THE GLOBAL CONQUEST MAP MAKER by Scott Osborn (c) 1992, Ozware You've been a good sport about it. You were playing Global Conquest against your best friend and worst enemy, and the nearest burb to your corner burb was half a world away! And your "friend"? Well. How does starting off with four unmanned burbs in your corner sound to you, hmmmmm? A little unfair, would you say? But that's okay. You gritted your teeth and got down to business, swearing under your breath that YOU weren't going to let a little thing like LUCK keep you from being dominant in Global Conquest. But the battle raged on, and due to circumstances beyond your control, you lost. "If only..." issued forth from your lips, followed by an oath that swore that if the "playing field" had been level, there could be no doubt that YOU would have prevailed. But being the good sport that you are, you did not let your enemy hear this. Instead, you smiled. You said "Good game!" And you plotted your revenge. Now, however, there IS a way to make an "level playing field", or any other sort of field, for that matter: The Global Conquest Map Editor. This program allows you to make a map that Global Conquest can use in a "Custom Scenario". HOW TO MAKE A WORLD First, you need to copy the following files into the directory which contains Global Conquest (most likely, this directory is designated CONQUEST): MAKEAMAP.EXE BRUSHES.PIC MAPOPEN.PIC Now go into that directory and type MAKEAMAP at the DOS prompt. After viewing the title screen, you will see a list of possible choices for your map. The topmost option, "Start from Scratch", allows you to 1)Choose a world size, and 2)make a map from a "blank canvas". All other choices listed are maps which have already been made, but which you can load and change, if you want. WHERE WORLD-CHANGING DECISIONS ARE MADE After you choose how you will start, the Map-Editing screen will come up. You will notice: 1)On the right-hand side, words in boxes, one of which will be highlighted (Land). These are the various characteristics that every world can have. To pick that type of terrain, simply point and click with your mouse cursor onto the one that you want to use. 2)On the left-hand side, five boxes with various shapes in them, one of which will be highlighted (The upper-most). These are the different "brushes" of each type of world characteristic. To choose a different size shape of brush, simply point and click with your mouse cursor. 3)In the middle part of the screen is the world "canvas". This is where you will make your world-changing decisions. To change the world, just move the mouse cursor over this and click with the left mouse button. The world will be changed into the characteristic that you have chosen at the spot which you have clicked. Its that simple. Like Global Conquest, your "world canvas" is too big to fit on the screen. To move your point of view, just click the right mouse button. A miniature version of the map you are working on will pop-up. Move the cursor to a place on the pop-up map where you'd like to go see, click the right mouse button, and you're there (Just like in Global Conquest). 4)In the top right hand corner, you will see a box with the word "Quit" in it. Likewise, in the top left hand corner, you will see a box with the word "Save". One guess what these do. But more about them later. 5)In the lower right hand corner, you will see two boxes. One says "Stats" and the other has a pair of numbers. The numbers are the world coordinates of the cursor position. The first number is your East-West coordinate, where 0 is the furthest West one's cursor can be placed. The second number is your North-South position, where 0 is the North Pole (and Santa's Castle). If you think that this box is called the "Coordinates Box", you're wrong: It's called the "WORLD Coordinates Box. As for the "Stats" box, more about that in a minute. TOOLS OF THE GODS Of the five brushes, the top four are the easiest to understand: Simply put, they are different sizes and shapes of the same beast. The top one is the smallest possible brush world-builders are allowed. The next three are slightly different in size and shape. When you use them, just clicking on the world "canvas" produces that size and shape (of the chosen characteristic) on the world. The fifth and final brush, however, requires a little bit more explanation. This is the "line" brush. You use it to produce a "line" of a characteristic on the world "canvas". To use it, you click on a place of the world canvas, then move the mouse cursor until the line is placed where you want it. Then click again, and the line will be "laid down" at the place you have chosen. Perhaps you noticed that these brushes are relatively small when considering that