The Map Editor

[{CH}ArticleBot]

The Round Table Proposal

The Map Editor
by Dragon Angel
The map editor is one of the greatest assets of the series and, despite
some problems, is one of the things the participants on the discussion
consider has brought good features in every Heroes game, being always
powerful and easy to learn. The general opinion is to keep
what has been made, and improve on it keeping a balance between power and ease
of use. Qrystal sums up this feeling nicely: "I think the H5
editor should combine the best features of H3, H4 and add new features
that will astound the mapmakers with their functionality and
simplicity."
Ease of use or
possibilities was one of the questions brought into the discussion, and the
most common answer was, not surprisingly, both of them. In any case,
realizing these can be opposite variables, there were different options
chosen. More experienced mapmakers demand overall a friendly environment
to work with, and as many options as possible; while others miss the
simplicity of  Heroes II and Heroes III editors, with less but more
clear, non-scripted options. A compromise solution might be the
editor could show two faces, an ‘advanced user’ one, with full options,
and another ‘simple’ one, with less but more clear options.
The combined
demand of a friendly environment and more options appears in the wish list
for new functions of the editor. The ability to set grow rates on
the neutral stacks, the control of the month-of events, the option to have
several ‘environment’ layers to modify in-game the map, or a better control
of the AI behaviour are of examples of the second. While functions as the
modification of the savegames of a map that is being tested, the option to
cut/copy/paste whole areas of a map, a better search and replace option or
a brush tool like the one introduced with Heroes 4 Winds of War editor, are
desired by the mapmakers as features that save time and ease the process
of making a map.
For
advanced users, the scripting options introduced by the Heroes 4 editor should not
be missed, and the desires of improvement follow the same lines as
in the overall editor: an easier and more flexible environment than the current
window one: code-based, palette-based and a combination of the two the
presented options. And more options, either structural: loops, options
to print and carryover variables... and on functionality: placing objects
on the map; more possibilities on the things that can be removed (as all the
creatures of an army, flagged objects, certain buildings on a
town, individual objects placed in the same position as others...), the
possibility to move an army to another place of the map, or options to reduce
movement, disable luck or morale, and to modify the text shown by certain
objects, are some of the things desired by the mapmakers.

On a last point, the customization of certain parts of a map
is also a request of some mapmakers. The
option to create ‘different’ heroes, as BallistaeHero explains "Not just being able
to set the skills, (...) but (...) the actual abilities. (...) [A
hero] that can naturally fly without (...) [the fly artifact] . Or a medusae
hero that can turn  people to stone. Some Lich heroes that are actually
undead...", is one of the most requested ones, as the option to create
new artifacts (preferably with art not used by other artifacts of the game to avoid
confusion). Terrains, Towns, Units and the rest of objects on the game
are also interesting options.

Most of the wishes expressed follow one
of the two ‘main lines’ exposed: functionalities to avoid the most boring
tasks, and more powerful configuration options to get the map to do as the mapmaker
want. Some people mention the  Warcraft III editor as an example. In any case,
the expressed wishes could be summed up in making the mapmaking experience even
more enjoyable than the previous games.
Random Map Generator

On a slightly
different subject, a second question was suggested on the thread dealing with
the idea of a Random Map Generator. While this is not considered
a priority by most of the mapmakers who discussed the editor features,
there was a fairly great group of players, mostly of multiplayer games, that
dropped by to express its a very valuable feature for them.

Check out the full discussion about the Heroes of Might and Magic V map editor  here.
Read full article...