Frozen Synapse Guide to Custom Multiplayer Levels

 
Resources to create levels

Postby icebrain » 23 May 2011, 04:23
I consider that it is to mode7 to provide an exhaustive guide on how to make levels since they hold the know how.
Therefore, here, I'll only list resources to get you started.

Notice: I call map the terrain (walls) only and call level the map + units + zones + everything else.


The Advanced Setup (accessed from Create Game in multiplayer) lets you :
• generate MP levels for all modes
• add and edit zones (but you can't see their name)
• add and position units
• save and load levels

The Level Editor (accessed by typing loadeditor(); in the console (which itself is opened by pressing the ` key) if you used advanced setup before, you must relaunch FS) lets you :
• add and edit high and low walls
• add, position and order units and waypoints around
• simulate a 100 seconds turn
• add and edit zones
• import maps (walls) from a PNG file
• save and load levels

Here are basic things to know before making a map.


The built in level editor is unstable and laborious. Instead, the optimal way to create levels is to import .pngs with level data within the editor
Most graphics editors save as .png. mspaint on windows is a good solution. For the tests below, I used Gimp
To import a .png it must have a white background and at least 1 pixel of white all the way around the border. Images with colors on the border will hang the editor.
The UI only lets you browse to folders within the Frozen Synapse folder. So I created a new folder inside the psychoff folder named “maps” and put my images in there, so they would be accessible in the game
Red pixels make up solid walls, blue pixels make up cover.
The colors don’t need to be perfect. I.E. 0xFF0000 is all red, but 0xAA0000 also works
1024×768 is a good starting size for a 3 or 4 man game
Circles and diagonals are allowed. But I’d be wary of their impact on pathing
A shotgun can aim through a 1 pixel hole or 1 pixel of cover
A unit needs at least 23 pixels to make it through an entryway. However the rules are not consistent (i.e. not every 23 pixel entryway works).
It is easy to test level pathing in the editor


Here is a partial guide for singleplayer levels and their zones.
In addition here's a quote from another thread, about mutliplayer zones:

For Hostage, you need zons prefixed with Hostage (ie Hostage1,Hostage2, etc) and Exit.
For Secure you need "Move2" (ie "Move2_A", "Move2_B") for the attacker spawn zones, along with "bidzone" for all the bidzones.
For Charge you just need "Move1" and "Move2" for the deploy zones, and "bidzone" for bifzones.
(You hold down "t" and move the mouse to create a zone).



Charge:
- Place a move1 zone at the extreme left edge of the map and drop your Team 1 units into it.
- Lay vertical zones right down the height of the map in strips. Name them, from left to right: bidzone_0, bidzone_1, bidzone_2, etc.
- Finally place a move2 zone at the extreme right edge of the map and add the Team 2 units to it.

Disputed:
- Place as many zones named disputeExit as you want for escape routes.
- Place units for Team 1 and Team 2 as you would for a basic Extermination mission.

Hostage:
- Team 1 must be the hostage-takers and Team 2 must be the rescuers.
- Place a zone named Hostage which will be the safe-area for hostages.
- Place Hostage units (Team 2) somewhere within their safe-area.
- Place as many exit zones as you require, named exita (top), exitb (right), exitc (bottom) or exitd (left).
- Place a move1 zone over the safe-area and larger than it. Fill this with your hostage-taker units (Team 1).
- Place a move2 zone where you want the rescuers to start. Fill it with your rescuers (Team 2).

Secure:
- Place a whole bunch of bidzone_ tiles in likely locations all across the map (no numbering required, they all have that same name). These will form the zones that players bid to defend.
- Place a move2 zone for the bid-loser to spawn in (the bid winner can spawn anywhere within their bid).


If you want to learn more, open a campaign or level (psychoff/data/encounters/sp/) generated MP level, look what it contains and experiment.


Sharing your levels and maps:
If you're sharing anything it has to work for us, otherwise it's pretty much useless and a waste of time.
So once you have finished drawing your map, export it in PNG format, import it in the Editor and make sure it renders as you intended, also verify that units can go through most doorways. You can add enemy units and do a bit of simulation. After that it's time to save your level as a .enc file (encounter) and eventually play it against the AI via the Campaign which is a faster way than playing it in multilayer but you can't test all zones.
Once you're done testing, upload the .enc to the Modding section of the forum so we can play your level :-)
You may also want to share the map, but the PNG will not be of much use, instead share your source file (ideally created in a 2D vectorial drawing software).