The Outwars Mission Builder
(c)SingleTrac Studio

Disclaimer:

The mission builder is provided as is and there are no guarantees to its functionality. SingleTrac, GT Interactive, and Microsoft will not support the mission build, so when you get stuck, or have problems, don't call customer support. They have no information or knowledge about the editor or its use. The editor is provided as a courtesy to the Outwars community by the developers of Outwars. If you happen to catch skuzzer (that's me :)) on the Zone you can ask some questions. Your best bet for help is to contact those people who are active in the Outwars community and ask them questions on their Web sites. You are free to distribute the editor as long as it is accompanied by this document in the original zipped file. You are not allowed to use the editor to create levels or tools that are used for profit. Levels created with the editor may also be distributed freely. SingleTrac retains all rights to the editor.

What the Editor is:

The file "Builder.exe" is the mission editor that we used to create the Outwars single and multi player levels. This utility does not create the mission geometry, suits, or game logic. It is a tool that allows the level designer to specify the various pieces that make up a level and set some of the game parameters. The level geometry was created using a customized version of the "MultiGen" modeling tool. Unless you figured out our custom data format for our levels there is no way to create new geometry.

You can take the editor and play with all the settings. The editor is used to specify environmental parameter, default suit and weapon availability, AI placement, Events, Triggers and Objectives, and many other game settings.

Instructions:

Your best bet is to load up one of the existing levels and start playing with the settings. As people play with the editor, I am sure there will be several documents that will give specific instructions on how to use the editor. I will give you a few pointers:

  1. All of the missions are located in the \misn directory. That is where the game will look for them too.
  2. All valid mission file names are stored in files. To get your missions in the game they have to be named the same as the existing missions or you have to hack one of the mission data files. The single missions list always has a mission called ia01 in it. This can be copied over to play your own levels. The following files contain the missions:
    1. outwars.cmp - The campaign file that lists all of the missions in the order they appear in the game. This includes cut scenes, some level parameters, and transition screens. I will see about posting the format of this file someday, if nobody figures it out. I would have to dig through the archives to find it.
    2. outwars.mml - This is the list of valid multiplayer missions.
    3. outwars.mlt - This is the list of mission you have completed that shows up in the single-mission menu.
  3. When you load a mission in the editor, the mission parameters dialog that comes up contains most of the info about the level. Look through the various tabs to learn what things you can adjust.
  4. On the tool bar: The plus is to place Nav points, the box is for models, the flag is to place units, and the green diamond is to place pickups. All items, when placed, can be right clicked on to bring up a parameter dialog for that item.
  5. The zoom icons allow you to zoom in and out on the map.

I hope this helps. Have fun. I hope to see some cool tools and levels soon.
Thanks,


Kirk Baum - Lead Programmer - Outwars
SingleTrac Studio
www.singletrac.com