YAME
instructions manual
by:
Daniel Aldman
Table of contents:
-
What is YAME?
-
The legal stuff - you have to read this...
-
What do you need to use YAME?
-
How do you use YAME?
-
Starting up
-
Loading and saving
-
The general bits
-
The "Map settings" menu
-
General settings
-
Lighting
-
Houses
-
Teamtypes
-
Scripts
-
Taskforces
-
Triggers
-
The right mouse button
-
The left mouse button
-
Version history
-
FAQ
Chapter 1:
What is YAME?
YAME is a map editor for Command & Conquer 2: Tiberian Sun (hereafter
abbreviated as TS).
Chapter 2:
The legal stuff
License agreement:
This license agreement accompanies YAME, and related materials ("Software").
The term "Software" also includes any upgrades, modified versions or updates
of the said product. Please read this agreement carefully, for You (the
end user) are, by using the software, bound by it's contents.
You are hereby granted a nonexclusive license to use the software, provided
that You agree to the following:
-
Use of software
-
You may install the software on a hard disk, file server, or other storage
device of Your choice.
-
You may make and distribute unlimited copies of the software as long as
each copy You make and distribute contains this agreement and all other
files contained in the original distribution.
-
Distributing the software on a CD or similar media requires sending one
(1) copy of the CD or other media to the author
at no cost whatsoever for the author.
-
You may use the software for a trial period of two (2) weeks, after which
You are expected to pay the amount of money specified at the bottom of
this agreement, in the way specified there.
-
Any legal disputes concerning this agreement or the software will be handled
in Sweden according to swedish laws.
-
Copyright:
The software is the property of the author.
The software is protected under swedish and International copyright laws
and treaties. You may use the software as stated in the previous section,
but this agreement does not grant you any rights to the software except
as stated in the previous section.
-
Created files:
The files created by the software as a product of Your work is Your
property, and may be exploited as You wish.
-
Disclaimer:
The software is provided "As is", without any warranty, expressed or
implied. Although the author is
doing his best to see to it that no damage can come from the use of this
software, the responsibility of making sure that no damage comes to any
software, hardware, Yourself or other things are solely Yours. Therefore,
under no circumstances shall the author
be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, accidental, consequential
or other damages resulting from the use, misuse, or inability to use the
software, even if the author has
been notified of possible such damage.
-
Updates:
The author reserves the right
to at any time change the software or any related files, including this
one, without prior notice. For the latest version of the software, go to
the
author's
home
page.
Shareware notification
The shareware fee is $10 US, and is to be sent to:
Daniel Aldman
Djäknegatan 14
754 25 Uppsala
Sweden
Please make sure to state:
-
That you would like to register YAME.
-
Your e-mail adress, so I can send you your serial #.
-
Your name, so I can give you your serial #.
Chapter 3:
What do you need to use YAME?
First of all, you need to own a copy of TS. If you don't, using YAME is
pretty much pointless. Although you can use YAME without TS, you
cannot use your creations.
Now, if you have a copy of TS and are able to run it, you can probably
run YAME. I use Windows 95, but it should be possible to use with Windows
98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, etc.
Chapter 4:
How do you use YAME?
1. Starting up
First off, you need to start YAME. In Windows, just doubleclick YAME's
icon.
2. Loading and saving
You need to load a file in order to use YAME. You first need to create
a map with TS's random map generator or maybe by extracting a mission map
from TS's mix files. When you've done this, use the "Open" command from
the "File" menu in YAME's main window. You will then be presented with
a standard file dialog, in wich you can select which file to open.
When you find that you want to see the result of your work, you chose
"Save" or "Save as" from the "File" menu in YAME's main window. You will
then be presented with a standard file dialog, in wich you can select wich
file to save to. If you choose "Save", you may not get this file dialog.
3. The general bits
There are two main things that allow you to edit the map in YAME, the "Map
settings" menu and the right mouse button.
