Using the Scenario Editor

Overview

The Scenario Editor (SCEN.EXE) is used in Gladiator to create the 
levels players fight in.  Each scenario, or game level, actually consists 
of two files: a PIX file, which holds the map or background 
information, and an FSS file, which contains information about the 
enemies, treasure, exits, and other special items.  Using the scenario 
editor, you can modify both files visually, as they will appear in the 
game.

There are several main functions the scenario editor provides.  These 
include loading and saving scenario files, modifying the background 
map (trees, water, walls, etc.), and adding or changing enemy and 
friendly characters or items.  Each of these will be explained in more 
detail in the following sections.

For quick help while in the editor, press 'H'.  This will pop up a short 
list of available commands.  Pressing SPACE will return you to the 
standard editing mode.

Before You Begin

Before running the scenario editor, make sure that the directory you 
are running it from corresponds to the directories listed in the glad.cfg 
file.  The easiest way to insure this is to run the editor from your 
normal Gladiator directory, and make sure your settings (as specified 
by setup.exe) match the directory you are using.  So, if you are running 
GLAD and the scenario editor from C:\GLAD, make sure the 
directories listed in glad.cfg match correctly.

Creating a New Scenario

The easiest way to create a scenario of your own is to begin with an 
existing scenario and modify it until you have something you like.  
The one element of a scenario you can't easily control with the 
scenario editor is the map dimensions.  Thus, to create a small 
scenario, load a small scenario, such as level one; to create a large 
scenario, load a larger scenario, such as level 18.

To begin with, let's assume we want to create a level similar to level 1.  
To load the level, hit L (for Load), then S (for Scenario).  A small box 
will pop up asking for the scenario name.  The standard scenario 
naming convention in Gladiator is the word 'SCEN' followed by the 
number of the scenario.  So in this case, type in "scen1" (without the 
quotes) and hit return.  After a brief pause, the level should pop up 
with the background and objects loaded.

Now it's time to make our own version of this scenario.  To avoid any 
conflicts, we'll call it scenario 99 (because there isn't a scen99 
currently in Gladiator).  The first thing we need to do is to rename the 
FSS, or object-layer, file.  To do this, hit N (for New Name), followed 
by S (for Scenario).  Again, this will pop up a small text-entry box.  By 
default, the box will display the name of the current scenario (scen1 in 
our case).  Type in "scen99" and hit return.  Although not much will 
happen, you should notice the name in the upper right corner of the 
screen change from SCEN1 to SCEN99.

Next, we need to change the name of the background, PIX, file (so that 
we don't overwrite what's already there).  Again, hit N for new name, 
but this time follow it with G (for Grid).  The word GRID is another 
word we'll use in the scenario editor to mean the background map 
data.  Finally, type "scen99" again.  This will save a matching map 
file, which will be automatically saved with the scenario.

Now that we've specified that we're working on a new level, let's make 
sure to save it!  Hit S (for Save), followed by S (for Scenario).  Saving 
a scenario will automatically save its associated PIX mapfile.  If you 
ever want to save the map file without saving the rest of the data, just 
hit S for save, then G for Grid.

