[[ This tutorial is for complete beginners to ECWolf/Wolf3D mapping. ]]
Want to make maps? It's pretty simple, and this tutorial will walk you through making one.
The Tools
You'll want to download these tools for making your map and making it playable.
Slade 3 (WAD/PK3 Editor)
HWE (Map Editor)
Preparing Your Tools
Now that you have your tools, it's time to prepare them. Make a new WAD archive in SLADE.
Good. Now make a new entry.
Name it MAP01 (just type MAP01 into the box that pops up)
Also note that MAP01 can be whatever level you want to replace, but for the sake of convenience we'll be replacing MAP01.
Cool. Now save it. The file name can be whatever you want (preferably less than 8 characters)
You can close SLADE now. We won't be needing it until later.
Now, take your WL6 files and copy them into a new folder. You only need the GAMEMAPS.WL6 and MAPHEAD.WL6 files here.
Great. Now let's break out HWE. Go to File>Open Project.
Open up the folder you just made.
Click OK. You should see this:
Awesome.
Mapping It Out
Let's make a simple map now. Go to Map>Clear Map (Solid) and click OK on the warning. This will clear the map for you.
Click on the fill tool and then click on the grey brick 1 brush.
Coolio. Fill the place with grey brick by clicking on the 'canvas'. Hopefully you're catching onto how this works.
Try making a big square out of blue brick now. Use the rectangle tool.
It should look something like this:
Now we need to give it a floor. These are also known as "sound sectors".
Place a small square of 'em down.
BAM! You now have a full room!
Okay, now, go to the drop-down menu here and select Plane 2 (Objects).
Select a Start Position in any direction you want. You should also switch to the pencil tool.
Place one down.
Totally rad. This is where your player (BJ!) will start.
You can place some extra stuff down if you want, but I'll be keeping it this way.
Exporting The Goods
Now we'll export the map so we can use it in
. You should save the project beforehand (CTRL-S)Go down to File>Export Map.
It should give you a message. Click No.
Now, select "WDC Map Files" as the file type and name the file "PLANES.map". It's important that it is named PLANES.
Hit save.
You'll then see this window:
Select Wolf1 Map1 and click the top arrow.
Then click Export.
It Lives!
Close HWE. We won't be needing it now.
Now, open SLADE back up and open the WAD you created earlier.
Also get the folder you saved your PLANES file in handy.
Drag the PLANES file into the archive. Then save the WAD.
You're done! Drag the WAD onto ECWolf's executable, launch episode 1, and you should be in your first map!
Adding Maps To A PK3
You can also add your maps to a PK3 file by putting the map WAD in the maps/ folder. Note that the WAD's name will be used as the map's name instead of the marker inside the WAD.
For more info, see here.