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INDEX
1 Introduction 4

2 Fundamentals 5
2.1 Map Size 5
2.2 Layout. 6
2.3 Requisition, Power and Victory points 6
2.4 Balance 7
2.5 Cover 7
2.6 Pathfinding 8

3 Worldbuilder tools 10
3.1 Heightmap Editor: Basics 10
3.2 Importing and Exporting 11

4.1 Texture Tile Painting Editor : Basics. 12

4.2 Layering 13

5.1 Objects Placement: Basics 14

5.2 Properties. 15
5.3 Manipulating and damage 15
5.4 Advanced 16

6.1 Impass Map Editor. 17

7.1 Splat Placement: Basics 17

7.2 Manipulating. 19

8.1 Camera Mesh Editor. 20

9.1 Grass Editor: Basics 20

9.2 Layering + Natural effects 21

10.1 Spline Placement 22

10.2 Manipulating 22
10.3 Textures 23
10.4 Objects 24
10.5 Height Deform 25

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11.1 Water Placement 26
11.2 Natural Edges. 26
11.3 Waterfalls 27

12.1 Lighting: Basics 28

12.2 Global 29

13.1 Action Markers: Effects and Sounds 29

13.2 Starting and Manipulating Effects 30

14.1 Stamps 30

15.1 Atmospheric and Weather 31

16.1 Terrain Properties 33

17.1 Advanced / Overlays/View 34

18.1 Build Order 34

18.2 Checklist 35

19.1 Testing 36
19.2 Packaging 36

20.1 Useful Links 38

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1 INTRODUCTION
Hi and welcome to my map maker guide. I hope you find the following pages useful and that
you have fun.
Duncan

If this is your first experience with mapping I would recommend reading through this guide
chapter by chapter whilst practising with the world builder. Allow yourself this time to get
used to the world builder, seeing how different tools work, what objects are available and
what limitations there are etc. Mapping is a fairly simple process but I cannot iterate enough
how much practice will improve your mapping.

After this take a more detailed look at relics map (just observe 2 computers) have a look at
how all the components combine together to make a finished product. Having spent some
time previously with the world builder will greatly help you to understand how these maps
were made. Maybe even take a screen shot and try a rough copy a small part of their map.
Making a detailed, balanced and enjoyable map takes time, don't rush and enjoy the ride!

I would recommend sketching out ideas for your map using pencil and paper. Decide what
kind of map you are trying to make. These can range from tight urban environments to a
large expanse of desert. You can also sketch in the world builder – spend 10 minuets
making a very rough map. Just use the height map and the objects for home base,
requisition, power and victory points. I have found both methods to be useful to get a basic
idea of balance and pathing. Whilst sketching is great for initial concepts, the world builder
is useful for tweaking before you start finalising your map. If in doubt, ask the community for
advice on your map balance.

I would also recommend watching the videos created by Grizzzzzzzzzzzzzz

They are also a very useful guide.
http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=510554

Starting Your First Map

Run WorldBuilder.exe

Open a new file (Ctrl + n)

Choose an appropriate size for

the map ( as discussed below)
Height is not as important at this
time, but 50m is a good place to
start.

To Save the Map (File, Save As): Save to <root>/Assets/Maps/PvP/

Make sure it is saving to the <root>/Assets/Maps/PvP folder otherwise they will not be baked
to the correct location to test the map.

Save progress often. The editor can crash without warning. (don't turn off the
auto reminder!)

At the time of this guides release the editor doesn't work, however Copernicus
has created a fix : http://community.dawnofwar2.com/forums/topic/34627
Thanks Cope !

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2 FUNDAMENTALS
2.1 Map Size

Map size is a very important factor to consider when making a map. Decide at the start how
big you want your map, its not simple to change it half way thought mapping. The map size
will directly effect the balance and pace of the game. Too large and the game will seem like
a trek between points with the slower races being at a disadvantage and transports
becoming a requirement. Too small and there could be no room to flank without being seen
and can create some pathing issues. Think about what type of map you would like and use
that as a starting point to select your map.

• You can always make your map larger then you think you will need, and reduce to
the size you want using impasse tool (chapter 6.1). This will effect the camera and
the fps of your map. However if used correctly can created interesting shaped maps,
for example, Calderis Refinery. Just have objects or height changes to show to the
player where is inaccessible.

• There should always be a non playable area around the map, this is to hide the map
"drop off" and allow you to make a more realistic environment. This should generally
be at least 150%- 175% size of the playable area in 1v1, but this percentage
decreases as the map gets larger. You do not need a huge non playable area, either
enough to get to the maximum fog distance (chapter 15.1) or to allow a realistic
height change to hide the drop off. Again make sure it is clear where this non
playable area starts by either using objects of having height changes.

The recommend "starting" size for maps is below.

Players Playable Area Non Playable Area

2 256 x 256 448 x 448
4 352 x 352 544 x 544
6 448 x 448 608x608

Below is also a list of a couple of official maps along with their sizes. The “M2 playable” area
is a rough approximation taking into account large area of the edges which have been made
inaccessible
Map Playable Terrain Size M2 Playable Req Power
(HeighxWidth) (HeighxWidth) (aprrox) points Nodes
(2p) Siwal Frontier 256x256 384x384 65000 5 4
(2p) Green Tooth Jungle 352x320 512x512 85000 5 4
(2p) High Legis Stratum 320x384 672x768 90000 4 4
(2p) Leviathan Hive 448x256 832x448 85000 4 5
(2p) Green Tooth Gorge 256x288 512x544 70000 6 4
(2p) Outer Reaches 256x256 384x384 65000 5 4
(4p) Golgotha Depths 320x320 576x576 100000 5 5
(4p) Medean Cliff Mines 384x384 512x512 135000 5 5
(4p) Calderis Refinery 448x448 800x800 110000 6 6
(6p) Tiber Outpost 512x512 640x640 200000 6 6
(6p) Argus Desert Gate 320x480 640x800 130000 7 6
(6p) Angel Gate 416x416 544x544 130000 7 6
(6p) Typhon Arena 384x384 544x544 145000 5 5

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2.2 Layout

Layout and is one of the most important factors when creating a map. You map can be
open spaces, narrow corridors, creating flanking heaven or flanking hell . Get it wrong and a
stunning looking map can become unplayable. When creating the layout try and think if
there is an unfair advantage to any race or unit. For example:
A narrow map with a low or no flanking possibilities favours a platform build, where as a map
with lots of narrow routes and shot blocking will favour melee units.

Also try and have at least one large open space where the armies can clash late game. A
basic rule of thumb is that there should always be three routes to any point on the map or
two wide routes.

