E2160 - Map Editor

Earth 2160 comes with an extensive editor called Earth World Editor. It was announced that it was an editor for complete worlds, more than a simple level editor. Well, that is really the case! For in which editor of an RTS game could we change the texture of the moon? Or the changing rhythm of day and night? With which editor could we adjust the sky, rain and even snowflakes? Was there ever an editor with which you could freely configure waters, even give them a metallic appearance? Now there is, and it's all-inclusive!

Unlike in Earth 2150, the editor is a stand-alone module that is started independently of the game. The advantages are obvious: more comfortable handling, as well as a "familiar" Windows interface. The appearance of the editor interface also adapts to the selected Windows skin. For technical reasons, it will not be possible to import old Earth 2150 maps. The Earth 4 Engine is too different from the Earth 2/Earth 3 Engine.

To Start the Editor, start the following executable Earth2160Editor_START.exe that is locaged in the games root directory

	The first view

The Earth 2160 editor is divided into toolbox and viewport. The viewport behaves exactly like Earth 2160 itself: it can be rotated and tilted by right-clicking and moving the mouse, and zoomed with the mouse wheel. The toolbox is again divided into four parts: Geometry and texture, fluid pools, colours and objects. If required, various displays can be shown. If necessary, various displays can be shown to identify passable areas or cliffs that are too steep.

	Textures

Textures can be blended, allowing smooth transitions; a hard transition from earth to rock is a thing of the past. There is even animated grass swaying in the wind. Textures can be removed comfortably and, above all, selectively (i.e. you can specifically remove a texture from a texture mix) with the SHIFT key. It is also possible to create your own textures, these are read in .DDS format.

	Geometry / Terraforming

The functions and possibilities are similar to those of Earth 2150, the selection of tools is enormous. New tools have also been added, such as "Copy terrain (height maps)". With this it is also possible to save terrain parts and reuse them in other maps.

	Liquids

Do you want a puddle? No problem. Do you want a lake? No problem. Maybe even an ocean that stretches across the whole map, South Sea islands included? No problem! You can also set parameters such as wind and wind direction to determine whether there are waves and how strong they are. In addition, the colour and its strength can be set, so you can make anything from clear South Sea water to a toxic green pool of slime. In addition, liquid pools can be defined as sources of raw materials, so you can use a lake as a water resource. It can also be used to create flowing lava.

	Colours

You can colour textures as you like, for example green grass becomes red grass. The sophisticated editing tools help you to colour narrow sections or thick circles. You can also add different coloured ground fog to create a spooky atmosphere.

	Objects

With the editor you can place all objects of the game on a map. This includes all units, wrecks, ornaments from a rich vegetation assortment, stones, fountains, animated ground fog, light sources, smoke, flames/fire, etc.... Everything you need to build a fancy map.

	World settings

Here you can set everything concerning the planet: What kind of ambient light at what time, what the moon/sun should look like, what the sky looks like, and much more. If the whole thing gets too complicated, you can simply choose from a few predefined sets that are also used in the campaigns...

	Editor for cutscenes

With the editor you can also create extensive cutscenes. To do this, camera positions and movements must be defined and objects must also be referenced. The cutscenes are defined in a kind of Timeline. This tool is more reminiscent of a video editing solution than a game editor.

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