At the beginning of this project I decided to create a map from blank canvas as part of my final product. Using the official Supreme Commander Map Editor, I'm able to begin producing a map file from scratch, adding in base textures for the floor, heightening several areas with the 'Elevation Tool', placing props and decals with brushes and finally create water by raising its surface and 'digging' down through the terrain.
Below is a series of screen shots taken during the production of my final Supreme Commander map, most of which will be included in my three minute Supreme Commander developer diary video.
My map consists of a 128x128 two player skirmish terrain type with an 'Evergreen' visual setting. Starting with a blank canvas, I first added texture to the terrain the player will walk on by choosing a pattern in the 'Resource Browser' and pasting it onto the floor in the Stratum Properties window. For the main texture, Stratum 1 is selected in the 'Layers' box. To paint other textures onto the map, the other Stratum Layers must be used in conjunction with the brush tool.
Next, I used the 'Elevation' tool to raise up certain parts of my terrain. Parts of the map not accessible to the player can be created by pulling up mountainous areas player and enemy controlled units cannot pass across. Several different brushes can be used to do this, each having a different pattern to the others. Strength, size and the max/min of height can be configured in the options found underneith each brush type.
Props, such as Tree's, Rocks, Logs and other decorations were added next using the 'Prop' tool. Not serving much other purpose than to give maps variation, props can also stop players from accessing certain areas as in-game units cannot pass through them. In my level, I decided to create forest areas using props and pasting them down onto the terrain by checking the 'Automatic Placement' box in the options and copying them across to the map.
Before this is done however, the prop must be selected from the resource browser and copied into the 'Prop Edit' box. Several different types of prop can be placed into this tool at one time, and once done, will paste all props selected into the level with the brush, five per second at default.
The next step was creating the water. Three major things must be considered when producing water in Supreme Commander, the water texture found in the resource browser, the wave type in the water properties and finally the surface height, also found in water properties. A water texture must be chosen and applied in the same way the base terrain is, using the Water Stratum tool. The wave type, as the name suggests, allows users to change the way the water displays waves with a series of different options.
Most importantly, the surface height must be configured to determine at what point the water can be seen. At default, water remains low down below the map, needing to be raised up so the terrain can be lowered down underneith the water surface to create streams and lakes. This is done by raising and lowering the water surface height until suited with the environment around it.
Once the water surface is configured correctly, it will begin to appear on the map. In my level, I decided to use the water to create a small lake in the centre of the terrain, along with a small stream at the base of a mountain in the bottom right corner.
The final map has now been created, ready for testing in the SupCom game engine by being placed in and loaded from the THQ Map folder.
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