A Brief Detour: the Screen Layout

Now that we've begun our level editing, let's detour for a bit and take a 
look at the screen layout.  In general, the scenario editor screen looks 
much like a one-player Gladiator game.  Most of the screen area -- 
about the leftmost two thirds -- is devoted to displaying the map as it 
currently exists.  Along the right edge of the screen, from top to 
bottom, are:
  *  Information Box.  This is a large grey box with several lines of 
     text in it.  These lines, from top to bottom, are:
        *  The name of the scenario (FSS) file, which will usually 
           look something like SCEN1.
        *  The second line is the name of the map (PIX) file used 
           for the background.
        *  The current editing mode.  It will either be OBS, which 
           means you are editing the object layer on the map, or 
           MAP, which means you are editing the map background 
           -- changing the tiles.
        *  The team number and object you are ready to place.  This 
           line will look something like "0:SOLDIER", which 
           would mean you were ready to place a soldier of team 
           number 0 (zero).
        *  The level of the current object you are placing.  
           Generally, the higher the level number, the more 
           powerful the object will be.
        *  The current alignment of object placement.  It will either 
           be ON, which means objects will be placed in a grid; 
           OFF, which means objects may be placed randomly; or 
           STACK, which means many objects can be placed on top 
           of each other.
        *  The Object count.  In a rough way, this will display the 
           number of objects in a level.  It gets confused easily, and 
           should be used just for rough estimates (don't place 500 
           objects!).
  *  Selected tile display.  Below the information box, a map tile will 
     "float" on the screen.  This is the tile you are going to draw onto 
     the map, when in map-editing mode.
  *  Tile selection box.  This is a four-by-four box which displays map 
     tiles you can select.  The arrow keys cycle the box up and down 
     for more choices, while the left mouse button selects a new tile.
  *  Radar screen.  Like normal Gladiator, this will show you a 
     miniature representation of the level map.

Back to Designing

Okay, now that we have level 99 set up to edit, let's get to work!  As a 
quick note, if you need to come back to this later, just load the level by 
pressing L (for load), S (for scenario), and then scen99 as the name to 
load.

The first thing to do, generally, is to remove any objects already on the 
map, as they just clutter things up.  To do this, we'll introduce the first 
"Magic Key" of the scenario editor.  Press Control-D (CONTRL plus 
D), and all the objects will be deleted.  This gives us a fresh map to 
start work on.

The second thing to do is to change to map mode.  If you look at the 
grey information box in the upper right, you'll probably see a line 
which reads, "MODE: OBS".  This means you're currently in object 
editing mode.  To switch to background (map) editing mode, press M.  
The line should now read, "MODE: MAP".  Pressing M will toggle 
back and forth between the two modes.

Now that we're ready to edit the map, take a look at the currently 
selected tile, which is beneath the information box.  It's probably 
something like a wall piece, but it really doesn't matter.  Click the left 
mouse button somewhere on the main map area, and you should 
replace the current tile -- grass, tree, water, or whatever -- with 
whatever you have selected.  You can drag the mouse around to make 
patterns of the tiles.  If you need to move the screen view, just move 
the mouse to any edge of the screen, and it will scroll in that direction.

After a bit of this, you'd probably rather put down something more 
useful!  To do this, you use the tile selection box, which is underneath 
your currently selected tile.  It is a four by four box of background tiles 
you can choose from, and is probably filled with different types of 
grass.  Clicking the left mouse button on any of these pieces will select 
it as the current drawing tile, kind of like a paint program.  Try 
choosing some normal grass and smearing it around the map.  Since 
there are more than 16 background tiles in Gladiator, you can't see 
them all at once.  To scroll the selection box to see more choices, use 
the UP or DOWN arrow keys.  This will display all the possible 
backgrounds you can paint with.

Sometimes a piece you want is already located on the map view.  
Rather than having to scroll through the selection box, you can right 
click on a map tile, and it will become the selected piece (kind of like 
the eyedropper tool in art programs).  This can be especially useful if 
you have buildings or trees you want to replicate, each with several 
sets of tiles (upper left, upper middle, upper right...).

Finally, when editing the background map, you'll notice that many 
times when you put down a tile, the computer will "smooth" the tile 
and its surrounding area automatically.  For example, if you put down 
a "piece" of forest, the editor will attempt to blend the tiles so that the 
image looks visually correct.  Similarly, water tiles will attempt to 
round themselves out.  Most of the time, the computer's choices will be 
correct.  From time to time, however, you'll want to put down exactly 
the piece you have selected, without worrying about "smoothing."  To 
stop the auto-smoothing, hold down control while placing your tiles.  
This will cause the tile to be placed exactly as it appears.

That's it as far as map editing goes!  Remember to save the scenario 
frequently as you edit it (S, S) so that you can go back to earlier 
versions.  After you have a basic map layout, it's time to start placing 
objects.  You can always switch back to map editing later, even after 
adding objects, but getting a basic map design down first usually 
makes things easier.