Height changes can help with the look of the map and create some natural shot blocking, but
the extra time going up a ramp or stairs is not a major factor (unless you are using narrow
stairs and then you need to consider vehicle pathing). It is the different routes a player can
take, where he can fire and how fast he can flank that will effect the gameplay.

2.3 Requisition/Power/Vps

Getting the number of requisition points correct is important, it will effect the pace of the
game and how quickly a player can upgrade his base. Don't supply the players with too
many or too few points, both will cause issues.

• 3 VP's are a must on all sizes. The game is built around this concept and any
deviation can create stalemates or extend out games to boredom levels.

• Power nodes are less restrictive, however due to the nature of teching and the
importance of power harassing there are still some restrictions to balanced play. For
example: a large number of power points allow multiple variations on where you can
place your power, subsequently making your enemy scout for it. Conversely a low
number can makes power harassing easier, as if you get pushed off the map the
enemy can make a bee-line straight to the power node confident that the power
nodes will be there.

Below is how many power nodes I would build to create a balanced map
1v1 : 4 - 5
2v2 : 5 - 6
3v3 : 5 - 6

• The number of requisition points can vary the greatest. Whilst still important it will not
effect play as much as Victory or power. Again too few and there will be nothing
extra to fight over too many and half the game will be spent capping. They are useful
for increasing "zone value" as described in the next chapter.

Again I would recommend.

1v1: 4-6
2v2: 5-6
3v3: 5-7

Please refer to the previous chart on page 4 to see the number of points on official maps.

The objects for the above three can be found in the object list

ebps > world objects > gameplay > strategic_point_requisition_pvp

ebps > world objects > gameplay > strategic_point_pvp
ebps > world objects > gameplay > victory_point_pvp

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 Tip: Zone value: Each victory point, power node or requisition point increases
the “value” of an area on the map. The higher this value the more important
is it to fight over. Try and spread this value as evenly as you can across the
map, this will greatly increase the re playability of a map as you will not be
required to fight over the same area over and over.

When placing the points, consider how this effects the zone value. Think of how you would
play the map, where would you go first, would you always go that route, and does the layout
allow for multiple capping orders.

2.4 Balance

One player or team should not have an unfair advantage over the other,additionally nor
should any race. The layout doesn't have to be symmetrical but each player should have a
equal distance to available requisition, power and vp's. A useful tool for this is the Ruler
Mode tool (please see 2.6) where you can compare pathing distance between two points.

Cover should be evenly available to both sides. When coming up to a node, both sides
should have equal green/yellow cover available or the imbalance offset in a different part of
the map.

Garrisonable buildings are also important to consider. They cannot have a “commanding
view” of a large portion of the map. Make it possible to flank the building, get close with
green cover or bypass it completely (Buildings are considered yellow cover, so any green
cover available around will negate the bonus). Too many buildings favours ranged
races/builds where none make it easier for melee to push off ranged from the map as they
have no where else to retreat too.

2.5 Cover

There are four types base properties for objects which effect cover.
• No cover : which provide no bonus and are purely decorative. (no box)
• Yellow : which gives moderate defence against ranged fire (green box with a yellow
triangle in corner)
• Green : which gives good defence against ranged fire (green box with a green
triangle in corner)
• Blue : which blocks line of sight. (blue box around object)

Some objects have a combination of the above.

Example of the cover types with “cover and shot blocking”, activated by the icon

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Tip: Shot blocking can be artificially created
anywhere by using the object:

ebps > world objects > gameplay>

move_shot_blockers.

This will not show on the map but will block all
ranged. It is important to use these when there is
a significant change in height as this is not
automatically created. Note : it also acts as a
move blocker for all units.

Yellow cover is a bit more forgiving for where it can be placed , it is the green cover which
give the highest bonus and has to be placed more carefully. Along with balance, think about
if there is opportunity to flank the cover, and how the cover can make more interesting
skirmishes. objects which are shot blockers allow complete protection from ranged fire, and
are useful in giving melee more opportunity to flank.
A rough example how cover can be used to allow flanking.

Note: Some splats will also give cover, mostly the ones from the crater section

2.6 Pathfinding

Objects also have the five different crusher properties which determine their effect on unit
pathing. Each unit in the game has a different crusher type. If the unit reaches or surpasses
the objects required crusher value, it will not take it into account with its pathing and just
drive/run through it.

Land Only – Most infantry.

Light Crusher - Hive tyrant.
Jumper – Jump troops when landing.
Medium Crusher – Light vehicles (ie wartrucks, falcon, razor back)
Heavy Crusher – Walkers, terminators, heavy tanks (looted, predator)

To show these values. Select the ruler tool from the task bar denoted by the icon

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Select two point, either terrain or objects determined by
your start and end points.

Selected the type of crusher required.

Click Regenerate Pathfinding Data

This is also helpful when measuring the distance between

two points to help with map balance. Use Object for both
the Start and End, click on the two points you are
interested in. (ie Home Base and Point Node)

The straight line and pathfinding distance (determined

by crusher type selected) will now be shown at the bottom of the side bar

A selection of objects showing their effect on pathing when subjected to different crusher
types.

Due to the size and manoeuvrability of infantry they do not normally get pathing issues, be
more concerned with vehicles and how there pathing will be effected by your layout and
objects. Since the recent patch vehicle pathing is now a lot better, but make sure vehicles
have a “relative” easy time getting around the map. Conversely if you want to block an area
off from vehicles or leave some routes infantry only, this is a useful tool to make sure that it
works.

A map can also take into account walls that can be crushed as a later date to create new
routes around the map (see Argus Desert Gate or Quest's Hersey) which can completed
change of the map for late game. I wouldn't recommend blocking off VP's completed, as this
“drags” out the game and creates too much of an advantage for teleporting or burrowing
commanders, who can cap with immunity until later in the game.

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3 WORLDBUILDER TOOLS
3.1 Heightmap Editor

The height map editor is generally the first tool you should use when starting to create your
map. It creates the “foundation” of the layout and can help the map look more authentic,
especially in the case of city based maps.

To start click on the Heightmap icon on the toolar (or press F5)

LMB/ RMB Mode: The action of left or right

mouse buttons respectively.

Additive : Increases the heigh of the selected

areas
Subtractive: Decrease the height.
Set Value: Change the height of the selected
area to a set value as determined by Height
Smoothing: Smooths all the height values in the
selected area together.

Brush size – Diameter of brush in meters.

Feather:
• 0 all area selected will be immediately
effected 100%
• 100% only centre point is 100% effected,
whist the effect is gradually decreased to
the edge of the brush

Height: Used to set the value for Set Value

Height
Strength – The speed at which heights are
changed (no effect to set value)

Smooth Terrain – will smooth the whole of the

map (not recommended)

Sample: Will set the height to the same value as

where you click. (press Ctrl for this action)

The image to the right shows the

effect of feather on height map. From
0 feather to 100.

