Getting started with my first campaign

[ChrundleTheGreat]

Im really want to make a campaign but ive never done it before, i have the story planned out and some maps made on the map editor but I’ve never even done any programming ever, i know there is supposed to be a editor on the tools folder but I downloaded the game from sourceforge and it wasn’t there, also the website https://www.wesnoth.org/getting-started ... t-kit.html didn’t contain a editing kit.
Could someone please help me get started with my campaign?i will probably need help in other areas too, but right now I don’t even know how to start

[Pentarctagon]

What URL is that supposed to be? Also don't post the exact same question in multiple forums.

[beetlenaut]

There isn't a campaign editor. You will need to do some programming to make a campaign. (There have been several projects started that you seem to have heard about, but none of them got very far AFAIK. They wouldn't save you from having to learn to program anyway.)

It won't be that hard though. The "Create" link at the top of the page will lead you to lots of information and tutorials. You can also download WML Guide from the add-ons server to get a simple skeleton of a campaign that you can study and modify. It has notes in the code that explain how every section works and what it does. All you will need for this is a simple text editor--even Windows notepad will work. Many people on Windows use notepad++ because it has features that make writing programs easier, and it will even colorize your Wesnoth code if you set it to do that. I don't know what Mac people use, but I use Kate on Linux, and there are a ton of other choices there.

If you run into errors or problems, the people in WML Workshop will help pretty quickly.

[Spannerbag]

Im really want to make a campaign but ive never done it before, i have the story planned out and some maps made on the map editor but I’ve never even done any programming ever, i know there is supposed to be a editor on the tools folder but I downloaded the game from sourceforge and it wasn’t there, also the website https://www.wesnoth.org/getting-started ... t-kit.html didn’t contain a editing kit.
Could someone please help me get started with my campaign?i will probably need help in other areas too, but right now I don’t even know how to start

Not sure how much help this will be, but this recent post might be useful, though it's perhaps a bit ahead of where you are so may be a bit hard to follow at first.

There is a lot of information available but I find I learn more by reading the actual code rather than perusing the wiki (unless I have something specific I need to know). One place to start would be to download a couple of possibly helpful add-ons? (Part of the post mentioned above).

If you've never done any programming then WML is actually a good place to start as it's human readable (unlike many programming languages) though it is verbose and takes a fair amount of text to actually do anything. There are also many helpful macros which replace arbitrary chunks of code (text) with a {MACRO_NAME} and when the game loads these {MACRO_NAME}s are replaced by whatever text they represent. These can take arguments but these are not like variables; they are fixed when the game loads and only change the code, not values (variables) used whilst the game is running. It can take awhile to grasp the difference when everything is shiny and new!
They make code more readable and provide well tested and robust code for logic that's used a lot in many campaigns.

When you get more familiar with coding and campaign development you'll almost certainly need some sort of image/graphics editor to either combine/tweak existing images or make entirely new ones from scratch (new units or terrain for example) though it is perfectly possible to create an excellent campaign with the resources that come with the game.

I don't want to overload you so will shut up after this last thought: it might all seem a bit overwhelming at first as there's quite a bit to put together, especially if you're new to coding. However making your own campaign can be very rewarding and is one way to contribute to the game.

Hope this helps and good luck with your campaign!

Cheers!
-- Spannerbag

[ChrundleTheGreat]

What URL is that supposed to be? Also don't post the exact same question in multiple forums.

i got it recomended by chat gpt by asking how to get started, it said it would be an editing kit, also sorry im new to the forums too

[Pentarctagon]

So, as just a general recommendation, always verify all information that ChatGPT and other chat bots provide yourself before asking about it or doing anything with it. In this case:

• The URL it provided you is to a page that doesn't actually exist.
• There is no editor in the tools folder.
• There is no campaign editing kit.

These types of chat bots give you what they think is the most statistically likely answer - they have no concept of whether the information they provide you is actually correct or not.

[ChrundleTheGreat]

When you get more familiar with coding and campaign development you'll almost certainly need some sort of image/graphics editor to either combine/tweak existing images or make entirely new ones from scratch (new units or terrain for example) though it is perfectly possible to create an excellent campaign with the resources that come with the game.


how do i access the resources of the game?
also thanks!

[ChrundleTheGreat]

So, as just a general recommendation, always verify all information that ChatGPT and other chat bots provide yourself before asking about it or doing anything with it. In this case:

• The URL it provided you is to a page that doesn't actually exist.
• There is no editor in the tools folder.
• There is no campaign editing kit.

These types of chat bots give you what they think is the most statistically likely answer - they have no concept of whether the information they provide you is actually correct or not.

lol thanks, i guess ill get better information here

[Pentarctagon]

I'd suggest reading through https://wiki.wesnoth.org/Create and then taking a look at the "Campaign-How-To (A Simple Campaign)" add-on on the 1.16 server.

[ChrundleTheGreat]

I'd suggest reading through https://wiki.wesnoth.org/Create and then taking a look at the "Campaign-How-To (A Simple Campaign)" add-on on the 1.16 server.

how can i get the add-on?

[Pentarctagon]

Start the game and click the "Add-ons" button.

