Tutorial: Starforge: Intermediate Map-Making and YOU!

Hey guys, I noticed that there are a lot of possible map-makers out there that just don't know where to go after their first map. Well, once you have your first small (probably crappy... hey, mine was!) map made in the campaign editor, you are going to want to move on to something more liberating. How? Get a new editor.

There are 3 levels of editing: Basic, Intermediate/Advanced, and Expert. The editors are as follows, respectively: Default Campaign Editor, Starforge, and SCMDraft. There is a fourth editor named X-Tra which, depending on which version you are using, works for both intermediate and expert.

This tutorial is all about intermediate map-making, and so we will be using the Starforge Editor. Starforge is available for download here.

Starforge: Intermediate Map-Making and YOU!​

Layout:
The first time you run Starforge, you probably will be reminded of the campaign editor. However, Starforge is very different. The editor main screen is divided in to 4 sections: The Toolbars, the Sidebar, the Map View, and the Information Bar.



The Toolbar:
The toolbar contains buttons for all extra windows in Starforge. It is also where you choose layer and player control information. From left to right, the buttons are as follows:

-New: Creates a blank, unsaved, and untitled map file according to your specifications.
-Open: Opens a pre-existing map file for editing.
-Save: Saves the current open map to the pre-existing file name. If it has not been saved yet, opens up the Save As window.
-Save As: Opens up the Save As window, which allows the user to save the current map file to memory.
-Undo: Undoes the last action performed by the user.
-Redo: Redoes the last undone action performed by the user.
-Delete: Deletes the current selection.
-Properties: Should open up the Map Properties window, but is broken.
-Layer Menu: Selects the current map layer for editing.
-Player Box: Selects the current player for editing. Any number up to 255 may be inserted.
-Player Settings: Opens up the Player Settings window.
-Forces Editor: Opens up the Forces Editor window.
-Sounds: Opens up a file manager dedicated to sound files to be placed within the map.
-Triggers: Opens up the starforge text-based Trigger Editor.
-Mission Briefings: Opens up the Missions Briefings window.
-Strings Table: Opens up the Strings Table window.
-Unit Settings: Opens up the Unit Settings window.
-Brush: Should open up the Brushes window, but is broken.
-Doodads: Should open up the Doodads window, but is broken.
-Grid Snap: Toggles whether or not brushes and doodads snap to the grid.
-Show Grid: Toggles whether or not the user can see the grid lines in the map view.
-Show Locations: Toggles whether or not the user can see locations outside of the location layer.
-Show Creep: Should show creep from zerg buildings, but is broken.
-Show Pylon Aura: Should show pylon aura fields from pylons, but is broken.
-Show Unit View Range: Should show how far a unit/units can see, but is broken.

The Sidebar:
The Sidebar displays the mini-map view of the map file and all possible brushes for the current layer. This is where the user decides what action to perform.

The Map View:
The Map View displays the current view of the map file and placed objects, depending on settings and the current layer. This is where the user performs the chosen action.

The Information Bar:
The Information Bar displays various information on the current action, current selected objects, and cursor position. However, only the cursor position works.


Now that you know where everything is, you should be fairly comfortable in using the editor, since you already know the basics. However, this editor has some differences compared to the campaign editor.

Terrain Editing:

Modes:
In the normal editor, terrain can only be edited in an isometrical fashion. With Starforge, the user can switch between isometrical and rectangular, using the toggle button. Also, the user can define the area of editing, ranging from a normal 1x1 block to the entire map. Lastly, the user can define "clutter" percentages. Clutter is the visual rocks and other debris lying on the normal terrain that have no effect on the game. Setting this to 0% can keep the terrain completely clean of clutter, while 100% means every single tile will have clutter on it. The default is 5%.

Brushes:
Also included is the ability to place custom brushes. Custom brushes are clumps of terrain that were made by selecting an area of terrain, right clicking, and choosing "Create Brush..." Brushes can then be loaded in to the map and placed wherever the user wishes. However, a custom brush made in one tileset will look nothing like a custom brush made in another tileset, because the locations of each tile in the palette conflict with each tileset.

Palette:
The palette is a table that has every single rectangular tile in the current tileset, including doodad tiles. Once you use a tile from the palette after selecting it, the tile is placed in the small black box for easier access. This box is cleared everytime starforge is loaded, and cycles through from newest tile to oldest tile, in order of placement.

The starforge editor was made for rectangular terrain editing, so if you want to have an isometrical map, first make the terrain in the campaign editor, then complete the rest of the map in starforge.



Trigger Editing:
Editing triggers in Starforge is a lot more complex than in the campaign editor, but allows for super-speedy triggering. What would normally take you hours to complete in the campaign trigger editor can take just a few minutes in the Starforge trigger editor. This is because the editor is text-based, which allows for copying, cutting, pasting, and less double-clicking. In Starforge, a trigger is set up as follows:

Players:
Use checkboxes to determine which players the trigger effects. DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP. A TRIGGER WILL NOT BE CREATED IF NO PLAYERS ARE SELECTED.

Conditions:
Once you select the conditions box, a list of possible conditions appear on the right. Double click one to get it set up, then plug in the variables. These are set up as ConditionName(Variable,Variable,Etc.); always ending in a semi-colon.

Actions:
These are the exact same as conditions, except you use action names and variables.

Here are a couple example triggers:

Kills all probes for all players.

Code:

Players: 
All Players

Conditions: 
Always();

Actions: 
KillUnitAt(All, Protoss Probe, All Players, Anywhere); 
PreserveTrigger();

Gives all zergling to player 3 if player 3 brings a Zeratul to the location ZlotBeacon. Also displays a message.

Code:

Players: 
All Players

Conditions: 
Bring(P3, AtLeast, 1, Zeratul, ZlotBeacon);

Actions: 
GiveUnit(All, Zerg Zergling, All Players, Anywhere, P3); 
DisplayText("Player 3 jacked all the zergling again! Oh no!", 5);

A condition or action's variables are listed in between the player box and the condition box after you start the condition or action. The list of possible variable definitions appear in the list box as per the current variable you are editing.



Text Editing:
The final thing that is absolutely required for advanced map editing and isn't included in the campaign editor is colored text editing. This allows you to make unit names those cool colors, like red or grey. To do this, in every window that allows colored text editing, there will be a row or column of colored boxes. In the trigger editing image, it is along the bottom of the up-most window. When you click on a box, it will place a strange-looking symbol. In-game, every character after that symbol will be specially colored, and the symbol will disappear. For trigger editing, the only time these are used are when you are typing text for the DisplayText or Transmission actions.

Well, that about wraps it up for this tutorial. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, typo-spots, or anything else, simply send me a PM and I'll hop right on it. If you think something should be added, go ahead and tell me, and I'll decide if it belongs here, or goes in one of my other 2 planned tutorials: Campaign Editor: Basic Map-Making and YOU! and SCMDraft: Expert Map-Making and YOU! Thanks!

Tutorial made from scratch by EatMeReturns. Images created using Paint.NET, available for download here.

 

Wow, nice tutorial. Very Informative!

 

This is awesome. Thank you EMR.

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Anyone who posts a useful tutorial will be rewarded heavily when the shop returns.

 

yay! thanks! plan on 2 more XD ...i hope...

 

Cool. I prefer to use SCMDraft2, but the tutorial for SF is nice

 

SCMDraft will come in a later tutorial