World in Conflict Map Tool

World in Conflict Map Tool
Q&A with Lead level designer Carl Lundgren

A map tool, eh? How does it work?
CARL: It’s a very large and powerful editor that allows you to create a World in Conflict map literally from ground up. You can generate and edit complex terrains, create realistic ground textures with state-of-the-art lighting, populate the map with buildings, props and forests, create roads, wires and house add-ons. Also, the Map Tool unlocks our extremely powerful environment system that allows you to create astonishing water, skies and weather systems with 3D clouds, bloom and other cool features.

The map tool has a great gameplay editor that allows you to create gameplay for the three game modes (Domination, Assault and Tug of War) with only a few clicks

What do I need to run the tool?
CARL: Well, all you really need is a copy of World in Conflict and the Map Tool. If you can run the game you can run the Map Tool.

How difficult is it to make a map?
CARL: That depends on what you want to do. If you only want to get your feet wet, you can create a playable map in minutes by firing up the Map Tool using a ready-made ground- and environment template. Then all you have to do is compile the map and it should be playable instantly, sporting a single default Command Point.

But it is a good thing to keep in mind that World in Conflict is a next-gen game and that the days of tile editing are basically over. A map in World in Conflict is potentially every bit as pretty as a map for an FPS, so this means there’s also a potential for many hours of tweaking and content production – if you’re aiming for a great-looking map, that is.

How many different tile sets are there?
CARL: The Map Tool doesn’t use tiles but an automatic texture pre-generation system. At the time of typing, it has 20 sky presets and 8 ground presets.

Are all the props (houses, lamp posts, etc) from the game available?
CARL: Yes, it’s all there.

Could I make my own single-player missions as well?
CARL: Yes, however this would also require some Python scripting, tools and documentation, which will all be released with the coming Mod Tools. But those aren’t released yet, so at the moment you can basically only make multiplayer maps.

How compatible is the Map Tool with the coming Mod Tools?
CARL: It’s completely compatible. Objects and geometry created with the Mod Tools can be added to the maps using the Map Tool.