Set value is useful where you are going to be using stairs or ramps. Have height changes in
increments of 5, the basics height of stairs is either 5 for small or 10 for larger. Also most
walls have a value rounded to 5. It will make a much neater map. It is most useful in city
maps to get the interesting level changes expected in the 40k world. Whilst getting the basic
layout with set value, it is easier to then export and import the height map tga file to get crisp
edges. (explained later in 3.2)

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Smoothing is useful for natural landscapes as expected, but also for removing small terrain
errors or pathing errors. Remember to smooth height edges very slightly,especially if no
feather was used. This will stop any texture errors from showing.

Please see section 10.4 (page 24) on how to use the height Deform spine tool. This is a
very useful too when creating a perfect ramp.

Tip: For city maps the 4x4 terrain brush size is your best friend. Where 1x1 is great
for tiding corners it tends to take too long on long straight walls, and can leave height
errors. It consists 85% of a 3x3 square. The outer boxes are only filled 20-30% so it
requires a lot of movement to starting getting rough edges.

3.3 Importing Exporting Heightmaps

You can export a greyscale image of your map heightmap as a

tga file. This grayscale image can then be changed in an
external program as you see fit. This can be any program, but
you can get Paint.net (http://www.getpaint.net/) or Gimp
(http://www.gimp.org/) for free

To get the same height value just use the pipette tool,
any changes will now be that height when re imported. This is
great for creating city maps as you can use the filled square
tool for instantly straight edges!

• File > Export Height Map > Name File > Set Height
value to your map maximum.

• Edit in external program.

• Save back as .tga file. (or just write over same Heightmap file)

• File > Import Height Map > Select File > Set Height value to your map maximum

Note: This heightmap will include the non playable area. Mark the non playable off roughly
with a higher height value, so its easier to see where it is when editing.

You can export and reimport as much as you like sending the .tga back and forth between
the two programs until you are happy.

Right is showing how the heightmap will

turn out when you import the above tga
greyscale example.

Have you saved yet ?…...

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4.1 Texture Tile Painting Editor

Basics

Textures are one of the main building blocks for the

atmosphere of the level. Whether it is a desert tundra, dense
jungle or sprawling urban environment, textures help set the
scene.

To start using textures, click the Tile toolbar (F7)

Brush Size: Determines the diameter of the brush in meters

Feather: Effects the strength of the tile as it moves further from

the centre point

Strength: Determines the initial % coverage of the texture.

Note 14% is the lowest value you can paint.

Each part of the map has 100% worth of texture to be painted.

This can consist of 100% of one texture, or a mixture of
different textures totalling 100% (ie 30, 20,50)
This is explained more in the next chapter.

Layers: These are you selected textures of the map. You can
have 8 in total. Over writing the texture with a different one will
automatically change all of that texture on the map to the new
one. Select your textures at the start of mapping to make best
use of these 8.

Existing Layers: These are the layers that you can select. To
use one, click on a texture, click on a spare (or current) layer
box, and click Assign Layer.

To the right is an image showing how feather

and strength effect how a texture is place.
(Feather/Strength)

As you can see each layer has two textures

assigned to it, These are the ground texture
and the cliff texture. These can either be
identical or in most cases different. This
help in differentiating height changes in the
map. The more dramatic the change the
higher percentage will be the cliff texture.

Below is an image showing have height changes effects how the texture is displayed.

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4.2 Texture Layering

As stated, textures consist of 100% of

either a single texture of a
combination of a few. The editor will
display the textures you “painted” in
the order of which you placed them,
overwriting the earliest if you go over
100%.

The chart to the right shows how

painting different layers creates a
different tile. As you can see where
there is enough “texture allocation”
left you can see the original cement,
otherwise it lost under the grass and
dirt.

Examples:

1) Consists of 70% Cement,

15% of Grass and 15% of Dirt
2) 45% Grass and 55% Dirt
3) 5% Grass and 95% Dirt

Taking this into account you can

create natural textures by layering
how ever you need. You can layer
as many different textures as you
want (well up to 7).
To the right is an example of how five
different textures can be mixed
together to create a natural looking
base for your map.

Warning: The creation of your own layers by using the “Assign Ground and
Assign Cliff” is not supported in the current version of world builder. Any
attempt to make your own layer will create a texture error.

TIP: When you are not sure how much of a layer for a specific texture you need, set
the strength to 14%. Every time you click and paint an area will add 14%. You can
therefore build up the texture layer in small increments of 14,28,42,56 etc. This is
also good for creating natural textures and you can easily have multiple strength
layering.

TIP: To "dirty" up a level select a large brush with high feather and set the strength to
14%. Select the dirt texture desires and paint over the majority of the map. All the
textures will now have a brown hue. You could also change the global lighting to a
slight brown color, which will blend in the objects, and accentuate any brown textures
/ splats in the design.

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5.1 Object Placements

Basics

Objects are another primary tool that you will be using in all your maps. Take into account
that objects require most of processing power. The larger maps will generally have more
objects but they have to be limited carefully. Think about the lower end machines who
cannot handle a 516 by 516 map with 5000+ objects. You will generally have more in a 3v3
then a 1v1, but a 1v1 will allow you a greater number of objects per meter squared.
However you cannot have an excessive number of many objects in one place, as this still
will effect the fps.(the number of entities on the screen at any set time is what effects the fps)

To start click on the object placement icon (or press F2)

Placement:
• Adjustable: Ignore, (this will automatically
place the object at 0 height)

• Relative to terrain. This will snap the object to

the height of where ever you clicked.

Player assignment: Determines if its either world

(default) or assigned to one of players. I would place
object first and then change their respective owners, so
that this is not left on by mistake. You need a minimum
of two bases of different owners to have a playable map.

Use Random Rotation: Will place at a randomly

assigned angle (360o)

Snap to grid: As before will snap to selected grid size.

Snap to angle: Will snap to selected angle (up to 45o)

Snap to height: Ignore (will place object at 0 height)

Current (with object selected)

• Adjustable: Will allow you to change the height.
• Relative to terrain: Stickies the object to the
height of the terrain it rests on..

Note: With some objects you will not be able to change

this properties, unless placed in the non playable area.
This mostly effects vista objects.

You can also now change owner (world, player1-8)

Autoalign: Will set the objects angle to the angle of the terrain its currently placed.

Edit State: You can change health to make the object look damaged

Object list: This is a expandable list of all the objects in game. For reference the only ones
that you can use without SCAR coding are

EBPS > World Objects (majority of objects you will require)

VISUALS > World Objects (mostly vista objects which are for the unplayable areas)

You have to select you object from the list to place it. (it will default to tyranid spore)

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5.2 Properties

With an object selected you will be able to see various boxes surrounding it.