[beetlenaut]

I think WML Guide is quite a bit better than the Campaign-How-To (although that had already taken the best name). WML Guide has four folders as opposed to ten, which could be overwhelming. It has a readme file, a glossary of sorts, a diagram of the campaign structure, two scenarios showing how they are linked, and much more helpful notes if I do say so myself. (I am a teacher IRL.)

[Spannerbag]

...
how do i access the resources of the game?
also thanks!

The wiki explains all this but here's my potted summary to start you off

The game has a directory/folder structure (exactly where depends on your platform/operating system) for the various components that make up the game.
These include;

• images (terrain, unit sprites, unit portraits, items, scenery, story images and so on - don't worry if this doesn't make much sense yet)
• sounds
• music
• code ( {MACROS}, unit definitions, terrain properties etc.)
• mainline campaigns (campaigns that come bundled with the game)

(FWIW AFAIK the only difference between the .ogg/.wav files in music and sounds is how they are treated by the game.
By default any music in a campaign scenario plays continuously in the background.
Sounds however are explicitly played - by default once - via [sound].)

You can add (download) user made content (UMC) via the Add-ons button on the main menu as mentioned previously. As well as playable campaigns there's music, maps and other stuff but you can filter/sort what's listed using the Add-on Manager drop down menus.

It might be useful to have a skim through the directories/folders to get a feel for what is in each.
I'm currently using Wesnoth v1.16.8 on Windows and the game lives in C:\Program Files\Battle for Wesnoth 1.16.8
Underneath are many files and sub-directories/folders, the important one here is data.
Inside that are core and campaigns where (most) of the resources are to be found.

campaigns
This contains all the mainline campaigns. Mostly helpful as a resource to see how clever stuff is actually implemented.
I wouldn't bother looking around in here until you've first had a look at Beetlenaut's WML Guide.

core
This is the main repository of stuff used by the game.
All the stuff listed above (except mainline campaigns) lives here.
Once you start writing your own campaign you may well find yourself spending some time in the bowels of Wesnoth

If you download Beetlenaut's WML Guide this - along with other add-ons - lives in a different place.
If you click the "i" in the bottom left hand corner of the main menu a pop-up tells you where the various components are located.

The actual path item you want is User data: then you need to go into the data/add-ons directory/folder.
That is, the full path is:
/path/to/user_data/data/add-ons/
The italics should be replaced by whatever your User data path actually is. The last bit is for Windows, it might be different on other systems...
So you can then navigate to WML Guide and have a poke around.

To quote Douglas Adams: Don't Panic.
Take your time.

Again, I don't want to overload you so I'll shut up now.

Cheers!
-- Spannerbag

[gnombat]

I think WML Guide is quite a bit better than the Campaign-How-To (although that had already taken the best name).

The Campaign-How-To is pretty good but it has some strange things in it like custom terrain (which is kind of an advanced feature, and is probably not even used in most campaigns). My advice to beginners would be: if you're reading the Campaign-How-To, (1) don't feel that it is necessary to understand every single thing in the campaign, and (2) if it seems too complicated, maybe try the WML Guide instead.

[ChrundleTheGreat]

...
how do i access the resources of the game?
also thanks!

The wiki explains all this but here's my potted summary to start you off

The game has a directory/folder structure (exactly where depends on your platform/operating system) for the various components that make up the game.
These include;

• images (terrain, unit sprites, unit portraits, items, scenery, story images and so on - don't worry if this doesn't make much sense yet)
• sounds
• music
• code ( {MACROS}, unit definitions, terrain properties etc.)
• mainline campaigns (campaigns that come bundled with the game)

(FWIW AFAIK the only difference between the .ogg/.wav files in music and sounds is how they are treated by the game.
By default any music in a campaign scenario plays continuously in the background.
Sounds however are explicitly played - by default once - via [sound].)

You can add (download) user made content (UMC) via the Add-ons button on the main menu as mentioned previously. As well as playable campaigns there's music, maps and other stuff but you can filter/sort what's listed using the Add-on Manager drop down menus.

It might be useful to have a skim through the directories/folders to get a feel for what is in each.
I'm currently using Wesnoth v1.16.8 on Windows and the game lives in C:\Program Files\Battle for Wesnoth 1.16.8
Underneath are many files and sub-directories/folders, the important one here is data.
Inside that are core and campaigns where (most) of the resources are to be found.

campaigns
This contains all the mainline campaigns. Mostly helpful as a resource to see how clever stuff is actually implemented.
I wouldn't bother looking around in here until you've first had a look at Beetlenaut's WML Guide.

core
This is the main repository of stuff used by the game.
All the stuff listed above (except mainline campaigns) lives here.
Once you start writing your own campaign you may well find yourself spending some time in the bowels of Wesnoth

If you download Beetlenaut's WML Guide this - along with other add-ons - lives in a different place.
If you click the "i" in the bottom left hand corner of the main menu a pop-up tells you where the various components are located.
paths.png

The actual path item you want is User data: then you need to go into the data/add-ons directory/folder.
That is, the full path is:
/path/to/user_data/data/add-ons/
The italics should be replaced by whatever your User data path actually is. The last bit is for Windows, it might be different on other systems...
So you can then navigate to WML Guide and have a poke around.

To quote Douglas Adams: Don't Panic.
Take your time.

Again, I don't want to overload you so I'll shut up now.

Cheers!
-- Spannerbag

THANKS!!!