Scenario editor is pretty bad nor is it me? (scenario format reverse engineering?)

[Bethune]

Let me start by saying I love OoB and have played thousands of hours of it (thank you Erik2/Bru!). I'm starting after all these years to fool around and try out my own scenarios/campaigns but I was really shocked as I engaged with the scenario editor that it was so bad.

The main issue to me is the unit placement, you have to create/delete units each time without being able to move them (attendant to all the other metadata like the AI index and transports), you can't move them around. This is extremely awkward and off-putting for me. I don't understand why they didn't use a similar interface as players face in unit deployment (I strongly suspect the editor was designed by a separate designer)

The trigger and AI screens are also extremely awkward to work with as you click around from the dialogs to the screens without much feedback.

A couple of questions:
Any tips of working around the awkwardness of the editor from experienced scenario creators?

I'm interested in AI and automation, is the format/structure of the scenario formats documented anywhere? I know the scz is a zip file and then the underlying file is some kind of binary blob. If we knew the format, we could create a better editor and/or write code to automate scenario creation.

cheers,
phillip

[Erik2]

You move a deployed unit by first selecting it and then shift-click on the new hex.

I think the best way to learn the editor is by first reading it, then take a looking at existing scenarios that have examples of what you'd like to accomplish.
The editor is very powerful and most of the common most used tasks are intuitive. There are a number of specific tasks that are more difficult to implement. Then it is time to ask around on this forum.

Bru created a nice updated editor manual that is somewhere in the Design & Modding Guides topic.
https://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=70345

[conboy]

Bethune,
I disagree with Erik in that most tasks in the editor are not intuitive. I recommend you follow his advice and read Bru's manual.
There are a lot of posts in the Scenario Design forum that relate to how to use the editor.
You can always give it a try and post questions on here when you get stuck.
I have no idea how AI could be employed here, but I am a dinosaur.

good luck,
keep us posted!

conboy

[FrancoisPhilidor]

Let me start by saying I love OoB and have played thousands of hours of it (thank you Erik2/Bru!). I'm starting after all these years to fool around and try out my own scenarios/campaigns but I was really shocked as I engaged with the scenario editor that it was so bad.

The main issue to me is the unit placement, you have to create/delete units each time without being able to move them (attendant to all the other metadata like the AI index and transports), you can't move them around. This is extremely awkward and off-putting for me. I don't understand why they didn't use a similar interface as players face in unit deployment (I strongly suspect the editor was designed by a separate designer)

The trigger and AI screens are also extremely awkward to work with as you click around from the dialogs to the screens without much feedback.

A couple of questions:
Any tips of working around the awkwardness of the editor from experienced scenario creators?

I'm interested in AI and automation, is the format/structure of the scenario formats documented anywhere? I know the scz is a zip file and then the underlying file is some kind of binary blob. If we knew the format, we could create a better editor and/or write code to automate scenario creation.

cheers,
phillip

So far I have only tried to make multiplayer maps, and I think those are easier to make than singleplayer ones? If you want to create a map, I guess you should really stick to multiplayer, because there is still room for more. In singleplayer, every single theatre and operation already seems to exist anyway, even twice: once by the original developers, and once by Erik