White: This is the volume of the object and the space it

occupies. This is useful when stacking objects, when
you can just see the bottom of the white box it is placed
correctly.

Yellow Box with small triangle in corner(yellow or green)

This denotes the cover level of the object. If the object
doesn't have this box it will not effect cover.

Red grid: This shows the footprint of the object and how
it will effect pathing.

Object impass: covered in 2.6

5.3 Object Manipulation

With the object selected a number of actions can be taken.

• Height: Press and hold down “h” and move mouse up and down to desired height.

• Rotation: Press and hold shift and move mouse in any direction. With the object
selected you can change “Snap to Angle” to desired angle and move object to get it
to change.

• Copy: You can copy the object by holding down “c” and select the object, or with
selected by dragging a new copy out.

• Autoalign: Will change the tilt of the object to the same as the ground it rests on.

• Edit State:

Click “Add” and press ok. (you can only change health)
Double click on “Set Health”
Enter the percentage as decimal place (ie 0.65 is 65%)
Click apply and ok.

The Object will now have new health value. This can be shows as battle damage but
not all objects have multiple visuals, a lot will just stay the same until 0% where it will
disappear and leave splat. This tool should be mostly used for damaging buildings.
For the objects that are effected the bands of damage show as.

1 - 0.67 No damage
0.66 - 0.34 Moderate damage
0.33 - .01 Heavy damage
0 Destroyed

Example right shows a building is its

various states of decay.

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5.4 Advanced

Objects can be placed at any height, angle or tilt you require. You can hide part of objects
inside other objects to create new interested models. You can also hide part of the object in
the ground.

Be careful where using hidden objects or ones top of other objects that can be destroyed. If
the lower object is destroyed but not the object higher, it will just float in mid air.

TIP: A useful tool when making a map is having a “angle” chart at the side. This can
be used to set you object at any angle you require. This can be easily created in the
spline deform tool as discussed in 10.4 (page 24)

When turning objects on their side. Have a vertical wall of 40 height of more (lower can be
95o), then place the object half into the wall and click “Autoalign”. This will flip the object 90
degrees in as shown.

Tip: You are only limited by your imagination when manipulating objects !

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6.1 Impass Editor

This is a simple tool to use but it is important in your map to stop pathing issues, exploitation
or just to create interesting map shapes.

Click on the Impass Map Editor icon (or press F6)

Brush Size: Diameter of brush in meters.

Left Click paints on the impass (light orange colour)

Right Click will remove the impass “paint”

Place in areas you want to be inaccessible, or where there is gong to be pathing issues.
This can be used to block off areas of the map to create a more interesting shape. (If doing
this however have objects/height change to signify that it is non playable) No unit will be
able to pass through this impass. If you run the Ruler tool for path finding you can then
change to the impass tool while still keeping the overlay. This can then be filled in as
required.

Remember to paint impass on top of inaccessible height changes, otherwise units that can
teleport can retreat to safety, creating an unfair advantage.

Below is an example of how the impass tool can be used to “fix” a map.

7.1 Splat Placement

Basics

Splats are a great tool for creating a varied and detailed ground layer or to tie objects and
textures together. There are hundred of splat to choose from, and with the different colours
and sizes this becomes thousands. They can also be easily layered. Again take into
account how many splat you are using, it will effect the fps of your map. Do not make splats
too large as this will stretch their base texture to a point where it will pixelate.

Tip: Knowing all the splats off by heart take a long time, have a splat pallet at the
side of the map or in an area you are not working on. This is one of every splat at its
optimum size for your selected environment. This can be a quick reference to the
splats available at a glance (you have a preview but it distorts the non square splats
too much) and you can also just copy splats as you need then!

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To start using splats click on the splat icon SPLT (or press F8)

Random Rotation
Assign Button : Will rotate selected splat to new
random rotation

Placement: Automatic random rotation on placing

splat
Random Mirror X & Y
Assign Will flip the selected splat along its x/y axis

On: will automatically flip splat along its x/y axis

Snap To
Snap to Grid – Will snap splat to specified grid
distance

Snap to Angle – will snap splat to specified angle

Default

Pick: All these buttons will set the value of the

corresponding tool to the same as the selected splat.

Rotation: rotational value (ignore)

Scale: Relative size of splat, value scale dependent on

splat selected

Mirror X:Will flip selected splat along its X axis

Mirror Y:Will flip selected splat along its Y axis

Colour: Selects the colour of splat

Opacity: selects how see through the splat is.

Current
These action will effect the current selected asset
effecting it the same way as above.

Optimum size: This will set to

the default size of the splat

Textures
Assign: This will replace the
current selected splat with the
highlighted splat on the list

To start placing splats its a simple

case of selecting it from the
expandable list and then left clicking
on the map.

Right is an image are some examples of

how size, opacity and colour will effect a
splat.

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 Tip :Splats are highly useful in city maps. They can be placed to create a hard
change in the texture, producing an effective city feel. Below is just a few examples
of the “floor trims” that are on offer. They are also very useful in creating roads.

7.2 Manipulating

After placing a splat you can still manipulate it however you want.

Rotation: Hold down both Shift and the Left mouse button, now moving the mouse in any
direction will change the direction for the splat. As before in objects, you can activate “snap
to angle” and the selected splat will automatically change to that angle (one moved slightly)

Size: Hold down both Shift and the Right mouse button and drag the mouse in any
direction, this will change the size of the splat. Do not make the spats too large, this will
distort the texture.

Copy: You can copy the splat by holding down “c” and select the splat, or with selected by
dragging a new copy out.

Order: With multiple splats selected page up and page down will change the order in which
there are placed. The default will put the last splat placed on top.

Colour: You can change colour from the “current” part of the side bar. You are not just
limited to the pallet shown. By clicking on the advanced button you can select your own.

You can place as many splats as you want on top of each other, bear in mind that splats will
effect performance.

Two examples of how just splats

can be used to create detailed
environments.

Page 19
8.2 Camera Mesh Tool

The majority of this tool does not work with the current version of world builder. But you
don't really need it. Remember to use this tool whenever you make any height
changes.
To start click on the camera icon CAM along the toolbar

Click Generate Default Camera

The default value will generally work on all maps.

Camera Mesh Smooth Radius: This determines how steep the camera heigh
changes will be, a value of 1 is very steep whilst 100 is very smooth taking a larger
area to reach the lower terrain.