Adding Objects - Populating the Level

Objects of all types -- enemies, treasure, potions, teleporters -- are 
what really make a level come alive.  Although the placing of objects 
is more complicated than background map editing, once you've 
learned the basic operation, you should have no problem placing the 
objects of your choice.

Information about what type of object you have selected will be 
displayed in the information box in the upper right corner.  The most 
important line here consists of an object's team number followed by the 
object name.  For example, the scenario editor will start out with a 
soldier on team zero, which look like:
	0:SOLDIER
The team number of an object is one of its most important attributes.  
Any "living" object, such as a soldier or archer, will fight according to 
its team number.  For example, the soldier on team zero will attack 
anyone he encounters who is on a different team than he is.  By 
default, team zero is always the player's team in Gladiator -- anyone 
you put down who is on team zero will help the player, and can be 
controlled by him, while all other teams will be enemies.  To specify 
the team number of your object "pen," press the number keys, 0 
through 7.  As you probably know, each team gets its own color -- 
team zero is red, team one is green, etc.

Enemies and Allies

Let's try placing a few objects down.  First, make sure you're in object 
editing mode -- the display should say "MODE: OBS."  If it doesn't, 
press M until it does.  Then, basically, just left click on the map 
somewhere.  If nothing happens, make sure you're clicking on 
passable terrain, such as grass or dirt.  Because Gladiator characters 
can't swim, the scenario editor won't normally let you place objects in 
the water, over trees, or straddling walls.

Assuming you've hit a clear area, a soldier should appear.  If you 
haven't changed the team number, he'll be red -- a friendly unit.  Just 
as you can drag the mouse to draw map tiles, you can also, if you wish, 
drag the mouse around to draw lines of soldiers.

Changing Object Type: Of course, if all you ever placed was soldiers, 
things wouldn't be very interesting!  To cycle through the list of 
available troop types, click the right mouse button (make sure you're in 
object mode).  The display should change from something like 
"0:SOLDIER" to "0:ELF".  Each time you right-click the mouse, you'll 
cycle through the list of troops.  Eventually, the list will cycle back to 
soldier again.  Now you can place a variety of characters down on the 
battlefield.

Changing Team: Most of the time you place characters, however, you 
don't want to help the player - you want to give them some 
opposition!  And right now, we're just placing "good" characters - 
they're all on team zero!  Remember that if we want to put down 
enemies, they need to be on team number one or higher.  Try changing 
the team number of the currently selected object (press the number 
keys 1 through 7) and placing more characters.  Now we have some 
enemies!

Changing Level: Even with a variety of enemies, however, your level 
won't be very tough if all the opponents are level 1 wimps!  We need 
to raise the difficulty - say, to around 3rd or 4th level.  To do this, 
press the left and right brackets ( [, ] ).  Pressing the left bracket will 
lower the level of the currently selected object; pressing the right 
bracket will raise it.  Press the right bracket until the line listing the 
current level shows 3 or 4 (it should look like LVL: 4) and place a few 
more troops.  They will look the same, but these troops will be tougher 
than the first ones.  Note that changing the level only affects new 
troops you place - so anyone you placed who was level 1 will remain 
that way.

Adding a Name: Sometimes it can be fun to name some of the 
enemies - give the level some flavor.  To do this, hold down the R 
key (for Rename) and left click a character.  Now you can type the new 
name of the character, with a few restrictions: the name cannot 
contain spaces, and it must be no more than eight characters!  If you 
try to enter a name longer than 8 characters, Very Bad Things may 
occur.  After you've hit return, a small information box will pop up to 
show the new name of the character.

Getting Information: So now you've placed a few troops with 
different levels, but you can't tell who's-who!  We need a way to 
inspect a character to see what level he is, what team he belongs to, 
etc.  To do this, hold down the I key (this stands for "Information") 
and left click on a character.  This should bring up a small information 
box which will list the vital statistics of the object, including its level.

