Your map is stored in two parts on your computer, first locate to

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\MountBlade Warband\Modules\Napoleonic Wars

Which is where it is on my PC, but you should be able to find it.

In this location you will need for focus on one folder and one txt file, the folder 'SceneObj' will contain all the maps in the form 'scn_mp_ambush.sco' (which refers to Ambush (Day), this file contaians the bulk of the information, it is the alteration to the seed. The more different your map is from the base seed the bigger this will be. It will normally be between 20kb (for a small groupfighting map) and 1000kb (for a large city map) one should remember that the download rate is 20kb per second? two seconds? It will take several minutes to download a 1000kb map.


The second thing you will have to look for is your scene code, all scene codes are stored in scenes.txt Why? God knows.

In scenes.txt the seed of every map is located, it looks like the following

scn_mp_beach mp_beach 256 none none 0.000000 0.000000 100.000000 100.000000 -100.000000 0x00000000300005000005f57b00004e92000050d600000ff9
0
0
outer_terrain_beach

"scn_mp_beach mp_beach" is the map name

" outer_terrain_beach" is the outer barrier (or outer terrain) of your map

"0x00000000300005000005f57b00004e92000050d600000ff9" is the code that determines the base shape of your map, the more different this is from the final product the bigger the map will be, so bare that in mind if you start with a really mountainous map.

If you scene code is wrong your map (terrain) will be messed up

You can use the following website to change your scene code, by changing the sliders it will change the maps properties. It is probably wise to avoid using this, however, and just pick a large base map if you want to use one.

"Put the website here"


The only part of the scene code one should edit as a newbie map editor is the outer terrain.

outer_terrain_beach is ocean

outer_terrain_plain is grasslands

outer_terrain_steppe is steppe

outer_terrain_snow is snow

outer_terrain_desert is desert


Just remember that your map is two parts, if you are sending your map to a server admin make sure you include both parts.

First open the game, the following screen should pop up


If it dosen't then map making probably isn't your calling.

Click on configure, go to advanced then select enable edit mode.




You can then open the game, translate to multiplayer and click on Host game:








Then change the game mode to scene editing, this will allow you to pick any map and properly edit them.















You can then pick the map you want to change (back it up first)





Then click start map to the right and you'll be in the editor.

You will not be able to change anything unless you press

Ctrl+E

Which brings up the map maker menu.

This is the map maker menu, it has 6 parts: at the top it has the 6 menus, Ground texture paint, ground elevate, ground colour paint, edit objects, edit AI mesh and edit weather. The Ground texture pertains to what terrain the ground will be, snow, plains, desert ect. It allows you to have a number of different textures on your map. The ground elevate allows you to change the shape of your map, it allows you to make hills, vallys, rivers and mountains. The ground colour paint is almost entirely useless, it allows you to change the colour of the textures, allowing you to make yellow snow if that's what you want. If you want to make a giant swaztika in the middle of your map, the paint tool is for you. Edit objects is where the bulk of the editor is; it contains the objects that allow you to make buildings, walls, item props, flora, weather, time, spawn locations, flag locations and any other item you can think of. It also allows one to change the scale of every item in three dimentions. Edit AI mesh allows you to change the shape of the world as it is for the AI, if you want to make maps for humans vs bots you will need to learn how to do this. The final mode is weather, I just don't know what this does.

Before we start making anything we must first learn the (amazing) controls.

WASD will translate your camera in a 2D plane in the direction you are facing.

Left Clicking and dragging will change the orientation of the camerea and thus the direction you move

Something between double or quad tapping W will make you move faster

Right click is place item or paint with a given tool

MMB is will reset an area to the original setting (for paint, terrain and ground elevate)

Pressing R when holding an object to place will reset it to its base orientation.

Holding T and moving the mouse when holding an object and moving the mouse will translate it up and down

Holding Y and moving the mouse when holding an object will rotate the object clockwise and anticlockwise in the direction the object is facing

Holding U and moving the mouse will rotate the object round and change it's facing.

