GEM editor - How to use it.

[Nike-it]

Here are three guide videos about GEM editor: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...B19D7646C497E2

[Nike-it]

GEM editor tutorial in PDF

Waypoint video tutorial

[Nike-it]

Editor FAQ 1.02 made by Ka-Oz

this is a syntax from all question/reply concerning the map editor on the ubisoft forum
thks to all people that share theyr wisdom with others :p

My landscape is black / i dont see any land, how can i change it?
press F2, ESCAPE, then select New to create a new map or load to use an already existing one

What is the difference between F2 and F3 editor modes?
F2 is map editor mode(terrain, objects, etc.)
F3 is mission editor mode(triggers, units, tanks, etc.)

where are the map entities? I load a map from the game but there's no soldiers on the map
After loading a map (F2) u need to go to the mission editor (f3) and load the Mission file (.mi) wich stores all
the soldiers/Vehicles/environnement/scripts

How to save a complete mission ?
Map editor (F2) and Mission editor (F3) use 2 separates files sets. Make sure u save in the two Modes.
To do this press F2 then ESCAPE then SAVE and then press F3, ESCAPE, SAVE.
In F3 mode, the file name should be:
"0.mi" for single player mission (without quotes)
"chicken.mi" for chicken multiplayer map
"battle_zones.mi" for battlezones multiplayer map
"combat.mi" for combat multiplayer map
"frontline.mi" for frontline multiplayer map

How to get your maps to show up in the map list in multiplayer ?
The mission file (.mi) need to have the correct name corresponding to the desired game mode.
look at the upper question for file names

How do i get my singleplayer map to show into the game ?
1: Create a "Mods" folder inside ur game directory ( ex: \Faces of War\Mods\ )
2: inside that "Mods" folder create a folder with ur mod name (ex: \Faces of War\Mods\my_mod\ )
3: inside that "mymod" folder create a mod.info file and edit it with notepad. copy paste the following inside

{mod
{name "Must Match Folder Name"}
{desc "Just whatever you please to add in here."}
}


then edit the text inside quotes
name : need to be the same name u named your mod folder (in this example "mymod")
desc : will be a short description of ur mod that will be showed in mod selection tab under options
4: still in this folder create a "resource" folder (ex: \Faces of War\Mods\my_mod\resource\ )
5: in that "resource" folder create a "map" folder (ex: \Faces of War\Mods\my_mod\resource\map )
6: in that "map" folder create a "single" folder (ex: \Faces of War\Mods\my_mod\resource\map\single\ )
7: in that "single" folder create a "1" folder (ex: \Faces of War\Mods\my_mod\resource\map\single\1\ )
note: folder can be named "1" "2" or "3" this will define wich campaing ur map will be showed in.
8: in that "1" folder create a "0-1-training" folder (ex: \Faces of War\Mods\my_mod\resource\map\single\1\0-1-training\ )
note: the folder name need to match exactly the name of the mission u want to replace.
Missions names are:

campaign 1 (allies)
0-1-training, 0-2-training, 0-3-training, 1-1-radar, 1-2-falaise, 1-3-walcheren, 2-1-airlanding, 2-2-maas_crossing, 2-3-argentan, 2-4-bastogne, 3-1-omaha

campaign 2 (russian)
0-1-training, 0-2-training, 0-3-training, 1-1-warszaw, 1-2-docs_return, 1-3-stronghold, 2-1-warszaw_station, 2-2-flank_assault, 2-3-dragun, 2-4-vokzal, 3-1-reichstag

campaign 3 (german)
0-1-training, 0-2-training, 0-3-training, 1-1-nijmegen_bridge, 1-2-brussels, 1-3-ardennes_breach, 2-1-mountains, 2-2-marvie, 2-3-snake_attack, 2-4-rochefort, 3-1-louvain



9: copy all ur map files inside this directory.
10: to distribute ur creation compress the whole "mymod" folder into a zip/rar file

Can i save my mission gameplay state in editor while playtesting it ?
NO u dont

Why do some objects appear invisible in the display when i place them ?
press "ALT + F" to remove fog of war and all entities will be visible

How do i rotate entities, change altitude ect... ?
press and hold (qwerty keyboards):
A to change the altidude of entities.
Z to rotate an entity around its local up axis.
C to rotate entities around their common up axis. This is great to rotate several objects at once.
X to change the orientation of an entity. It's like a joystick.
S to change entity size

how do I place complete buildings not just pieces of them ?
place basis entities, they have such ending at their names. Or those in mainfolder.
(in a subfolder, there are the parts and there also always is the complete building). Seek a bit

how do I place destroyed units/buidings ?
use "F1" mode to destroy them with a tank or soldier or use damage service.
DONT place the already destroyed entities (entityname_x , entityname_xx),
they wont have collisions and other game objects can walk/shoot trough them.