Maximize Reduction Radius: This effects how far out from the height difference the
camera will change out from the height change. The lower the distance the further
this will be (values from -100 to 100)

9.1 Grass Editor:

Basics

Grass is a useful tool for making terrain more

natural. Used correctly it can appear natural,
but if placed in big blobs of dense grass it looks
“fake”. Also note that grass does have a
moderate effect on the maps fps, so try and use
it sparingly. In most situation less is more with
the grass tool.

There are 25 grasses you can choose of which

you are allowed 14 in your pallet.
Don't go over these selected 14 grasses, it will
start to delete / overwrite the previous in your
selection.

This is one of the few tool where right click doesn't remove the effect. You will have
to select “No Grass” and paint over to remove any incorrectly placed.

Page 20
To start using the grass tool click on the icon

Do not use the height tab, it will not paint and has no effect.

To start “painting” grass selected the grass with left

click and left click on map.

Type: This is a list of grasses available for your map.

+ : This will bring up the grasses available. Select one

and click ok to add it to the above list. (14 maximum)

- : With the grass selected press this button to remove

it from your list.

Brush size: Diameter of brush in meters.

Normal/Crushed/Burnt: This will select the added

effect to the grass. Note that crush doesn't work, and
burnt works on some grasses turning them black, but
will just not display others.
9.2 Layering + Natural Effects

Creating natural looking areas of grass can be difficult. The idea is to break up the grass
and not to have dense clumped areas. But there are a few tips to help you

• Place the grass with a size 1 brush

• You can use multiple grasses blended together but try and use grasses with a similar
hue. See below for example
• Leave gaps between grasses, showing the tile texture. This will also help fps.
• Place assets in the grass (ferns, small plants etc) which break it up.
• You don't have to use all 14 grass slots.
• Try and place grasses in their natural environment. For example; reeds at the waters
edge, ferns below trees and in corners.

Below is an example of four grasses blended together. In this image I have used

Grass_Green_01
Grass_Green_02
Grass_Mixed_01
Ferns_Small_01

Saved yet ?......(you get the idea)

Page 21
10.1 Spline Placement:

The spine tools can be the hardest tool to use. It combines your knowledge of splats /
objects with your knowledge or splines. Splines are basically a designated path determined
by your placed control points. Along this path you can place splats, objects or even deform
terrain with any combination of their properties.

To start using splines click on the spline icon (or press F9)

The basic of placing spline control points is the same for all three of the tools. The
side bar will be the same at the top, with only the lower changing to the selection. Try not to
have any sudden turns, it can cause graphics glitches.

Right click to place the control points, if you are not

happy press “Esc” to restart.
You need a minimum of 4 points to “activate” the
spline.

Snap to - Grid : This can be sued to get a straight line.

For example snapping to 10 meters, and showing the
10 meter grid (under Overlay in. will make producing a
straight line a lot easier.

Ignore Snap to Angle and Snap to Height.

Outline Drag Mode: Once checked the spline

objects/splat will stay in place while you move the
yellow spline outline, otherwise the will be moved with it.

10.2 Manipulating.

Once placed you can still effect the spine in many ways.

Move: Left click and drag spline to new position.

Rotate: Press shift and left click, and move the mouse in any direction

Width: Press shift and right click, and move the mouse in any direction

Remove: Press delete.

Control points: If you are not happy with the spline control points, press Space bar with the
spline selected. Click and drag any of the control points to their new position.
You can also remove any with delete.
Press Space bar again if you want to exit and return to the whole spline.

Length: Press the add/remove from back/front

buttons to add an additional control point to the
spline.

Copy: Press and hold “c” now drag out a new copy
from the selected spline

Page 22
10.3 Spline Textures (Splats)

Width: Width in meters

Width Preset: Selection of different sizes

Set To Preset Width: With spline selected this will set to the
above width

Set To Optimum Width: Sets to the optimum width of the

texture assigned

Redefine CV's : Ignore

Control Points – add/remove as before

Fix to Tiling Width – sets to width of spline if you have

expanded it (but this generally occurs automatically)

Colourise – can change opacity along the spline, or change

it to a different colour of a number of colours
(see below)

Tiling – The number of splats that fill up the spline, don't

mess around, it will destroy texture.

Texture
Assign- Can replace splat with new one, click new desired
splat and click this button.

When placing your control points for the spline try and refrain
from having tight turns. This will distort the texture to can
cause it to glitch. Try and place enough points that you get a
nice even curve, generally place more control points then
you will need. This will allow you to manipulate the spline
easier.

Careful when stretching out your spline without adding more control points with the add to
front/back buttons, as it can distort the texture

Example of a spline with too few

control points at the top and a better
amount at the bottom.

Page 23
Colourise is useful you want to change to opacity of your spline of its colour. The higher bar
will effect its colour and the lower Alpha bar will affects its opacity. The lower the alpha the
more opaque it will become. New spline will default with a small alpha change at both ends.

New points: Left click on the horizontal bar and change the values as desired. This will
create the small white bars (as shown)
To select: Left click on the small bar and change their values as you see file. They can also
be dragged to a new position along the bar. (have to be precise or it add a new one)
Remove: Right click to remove

An example how colour and

alpha will effect a spline.

10.4 Spline Objects

Whist a useful tool in creating curved walls or a section of shot

blockers, I wouldn't recommended using this to place you assets.
It can allow little in the way of precise placement, and can be
difficult to use. Again this side bar has a lot of similar buttons as
the object placement, I will therefore skip over repeats.

Placement Type :
Order: This will place the objects in the same order as they
appear in the list
Random: Will place the order randomly determined by their
probability.

Wall Mode: Will align all objects in constant unbroken wall

whatever the angles it is placed.

Object List: The objects that will be showing after you placed
the spline. Can be either a single or a number of different
objects.

Delete: Will remove selected object from the list

Up/Down: will change the order of the objects
Prob: with the object in the list highlighted the can be used to
change the probability of the object appearing on the spline.
This only effects when placement type is random.
Note: It doesn't have to be total of 100% the values are relative to
each other.

Spacing: The distance in meters between the objects

Width Variation: The maximum distance objects can be from the

centre of the spline

Add Object to List: Will add the selected object to the above list.

Page 24
Some examples showing
how spacing and width
variation will effect your
spline

10.5 Spline Height Deform

Select Deform, and check the tick box underneath.

Width: This will select how wide the height change will be in
meters. Some pre-set value have been included but you can
manually change the value to what ever you want.

Mode/Height Presets: Both act the same, setting spline to add

the specified height.

To create the spline, press Enter.

Again you can manipulate the spline after it has been placed
however you like as discussed in the previous chapter.
However you cannot change its height.

After you have pressed enter and have created your spline you
can click Edit Profile. This will bring up another
window, left click will add more points or you can left
click and drag existing to new places.

