’ name your water pond, lake, or whatever.
Click on the … button to select the type of water you want. Once you’ve chosen one, click Ok.
The easiest way to get the X and Z for your water is to go to the bottom of you’re pond and Click ‘Send to Camera’. This will automatically set the X and Z.
Now Click ‘Add Water’. Now whatever you named you’re water will display in the box.
Now to get the water on the map, make sure the water you are currently working with is highlighted, then start clicking the arrows up or down next to ‘Height’, until you’re water shows up.
When you see the water, you can enter into navigation mode and go above the water. From here continue using the arrows to get the desired amount of water.
When you are satisfied with your water, Click ‘Apply Changes’, and Save the map.
**Note** Do not add Dynamic Objects yet – we’ll do that later. (Dynamic objects are the ones in the file name list with their file name starting with: data\world\models\dynamicobjects…….)
Go to the Objects Icon.
Under the tab ‘Object Types’ click ‘Add New’.
Make sure ‘align to ground normal’ and ‘align using all bounding box’ is unchecked.
Click ‘Edit File Names’
A new box will appear, click ‘Load File’.
New box - select your object. i.e. tree, house, bush, etc.
**Note – there is no preview of objects.
Also, trees and other vegetation are at the bottom of the list. The file name has ….\vegetation\… beginning the name. House, barns, etc has \buildings\ in the name.
Select the one you want and click Ok. You will return to the previous box. If you would like to add another similar object to this you can. Just click ‘load file’ again. I say Similar object because you can add anything you want in there, but putting similar trees (only do this with vegetation) in the same file name makes it easier to edit later if needed. Also, I recommend only adding a maximum of 4 to 5 objects to 1 file.
When done choosing objects for that instance click Close. Your objects are now added in the Object Types list.
Now you should re-name your object. This will make editing and adding much easier later. Just make sure it is highlighted in the list, and delete the old name (new_object_0 or unnamed) and type a new name, like Tree, or Pine. Click the Green Button to change.
A box will probably pop up saying ‘object erased! Ha!’ – Don’t mind that, it is a joke from Southlogic. Nothing was erased.
Save the map.
If you want to add more, just click ‘Add New’ and follow the steps above.
Make sure all your objects are quick-linked. The only exception to this is the Sun and Background.
Make sure all you’re trees have these settings: (highlight the tree file in the list in the ‘Defined Objects’ box)
Y axis is set to 1 and 1.2, and the Random Y Position is -0.05 to 0. Should look like this:
Now there are 2 ways to add trees. 1 by 1, or by mass.
The first way is to go to the ‘Object Instances’ tab and select you tree/object, then click the button that says ADD.
Then while in edition mode right click on the map and this will add trees/objects. Use this process to add objects like barns and houses.
The other way is to go down to the tab that says ‘Object Creator’.
Select the tree you wish to add. Then hit the green button, this will add a Child Object underneath the tree type. Click on the Child Object.
Then scroll down to the square screen.
The ‘coverage number’ is how the trees will be applied on the map. 0.8 is a pretty wide coverage. If you change it, click off the box somewhere and the map will change to show you where it’s going to put the objects. It will place objects in the White areas.
Now change the number for ‘objects’ to how many trees you want on the map. Be sure to check the box that says 'keep current instances' if you wish to add more child objects later. Now click 'apply'. The bar on the right hand side will go up with progress and then a small window will pop up saying 'apply objects done!’ You have trees/objects.
Save the map.
To move an object on the map highlight it’s name in the list under the tab ‘Object Instances’.
Then click the button below the list box that says ‘Select’.
Right Click on the object on the map. It will either turn bright green, or just show a red and blue XYZ.
Move while holding the left mouse button.
To move around on the map make sure the ‘Trans’ button and the ‘X’ and ‘Z’ buttons are clicked.
To Rotate the object make sure the ‘Rot’ and ‘Y’ are clicked.
To Remove an object off the map make sure it’s name is highlighted in the list, and click ‘Select’. Then Click ‘Delete Selection’.
To Remove all of a certain object, make sure the name is highlighted in the list, and click the button labeled ‘Select All’ – all objects on map should now be highlighted. Now click ‘Delete Selection’.
To easily remove objects underwater, make sure the name is highlighted, then click ‘Remove all underwater objects’.
Save the map.