Right clicking an object with RMB will select it

Holding G with an already selected object will allow one to move it with the mouse in the X and Y directions.

This is the Ground texture Paint menu, it allows one to change the textures of their Map.

In the drop down menu there is a list of all the possible textures, one will note there there isn't a texture for the grass that one will find on most maps. This is because grass is a blend of turf and steppe. However desert is obviously the best, so stick to that.

The three sliders affect the blobs that the cursor places.

Radius changes the radius, 100 is a rather large radius

Weight affects how quickly it is placed, if you just want a hint of the texture set it to 1 and do a quick skim over.

Hardness affects how solid the border will be, on 0 the texture will attempt to morph into the surroundings at the edge.

These settings apply to all other painting tools and will not be covered again.

There are 4 settings for ground elevate; Up, down, smooth and level

Up moves the terrain up, shockingly, with weight affecting how fast this is. It is worth remembering that the mouse has to be moving for the terrain to move up.

Down Is the same as up but in the other direction, the mouse must be moving likewise.

Smooth will level things out and make them more natural. It is wise to start with getting the base design then leveling it out, weight affects how quickly the smoothing happens. Personally I reccomend setting the weight very low and just doing a lot of it.

Level changes everything in the radius towards the selected radius. Note that water will appear at 0, if you want rivers in your map set the base level towards 5-15, if you want vallys you will want to set it higher.

This is the colour panel, it works the same as the terrain painter and is pretty intuitive as well as being almost useless.

The base map colour is white but paining grass slightly green might make it seem more alive.

Before we start building the map we have to know how to add people to it. Players are spawned in with the entry point.


Under the Edit objects menu find the scene props drop down menu and select entry points.


These entry points are used for most technical things from spawn points to flag locations.

The effect of the entry point is dependant on its ID


ID 0-31 (Although realisticly it's just ID 0) will spawn in team 1

ID 32-63 (Although realisticly it's just ID 32) Will spawn in team 2

ID 66 will be the location of the defender flag in seige

ID 0-63 will spawn in all the different people in Deathmatch

Given that no other modes are used in NW I wont list any more here, feel free to test them out from this link. http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,89831.0.html

The sign of a bad map maker is doors that don't work, but they are not that difficult to use.

There are many doors in the game, but you will have to find them yourself. I will, however, put a small list of doors you can use below:


Addition doors include

• earth_sally_gate_left
  
• earth_sally_gate_right

If it includes sally in the name it probably works



To change how the door opens/ who can open it you will want to change Var 1;

ID: 1 Only team 1 can open

ID: 2 Only team 2 can open

ID:0 Any team can open (default)

ID: 11 Only team one can open (reversed)

ID:12 Only team 2 can open (reversed)

ID: 10 Any team can open (reversed)

Remember that if you have a set of double doors one will have to be reversed in order for them both to open the same way.

Or portcullis if you are cultured.

Very simple to use, probably moreso than doors.

The item itself is called 'portcullis'


The second object you need is called 'winch' or 'winch_b'


That's it, the winch when used will open the nearest portcullis.

Much like the portcullis boats are a very simple item to use, but if you don't know the trick they appear very confusing.

The following can be used as a mobile boat:

• mm_ship
  
• mm_ship_gunboat
  
• mm_ship_longboat (and the subtypes)
  
• mm_ship_schooner

You do not need to add any additional props, just change the Var No.1 To 1 (normally 0) and the boat will move and control.


Note for the airplanes server: the boats will become airplanes due to the script, you do not need to edit anything else about them. Boats on any other server will warp to the water level if you try and place them over land.

By selecting an already placed object and editing the above numbers you can change the scale of it to pretty much anything.

If possible you should avoid having to scale anything, you CANNOT copy and paste scaled objects so each one has to have its size scaled on all three axis.