Click Apply to make the changes

An example right show how to create a ramp. Just take

the last point and drag it down to the lowest point.
A ratio of 1:2 Height to width has been used. (10m
Height, 20m width)

Once you are happy with the spline and its position, with the spline selected you can click
bake. The spline can be moved around as you like before baking but after, it will be
changed into a permanent height change.

Tip: You are not limited to just ramps !

Page 25
11.1 Water Placement

Getting water looking natural can be difficult. It

tends to create a noticeable difference between the
ground and water making it looking unnatural.
However it is a simple tool to use and can create a
great mood on your map if used correctly

With the water tool selected.

Update: Various times the water will update, or you

can click the update button

Right click: Adds the waters starting point.

Depth: is the waters depth in meters. You can use decimal places. Note that water
becomes impassible after 0.5 meters. You can check if you water is impassible using the
ruler tool and hiding water by deselecting it under the “view” tab.

Properties of water
• The water will not pass any heightmap which is higher then its depth , even if there is
lower terrain on the others side, but will fill the whole map if allowed.
• It will stay at its height level from the initial placing, even if the heightmap gets
shallower.
• It will stack on top of each others.

Warning: Do not place more then three waters on the map, it takes a lot to process
and can dramatically effect your fps.

To change the water effect and colour you will need to change the terrain properties (as
covered later in 16.1 page 31). To change the ripples see under wind in Atmosphere
Properties (15.1 page 30)

11.2 Natural Edges

A few tips in making the waters edge look as natural as possible.

• Use a water colour that matches you terrain as close as possible.

• Smooth the edges of the heightmap and update the water
• Add a mud or Dirt tile to the edge
• Add grasses around the waters edge and in the water (reed_1, reed_2)
• Add splats to extra detail.
• Use objects to hide the edge and for variety

Example below of the stages to create a natural waters edge.

Page 26
11.3 Waterfalls.

Waterfalls are a great addition to any map with water, as they create a dramatic feature. If
made incorrectly however it can ruin the effect.

The main things to think about are:

• Water Speed (as covered in 16.1 page33). A rough value of about 2 is right, but this
is variable depending on waterfalls size and the maps overall wind speed. It needs
to match the placed water otherwise it will stick out.

• The heightmap around it, to blend it in and make it look natural. Alternatively assets
can be used. You will need to hide the waterfall objects edges otherwise it will look
unnatural

• Effects to hide where the waterfall object meets the water tool

Waterfalls objects are mainly found

Visuals > World Objects > Jungle Terrain > Waterfalls > Missionb

When the waterfalls top is above view height it is simple enough to just adjust the height
map to hide the vertical edges of the waterfall.

If you can see the top of the waterfall it is a bit trickier. You will need to manipulate the
terrain so it “holds” in the water on the above level, without being seen though. Place a
slither of terrain that is just above the water height. You will also need to hide the top edges
of the waterfall, rocks or jungle trees can be useful for this.

There is a good selection of rocks that can be used to hide the edges or to create interesting
formations inside the waterfall. There can be found

ebps > Jungle terrain > cliffs.

There are two effects and a sound that you can use to improve your waterfall. These are
listed in the stamp pack as Waterfall, splash and sound_local waterfall.

Below is an example of a simple waterfall with added effects where the top is out of game
camera view.

Page 27
12.1 Lighting Mode

Basics

Lighting greatly effects the atmosphere of the map. Your map can be set at different types
of the day with whatever sun colour you like. Local lighting is useful for highlighting specific
areas on the map or just for effect.

The darker your overall global lighting the more you will be able to see the local lighting as it
contrasts to the darkness. Be careful not to set the level too low otherwise it will become too
difficult to see where you are going ! Along with the light comes the shadows and these can
also be used for good effect to increase the atmosphere of the map.

To start click on the lighting mode icon.

And expand the sidebar

Lights: Local light objects which will radiate light as specified

below.
Environmental Probes: Don't seem to have any effect.

Bake Lighting: Will turn on the lighting and show how it

effects areas with the pre-placed probes

Quick Bake: Supposed to be used to test small areas and

save from a larger map bake, but doesn't work.
Use this at the beginning of mapping to remove the harsh
shadows.

Light Colour : The colour of the light object selected. Again

you can add any colour you want with the advanced tool.

Light Brightness: How bright the light will be.

Scale: Effects the dimensions of the light which will in turn

effect the amount of light produced. The larger the flight
object the higher the brightness will be.

When placing your lighting objects, they are defaulted to ground height, where they will not
show. You will need to raise the light in order for it to work. Take some time to double
check the lighting is all in the right place before you bake the lighting. Baking can be a long
process/.

Some examples of light probes (not the first on is too low to produce any light.

Page 28
12.2 Global Lighting

Take some time getting your global lighting levels right, its the one effect the player is always
going to see. Its simple to adjust, but you will be surprised how the smallest changes can
have a massive effect on the look of the map.

You will find global lighting under

scenario > atmospheric properties

Sunlight Colour: Colour of light,

again can make your own colour

Intensity: Brightness of the light on

the level. Scale is 0 (pitch black) to 10 but I wouldn't recommend going below 0.3 or above 5

Shadow Intensity: How dark the shadows will be on the level

Sunrise Direction: Where the sunlight will appear from on the level thus effecting the
shadow direction

Time of Day: How hight the sun is in the sky, thus effecting the length of the shadows.

13.1 Action Markers: Effects and Sounds

Effects are not in the editor by default, but I have

created a stamp folder that contains copies from
the official maps. There is little you can change
in the way of properties but there are enough
effects and sounds for your requirements.

Thanks to Deionarra for the ones I missed !

Instructions

Download the below folders:

http://www.filefront.com/14857375/DOW2 EFFECTS.zip

Place both folders into.

<root>\dawn of war 2\Tools\ToolsData\WorldBuilderData\Stamps

When you open up world build your stamp list will now be populated
with the effects.

To Place Effect

Select "Stamp Placement" on toolbar.

Select the effect required from the stamp list

Place on map with right click (it can be moved after)

Either press enter or hit "Create Stamp" button

These effects will not be showing in the worldbuilder yet (but will show in game), to be able
to edit effectively see below on starting the effects.

Page 29
 To Start and Manipulate Effect

Selected the "Render Marker Prox" icon

Make sure action markers is selected in the sidebar

To start: Select each action marker and press restart or click

the Restart All button from the right hand toolbar.

To move: selected either one of the axis, or the bottom

yellow "plate" to move freely. You cannot use H to raise you
need to select the y axis.

To copy: You can copy with “c” as per usual.