3.1 The "Map settings"
menu
In the "Map settings" menu, there are 4 things to choose from:
-
SpecialFlags
-
Lighting
-
Houses
All of these edit sections of the map file which are named just the same
way. When you select one of these, a window appears allowing you to edit
the things I've described below.
3.1.1 General
In the basic section you'll find the following:
-
End of game - wether or not this is the end of the game?
-
Skip score screen - wether or not to skip the score screen?
-
One time only - wether or not only to allow the player to play this scenario
once?
-
Skip map selection screen - wether or not to skip the map selection screen
-
Official - wether or not this is an official map?
-
Ignore global AI triggers - wether or not to ignore the global AI triggers?
-
Truck crate - wether or not a crate appears when a truck is destroyed
-
Train crate - wether or not a crate appears when a train is destroyed
-
Tiberium growth enabled - wether or not tiberium growth is enabled from
the start
-
Vein growth enabled - wether or not veins grow with time
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Ice growth enabled - wether or not ice expands over the water over time
-
Tiberium death to visceroid - wether or not tiberium is harmfu lto visceroids?
-
Free radar - wether or not you can see the sidebar map when you don't have
a radar array.
-
Tiberium grows - wether or not tiberium grows with time
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Tiberium spreads - wether or not tiberium spreads with time
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Tiberium is explosive - wether or not tiberium explodes when shot at
-
Bridges can be destroyed - wether or not bridges can be destroyed
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MCV can be undeployed - wether or not an MCV can be undeployed
-
Initial units are veterans - wether or not units that are on the map when
the scenario starts are veterans
-
Fixed alliance - wether or not a fixed alliance is allowed? I don't know
what this is.
-
Immune harvester - wether or not the harvester is immune to attacks? I
don't know what this is.
-
Fog of war - wether or not enemy units are visible outside the visual range
of units
-
Inert - wether or not the units move with inertia? I don't know what this
is.
-
Ion storms - wether or not ion storms appear randomly?
-
Meteorites - wether or not meteorites appear randomly?
-
Visceroids - wether or not infantry turn to visceroids when they've been
exposed to tiberium for too long.
-
Carry-over maximum - how much money you can carry from the previous scenario
to this?
-
Percentage - I have no idea
-
Multiplayer only - wether or not it's only allowed to use this map in multiplayer?
-
Init time - I have no idea, maybe how much time must pass before the player
is allowed control over the units.
-
Name of map - the name of the map. This is what identifies the map when
you play a multiplayer game.
-
Home cell - the waypoint that the player will be looking at when the game
starts.
-
Alternat home cell - I don't know, it seems to be the same as Home cell.
-
Carry over money - Unsure, could be a percentage of how much money may
be carried over from the previous mission to this mission.
-
Timer inherit - Unsure, could be a relic from RA, where some missions had
timers, and other missions could inherit how much time was left from the
previous mission.
-
Fill silos - If this is set, the money that the player has is converted
into tiberium and stored in silos and refineries.
3.1.2 Lighting
Lighting is quite simple: you enter a value which TS then scales the specified
color component with during the game.
These are the different values:
-
Ambient - ambient lighting, a value of 0.5 (50%) decreases the general
amount of light by 50%.
-
Red - red light, decreasing this value decreases the amount of red color
during the game.
-
Green - green light, decreasing this value decreases the amount of green
color during the game.
-
Blue - blue light, decreasing this value decreases the amount of blue color
during the game.
-
Ground - I'm not quite sure what this is.
-
Level - I'm not quite sure what this is.
-
Ambient during Ion storm - just like ambient (above), but applies only
during ion storms.
-
Red during Ion storm - just like red (above), but applies only during ion
storms.
-
Green during Ion storm - just like green (above), but applies only during
ion storms.
-
Blue during Ion storm - just like blue (above), but applies only during
ion storms.
-
Ground during Ion storm - just like ground (above), but applies only during
ion storms.
-
Level during Ion storm - just like level (above), but applies only during
ion storms.
