This editor inserts objects into cities such as San Francisco or London. It can also modify the existing objects in cities. Midtown Madness 2 uses a format called PATHSET to specify where custom objects are placed in a certain city. Valid pathsets are City\<cityname>\Props.pathset and Race\<cityname>\Roam.pathset. The other pathsets are for moving objects and contain special objects and paths.
How to use:
Here's a screenshot:
At first glance, this editor may look similar to the SF City Editor from www.werwelpen.de . However, this editor has some extra features that you may find handy.
Tutorial: Part 1 - Basic Features
| Move object: |
There are 4 arrows that move the selected
object in the specified direction (X,Y). The object is moved by the number
of units that you specify in the box just above the arrows. Press Higher
and Lower to move the object higher or lower in elevation. Elevation of
objects is not indicated on the map, so you will not see a visual change
when you press those buttons.
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| Rotate object: |
The angle of rotation of the object is shown
in the text box. Press Change to change it to a new angle. If you'd like
to rotate the object gradually, you can press CW (Clockwise) and CCW
(Counter-clockwise) for rotation.
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| Insert & delete objects: |
The button next to the object list, above the
trash can, which has a blue arrow and a red plus sign, inserts a set of
two additional points for the selected object. If you'd like to insert a
new object, with new sets of points, independent from the current object,
you must use the last button (with a blue arrow and a green plus
sign). Both of those buttons will add the new object (or set of points) as
a copy of the one that was selected. The button just below the trash can,
with the geometric shapes, will make a new set of two points as a
delta-copy of the one selected. This means that it will combine the
difference between the previous two points and put the new point at a new
position, based on the difference.
NOTE: The editor supports unlimited objects and unlimited point sets. However, in MM2, the game will crash if you have more than 192 independent objects in one pathset. You can insert as many point sets for one object as you want. |
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| Other features, editing |
You can choose the type for the selected
object. To do so, just select an object from the list, or type in an
object name and click Change. All point-sets for the selected object will
change to the new name!
The boxes below show the position of the
object (X,Z,Y). For the Z value, you'll notice a little ! button. This
magic button will automatically find the elevation of the point based on
the X,Y values and the current selected map. Press Change to change the
position of the object.
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| Objects: |
An object is a set of points. Each object is
of a certain type. An object can have more than one set of two points. The
sets of points are called "instances" of the object. The object ID is a
unique number identifying each object. The object ID in the screenshot on
the left is the first number of the set of two comma-separated numbers
appearing before the object type. The second number is the point number
(which point in the object). It grows by 2, since all instances of the
object have two points. If an object has the more than one instance (i.e.,
there are two or more objects with the same object ID), all instances of
the object will be affected when you apply such functions as changing the
object type.
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| Object length: |
There is a certain linear length between the
two points of an object instance. This length should be left at 10. If you
want to make your object instance more visible amongst the other
instances, you can increase this value to make a greater distance between
the two points of the object. However, in-game, this value doesn't matter.
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| Change map: |
The concept is simple: click a button to
change the background map to a map of that city. For example, click London
to change the map to London. This is useful if you're making a mod for a
certain city and need a map of that city to know where to put your
objects. You can make your own custom map, if you're making a brand-new
city. The process of making your own map is discussed later on in this
help file.
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To find out in detail how to make a city, visit this link for an excellent city-building tutorial. Although it applies to SF City Editor, you can use this editor as well. Below is a guide to explain the differences between this city editor and the original Werwelp SF City Editor.
Editor Differences
1. In SF City Editor, each instance of the object
would be displayed in an additional list below the arrows. This list has been
removed in MM2 City Editor and has been consolidated into the main list.
2. MM2 City Editor has a "New" function which can create a blank pathset similar
to the one that you can download from the CreativeCity tutorial.
3. Some of the icons of buttons in MM2 City Editor have been removed, and
replaced with text. Here is an equivalency screenshot showing similarities &
differences:
FAQ
Q. I liked the Werwelp Editor better because it
could manipulate all instances of the object at the same time. Will you provide
such support in the future?
A. Yes. In Version 1.1, you will be able to select multiple items from the list
and modify them all at the same time. Even multiple objects!
Q. What about flags? What are they for and how
come you haven't included them in this version?
A. Flags do not have any significant impact on the objects. Therefore, all flags
support has been removed. We have yet to figure out what the flags mean. As long
as you do not mix different types of pathsets (such as mixing sf_bridge with
props), you should be fine. The editor just maintains the flags of the
pre-existing objects in that pathset.
Q. I wanna make my own map! How can I do that?
A. The answer is below this section.
Q. The buttons look ugly with the gray
background.
A. I will do something about that in version 1.1.
Q. Making cities is still hard. Will you do
something to make it easier?
A. Yes, I've planned mouse support for version 1.1. This means that you'll be
able to simply drag the mouse and create an object or a set of objects of the
same type.
Q. How come there's no zoom-in feature in your
editor?
A. In version 1.0, because of time constraints, there isn't. However, in version
1.1, I will include support for ALT+Click zoom-in support right on the main map,
similar to Z-Modeler!
Q. Can I help in the development of your editor?
A. Sure! All you have to know is C++ programming. -- Evil grin, knowing that
most people don't know C++ programming :)
Q. Will you make <cityname> for me?
A. No. Sorry, I have my own projects to take care of. I will, however, try to
help you make the city.
Making Custom Maps
To make a custom map, first of all it has to be BITMAP format, uncompressed, 256 colors, and 2000x3600. And of course it has to be in the city editor's folder, with the name: custommap.bmp.
The file bitmap file extends from -2842,-2766 (MM2 Units) at (0px,2000px) to 765,2000 (MM2 Units) at (1280px,3600px). px = pixel.
Therefore, it can be calculated that one pixel is roughly equal to 2.85 MM2 units. This should give you an idea of how to scale your map.