Toggling Alignment: Most of the time when you place objects and 
characters onto a scenario map, you'd like them to line up - this 
makes it easier to create groups of enemies, place treasures, etc.  
Sometimes, however, a different effect is desired, and for that, 
Gladiator has three types of alignment offered.  The current alignment 
style is listed in the information box on the line which will read 
"ALIGN: ON".  To change alignment mode, press G (for Grid 
Alignment).  The modes are:
  *  ON:    Objects won't overlap, and will always fit to an 
            invisible grid the same size as the background tiles.
  *  OFF:   Objects can overlap and "smear" to a large degree.  
            Drawing in this mode can be dangerous, as you can quickly 
            accumulate hundreds of overlapping objects.
  *  STACK: Objects can overlap, but will do so slowly.  This is 
            the best way to create "piles" of gold, food, or treasure.

Removing Objects:  So now we've added various characters, and set 
their levels.  But now we want to remove that row of level 1 elves who 
just won't cut it.  To remove an object, hold down the CONTROL key 
and left click the object.  If you have problems getting the object to 
vanish, try toggling the alignment to a different mode - this will 
often fix the problem.  Using the CONTROL key, you can delete any 
objects you don't want.  Remember that if you want to delete all the 
objects on a level, you can use the CONTROL-D combination to do it 
all at once.

That's all there is to adding enemies to a level!  To find out how to 
add other objects, specify character starting location, and other 
information, read on.

Cycling Through Object Types

To get to other kinds of objects you can place in the scenario editor, 
you need to cycle through the supported list.  To do this, hit the letter 
O (for Object Type) and watch the word that appears after the number 
on the team-number/object line (ie, 0:SOLDIER).  Repeatedly pressing 
O will take you through the five types of objects you can place in the 
scenario editor: living objects, monster generators, player markers, 
treasure items, and weapons.

Just like when placing characters on the map, right clicking the 
mouse will cycle through the type of object available in the current 
category.  For example, press O until the display reads something like 
"0:TENT."  This means you have a skeleton tent selected - skeleton 
tents will "create" more skeletons during the course of the level.  Now 
click the right mouse button.  The word "tent" should change to 
"tower," indicating that you've now selected a mage tower instead of a 
skeleton tent.  All type selection will work like this, in any object 
category.

Placing Generators
Remember to use the brackets to set the level before you place the exit!  
Generators are objects which create more enemies during the course of 
a level.  For example, a tent will generate skeletons.  The level of the 
generator determines the level of monsters it creates.  For example, a 
level 3 tent will create level 3 skeletons.  Additionally, higher level 
generators are harder for players to destroy.

Other types of generators in Gladiator include towers, which create 
mages; bonepiles, which create ghosts; and treehouses, which create 
elves.

Placing Player Markers

Player markers are what determines where a player's team starts out 
on the level.  Remember, just placing characters of team zero will give 
the players assistance, but won't reserve any areas for their own team 
members.

Each player marker looks like a large square, about two by two tiles 
large.  Each player marker you put down will allow one team member 
to show up at that location at the beginning of the level.  Putting down 
too many markers won't hurt - they'll just "vanish" when the level 
begins.  Putting down too few markers, however, will restrict the 
number of team members who can fight in the level.  For example, if a 
player has a team of 20 troops, but you only put down 10 markers, 
only the first 10 troops will actually appear in the level.

Currently, the team number of a player marker has no effect in the 
game - all the player troops are considered to be on team zero.  
Eventually, when we get player-v-player play implemented, a team 
number 4 marker will work only for player number 4, etc.

Placing Treasure

Treasure of all types is often what makes levels worth playing.  In 
general, the level of a treasure determines its potency.  For example, a 
level 3 drumstick will heal 3 times the hitpoints of a level 1 drumstick.

