So, let's make a scenario

[malthaussen]

I've started sketching out a scenario, and immediately have a question. In the "Side Setup" window, there is a space for "Recruit List." Presumably, this sets the types of units the side can recruit (duh). My question: where is the list of these lists? Or does one make his own?

More questions will doubtless emerge as I fool with this.

-- Mal

[Ravana]

https://units.wesnoth.org/ lists most of known units.

[malthaussen]

That's good information, but I'm wondering about what the name of the "list" they want is. Or are you supposed to list each individual unit? I was expecting that there was a folder or some such that would contain the names of all the units on a side.

-- Mal

[Pentarctagon]

It's just a comma delimited list of unit types.

[Spannerbag]

I'm guessing you're using the editor to create a scenario from scratch?
IMHO the best way to learn is to write something from the ground up, at least at first, so you know what the editor is doing.

The first thing to try is to see how things are done in existing campaigns.
For example the player's side definition (Konrad) in the first scenario in Heir to the Throne is a good example (I've removed a lot of stuff telling the ai how to behave for clarity).

From The Elves Besieged

Code: Select all

    [side]
        type=Fighter
        id=Konrad
        name= _"Konrad"
        unrenamable=yes
        profile=portraits/konrad-elvish.webp
        side=1
        canrecruit=yes
        controller=human
        recruit=Elvish Scout,Elvish Fighter,Elvish Archer,Elvish Shaman
        {GOLD 140 120 100}
        team_name=elves
        user_team_name=_"Rebels"
        [ai]
... ai stuff (deleted) ...
        [/ai]
        {FLAG_VARIANT long}
    [/side]

The player's (Konrad's) recruits are defined in the line:
recruit=Elvish Scout,Elvish Fighter,Elvish Archer,Elvish Shaman

This is the side recruit list.
All leaders on that side can recruit those units (a side can have more than one leader).

This is probably for later, but each leader also has a personal recruit list.
So each leader can recruit any unit that is listed either in [side] recruit= or its own list (via [allow_extra_recruit] etc.)

All recruit lists can be changed during a scenario.
Note also that recruit lists don't change between scenarios, so scenario 2, Blackwater Port doesn't have a recruit list.

Code: Select all

    [side]
        type=Commander
        id=Konrad
        name= _ "Konrad"
        unrenamable=yes
        profile=portraits/konrad-elvish.webp
        side=1
        canrecruit=yes
        team_name=elves
        user_team_name=_"Rebels"
        {GOLD 140 120 100}
        controller=human
        {FLAG_VARIANT long}
    [/side]

Hope this clarifies.

Cheers!
-- Spannerbag

[malthaussen]

Thanks, that does clarify. The Editor seems to imply that a recruit list should have a name, but that is evidently not the case. I think what was confusing me was trying to use the map editor as a scenario editor, which it apparently doesn't do (and there's no way to load a scenario into it anyway).

Or maybe I'm still missing something. It appears that all the real work in creating a scenario goes on in the .cfg file, and not in the map editor.

-- Mal

[Ravana]

1.18 editor can do more than before, but most people including me dont know those recent details.

[Pentarctagon]

I'm confused what the confusion is about at this point. The recruit list in the scenario editor is a comma delimited list of unit types for a side - that's it, that's all there is to it.

You can also certainly load a scenario cfg file with the editor.

[Soliton]

The Editor seems to imply that a recruit list should have a name, but that is evidently not the case.

If you're talking about the "Team name" field then that is a description for the side that you'll see in the status dialog in game.

[Spannerbag]

...all the real work in creating a scenario goes on in the .cfg file, and not in the map editor.

-- Mal

I'd agree with that.
I only use the editor to create/modify maps.
I use a freeware image editor for artwork (though I am no artist and mostly ruin modify existing art) and a text editor for creating .cfg files (and maybe .lua later on).
There is advice on various forums about which text editors are WML friendly etc.

There are (or were) a couple of campaigns aimed at showing new content creators how everything fits together.
One is WML_Guide and the other is A_Simple_Campaign but I don't think either is on 1.18 yet.

You could try making a simple single scenario campaign to start with an expand from there?

Good luck.

Cheers!
-- Spannerbag

[gnombat]

I'm confused what the confusion is about at this point.

I think the problem is that the scenario editor is just confusing. It basically assumes that you already know how to write WML code by hand, but if you know how to write WML code by hand, it's not clear that the scenario editor is actually useful...

The recruit list in the scenario editor is a comma delimited list of unit types for a side - that's it, that's all there is to it.

Well, there's no indication of this in the scenario editor GUI itself - it's just a plain text field.

It appears that all the real work in creating a scenario goes on in the .cfg file, and not in the map editor.

Yes, exactly. Pretty much all campaigns/scenarios (or at least 99% of them) consist of hand-written code in .cfg files, written in WML (Wesnoth Markup Language). Possibly you might be able to use the scenario editor to quickly create a .cfg file, but even then you'll probably want to switch to just hand-editing the .cfg file at some point.

I only use the editor to create/modify maps.

Yes the map editor is still very useful for editing maps (which are not stored in .cfg files - they are stored separately, in .map files).

[malthaussen]

Yes, gnombit, you've hit it exactly. Not that I'm complaining, exactly, just looking for clarifications of how things work. Since I'm about two days (or three) into playing this game, a certain amount of confusion is to be expected.

I like how responsive and active the forums are.

-- Mal