3.1.3 Houses
Houses are the different sides of play. For YAME to write them down in
the map file, you need to atleast fill out the name of the house. You will
be able to edit the follwowing in YAME:
-
Name - the name the house goes by. Mostly set to things like "GDI", "Nod",
"Special", "GDI2" etc.
-
Color - the name of the color the house's units have
-
Credits - the amount of money the house starts off with
-
Percent of base built - a value [0-100] of how many of the buildings that
belong to this player's base has been built
-
Tech level - how advanced units/structures/etc. the house can build
-
IQ - how smart the units are
-
Acts like - unknown
-
Edge - probably which edge of the screen reinforcements arrive from, like
in C&C/C&C:RA
-
Side - which side is this house on (GDI, Nod, Civilians or Mutants)
-
Player controls this house - whether or not the player can control the
house's units
-
Allied with house # (name) - wether or not house #, named "name", and this
house avoid shooting at one another
Remember to make houses allies with themselves, or the units might start
shooting at oneanother.
3.1.4 Teamtypes
Teamtypes are the different groups of units running around in TS without
being controlled by the player. This includes the AI's units and reinforcements.
The following about a teamtype is editable in YAME:
-
Loadable - I have no idea what this is.
-
Full - I have no idea what this is.
-
Annoyance - makes the team annoy the player more than otherwise.
-
Guard slower - unsure, possibly makes the units guard at a slower rate.
-
Recruiter - unknown to me.
-
Autocreate - the team is automatically created.
-
Prebuild this team - the team is built before it's needed, and so is a
copy of it once it's in use.
-
Reinforce - the team uses special reinforcement logic.
-
Droppod - the team arrives in a droppod at the teams waypoint (described
below)
-
Whiner - no idea.
-
Can be recruited - when the team has finished the actions in the script
- can the player use the units (requiring that it's the player's house).
-
Agressive - the team appears more agressive.
-
Group - no idea.
-
OnTransOnly - no idea whatsoever.
-
Avoid threats - the team tries to avoid threats like base defenses and
such.
-
Ion immune - possibly means that the team is immune to the effects of an
ion storm.
-
Transports return on unload - probably means that the dropships etc. return
(go off the map) when they're done.
-
Team members recruitable - no idea here.
-
Will defend base - the team stops what it's doing and helps to defend the
base when it's under attack.
-
Only targets enemies - I don't know.
-
Name - completely useless, but good for remembering which units are in
the team.
-
Priority - don't know.
-
Max - maximum number of copies of this team to allow at one time.
-
Techlevel - don't know, why should a team have a techlevel?
-
Script - which script to be executed by the members of this team.
-
Taskforce - which setup of units/infantry etc. the team is composed of.
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Experience - how experienced (good) the units/infantry etc. are.
-
Waypoint - which waypoint to use for reinforcement/droppod logic.
-
House - which house the units of this teamtype belongs to.
3.1.5 Scripts
Scripts are actions to be performed by the units in a specific team. Every
script has a name, which is only there to make editing easier, and then
a set of lines to execute.
3.1.6 Taskforces
Taskforces are setups of units/infantry etc. which make up a team. Each
taskforce has a name, which is only there to make editing easier, and a
set of units/infantry etc. which make up the taskforce. There is also a
number labeled "Group", which is mysterious and almost always set to -1.
3.1.7 Triggers
Triggers are the events that take place during a game, such as meteor showers
appearing, ion storms, timers starting etc. For a trigger to be set off,
an event has to happen. Events are also edited from the same window as
the triggers. When a trigger is set off, all the actions are executed.
This means, as an example, that a trigger that is set off by the player
entering a certain cell can both create a teamtype and initiate an ion
storm.