Some "treasure" items, such as exits, keys, and teleporters, work 
somewhat differently, and will be explained below.  The standard 
treasure types, however, include:
  *  drumstick:  generic food; this will heal the character who 
                 `eats' it some number of hit points.
  *  gold:       treasure worth "cash" value; approx. 100 per level
  *  silver:     treasure worth "cash" value; approx. 50 per level
  *  magic:      a potion which adds magic points - even above 
                 maximum - to the character who drinks it
  *  invis:      a potion which gives limited invisibility to the 
                 character who drinks it
  *  invuln:     a potion which gives temporary invulnerability to 
                 the character who drinks it
  *  flight:     a potion which gives temporary flight to the 
                 character who drinks it
  *  blood:      a bloodspot; used for effect only
  *  speed:      a potion which adds to a character's movement
                 rate -- one speed setting per level; try to
                 avoid values higher than 8!

Placing Exits:  Exits are a special type of treasure - they don't get 
"eaten," but rather provide a link to the next level once players have 
defeated all enemies.  If you don't have any exits on your level, the 
players will "win" as soon as all enemies are dead, and automatically 
go to the next higher level.  For example, if you're working on level 99 
and don't place any exits, players will automatically move to level 100 
when they complete 99.

Exits lead to the level specified by their level, oddly enough, as set by 
the left and right brackets :)  For example, if you place a level 5 exit, 
the exit will lead to scenario level 5.  Remember to use the brackets to 
set the level before you place the exit!  Having several exits on a level, 
each of which leads to a different level, is no problem, and can make 
interesting "split" paths for players to follow.  It is also generally a 
good idea to have an exit leading back to the previous level, where 
players came from.  This will allow players to retreat back to a safe 
level (and pick a different path) if they decide your level is too tough 
for them!

Placing Teleporters:  Teleporters work in groups, based on their 
level, also.  All teleporters which share the same level will form a loop 
from A to B to C and back to A again.  For example, say you have two 
telporters (A and B) of level 1, and 3 more (C, D, and E) of level 2.  A 
and B will just bounce you to the opposite teleporter - A to B, and B 
to A.  C, D, and E will form a loop: C goes to D, D goes to E, and E 
goes back to C again.

If you're not sure if your teleporters are set up properly, save your 
level, then re-load it.  After doing this, getting information on the 
object ( press I and left click) will list some information about where 
the teleporter leads.

One last thing to remember about placing teleporters is to avoid 
placing them near walls.  This is because large characters may "stick 
out" over the edge of the teleporter when they arrive.  If they overlap a 
wall, they will start taking damage - hardly what you want!  So try to 
leave the eight square surrounding a teleporter passable.  You can 
always surround it with carpet, wood floors, or other things to make it 
look special.

Placing Keys:  Keys unlock doors which share their level.  For 
example, placing a level 2 key will display the message, "Tom picks 
up key 2," if the character Tom touches the key.  Tom will now be able 
to unlock any door of level 2.

Note that keys don't vanish - they always stay around, so that many 
players can pick up the same key.

Placing Weapons

Although weapons show up as one of the types you can put down, 
there's not usually any reason to do so.  Why?  Because, as you know, 
weapons have a limited lifetime.  So even if you put a row of fireballs 
across a path, they'll vanish shortly after the level starts.

The only exception to this is the door weapon.  Why are doors 
weapons? Don't ask :)  Actually, the main reason for this is so that 
anyone who is on the door's team may pass through without a key, 
while all others are blocked.  So, when placing a door, remember:
  *  If you don't want anyone to be able to pass through, set the 
     team number to a team not represented on the level.  If you 
     want players to be able to pass through, set the team number to 
     zero; if you want the enemy to pass through, set the team 
     number to that of the enemy.
  *  Make sure to set the level of the door to that of the key you want 
     to unlock it, if any.  So if you want your door to be unlocked by 
     key (level) 3, set the door's level to 3, as well.

Finishing Up

That's basically it!  With this knowledge, you should be able to create, 
play, and distribute your own levels!  To play the level in Gladiator, 
make sure the .PIX and .FSS file are in the game directory, and then 
select "Set Level" from the Continue menu in the picker.  Just enter 
the level number of your new scenario, and you're set.

Feel free to experiment with other aspects of the scenario editor not 
listed here, and if you have any questions, please send them to glad-
reg, or to me at tricket@netcom.com.  Have fun!