there are continents to create. Not to worry, these are "true" brushes. To explain: Consider your mouse as the brush, and a "click" with the left mouse button as touching the brush to the canvas. Very well. But say that you want to really smear up your world with lots of heavy brush contact. No problem: As long as the left mouse button is held down, the brush is making contact with the "canvas", and you are applying your chosen terrain unto the world. SO: While holding down the left mouse button, you can move the mouse cursor about and, consequently, the chosen terrain as well. But you're worried. You and your mouse are, shall I say, not on the same wavelength. It doesn't know when it should quit moving and lay still. And you want to be particular about where and when you lay down YOUR terrain. Hey, we were thinking about you: When the mouse cursor is over the "canvas", you can use the numeric keypad to move it one "step" at a time in any chosen direction. Also, the "Enter" key works just like the left mouse button (it will lay down your chosen terrain at the spot you picked) and the "Space Bar" works like the right mouse button (it brings up the "unzoom" map). One more thing: If you happen to have your "Num Lock" key on, using the numeric keypad will be just like holding down the left mouse button: In other words, you're "smearing" with the cursor keys. But keep this in mind: The cursor must be over the canvas for any of these keys to work. A WORLD RECIPE Back to our world "ingredients", or the terrain characteristics on the right hand side of the screen. You'll notice that the bottom three are slightly separated from the top five: These are special world "features" that must be handled with care. The top five ingredients can be placed anywhere on the world canvas EXCEPT within three "squares" of the world's edges. Go wild, if you will. And if you go too wild, choose the "Ocean" characteristic to act as a world-type "eraser" (just remember Atlantis). The bottom three characteristics, however, must be handled with discretion. You will notice that these have only one "brush" available to them. Now is the time to talk about that "Stats" box you've noticed and are curious about. It's the one in the bottom left hand corner of the screen, under the brush boxes. When you click on it, you get a box with (amazingly enough) the world's statistics in it. We're not talking batting averages here, but economic stats. A quick point about Global Conquest worlds: No world can have more than 50 burbs in it, or 84 burbs and resources. No world economy can stand more than that, or inflation runs rampant and the Democrats win a presidential election. The "Stats" box allows you to see how many burbs and resources you have on the world that you are editing. And after you reach your 50 or 84 limit, those characteristics can no longer be used. If you reach your limit, but want to rearrange them, removing one from the world (by placing another characteristic on it) will give you access to them once again. On the other hand, worlds with too few burbs in them sometimes give Global Conquest the bends. Imagine that you want to play a scenario where each player gets four additional burbs. If the world you have created only has 7 burbs in it, Global Conquest won't let you play with that map, simply because it can't place all players' four additional burbs due to a burb shortage. The game will lock up, and there you'll be, all dressed up and no one to destroy. Well, we warned you! BURB BEHAVIOR You will notice that there is only one type of burb allowed, even though there are four different types in Global Conquest. Doubtless, you feel cheated. I don't blame you. But the truth is, when Global Conquest is presented with a burb, it gets to decide what economic type that burb gets to be, as well as where the Native Capital is placed. This way, when you make your "Custom Game", the choices you make in regards to "Burb Economic Level" can be honored. So, no apologies here: You are not allowed to have your World Cake and eat it too. But I know how you feel: You wanted to place the Native Capital! Well, you've picked up a lesson or two from your spy, so you know how to get around these types of things. Global Conquest picks the Native Capital by 1)Taking the AVERAGE position of each available burb and 2)Placing the Native Capital in the one that is closest to that average. SO, by eye-balling the coordinates box and knocking the dust off of your calculator, you can figure out where the AVERAGE is and place a burb there. Hey! Who is that I hear saying "The burb 'brush' doesn't allow me to make docks! What kind of map-maker is this??!??" Which one of you is it? Well, Mr. Smarty-pants, you CAN make docks, so THERE! And if