Click ‘Add New’, and make sure ‘align using all bounding box’ & ‘align using ground normal’ are UN-checked, as always.
Change ‘Link-Type’ to ‘Linked’ and click ‘Edit Filenames’.
When the new box pops up, click ‘load file’
Then change the file type at the bottom to .rfx
A new list shows, pick your sun. Click Ok.
Close.
Now go to ‘Object Instances’ and click on the sun in the list.
Make sure ‘Select’ is clicked, and then Right Click on map to add sun.
You’ll see a blue box appear. Look up, and there’s your sun. Only click once!
Save the map!
Follow the SAME steps above for SUN, but instead of .rfx choose .bgr
- Now adding texture under the trees --
Click on the ‘Terrain Texturing’ icon.
Select the next one labeled undefined. See above under ‘Terrain Texturing’ for how to add texture.
Now go to the ‘Objects’ tab again and scroll down to the tab ‘Object Ground Paint’.
Click the Green Button.
Click where it says obj:(none)->layer(none) so that it is highlighted.
Change the object type to whatever object you want using the drop down menu, and change the layer to the layer you named for under tree texture.
Click ‘Apply’ and you have texture under your trees.
*Dynamic Objects are grass, flowers, branches, rocks, bushes, etc.
Click on the ‘Dynamic Objects’ icon.
Under the tab ‘Main’ Right Click on ‘Dynamic Object’ in the list.
Select ‘Add New’
A new Dynamic Objects will appear in the list – Double Click on it.
Right Click on ‘LAYER’ in the list.
Select ‘Add New’ then Double Click on ‘Layer’.
A new ‘Layer’ will drop down – Right click on it.
Select ‘edit index’.
Type in the name you want this dynamic object on. Lets say it’s the main one, so type in ‘dummy’ and press ‘Enter’ on the keyboard. *Make sure you type in the name Exactly as it appears on the layer name.
Now Double Click on the empty box next to ‘filename’.
A new box will appear. Scroll way down to where the Dynamic Objects start. (the names look like: data\world\models\dynamicobjects…..)
Pick one you want, but make sure it has [hlp] in the end of the name.
Click OK, now you can see them on your map.
Now Double Click in the empty box next to ‘bendfilename’.
Now pick the same file name, but with [dyn] in the end of the name.
After you’ve picked it, click OK. Now your objects should bend away from your mouse cursor.
If you want to change these to something else, just right click over the name in the box on the right, and select ‘Set to Default’.
You can change how dense the objects are on the map by Double Clicking on the box on the right of ‘Density’. Currently set at 0.01, that’s pretty dense, so you can change this to 0.001, or something similar, until you are happy with it.
Save the map.
To add another dynamic object go back to the original Dynamic Object at the top, and Right Click, and select ‘Add New’. Follow the steps above.
Go to the Utilities Icon.
Under the tab ‘Level Profile’ you will change the settings for your map.
Here you can change your map’s name that will show in the map list, and the description.
Pick a background sound by clicking the …
That will open a new box. Choose your sound, and then click Ok.
‘World Gap’ – the size of the hunting area. 100 being the biggest and 500 being the smallest.
‘Max View’ – How far you can see in the game. 3 is the maximum viewing.
‘Vehicles’ – This is where you’ll choose which, all, or any vehicles are allowed on map.
‘Weather’ – Choose what weather type you want on your map.
Sounds – Each layer must have a sound assigned. Use the first drop down menu to choose the sound for the layer, and use the second drop down menu to choose the layer for the above sound. Now click the Green button, and it will show in the box above.
Under ‘Feed Layers’ move the ones in the box on the right (Available) to the box on the left (Selected) by highlighting them in the Available box, and pressing the Green Button in the middle.
Now Select the Deer and other Prey animals you want on the map by checking the boxes next to each name.
Now after all of this is done, scroll back up to the top and click the button that says ‘Apply Profile’. If everything is done, a box will pop up saying ‘Profile Created!’ If you get an error, it should tell you what is missing. Fix what it says, and try clicking ‘Apply Profile’ again.
- Illumination/Running Lights:
**Note – When you click the Illumination icon, the sky color in the Map Editor will probably change from blue to a yellow-orange. This is normal.
Go to the Aspen Engine icon, and set the Maximum Frustum Setting to 100. (currently set at 2000).