To change effect see the expandable command box. Its size,

height and direction can all be effected

• Delay: Delay in effect starting from map start in

seconds
• Fx: Effect registered to action marker (cannot be
changed)
• Position: no change
• Orientation: Rotates effect in 360 angle but
doesn't change direction
• Length: Height of the effect along the
vertical Y axis
• Scale: Directly effect size
• Self Mark: no change

14.1 Stamps

I won't go into too much detail with the stamp tool. It is limited to only being useful for either
transferring groups of objects between maps or even the whole map. For the sake of variety
you don't want to copy large areas, and any copying that you require can be done with “c”.

To create:
Bound box: You can use this to create a selection box and click Create Stamp.
Selection: You can either select one item or left click and drag a box selecting multiple
items. Then click Create Stamp. This will not select the heightmap though.

Filters: When checked the stamp will pick up that item in its selection

Rotational Gizmo: will place a action marker before placing the stamp allowing you to rotate
and move it.
Random Rotation: Will place the whole stamp at a random angle.
Bound Volume: With rotational gizmo selected this will show the outline of the items in the
stamp.
Absolute Cords: Will place the stamp at the same coordinates as from its creation.

Stamp List: They created stamp will automatically go into the temporary folder. To place
any stamp, select the stamp from the list right click on map and either press enter of Create
Stamp

Tip: If you made an error in you map size this can be used to resize you map. Tick
all the filter boxes. Use bound box over the whole map. When in new map make
sure absolute cords is selected. You map will now have been transferred over.
However it seems to lower the whole terrain just under 5 meters.

Page 30
15.1 Atmospheric and Weather

Another way to create great atmosphere in a level is to change its fog and its weather.
Again getting these right is important as the player will always see these where ever he is on
the map. There are many ways you can use these tools, from creating thick foggy swamp to
a city in the middle of a storm.

There are a couple of section in atmosphere properties, however you are only really
interested in sunlight, fog, sky, wind and weather . Lighting was cover in the previous
section of 12.2 (page 27)

They can be found under Scenario > Atmosphere Properties

Fog

Colour / alpha gradient: This acts the same was as a splines texture chart (10.2 page 23)
The colour can be varied along the fogs distance, but I wouldn't recommend it. The alpha is
the most important gradient. The darker the colour the less fog is showing. You can also
add more point or move existing ones.

Fog start: The distance from the camera the

fog will start, this is not on by default. If you do
reduce the distance to 0 make sure the fog
alpha is only at very low values at the start.
Otherwise you will not be able see effectively.
Check this by setting the view to “Use Game
Camera”

Fog end: The distance the fog will end. Useful

for hiding the map edge.

Fog Layer Depth: This effects the horizontal base fog of the level. To remove set it to 0.

Fog Contrast: How opaque he fog will be, the higher the vaue the harder it will be to see.

Sky Blend Height: Changes the height at where the fog meets the sky.

Weather

You can create a number of different weather effects for your map from light rain,
sandstorm, tyranid spores to even snow. To get the weather looking natural can take some
time as there are a lot of different properties you can adjust.

I have extracted the official map weather effects and have created some other basic
ones for you to download. You can simply load these up into your map.

Download the below Atmosphere folder.

http://www.filefront.com/14857417/ATMOSPHERE.zip

Replace the original folder located at.

<root>\dawn of war 2\Tools\ToolsData\WorldBuilderData\Atmosphere

You will now be able to load these preset atmospheres into your map.
Just click the Load Button top of Atmosphere Properties.

Page 31
Sky
This is the backdrop of your level, there are a number of preset background you can choose
from. It is simple to active, and will appear as a dome texture around your map

Sky Model: Select the background that you want to use

Height: The height the background will be placed.

Rotation: Will spin the background in any direction, it is a little change on the overall effect.

Rain:
Speed: How fast the texture will travel to the
ground

Wind Strength: Changes how much the wind

speed will effect the direction

Density: How much of the texture you will see

Buoyancy: Determines how light the texture is,

and creates a random directional element.

Width/Length: effect the size of the particles

you will see

Tile U/Tile V: Effects density by changing the

size of the texture tile

Texture: The type of particle you want to see

(rain/spores/sand etc)

Splash Density: The amount of rain splashes

you will see on the ground

Max Spash Age: The length of time the effect will take to compete.

Lightning cannot be changed in the current version of the worldbuilder.

Misc
Terrain wetness Level: This has no real effect I can see

Weather type: Choose from rain, tyranoformation, sand or neutral.

Wind:
Direction: Angle the wind will come from

Declination: The angle is the wind comes from from 90o to -90o. Where 90o is straight down

Strength: The relative speed of the wind

Water only
Direction: This will effect the direction of the ripples on the water

Strength: How fast those ripples will move.

Page 32
16.1 Terrain Properties

This tool can be used to add cloud/city shadows to your map and to change the properties of
your water

It can be found under Scenario > Terrain Properties

Horizon: Ignore.

Fog Layer Base Height: acts the same way as

Fog Layer Depth in Atmosphere properties and
stack on top of each other.

Giant Shadow
Texture name: The shadow you want to use

Scrolling Type: select scroll

Movement Strength: The speed at which the

texture will move across the map.

Water Objects (effects waterfalls)

Scrolling Type: Select scroll

Movement Strength: The speed at which the

water flows in the object. Do not set this too high
as it will appear unnatural. Around a value of two
is a good starting point.

Water Reflection: (This will effect the water

placed through the water tool)
Normal Map: The type of ripple effect showing

Water Colour: Select the desired water colour

Foam Map: not available

Bumpiness: The apparent height of the water ripples

Wind Factor: Determines how much he wind will effect the speed of the water ripples. (in
effect it just effects the speed of the ripples)

Ocean Mode: No visible change

Desired Texel Per meter: Ignore

Some examples of the different water effects

Page 33
17.1 Overlays / Advanced / View

There are many extra overlays, views and useful tools that can be used to help you create
your map. Here is a small sample and their uses (all found from the menu bar)

Overlay
Toggle (Ctrl + F5)

Grid Overlay 5m/10m/32m: This will create a grid on the map, useful for getting dimensions
right or straight angles when snapping to grid.

Regenerate Impass: Will recalculate the impass for the map, useful when yo want to see
the impass and still use another tool.

Advanced
Wireframe (World): Will change the heightmap into a wireframe model, can be useful if you
are not sure on the height change.

StatGraph: has useful information, most importantly the fps you are getting at that specific
moment. This is dependent on your system, so if you have a high end machine allow a large
margin for the lower end machines to be able to cope.

View
Water: Will toggle the water display. Useful when you need to look at the impass of shallow
water.

Use Game Camera: Places the camera to how the game camera will be set. This is sueful
for testing the camera mesh and to see any errors that would appear. For example if you
can see the map edge.

18.1 Build Order

This is a basic build order which I would recommend for mapping. You can place them in
any order, and redo specific areas as you see fit.

