Gem RTS Editor - Changes and Improvements | Beginner's Guide to Modding
Greetings, Commanders!
Today, we would like to talk about the Men of War II editor - namely, the new features that we have implemented since the game's release. But before we dive into that, since it is a topic for more experienced modders, we have also prepared a few introductory videos for those of you who would like to create custom maps and missions but don’t know where to start in the editor. So far, we have produced 3 of them, but please let us know if we should cover any additional topics in this manner:
Please note that these guides show and explain only the very basic tools and processes in the Gem RTS Editor - we encourage you to experiment and try different things in order to unlock the full potential of this robust tool.
And now without further ado, let’s dive into the new options, features, and improvements in the Editor. Some may not be immediately noticeable, but they provide access to functionality previously unavailable in the series. Let’s go over everything step by step.
The Main Menu (ESC) has been reworked and is now context-sensitive. The menu no longer remains fixed and centered on the screen - instead, it pops up wherever your mouse cursor is located. You can now easily load the map or mission you were last working on, making it much more convenient. There’s no need to search for your project manually to continue working on it. For more details, you can read the corresponding article in the Gem RTS documentation.
In F2 mode, a new section called "scene" has appeared. This section contains two tabs: "explorer" and "layers." We’ll discuss the "layers" tab later.
Now, regarding the "explorer" tab: it displays all the objects present on the map. These objects are organized into a hierarchy familiar to all users. For example, you can find the entire map's entourage under construction/entourage/, and buildings under constructions/town_e/ and so on. But simply displaying objects in a list isn’t enough for practical application. You can easily locate a specific object, center the camera on it, and find out its mid and id.
Moreover, in "explorer," you can lock or hide objects (for instance, hiding a certain type of tree or all the trees on the map). You can also freeze all the rocks on the map, so they can't be selected, allowing you to work on other parts of the terrain without distraction.
[h3]Custom Layers and Their Functions[/h3]
In the same "scene" section of the F2 mode, there is a "layers" tab where you can also select objects on the map and group them into a custom layer. The created layer can be locked or hidden as needed.
Imagine a situation where you have a city block consisting of houses and various stamps. To work with this area, you need to manipulate the stamps. To do this, you must select the necessary stamps in the specific area, i.e., the city block.
But what if external objects obstruct your view? You’re trying to select one object, but another one gets highlighted instead. Rather than moving obstructing objects out of the way or painstakingly selecting the needed object, you can instead assign the objects of that block into custom layers. For example, if houses are usually the main obstruction, you can select the houses and add them to a custom "houses" layer.
As mentioned earlier, you can freeze or hide the custom layer. In this case, it’s more convenient to hide the houses so they don’t get in the way, and you can see only the objects you need to work with.
The houses in the "houses" layer become invisible and no longer selectable. Don’t worry, though—hidden or frozen objects won’t stay that way permanently. You can switch their state as needed, and all parameters reset when you reload the map.
You can read more about working with the scene editor in the corresponding article in the GEM RTS documentation.
[h3]Custom Foliage Brush in the Foliage Editor[/h3]
A dream come true for every map maker – now you can create custom brushes with any objects (entities) for any task and paint them across the map. Each object within the brush can have unique parameters assigned to it, such as a random selection of its minimum and maximum size. You can also set texmod, color, tilt angle for uneven surfaces, and other settings.
This innovation dramatically speeds up map creation. No more manually copying and placing objects to create something like a forest—just a few clicks with the brush and your forest is done. There are even some ready-to-use brushes available right now (forests, various thickets, stumps, etc.). You can read more about the Foliage editor in the corresponding article in the GEM RTS documentation.
[h3]Land Decal[/h3]
This new feature allows you to add a global stamp (land decal) that displays over the entire map in F2 mode.
By clicking "Create," you can load a premade texture. For example, a snapshot of a village and its surroundings in Normandy has been created. The "Transparency" slider adjusts the decal’s opacity. This addition makes it much easier and more convenient to create maps based on real locations. You can read more about working with terrain in the corresponding article in the GEM RTS documentation.
[h3]Heightmap Export[/h3]
In F2 mode (under the Land/Heights section), in addition to the "Export heightmap" function, you can export the heightmap of a map at a specific resolution.
For instance, you can export the heightmap at a resolution of 4096px to refine the map’s terrain using external programs. You can read more about working with terrain in the corresponding article in the GEM RTS documentation.
These are just a few of the improvements that we are continuing to make to Men of War II to enhance the editor's usability and simplify the workflow while making the game richer in terms of content and functionality. Even if you're not a professional modder and have never worked with an editor before, nothing is stopping you from realizing your boldest dreams right now (and as mentioned before, we have prepared a playlist of helpful Beginner’s Guides on YouTube). Stay tuned for more updates here or on the game's official Discord server - and don’t be shy, to share the maps, missions, and mods with us! We’ll share what’s new and exciting in the FX editor in one of the upcoming dev diaries. As always, if you encounter any issues or have any suggestions or other feedback, please let us know either here in the comments, in Steam Discussions, or even better, join the conversation on the the Men of War II Official Discord Server.
See you on the battlefield and in the Steam Workshop, Commanders!