Go to the Lights icon.
Scroll down to ‘Sky Color’ tab and Un-Check ‘Activate Sky Color’.
Scroll up to the tab ‘Pre-calculated Lights’ and Un-Check ‘Calculate All Frames’.
Change the number of rays from 16 to 8.
Change calculate frames to 0 and 2.
Click the bar that says ‘Process Pre-calculated Illumination’. A bar below will show the progress. (This will take some time, even up to an hour or more, depending on the amount of objects you have added, and your computer's ability)
When done, a box will appear that says ‘Process Pre-calculated Illumination Done!’ Click ok.
Save the map.
Now change calculate frames to 5 and 7. Click the bar that says ‘Process Pre-calculated Illumination’. When done Save the map.
Now change calculate frames to 10 and 12. Click the bar that says ‘Process Pre-calculated Illumination’. When done Save the map.
Done with running lights!
Scroll down and Check ‘Activate Sky Color’.
Go back to Aspen Engine and Check ‘Render Reflections’ and change the Maximum Frustum Setting back to 2000.
Save the map.
- Creating the .spk (Pack file)
Click the button that says ‘Create Level Pack’. A box will pop up telling you to remove some files – Don’t worry, there is no need to remove these files, I never have. Just click OK, and a box will pop up saying ‘Level Profile Created at yourmap.spk’
You’re Almost Done! Just a little more to do – adding pictures.
- Adding Pictures to the map:
*Special Note- You will not be able to see any of these pictures until you go back into the editor and create the .spk again
1st:
GPS
Go into the map editor, and navigate yourself so that the Red Arrow is Off the map. Then press the 'Prnt Scrn' key on your keyboard. Now close the map editor.
Open your paint/photo program like Paintshop or Adobe Photoshop, or similar. Any program that allows you to crop and edit images.
Go to file and 'new'. It may ask you the attributes, or size of the new project. You can just leave it the size it is, or put 1024x756 or something.
Now you have a white box.
Now press 'Ctrl' and 'Z' or select 'paste' from the edit menu.
Your image will now appear.
Now choose the 'cut-out' tool, and cut out the little map. Press enter.
Now you have the GPS map.
Right click on the top of the window, next to the options to minimize, maximize, or close.
A white box will show up, select 'Image size'
Now change the attributes to 256x256.
Now choose 'Save As'
When the window comes up about where to save it, make sure you go to 'Custom Levels' and Save it to THE CORRECT map.
And MAKE SURE you change the file extension to .PNG
Change the Name of the file to gameminimap.png
It will tell you 'gameminimap.png already exists, do you want to replace it?' Yes you do.
Now you have your GPS map.
2nd:
GameMap
Repeat the steps above, but size it 512x512. Save it as Gamemap.png
It will tell you 'gamemap.png already exists, do you want to replace it?' Yes you do.
This is the map you will see when you first spawn into the game.
3rd:
Screenshot
Go into your game, into the map you made, and take 2 screenshots. Close deer hunter. Go back to your paint program.
Go to File, and Open.
Go thru the steps to get to your Screenshots. Select one that you want to be the preview image when you are selecting a map.
When this one is open, right click again the bar on top of the image. Select 'image size'
Now change the size to 256x256
Save the pic to your map as Scrshot.png
It will tell you 'scrshot.png already exists, do you want to replace it?' Yes you do.
Now you have your preview image.
4th:
Loading Image
Now for your loading image.
Go to File and Open.
Select your other screenshot.
Right click the top bar and select 'image size'
Change it to 1024x768
Save to your map as Loadingbg or Loadinbg (which ever it comes up with) AND make sure it is .png
It will tell you 'loadinbg.png already exists, do you want to replace it?' Yes you do.
Now you have your loading image.
Now you have the necessary pictures for your map. Now – VERY important – You must go back into the Map Editor, open your map, and Apply the Profile again, and Create the Level Pack, by clicking on the Deer Hunter Logo, and clicking ‘Create Level Pack’. Now you can close the Map Editor and enter the game, and the pictures will be there.
Whenever you click the ‘Create Level Pack’ and it creates the .spk, it will automatically go into your custom levels folder, ready to play.
All Done!
-You may link to this tutorial. If you would like to repost it somewhere else please contact me first, thank you. Contact Cope
~Cope
