Copyright: Visual Help ® 1993-1994 Firas Bushnaq


Main
Shattered Steel Mission Builder

 Commands

 Walkthrough

 Credits

 Custom Objects


Commands

 File

 Edit

 View


File

 New

 Open

 Save

 Save As

 Close

 Other Commands


New

Selecting NEW will create a new Shatterd Steel Mission to customize.  The Mission Options window will appear.  This window will let you customize which .PCX's will be used for your new mission.

 Other File Options


Open

Use the Open command to access any previously made Shattered Steel Missions.  Once selected, a window will appear letting you browse for any available .SSM file.

 Other File Options


Save

This option lets you save your Shattered Steel Custom Mission.  If you haven't saved your current .SSM file, the editor will prompt you for a file name.  Use the Save As option if you wish to save to original version of the mission you are working on

 Other File Options


Save As

Save As lets you save the current mission you are working on without over-writting the original version.  Once selected, a window will appear prompting you for a new file name.

 Other File Options


Close

The Close option will end your current session with the mission you are creating.  Once selected, you will be prompted to save the file if you wish.

 Other File Options


Edit

 Delete

 Other Commands


Delete

The delete option will let you remove any object on the map except for Spawn Objects.  Just select the object and use the delete option.

 Back to View Options


View

 Options

 Inspector

 Zoom In

 Zoom Out

 Normal View

 Height Map

 Colour Map


Mission Options

This will open a new window letting you customize the mission settings

 Equipment

 Colours

 Time Triggers

 Win Conditions

 Paths

 Generate

 Mission


Equipment

This option will let you customize what Chassis, Weapons, and Equipment are available for your mission

Chassis:
Each mission can contain 4 different Planet Runners that the player can choose from.  Just open any of the Chassis group boxes and pick which Planet Runner you want to make available.  Repeat the process for the other 3 group boxes.

Weapons:
This will let you configure what weapons are available to the player within the Arming Bay screen.  Just click on the Amount box of any weapon that you want in the mission and enter the amount you want.

Equipment:
This will let you configure what equipment is available to the player within the Arming Bay screen.  Just click on the Amount box of any equipment that you want in the mission and enter the amount you want.

 Other Mission Options


Colours

This option will let you edit what color the objects appear as on the editor map.  Just double-click on colour box of the object you would like to change.  This will bring up another window letting you choose from 48 different colours.  You may also custom create your own colours.  Click on Define Custom Colors, choose a color, and click Add to Custom Colors.

 Other Mission Options


Time Triggers

This will let you add an event that will trigger once the designated time has passed in the mission.

On the right hand side of the window is a box with the numbers 1--60.  Each of these numbers corresponds a minute in a mission.  On the left hand side of the window are these options:

Add:
Pressing this button will bring up the Command Pick window.  From this window, you can choose what event will appear at the given time.

Insert:
This button works exactly like the Add button except that you may

Edit:
This button will let you re-c

Remove:
This button will let you remove any selected event.  Just select the event and hit the remove button


Win Conditions

This option will let you set what conditions are necessary to complete a mission

The first number of each condition is what can be modified to suit the needs for your mission.  Either enter the number yourself or use the arrow keys to adjust the value.  The second number is the always set to the maximum amount of that object in the current custom mission.

 Other Mission Options


Paths

The editor needs to know where the current location of Shattered Steel is on your machine.  This lets you reconfigure where the editor looks for it.  Just click on the box to type the path in or hit the browse button and locate SSTEEL.EXE

 Other Mission Options


Generate

This option lets you configure the parameters needed for insertion into Shattered Steel and will also compile the mission once you are ready.

Style:
This lets you configure whether your mission is Single Player, Anarchy, or Team Coop.  Just click on the group box and make your selection.

Mission:
This lets you configure what mission number it is.

Description:
Place a message in here to create a mission briefing.  Just click on the box and type your briefing.

Generate:
This will compile and insert your mission into the game.  Click on button when your mission is ready.

Restore:
This option restores the original Shattered Steel Missions to their original settings.  Just click on the box and find what drive the Shattered Steel CD is located in.

 Other Mission Options


Inspector

The inspector options will let you access the options available for the selectable object.

 Other View Options


Zoom In

This option will expand the map to give you a close look at it.

 Other View Options


Zoom Out

This option will shrink the map to help you see everything on it

 Other View Options


Normal View

Using this option will bring the map back to its original size

 Other View Options


Height Map

The editor can have either the Height Map or the Colour Map as the .PCX visible on the main editor window.  Select this to make the Height Map the visible .PCX

 Other View Options


Colour Map

The editor can have either the Height Map or the Colour Map as the .PCX visible on the main editor window.  Select this to make the Colour Map the visible .PCX

 Other View Options


Walk Through

Here is a simple walkthrough in order to gain an understanding in creating a Shattered Steel mission.  Follow the steps in order.

 Step 1-Starting a Custom Shattered Steel Mission

 Step 2-Setting up the Player

 Step 3-Creating a Building

 Step 4-Creating a Bot

 Step 5-Creating Waypoints

 Step 6-Creating a Waypoint Command Set

 Step 7-Assigning a Death Trigger

 Step 8-Creating a Range Trigger

 Step 9-Adding a few Miscellaneous Elements to our Mission

 Step 10-Saving a Mission

 Step 11-Generating and Playing your new Mission


Step 1

Creating a Custom Shattered Steel Mission

1.  From the File menu, click on New.  This Mission section of the Mission Options will appear

2.  In the Schemes group box, select an image to use as the background for your mission.

3.  In the Atmosphere group box, select the atmosphere of the mission.

4.  In the Maps group box, select a height map and a color map to use for your mission.  For now, leave it on the default selections.

