SHIII/SH4 mission editor

[Leandros]

As I understand it the SHIII ME can be used for SH4, too. However, I find a difference in the loading up procedure of missions to the game. While SHIII operates with a folder/file structure where the folder/missions are separated into the various languages - SH4 does not.

SHIII has the folder/files organized like this: Data/SingleMissions/xxxxfolder/xxxxlanguage/xxxx.mis
SH4 goes like this: Data/SingleMissions/xxxxfolder/xxxx.mis

I have tried to load up missions in SH4 without the language folder but it's not getting through. It can be Another fault, the ME is quite finicky, but the difference must mean something.

Anybody?

Fred

[CapnScurvy]

I have never used SHIII's Mission Editor however, I don't think .mis files made on one ME will work on the other. There are too many different ship/plane files between the two games to have one ME work with both. It's been my impression that when a mission is made, your specific game files (whether they are modified or not) go directly into the mission that's being saved. I've encountered missions I've made using mods that add ships to the game...... not have those ships displayed in-game if I removed the mod. The .mis file expects the same ship make-up to be present when you run the mission in-game. That's why I believe the SHIII .mis mission's will not run in a SH4 game. It's my opinion, you need to chose which ME to use on the basis of which units do I wish to see in-game. SHIII or SH4's?

A couple of things about the SH4 Mission Editor.

I always put a Mission Title to the mission I'm making. Opening the "Missions" menu and clicking the "Language Localization" heading, I will use a name for the mission that I plan to call the Folder which will eventually hold the .mis file in the Data/SingleMissions folder of the game.



In other words, always chose a name for the mission that will be exactly the same as the folder you plan on saving it in.

After you've made your mission; checked it for faults with the "Missions" menu "Validate Mission" feature, and if all is well....




I will open the "File" menu heading and use "Save (normal mission) as...." to save my created mission. I never use the "Save" heading (I don't know, I just don't!). You'll get a pop-up menu like this (once you have chosen the correct path to save your .mis file in):




I will use the "Create New Folder" to do just that.....create the new folder with the same name as the Mission Title (in this case "AoB Test"). Make sure you have the correct "Type" of mission displayed in the lowest box....in this case an American Mission File [.mis].

When you have the "AoB Test" folder ready to go, then you're ready to name the file "AoB Test.mis", and click the "Save" button.




You should find your new xxx folder, with the same name as the xxx.mis file sitting in the Data/SingleMissions folder. Starting the game, and finding it in the Single Missions menu (or is it the Quick Missions menu of the stock game?) you should be able to chose your new mission.

[Leandros]

Hi, Leander - I am sorry, I expressed myself clumsily. What I meant to say is that I am using the SHIII ME manual to work the SH4 ME lacking a manual for the last. I have not found one anywhere but everybody say they operate in the same manner.

The only difference I have found so far is that SHIII specifies saving in an intermediate language folder.

I shall read through what you have posted, though.

Thank you!

Fred

[CapnScurvy]

I see Fred, you'll be using the SH4 ME for your mission building....yet needing to use the only good tutorial for SHIII's ME for reference. That will work just fine, I do too.

One thing you might want to do is to download a mission someone has built and see what they did. That AoB Test Mission is a simple .mis file having a stationary submerged Porpoise sub with several Japanese ships approaching at different headings. You can have JSGME load it into your game, finding it in the Single Missions menu of the game. It's short, but to the point. There are no plane fly overs, but that's not what I made it for.

You do have to be a bit careful with your units (although, I think this may be just what YOU want). I remember making a similar mission with Jap ships approaching. Behind them a couple of miles, I had a U.S. carrier and a couple of escorts approaching next. As I watched the Jap's go by, a couple of U.S. planes swooped in and sunk one of the ships! They had spawned from the carrier on their own and did exactly what they should have done......detected and attacked the enemy! That's not what I wanted to do, but it's what I should have expected.

One thing you may want to do is add a mod that allows you to have a better "Free Camera" than what the stock game offers. Not that I'm pushing my mod to you (most mega mods do the same thing), but using Optical Targeting Correction for the stock game will give you a much better view of the outside world. You can get as close as you would like to the units involved, even position the camera on a ship, to get a "first person" perspective of the action. Using the "pause" key you can stop the action, yet still move the camera around to a position you like for a picture. I've even paused the game, moved the camera into the path of an incoming shell, then restarted the action listening to the shell as it wizzes past. Neat stuff!

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I've moved my replies over to the "SH4 Mission Designer's Forum" section.....seems the better place to talk about mission building than here.