you're so smart, I'll let you figure it out for yourself!! (But for all of you who have kept your patience, I'll let you in on it: To make a dock, 1)select Ocean, then 2)choose the top-most, smallest "brush" on the left hand side of the canvas, then 3)click that brush on the burb where you want to place a dock. It's that simple. But some cautions: 1)You can't make the center part of the burb a dock (if you try it, the burb will be removed), and 2)You can only make docks with the SMALLEST OCEAN BRUSH.) But back to burbs: When you start a new map "From Scratch", you'll notice that the four corner burbs are already set into their positions. Sorry, but you can't move or remove these burbs: They're presence there is crucial to the game. Also, you can't place any type of terrain within three "squares" of the map's edge. One more thing: You can't place burbs so close that they touch each other. One square apart, OK. Touching, no. Them's the rules. Even Global Conquest has to have limits, you know. OF MAPS AND MEN As is explained in the Global Conquest Game Manual, the "world" is divided into 8x8 pixel squares which the units move into and out of as they go about their duties. Thus the "boxy" appearance of the brushes. But you wanted nice, curvy, jagged-looking coastlines! You wanted the mountains to look different from one another! You wanted the forests to look like a real forest! You wanted your secret fuel reserve to look like swamp terrain to everyone else! Relax. When you are finished placing all of the terrain where you want it, complete with the secret fuel reserve, click on the "Save" box. As your map is saved, it is "Finalized" into a form worthy of Global Conquest: All areas that border on ocean are converted into a jagged coast line. All mountain areas are changed into range-type terrain. All swamps are enclosed with swamp-like edges. And all fuel areas (if not previously "swamped") are surrounded by swamp terrain. NOW WHAT? Right before the map editor does all of this nice "Finalizing" for you, it asks you for a name to call this map. Enter in something appropriate, then press enter. The "Finalizing" will take place, then you will be brought to the file selection again for more world-making activities. After you exit out of the map-maker, you're palms are sweating. You've planned revenge on your lucky enemy, and finally your ship has come in. But it occurs to you: Hey! I've got this nice, kind, trap-laden map all ready. But how do I use it? Global Conquest MAKES these things for every game!! Not EVERY game: To use it, you have to make a "Custom Scenario" that designates a map as pre-fab. Do this: Start Global Conquest. Pick "Configure" from the opening menu. Next, choose "Custom Game". Okay. Now, go through all of the menus, picking the things that you want this game to include. If you have doubts about any of these, check out the Global Conquest manual, pages 63-68. Now. When you come to the WORLD TYPE OPTIONS menu, STOP!!! Here's where you tell Global Conquest to use your map. In the top left hand corner of this menu, there's a little box with the word TMAP beside it. This is the one you want. Click on it with your cursor. Notice how the TMAP is suddenly obscured by a gray bar? That means that it's waiting for you to enter in a file name so it will know what file to look for when it starts this game. So what are you waiting for? Use the keyboard to enter in the SAME FILE NAME that you used when you saved your map earlier. (Notice that these map files MUST have a ".MAP" extension, and that if they don't, they can't be used.) When you're through, press the "Enter" key, and you're set. Now click on the "Done" box on the bottom of the screen, and you'll be brought to the Save a Scenario screen. Pick an appropriate name, enter it in, and you're ready to play. USING YOUR WORLD Now all you need to do is call your enemy and suggest a "friendly" game of Global Conquest. Tell him or her that you want to try a custom game that you thought would be neat. Then send them your newly-created map file before playing. (If you try to start your custom game WITHOUT sending it first, Global Conquest will have to send it, and it will take quite a bit longer than most ordinary means. Except, of course, U.S. Mail.) Next, choose the "Pick Custom Game" selection, then choose the custom game that you equipped to handle your "personalized" map. Your game, as well as your map, will be loaded, and you will be off to revenge-land. A WORD TO THE WISE You now have the power to make your own world for Global Conquest. Use it wisely. Also, prepare better, stronger, and more powerful excuses: You can no longer blame your losses on "blind luck"... GLOBAL CONQUEST is a registered trademark of Microprose Software, Inc.