5.  Once you have made your selections, select Close

 Next Step


Step 2

Setting Up the Player

1.  From the Objects menu, click on Player Start, and move the cursor on the map.

2.  Notice that there is a box connected to your cursor with its coordinates shown on the bottom right corner of the SS Mission Editor Window

3.  Place the cursor over coordinates 288,288 and click on it.  The Player Start box will now appear on that coordinate.

 Next Step


Step 3

Creating a Building

1.  From the Objects menu and click on Building.

2.  Find coordinate 227,220 and click on it.  A Building box will appear just like the   Player start box did.

3.  From the View menu, click on Inspector.  A new window will appear letting you configure the building.  You may also right click to make this window appear.

4.  The first group box will let you select a building.  Pick any building that sounds interesting.  Make sure there isn't a check within the Ally box.

5.  Close the window once you have decided on the building

 Next Step


Step 4

Creating a Bot

1.  From the Objects menu, click on Bot.

2.  Place the bot box at coordinate 276, 20

3.  Inspect the bot box as you had done for the building box.  A new window will appear letting you configure the bot.

4.  Click on the Style group box and select Spectre.  Leave the rest of options alone.  We will get back to these later.

5.  Close the window once you have made the bot a Spectre

 Next Step


Step 5

Creating Waypoints

1.  From the Options menu, click on waypoint.

2.  Place a waypoint box at position 230, 19

3.  Repeat steps 1&2 but place the waypoints at positions	174, 21 and 51, 23

4.  Inspect the first waypoint you placed and notice a window appears showing Waypoint A.  Close the window and do this for the other waypoints.  Notice they have been alphabetically named B and C.

5.  Close any open Waypoint Inspect windows.

 Next Step


Step 6

Creating a Waypoint Command Set

1. Move the cursor over our Spectre box.  Notice the cursor turned into a crosshair.  Click on the Spectre to select him.  Now Inspect the Spectre bot.

2. Click on "->" button within the Command group box.  The window will enlarge giving you a more detailed way to give commands.

3. Create a new waypoint command set by clicking New.  Notice the map just shows our Waypoint boxes.

4. Click on Waypoint A.  The Waypoint index box should now say "Waypoints A,"

5. Within the Point box of the window, click on the '>' button to go to the next point.  The WayPoints Index should say "Waypoints A,?"

6. Click on Waypoint B.

7. Within the waypoints window, click on the '...' button in the Command group box to create a command at that waypoint.

8. Choose textcue from the available commands.  A command edit window will appear letting you make a textcue.  Type in "Enemy bots approaching Settlement, require assistance immediately".  Click on the "OK" box when you finish.

10. Select the next point (Refer to Step 5) and click on Waypoint C

11. Click on the Done button when you have finished.  The inspect window should re-appear with a new option in available commands.

12.  Click on the new command to select it.

13.  Click on the "<" button to move it into the Assigned Commands

13. Once it's in the Assigned commands box, select the new command and click on '<<<Set' button to assign the command to the bot

14.  Within the Command group box, click on "<--" to bring the inspect window to its original size.

 Next Step


Step 7

Assigning Death Triggers

1.  Select the building box created in step C and inspect it.

2.  Within the Death group box, click on the '...' button in the OnDeath box and new window will appear showing the available commands available upon the Buildings destruction within the game.

3. Select SpawnBot and click on the OK box

4. Select the bot created in Step 4

5. Check ok in the PickSpawnBot dialog box

 Next Step


Step 8

Creating a Range Trigger

1.  Select the building box created in step C and inspect it.

2.  Within the Death group box, click on the '...' button in the OnDeath box and new window will appear showing the available commands available upon the Buildings destruction within the game.

3. Select SpawnBot and click on the OK box

4. Select the bot created in Step 4

5. Check ok in the PickSpawnBot dialog box

 Next Step


Step 9

Adding Miscellaneous Elements to our Mission

1.  Place five bots around the first building created.  (Refer to Step 4 if you need some help)

2.  Just make them all Spectres

 Next Step


Step 10

Setting Up Win Conditions

1.  From the View menu, click on options to bring up the Mission options window.  Click on the Win Conditions tab.

2.  Adjust values to protect 1 friendly building

3.  Adjust values to destory 6 enemy bots

4.  Close the window

 Next Step


Step 11

Generating the Mission

1.  From the View menu, click on options and go to the Generate tab.

2.  Make sure the Mission style box is set to Single player and the Mission box is set to 1

3.   Enter "First Mission" with the Description box.

4.   Click the Generate button, then the Close button

 Next Step


Credits

Producers
Feargus Urquhart
Greg Zeschuk

Associate Producer
Reginald J. Arnedo

Programmer
Cameron Topher

Quality Assurance
Doug Avery
Kevin Craig
Henry Kahng
Rene Hakiki
Jeremey Rays
Jim Harrison


Custom
Custom Objects

These are objects you can create and implement in your Shattered Steel Custom Missions

 Custom Schemes-How to use a .PCX as a Background scheme for a mission

 Custom Height Maps-Design the height levels for the terrain in a mission

 Custom Colour Maps-Design the color for the terrain in a mission


Custom Schemes

These are the steps to creating a custom Scheme to use as the background for your Shattered Steel Custom Mission


Custom Height Maps


Custom Colour Maps