• Concept – Size / Basic Layout / Requisition / Bases / Basic Cover

• Heightmap
• Bases/ victory points/ requisition points/ power nodes
• Placing majority of large objects
• Check pathfinding and map balance
• Rest of objects
• Impass tool to correct any errors
• Basic Textures
• Water (if any)
• Splats
• Tie all the textures/ together and splats together
• Effects
• Grass tool
• Improving detail
• Lighting
• Atmosphere and weather
• Checking map for errors
• Bake and test !

The next page is a checklist to use after you have created your map. This is probably not
everything you need to check, but is the majority.
I would recommend printing out this next page.

Page 34
18.2 CHECKLIST

Non visible map drop off whilst using the game camera

Balanced for each player and each race.

Layout doesn't favour any specific build / tactics

Balanced garrison buildings

Correct number of requisition and power nodes.

Pathing for different crushers smooth (importantly vehicles)

No exploitable areas

Balanced cover.

Frame per second is acceptable.

No cliff errors

Turrets covering the base correctly.

Assets placed correctly

Texture tile looks appropriate for the map.

Splats placed correctly and are not over sized

Spline textures do not show any errors

Grass looks natural, including waters edge

Water and waterfalls are flowing at the correct speed to look natural

Game camera mesh is set correctly.

Lighting is at the right level, and local spot lighting looks correct.

Weather effects set correctly

Fog distance and alpha at the right level.

Effects and sound placed.

Giant shadows correctly used.

Page 35
19.1 Testing

Testing your map is important to find errors created in game play that you haven't realised
whilst making the map. There is so many different combinations of events that is it always
difficult to take them all into account. This is why testing is so important. If you do not have
anyone to test the map for you having two identical computers fight on the map will help you
see any problems or balance issues that may come up. Computer testing is no substitute
for humans, they don't deliberately go out their way to test every aspect of the map and you
never get any feedback !

After you have created you map you need to bake you map. (File> Save and Bake )

Make sure the map is saved to the <root>/Assets/Maps/PvP folder otherwise they will not be
baked to the correct location to test the map.

You now need to run the game in -dev mode. To achieve this create a duplicate shortcut on
your desk. You don't need to create a copy but its easier then changing back and forth,also
you should rename it. (ie DOW2 Developer Mode)

Right click on the shortcut and click properties

Go to the Shortcut tab
Add – dev to the end of the target
It should read some thing along the lines of "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe"
-applaunch 15620 -dev

When you run in developer mode it will make your baked map available to play.

19.2 Packaging

This can be a difficult process to get right. If you are having difficulty on the below, check of
other guides from the forums, or ask for help showing a copy of the relevant text files.

There are three main steps.

• Addition and modifying of archive design
• Modifying the createarchive.bat tool.
• Running the program from command prompt or windows run task

Warning: A map with spaces will not package correctly, for exmaple change My First Map to
My_First_Map.

If you are not sure on your root path, go to the dawn of war II main folder and copy it from
the navigation bar.

Archive Design

Make sure to make a copy of 4p_SmallDemo before you change anything. Keep this as a
original copy in case you make any saved mistakes .

Go to <root>\dawn of war 2\Assets\Archive Design

Copy the 4p_SmallDemo and rename it to your map name.

Open this in notepad or any other text editing program.

Page 36
You now need to make some changes
• The archive name to your maps exact file name
• Replacing DOW2_WB\Root with root path on your computers
• The Map name to the name of your map. (.sga not important)

<Archive Name="4p_SmallDemo" DefaultCompression="Buffer"

DefaultRoot="c:\DOW2-WB\Root\GameAssets"
ArchiveFile="Mods\4p_SmallDemo.sga">

It should end up something like

<Archive Name="Legacy" DefaultCompression="Buffer"

DefaultRoot="C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\dawn of
war 2\GameAssets" ArchiveFile="Mods\Legacy">

CreateAchive.bat tool

Go to <root>\dawn of war 2\Tools\Bin

Open CreateAchive.bat ( you might not be able to open this directly, if not go into the text
editing program and open it from there)

You will need to make the following changes

• Replacing C:\DOW2-WB\ROOT to that of your root path ,
• addition of “ “ around the root path.(important)

Archive.exe -c -r ..\..\GAMEASSETS\ -cf ..\..\Assets\ArchiveDesign\

%1.sga_design -a C:\DOW2-WB\ROOT\dawn of war 2\GameAssets\Mods\
%1.sga -log %1.log

This now should look something like:

Archive.exe -c -r ..\..\GAMEASSETS\ -cf ..\..\Assets\ArchiveDesign\

%1.sga_design -a "c:\Program files (X86)\Steam\steamapps\common\dawn of
war 2\GameAssets\Mods"\%1.sga -log %1.log

Command Prompt / Run Task

Open up command prompt , or open up windows run task.

Type in
"<root>\Tools\Bin\CreateArchive.bat" Map Name

It should end up looking something like

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\dawn of war

2\Tools\Bin\CreateArchive.bat" Legacy

The addition of “” is important.

A new file is created in <root>\GameAssets\Mods called Map Name.sga. A log file is also
created in <root>\Tools\Bin

Make sure the only items left in <root>\GameAssets\Data\Maps are the ones for
the current map you are archiving. Otherwise this program will package every map
you have baked.

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To run your map you will need to run dow2 in -mod mode. Create another copy of the
shortcut and rename it however you see fit.

Add -mod MapName to the target of the shortcut

It should look something similar to

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe" -applaunch 15620 -mod Legacy

Finally...Enjoy your map !

Thanks for reading, if you have any questions, problems or additions feel free to PM me at
either:
Community Forums or Games Replay.

My name is LondonDuncan is both cases.

Thanks
Duncan

20 Useful Links

Community Map Forums

http://community.dawnofwar2.com/forums/world-builder-and-modding

GR Community Map Forums

http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?
s=8f708db16d1b1130647fffdd10485e3b&showforum=3152

Relic News Community Map Forums

http://forums.relicnews.com/forumdisplay.php?f=257

Community Map Pack

http://community.dawnofwar2.com/forums/topic/30594

Map Pack Rating

http://dow2.info/Category:Community_Maps

Community Map Contest 1st stage winners (with download)

http://www.gamereplays.org/dawnofwar2/portals.php?show=page&name=dawn-of-war-2-
map-contest-custom

Grizzzzzzzzzzzz's Video Tutorials

http://www.gamereplays.org/dawnofwar2/portals.php?show=page&name=dawn-of-war-2-
map-contest-custom

Packaging Guide
http://community.dawnofwar2.com/forums/topic/27005

Relics Guide.
http://community.dawnofwar2.com/sites/dawnofwar2.com/files/2009/07/dow_ii_worldbuilder_
manual.pdf

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