S W A T 3 M O D H Q |
MISSION TOPIC - CLOSE WINDOW WHEN FINISHED |
Mission Requirements / Data Files
To be recognized and loaded by SWAT3, a user-created mission must have:
Each requirement is discussed below.
The Map Files
The map files that are needed by SWAT3 are the .scn (Worldcraft Scenario File) and the .ccm (Cube Cell Map File).
The .scn is exported by Worldcraft after a map is compiled. Refer to the "Creating The Map" section of this document to learn about Worldcraft and how to create map files. Distribution maps should have fully-built lightmaps. Refer to the "AI and Lightmap Building" section of this document on information about lightmaps.
The .ccm is the cube-cell map which is required for AI paths. If this file is not present, the AI characters inside the mission will not move. To create this file, refer to the "AI and Lightmap Building" section of this document.
The Materials Data File is not needed in the final build, and can be safely deleted.
Map Textures
All individual .bmp and .tga files that make up the mission's textures are required. They do not need to be compiled in a .wad file, as .wad files are for Worldcraft use only.
Main Mission Data File
Distributable maps must have a data file named missioninfo.dat. This file is the main mission data file and contains important game information about the mission.
Click here for information on the format of the missioninfo.dat file.
If the mission is to be Co-Operative capable; that is, players can play in Co-Op mode and have specific objectives, you must also include a properly-formatted missionobjectives.dat file.
Click here for information on the format of the missionobjectives.dat file.
Cell Grouping File
In order for your mission to be compatible with the scenario editor, you must create a cell grouping file. The name of this file must be cellgroups_<mission name>.dat. For instance, if you were creating a mission called Mymission, then the cell grouping file for that mission would be cellgroups_mymission.dat.
The purpose of this file is twofold; first, it gives more descriptive names to cells in your map so that scenario editors can place characters in more reasonable locations, and second, it can group together cells so that you can create larger "areas" in your map for scenario editors to work with.
To create this file, all of the cell entities in your created map must have a name. Then, you must decide on logical names for cell locations. For instance, if you have a stairway in your map, and the cell that defines that stairway is called "stair", you may want to assign the name "Stairway" to this cell using this data file.
Secondary Mission Files
There are extra data files you can include as well. The extra data files that can be created are:
missionskins.dat | Character skin and face data |
missionsounds.dat | Sound data |
missiondialog.dat | Cues for spoken dialog |
missioneffects.dat | Special effect data such as rain, etc |
missionsprites.dat | Sprite data |
missioncharacters.dat | Names and character personality data |
These files are identical in format to their global counterparts, discussed in the Creating Content - Data Files of MOD HQ. They are additive with overriding, which means that any data in the global data files that is identical to the mission-specific data files is overridden; the mission specific data files take priority. However, if you add new data to the mission-specific data files, the new data will show up in that specific mission only.
Characters
Using the character naming convention, you must include directories and data for all characters that will inhabit your mission that are NOT standard SWAT3 characters. For instance, if you were to create a mission with standard SWAT3 characters, you would not be required to add any directories or data. However, if you created your own character to use with this mission, all data must be added and proper naming conventions must be used.
Refer to the Creating Content - Characters / Models section of MOD HQ for more information on creating characters.
Mission Graphics
There are two graphics that SWAT3 can use to display your mission in its interface.
The first, which is referred to as the Estab_Bmp in missioninfo.dat, is a 244 x 179 .bmp which is displayed on the mission map, and when the player is creating a custom/multiplayer game.
The second, which is referred to further down in missioninfo.dat as the Estab. Bitmap, is the large establishing shot of the mission displayed when the mission is about to load. This graphic is an 800 x 600 .bmp. Due to the loading sequence of the missioninfo.dat file, you may have multiple establishing shots that correspond to different entry points, but these files are rather large, so use with discretion.