YAME

instructions manual
by:
Daniel Aldman
Table of contents:
  1. What is YAME?
  2. The legal stuff - you have to read this...
  3. What do you need to use YAME?
  4. How do you use YAME?
    1. Starting up
    2. Loading and saving
    3. The general bits
      1. The "Map settings" menu
        1. General settings
        2. Lighting
        3. Houses
        4. Teamtypes
        5. Scripts
        6. Taskforces
        7. Triggers
      2. The right mouse button
      3. The left mouse button
  5. Version history
  6. 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:

  1. Use of software
  2. Copyright:

    3. 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.
  3. Created files:

    4. The files created by the software as a product of Your work is Your property, and may be exploited as You wish.
  4. Disclaimer:

    5. 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.
  5. Updates:

    6. 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:

  1. That you would like to register YAME.
  2. Your e-mail adress, so I can send you your serial #.
  3. 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:
  1. SpecialFlags
  2. Lighting
  3. 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:

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:

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: 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:

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:
  1. Building
  2. Unit
  3. Infantry
  4. Aircraft
  5. Waypoints
  6. Terrain objects
  7. Tunnels
  8. Celltags
  9. Properties
  10. 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

beta 0.3

beta 0.4

beta 0.45

beta 0.46

beta 0.5

beta 0.51

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).