Scenario making for beginners.

I see a number of new scenario makers asking for advice and assistance. Sometimes they don't get the help they ask for. Experienced scenario makers are often busy on their own stuff (and some of them have lives besides, I hear) and can't always assist.

I'd like to start a self-help thread for new scenario designers, where links to valuable design guides can be found, along with hints and tips anyone wants to contribute. Here is the link to the design section of CivFanatics. I recommend Leon Marrick's guide to advanced scenario making as a must read for new scenario makers. The scenario FAQ is also recommended for beginners.
https://web.archive.org/web/20050404001608/http://www.civfanatics.com:80/civ2reference.shtml

Moderator Action: Broken link updated - Blake00

The Scenario League hints and tips section is another very valuable resource: https://sleague.civfanatics.com/index.php?title=Category:Tips

Moderator Action: Broken link updated - Blake00

The guides at my Mercator's Civilization2 Site:
http://civ2.mercator.fastmail.fm/reference.html

It mainly contains the best known scenario creation guides (also available here at CFC) and several (reference) guides about the more technical aspects of Civ2 (hex-editing). Most importantly they're all available for on-line viewing, as well as downloadable in HTML format! So if you intend to keep them on your PC instead of printing them out, I'm your man!

Some more tips for Civ2: Test of Time at The Cradle of Civilization:
https://sleague.civfanatics.com/COC/guides/index.shtml

(or are these all at the SLeague too, techumseh?)

Moderator Action: Broken link updated - Blake00

(or are these all at the SLeague too, techumseh?)

Click to expand...

I don't think so.

*bump*

John, could this thread, or one like it, be topped?

Hey Case,

This thread will have no problem staying at the top anyway...it contains a load of information to be explored and I am happy to see that veteran like Techumseh has taken the lead to start this thread...

Mercator...great stuff...thanks!

I'll see what I can do about getting this up at the top

John

Thanks John

You're welcome!

John

could any of you help me with editing (or creating, where not present) and events file?

HI all! This is my first post so forgive me my low knowledgment of the civ forum! Ok, i wanna ask if there is a extra programm for creating scenarios? You only gave hints & tipps but i haven´t seen a civ2scenario data! You know what i mean? I hope so!

Nope, there aren't any programs for creating scenarios (well, not really)... To create a scenario you should use the Cheat menu:

With the cheat menu you can change terrain (e.g. add roads), create units (create a settler in the desired spot and hit "b" to build a city), edit cities (e.g. change their size, add city improvements), change money, change governments etc.

Before you start:
Use the "Start on Premade World" option to use a custom map, you'd probably want to assign starting locations in the map editor. Select the number of civs you want. Think carefully about barbarian activity. If you don't want barbarians, choose "Villages only" and turn of goody huts in the Cheat menu. Be sure to "Customize Rules" to make sure the map is flat (if necessary) etc.
I usually also check "Select Computer Opponents" so I can pick the correct civilizations (the ones I assigned the starting locations to in the map editor). But since you don't have full control over which colors will be at play (if there are less than 7 civs), you might want to always select 7 civs and eliminate them when the game has started.
Be sure to always pick a white civ to start with. That way none of the AI will have founded cities and done other things that might conflict with your plans.
When you're doing all the scenario editing with the Cheat menu, try to change everything in the very first turn! Otherwise the AI will start messing things up. When you need to place cities and units for other civilizations, make sure to change the map view and change the human player through the cheat menu.

While there aren't any scenario editors, there are plenty of helpful utilities that can make things easier:
- CivCity and CivTweak to change the startup parameters and city properties.
- MapCopy to copy map information between maps and savegames.
- Gif Xtractor to edit the graphics in the DLL's (e.g. the king's portraits and spaceship parts).
- MapUtility and MapEdit to help edit your maps.
... There are probably plenty more, but these are some good ones off the top of my head.

If you have FW (Fantastic Worlds) or MGE (Multiplayer Gold Edition) you also have a bunch of editors at your disposal in the Editor menu, to change graphics, edit rules and add events.

If you don't have those editors, you will have to use a text editor (NotePad or WordPad is fine) to edit the rules and other text files, and use an image editor to edit the graphics (MS Paint could do it, but that's not recommended... better is probably Paint Shop Pro, although that isn't free, or even more advanced tools like Photoshop, Pro Motion, Poser and Bryce, but you'd probably only want to think about these if you're a real graphics artist).


Hmmm, I'm pretty sure I forgot something...

Very informative.
I've always wanted to create some sort of scenario for Civ 2, but never really knew where to start. This should really help to get me started.
Hopefully, I will be able to submit a scenario for download at CFC one day.

A lot of scenarios contain specific units, that is, only one or two civs can build them. When I tried to figure out this works, I notice that these scens' rules files always contained a bunch of gibberish at the end. I assume this is what makes the specific units work, but can anyone make sense of it?

Dendar, you're going to have to be much more specific. One man's gibberish is another man's rules editing. In the meantime, check out Blackclove's tips on divergent tech trees at the Scenario League tip section (link at the 2nd post of this thread).

could somebody make me some units from mechwarrior 2? i can make a scenario, i just really suck at making units

is it very hard to make a scenario

Yes and no It's quite easy to make a simple (and fun scenario) but it can take a surprising amount of time.

Originally posted by Case
...it can take a surprising amount of time.

Click to expand...

The understatement of the year!

yeah you could say so

Two things I'm curious:

1. Why don't people use ToT-Engine more often? There you have a bigger rules.txt, more units, unique units, more engineers, up to 4 maps, bmp.graphics which look nicer than gif.

2. Why do the most crafted and talented scenario designers we can found at civfanatics and apolyton always forget to edit the DESCRIBES.TXT? It's the best utility to let people understand what was in your mind.

Of course the answer to number two is clear: it costs much to much time. But anyway ONE sentense for advances, wonders, buildings, units and terrain that makes aproximately 500 sentences which isn't that much, when you compare it to the whole time you need making the scenario.

Especially because you have to do it anyway, I mean, in your mind. Therefore everytime you've been braining what the hell this improvement has to be named, write your conclusions directly in the describes.txt instead of a note paper. Costs you one second and puts flavour to your scenario.

(to be honest I don't play much of the scenarios because I miss some background info mostly)

3. Why are you so good in painting units?

Good questions, Gelvan. People use ToT for scenarios less than you would expect for 2 reasons: one, it's more complex to modify and there are no built in editors, and two, it didn't sell that well so not many people play it. I think it's great. It was clearly designed with scenario making in mind.

If you want a ToT scenario with the Describe text used, you might want to try mine. It's called 'Red October' and it's available here: http://www.tecumseh.150m.com/