When I use shells on the map it just creates a crater but it still shows the map texture... is this normal?
in editor if u want the engine to show correctly "Cut_entities" (crater, trenches,tank ditchs),
u need to load a mission file first in F3 mode, but u wont be able to move thoose entities anymore until you unload the mission file.

when I put a Trench, the soldiers go into the ground
See upper question

How do i change the size of the "brush" (round turning thing) in the land section of the editor ?
use numpad keys "+" and "-"

How do i add Water on my landscape ??
add water layers from "Landscape -> Stamps -> Water" category. then set water level in mapeditor mode (F2), before you set water level, don't move the water layers up and down by your own. Set them on level 0 by editing theyr properties.
When changing water level it will autolevel those waterlayers . Height of waterlayer and waterlevel must be the same.
NOTE: soldiers can NOT swim in deep water

How do i add crews to vehicles & equipement or set them in a particular position ?
Press F1 then press Keypad number (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7) depending on wich player u assigned the unit(s).
select unit(s) and now u can move them like in game and order them to board a vehicle.
However some entities cant be boarded (like Flak41 Platform).
In that case, open console (press the key right under escape), type "g_link", hold the "shift" key,
select first the unit u want inside then select the vehicle (u should now have 2 units selected),
release shift and press "ENTER". You will have to do this for each unit u want inside

Can you copy objects and paste so you dont gotta keep making the same thing over and over?
YES, use "CTRL + C" and "CTRL + V"

How do I edit a unit/ammo crate inventory ?
Select entity, Press "W", then "7"

How do i place ammo on ground or on a table, there is only one bullet in clip?
select a soldier, edit is inventory with the desired amount of ammo, go to "F1" mode,
make the soldier drop the ammo then go back to "F3" mode, now select and place the ammo in the spot u want it


How can I make the enemy to attack only inside one area? My enemies follows my guys until the end of the map !
In unit properties,under "brain", change "move_mode" from "Free" to "Zone", then define "move_radius"
to any value (in meters ?) you want your unit to follow the enemy if they are engaged. move_radius define a circle.
If u want to create a rectangular zone or any other shape, u will have to add zones and triggers wich i wont explain here

Where can I set the diplomacy (define wich players are enemies or allies)?
Press F3 then F9

How do i get the Map Boundaries FOG showing and masking that ugly black gap around my map ?
Press F2 then 3, on the righ click "auto" then grab the yellow line and move it where u want the boudary fog to start, this will also define the playable area.
The lines are sometimes very hard to grab, try and try again ^^. Also the boudary fog will only be shown when
loading the map ingame, not in the editor

How do i resize my map after some editing?
Press F2 then 2 and select the polygon tool. u can add or remove landscape polygons with it.
You can even cut polygons in multiple parts for a more precise lanscape editing by changing the "level" number
and then using the brush and right mouse button over the desired area.
I suggest you show the land wireframe when doing this (press ALT+ W twice)
Just remember the more polys, the less performance so try to optimise.

How do i add a Minimap to my map ?
you need to make a screenshot looking to the south from an upper view of your map then make a minimap.dds file
with it and place it in ur map directory. You'll need .dds viewer and .dds converter. Both are available on internet.

How do i make ingame/editor Screenshots
Press "Printscreen" to take screenshots inside the game, then go to "my documents\my games\Face of war\Screenshots\" all your screens are located there

what is the condition syntax u can type in the box under condition ?? (things like : (1 & 2) | 3)
"|" is "or"
"&" is "and"
"!" is "not"
You use parenthesis to give order to things like you do in math. (1 + 2) * 3 = 9 but 1 + (2 * 3) = 7
Examples: "!1" is When Not 1
"(1 & 2) | 3" is When 1 and 2 are true, OR when 3 is true

[abbasnd]

i've managed to create a map ,and by using the info. above i am able to see the map in the combat maps (playing on Lan) ,but after creating the game the game loads but doesn't launch !! I think there is a problem in the deploiment points ( i don't know how to put them..or..find them)

[samedi]

i cant help but realise you have missed out triggers and zones, which are an essential part of mission creation. if you can please explain how to use them in missions. i know a great deal about most of the triggers in the game but for others they might need a guide

(i found theres a section on this in the manual, which i missed, so its ok now..)

[abbasnd]

thanks, i figured out how to fix the problem (caused by the spowning points),and the videos were very helping .

[KnightFandragon]

How do I put the view high enough to get a minimap picture? I get looking to the south and stuff but there is no way I can get a pic high enough above the map.....or can I? how so

[[SOE]No.Mam]

Originally Posted by KnightFandragon

How do I put the view high enough to get a minimap picture? I get looking to the south and stuff but there is no way I can get a pic high enough above the map.....or can I? how so

disable clip camera possition, and you can zoom out and move out from map as far you want.

Originally Posted by Nike-it

How do i add a Minimap to my map ?
you need to make a screenshot looking to the south from an upper view of your map then make a minimap.dds file
with it and place it in ur map directory. You'll need .dds viewer and .dds converter. Both are available on internet.

game also accept "simple" JPG files for Minimap, Preview & Background pictures for each map. you dont need convert to DDS files.

Originally Posted by Nike-it

How do i resize my map after some editing?
Press F2 then 2 and select the polygon tool. u can add or remove landscape polygons with it.
You can even cut polygons in multiple parts for a more precise lanscape editing by changing the "level" number
and then using the brush and right mouse button over the desired area.
I suggest you show the land wireframe when doing this (press ALT+ W twice)
Just remember the more polys, the less performance so try to optimise.

removing polygons dont reduce filesize from map. possible bug from GEM editor? so, dont start with too big map. its much better add polygons than remove polygons for mapsize/filesize.

[KnightFandragon]

Marvelous =D Next is to figure out that dds converter thing and w/e else to get the minimap in

[[SOE]No.Mam]

Originally Posted by KnightFandragon

Marvelous =D Next is to figure out that dds converter thing and w/e else to get the minimap in

you dont need converting to DDS. make a simple JPG picture and move it to your mapfolder. same with "Preview" and "Loading" screen.