With this in mind you should only use terrain to make minor changes to the way the ground looks and not for major effects like mountainous hills or giant caverns as it won't work. Technically you could attempt to fix this "issue" with triggers which modify unit speed and doodads which make terrain impassable, but doing this is often more trouble than it is worth and will not really help your level in the end. The reason for this boils down to balance and that slight modifications to terrain could have huge negative effects on gameplay if this were not the case. No matter how steep a hill you make, your units will always pass over a given distance of land in the same amount of time and the system will actually adjust a unit's speed dynamically to make sure this is the case. If this interests you, spend some time looking at tutorials and playing around and in no time your level should look great.ĭespite its simplicity, there is one major thing you must consider when using the height tool: it will have no impact on gameplay and, more specifically, it will not affect the speed of your units. Making nice rolling hills or deep caverns with the Height tool is pretty simple and once you understand how each tool works there isn't much more you need to know. The doodads with destroyed ships and wrecked vehicles may look awesome, but if your level is supposed to be a newly settled world with only a few people on it they may not make sense with the rest of your level's components. No matter what you want your map to represent you can make it work, but unless you nail these details down early it may just turn out as a confusing mess of unrelated ideas.Īs you continue through this article and begin applying the techniques I show you, always consider your theme and do your best to make sure that all of your ideas flow from it naturally. When deciding on your theme, consider everything you have already settled on and what ideas you want to convey. You should also remember that your theme is more than just a setting and can also include a story or reason for the players to be there. If you choose to set your level on the planet Char it will require a different look then a level on Aiur since they have completely different plant life and histories associated with them. Your theme will act as a guide during development and will be a reference point when making visual decisions about your level. Unless you nail these details down early it may just turn out as a confusing mess of unrelated ideas. It is important to determine your theme early because all of your aesthetic choices will be driven by it. From the desolate volcanic wastelands of Char, to the lush forests of Aiur, the locations available for you to choose from are numerous. The StarCraft universe is a vast one with different planets and locales that lend themselves to various themes and settings. I will be discussing the importance of having a theme, the ways you can use textures to enhance the overall look of your level, how props and doodads can be used to add to your level, and the various tools the editor supplies you with to make your level look more unique overall. This time, I will talk about taking a level for which you have completed the gameplay design and making it look good. This article is a continuation of my previous StarCraft II level design article which dealt with laying out and balancing your level. In this article I'll discuss the things you can do to make your level look more interesting and feel like a real environment.
Designing a level for StarCraft II is easy once you understand the tools, but getting to look nice and creating a professional looking level is another thing entirely.