In this and the final sections I will cover some objects you might find useful to use in your builds, you will have to do a lot of experimenting to find items you like but I will give you a pointer.

mm_wall1 : Brick wall

mm_walldesert1 : Sandstone wall

mm_wallwood1 : Woodenwall

mm_palisade : wooden wall of sticks

mm_house_wall_1 : Brick wall

dungeon_door_cell_a : metal cage wall

arabian_wall_a : desert wall

small_wall_a : medium brick wall

small_wall_b : medium desert wall

small_wall_d : castle wall

crude_fence : a fence

In order to translate between different levels you will need stairs, here is a short list

I will first reccomend arabian_ground_a as a location to place things.

arabian_castle_stairs

castle_f_stairs_a

castle_f_wall_stairs_a

earth_stairs_b

ramp_12m

stairs_a

seige_ladder_10m

stone_stairs_b

If you search around the names I give you then you will find other props to assist.

mm_house_basic

mm_house_wall_11

mm_hugo1

mm_la_haye1

mm_sp_rich_house1

mm_sp_rich_street1

new_mm_10housebuild

spanish

village_house_e

arabian_house_a

If you want to add writing to your map you will have to manually do it with props. The best prop to use is the apple ( apple_a ) due to its small size and lack of need to orient or rescale.

Given that certain modes in Jailbreak require specialised knowledge (and that I know this information) I will include it here for anyone interesting in making a Jailbreak map

Remember this will not work on other servers unless they have the same scripts

in order to make a ze_treasure chest spawn an item when used you have to change the first ID (<VarNo>) to a given number, this determines what it spawns

1 = infantry musket (Visible)
2 = vodka bottle
3 = lumber axe
4 - pistol (Visible)
5 = Medium Sword (Visible)
6 = Sapper hammer (Visible)
7 = Small knife (Visible)
8 = Heavy Sword (Visible)
9 = Spear
10 = Infantry sabre (Visible)
11 = Lance
12 = Light Sabre (Visible)
13 = Medium Sabre (Visible)
14 = Melee musketoon, does not shoot (Visible)
15 = Long pike
16 = Pitchfork
17 = Rifle (Visible)
18 = Rake
19 = Rocket Launcher
20 = Rockets
21 = Sapper Axe (Visible)
22 = Bayonette (Visible)
23 = Wooden Fork
24 = Sword (Visible)
69 = Banhammer
87 - Grenade
88 = Sniper Rifle (Visible)

If you want to make a map start off by knowing why you are making a map, for what server? Plan it out in your head for how you want it to look, how are you going to make it interesting. Maby draw yourself an amazing MS paint sketch. Once you've gotten started try and find props that you like and that will fit the map. Note down good props.

If you want to make a good map don't make to too sparce, random large empty areas are unintersting and lazy, but you don't want to make it too cluttered as this will cause lag, large downloads and will look silly. Stick to your theme but don't be afraid to experement.

Be patient with the map designer and don't rush, it will take you several hours to make a full siege map so don't start a project if you know you don't have the time and/or patience to finish it.

You will need to give them two things as we covered above.

Your scene code, which will include the outer terrain

scn_camp_scene camp_scene 1280 none none 0.000000 0.000000 240.000000 240.000000 -0.500000 0x300028000003e8fa0000034e00004b34000059be
0
0
outer_terrain_plain

and your map file which you will be able to send them via a 'free' online file uploader like mediafire or drobbox. (steam dosen't like the mediafire link)

I would suggest keeping a backup folder of your work while it is in progress, regularly press ctrl+E to save the map, there is no autosave so if your game crashes you will lose all progress.

Have fun.

Thanks to psychopigeon and Arch3r who's guides I used to learn map making myself and whos guides I used as sources for some aspects I'd forgotten.

Sources:

https://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php?topic=228008.0

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,89831.0.html


If I've missed anything or anything is unclear put it in the comments and I'll fix it