3.2 The right mouse button
It's with the right mouse button most of the work in YAME is done. When
you click the right mouse button in YAME's main window, a menu appears
with the following commands:
-
Building
-
Unit
-
Infantry
-
Aircraft
-
Waypoints
-
Terrain objects
-
Tunnels
-
Celltags
-
Properties
-
Delete
There are four kinds of objects that you can create in YAME; buildings,
units, infantry and aircraft. You can create new objects anywhere that
no object previously exists. You create an object by selecting one of the
first four items in the popup menu. When yout create an object, it's placed
where the mouse was pointing when you clicked the right mouse button, and
the properties dialog for the specified object appears.
3.2.1 Buildings
Buildings are things like power plants, hands of Nod, etc. - stationary
items.
I've found it hard to give a player in a multiplayer game a building.
TS just seems to reject all attempts to give buildings to players. If you
find a way of giving a player in a multiplayer game a building directly,
please email me.
In YAME, when there is no picture of a certain building, the building
is represented by a red outline of the tiles where the building is, as
well as it's name.
3.2.2 Units
Units are things like Nod buggies, titans, etc. - vehicles.
In YAME, when there is no picture of a certain unit, the unit is represented
by a green outline of the tile where the unit is, along with it's name.
3.2.3 Infantry
Infantry are things like engineers, minigunners, etc. - (human) beings.
In YAME, when there is no picture of a certain infantry, the infantry
unit is represented by a blue outline of the tile where the infantry unit
is, along with it's name.
3.2.4 Aircraft
Aircraft are things like orcas, banshees, etc. - things that fly.
In YAME, when there is no picture of a certain aircraft, the aircraft
is represented by a purple outline of the tile where the it is, along with
it's name.
3.2.5 Waypoints
Waypoints are where people start in the map, places for enemy units to
go in a singleplayer map, etc.
In YAME, a waypoint is represented by a red outline of the tile where
the waypoint is and a triangle with one corner in the center of the same
tile.
3.2.6 Terrain objects
Terrain objects are things like rocks, trees, vein holes, blossom trees,
etc.
In YAME, when there is no picture of a certain terrain object, a terrain
object is represented by a dark green outline of the tiles where the it
is, along wiht a description of what it is.
3.2.7 Tunnels
Tunnels are those holes in a cliff that the units can go through to another
hole in a cliff.
Remember that the holes in cliffs are pretty wide - in the original
maps there are three tunnels for each hole in a cliff.
In YAME, a tunnel is represented by a green box where the units can
enter the tunnel and a green line that describes how the units walk when
they are in the tunnel.
3.2.8 Celltags
Celltags are used to check when a player enters an area etc.
In YAME, a celltag is represented by a black outline of the tile where
the celltag is, with a couple of lines through it.
3.2.9 Properties
Selecting properties when pointing at an object makes the properties dialog
for that object kind appear.
3.2.10 Delete
Selecting delete when pointing at an object makes the object go away, be
destroyed, etc. - get it?
3.3 The left mouse button
The left mouse button is used to move objects around by dragging them.
If you try to drag without pointing at an object, the view of the map is
dragged instead, much like in TS.
Chapter 5:
Version history
beta 0.1 - original release
This was the original release.
beta 0.2
-
Added: editing of health for buildings, units, aircraft and infantry.
-
Added: upgrades for buildings.
-
Added: aboutbox.
-
Added: progress indication in main window title while loading a file.
-
Changed: how you select which color a certain house has.
-
Fixed: crash when you minimized the main window.
-
Fixed: editing the lighting.
-
Fixed: blinking when you scrolled the map or moved the mouse.
-
Fixed: the name of the open file was not appearing in the window title.
-
Fixed: gates and barracks not showing up in YAME.
beta 0.3
-
Added: editing terrain. Now you can place blossom trees, vein monsters,
etc.
-
Added: waypoint editing. Now you can create, move and delete waypoints
as you like.
-
Added: a way of letting the computer players rebuild the buildings that
have been destroyed, and build buildings not originally on the map.
-
Changed: house editing, now you select which house to edit from a combobox
in the house editing window.
-
Removed: editing the nodecount variable.
