Quick Mission Editor Tutorial (Basic)

[p7p8]

Good work Rentacow

I spent a whole week in the editor, learning a lot, and cussing a lot (this editor is incredible bitchy and inflexible unfortunately). However, I was thinking about starting some sort of glossary where people using the editor and look into.
For example "How do I delay the completion of an objective?" or stuff like that, whatever comes to mind.

A summary of "how-to's", in the end.

[Elphaba]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

I spent a whole week in the editor, learning a lot, and cussing a lot (this editor is incredible bitchy and inflexible unfortunately). However, I was thinking about starting some sort of glossary where people using the editor and look into.
For example "How do I delay the completion of an objective?" or stuff like that, whatever comes to mind.

A summary of "how-to's", in the end.

Brilliant idea! Get to it!

Originally Posted by Elphaba

Brilliant idea! Get to it!

I might at some point, but I'm not really motivated to do that at the moment.

It also should be a shared project, open source so to say. While I am OK with the editor, I'm sure there are other who master it way better than I do.

[rentacow]

I love the idea of an open source project to document the editor. Nothing of the sort currently exists that I can find, beyond the manual itself. I would gladly contribute.

Well, I'd suggest some sort of library with examples of typically used triggers and scripts.
The benefit of something like this might encourage people with potentially great scenario ideas (and design talent) to start fiddling around with the editor.
Wouldn't blame anyone for becoming frustrated with that one quickly, so who knows.
Another reason is the automatic exchange between mission designers. "I show you mine, you show me yours" so to speak.
Designer A probably does things differently than designer B and maybe designer A has a better/easier/more reliable way to achieve a certain procedure/goal, so designer B might learn something in the process.

Additionally, one could discuss/add/suggest some sort of 'framework' for what a mission should contain and how it should be done (efficiently and reliably).
My personal workflow looks like this:

1. Scenario design (Notepad++)
A. Background and story (who, why, what, how and the necessary research)
B. Final objectives/goals (go here, kill that, ...)
C. Complete briefing in basic OPORD format (Situation, Mission, Execution, ...)
D. Clear and unambiguous mission objectives (nothing worse than having to guess what to do!)
E. Spell check (!)

2. Scenario creation (DW editor)
A. Create area template which may include:
I. Map markers, borders, water/wind zones, environmental conditions, player unit(s).
B. Create core units & assign orders (goal important)
C. Create goals and related triggers/scripts
D. Initial scenario testing (triggers firing, units doing what they're supposed to, ...)
E. Correcting errors and adding ambient traffic (civilians, buildings, ...)

3. Scenario quality assurance
A. Are the objectives possible to achieve?
B. Do all triggers and scripts work as intended?
C. Spell check again!

4. Initial Release




As for the actual library... we could brain-storm what it could/should contain.
The very basics like easy objectives, or only advanced stuff?
And how to determine which is which?


Example:

Violation of ROE = End mission
If the player engages before being engaged a text report appears that informs the player of being relieved of command.
The mission then ends automatically after 10 seconds.

Side 0 = Player
Side 1 = Enemy

1. Set sides to peace time.

2. Create script that changes side 1 ROE to war.
3. Create script that ends mission.

4. Create trigger that activates the change ROE script once side 0 is detected.
5. Create trigger that checks if side 1 is engaged by the player and if the trigger to change the ROE was NOT fired -> run Script to end mission with a duration (delay) of 10 seconds.


OK, sounds messy maybe, but I was too lazy to make screenshots and it is out of my head - but you get the basic idea?
This, or something like this (preferably with screenshots), could be done for every 'procedure' and thus, we'd have a nifty library to use.
This is especially handy after a longer break from DW/the editor, so you don't have to re-learn everything from scratch, which can be time consuming and also discouraging, at least for me it was before.


Thoughts?

[rentacow]

I was thinking the same thing as you.

My idea was to use Google Sheets to compile an easy to use directory of information taken straight from the manual and put into a practical demonstration.

Obviously this is just a very rough draft, using the points you outlined above. It will need to be further organized and expanded upon, to cover all the bases.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

You will need to save a copy for yourself to modify it for now, but the nice thing about google sheets is it allows the sharing of a single copy which can be modified by multiple people so that everyone else can see the most recent version as more tutorials are created, or opt to add more content themselves!

For the tutorials, Google Slides has similar sharing and collaboration features and works much like Microsoft PowerPoint. I created a 2 slide example and linked it in the spread sheet directory.

Example of Google Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation...it?usp=sharing

PM me an email address I can send a collaborator link to. You can start adding stuff right away. I can help you get screenshots too.