-
Fixed: the view of the map is almost exactly the same as in TS now.
beta 0.4
-
Added: editing triggers (and events/actions).
-
Added: editing celltags.
-
Added: editing teamtypes.
-
Added: editing scripts.
-
Added: editing taskforces.
-
Added: editing tunnels.
-
Added: selecting which movies are to be played before a singleplayer game.
-
Added: selecting what music is to be played when the game starts.
-
Added: a couple of flags and values in the [Basic] section that wasn't
editable before.
-
Added: Structures can now be made to have spotlights.
-
Added: Structures can now be made to be repaired by the AI.
-
Added: You can now edit what a unit, infantry or aircraft is doing at the
start of the game.
-
Added: Splash screen at startup, during loading.
-
Added: (Some) graphics
-
Added: Editing tiberium, veins, train track, sandbag and
Nod walls
-
Changed: put all the settings in the [Basic] and the [SpecialFlags] sections
into one window.
-
Changed: new buildings, units etc. is owned by the currently edited house
by default.
-
Changed: the view of the map. Almost correct now.
-
Fixed: YAME no longer removes all of the sections it doesn't recognize
from a map.
-
Fixed: I accidentally forgot to put the Wolverine in.
-
Fixed: I spelled the deployed ICBM incorrectly.
-
Removed: the registration window no longer appears at startup.
-
Removed: debug output (an error box) that appeared when a map where the
AI was to build/rebuild buildings was loaded.
beta 0.45
-
Added: (more) graphics.
-
Added: editing concrete walls.
-
Added: editing rocks.
-
Added: editing tunnel entrances.
-
Added: editing misc. boxes.
-
Added: toggle for transparent drawing, for speeding up drawing in YAME.
-
Added: palettes for placing buildings/units/ect.
-
Added: waypoint ID can now be changed.
-
Added: you no longer need to create a map in TS's random map generator
to start from - YAME can create an entirely new map.
-
Changed: the way you specify how much health a unit has. Thanks to Matze
for showing me how to do this.
-
Changed: pavement is now "below" all other objects in the map.
-
Fixed: I forgot to give credit to some people who helped me, especially
Shiroko.
-
Fixed: I spelled the civilian pyramids erroniously.
-
Fixed: I spelled the Wolverine erroniuosly.
-
Fixed: the walls were previously not linked together right.
-
Fixed: YAME used to crash when it loaded a map without proper line endings.
-
Fixed: YAME leaked memory when exiting.
beta 0.46
-
Added: YAME now only packs the overlay when it's changed.
-
Added: editing bridges.
-
Added: "TS map" option as a default when loading or saving a map, which
matches both .mpr and .map files.
beta 0.5
-
Added: GDI/Nod building graphics.
-
Added: masks for all units.
-
Fixed: a bug in encoding the overlay, which caused a lot of crashes.
-
Fixed: finally got the coordinate translations right.
-
Fixed: an additional trigger was sometimes created with ID 00000000, which
crashed TS.
-
Changed: some default values.
-
Changed: YAME no longer saves empty sections, which makes the file smaller.
-
Changed: the global triggers in the AITriggerTypesEnable section are not
saved if the "Ignore global AI triggers" is checked.
beta 0.51
-
Fixed: bug in trigger editing where when you clicked "new event" or "new
action" all events/actions were changed.
-
Fixed: bug in overlay encoding, which almost always caused TS to crash.
Chapter 6:
FAQ
1. How do I put maps into TS?
It's really quite simple - just store it in the TS directory. Multiplayer
files can be named anything (ending in .mpr), and singleplayer files must
replace a previous one, so maps replacing the GDI scenario are to be named
"gdi#X.map", where # is the mission number, and X is one of the letters
a,b,c or d. Often the most appropriate is to use a.
2. Where's the terrain?
Noone outside Westwood seems to know how the map is encoded, so
YAME can't display the map, for now. I'm working on it though.
This file is © 1999 Daniel
Aldman. All names and trademarks are the property of their respective
owner(s).