Looking for a reference instead? Check the Map Editor page (though, this page does include some information that is not on that page).
IMPORTANT NOTICE
This article is unfinished. The ending of the guide is not complete. The last heading, at any given time, is likely an incomplete section. Most important information should be present.
Preface
I am GamingZacharyC, a video game enthusiast who has taken an interest in modding. For AirMech, this means making maps. When I first found the wiki, the Map Editor page was unclear, but take a look at it now, compared to the version before my continuous edits. I feel very qualified on this topic.
If you would like to view any maps I've published, do visit the official Custom Map Author Numbers spreadsheet. As of the time of writing, I do not have any maps published.
Prerequisites
Required
- Silver VIP or better
- Full computer mouse
- Ability to launch AirMech Strike (Minimum Specs)
Recommended
- Recommended System Specs for AirMech Strike
- Full Computer Keyboard
- At least one 16:9 Desktop Monitor
While navigating to the editor feels excessive, this is the only process to access it. First, in the lobby, select Play, then select Training. Click a pilot. This will be the default AI you test your map with. Start the match. Once in the match, hit ESC (escape) on your keyboard. Once the pause menu shows up, click Map Editor.
Keybinds and Other Controls
The editor can be very intimidating at first (Think Photoshop intimidating). Without the proper knowledge of how to navigate it, it quickly becomes something from your nightmares. That's why I'm here to help. The first step is learning the basic movement controls. To pan your camera, push down your scroll wheel (Middle-Click) and drag your mouse. To zoom in and out, just scroll as though you're on a webpage. To rotate your camera, hold Alt and Middle-Click, and drag. A full list of keybinds can be found here.
Setting Up your Map
Next, you should click File next to the AirMech logo, then hit New, as shown above, to the left. Almost instantly, you should see something like the first image below. This is your map template, with the AirMech spawners in the middle, the two Fortresses, and a square, flat terrain template. The lines you see around the map are the Orange MiniMap bound (where the MiniMap displays), Blue ForceBox (where units must stay), and Green CameraExtent box (where the player's camera must stay). I find that it is usually best at about 10 units smaller (on all axes) than the ForceBox.
Metadata
Your next step will be to click the Metadata button (shown to the right) so that you can set up some variables for your map. The only section we'll be visiting for now is the Map Info section, also depicted to the right. In the image to the right are the settings I recommend for most maps. Most of the boxes are self-explanatory. For the remainder of this guide, I highly recommend a general idea of the type of map you would like to make. You have lots of freedom in the Map Editor, but you are limited to the assets already in the game. No external assets.
MapName
...is the name of your map. You can name your map whatever you like (within common sense).
Skybox
...appears entirely useless at the time of writing.
PregameTime
...is the amount of time, in seconds, before the game actually starts. This is the time players are given to load the map, select the loadouts, and move to their positions before they hit Ready. The default value for official maps is 60 seconds.
PregameRadius
...is how far, in units, a player can travel before they are unable to move any further and confronted with a red line in the shape of a circle. The default value in the box is 55.
GameMode
...appears entirely useless at the time of writing. It looks as though it was intended to serve as a way to script your own game mode, but Dev confirmation would be needed.
GameStyle
...appears entirely useless at the time of writing. It looks as though, from the dropdown presented to us, that it is used in the Wastelands maps for Survival, Pilot, and Patrol missions respectively, but, since these maps are unavailable to us, this can only be confirmed or denied by a Dev.
Terrain
The rest of the pages here we will get back to later. The next section you are going to want to visit is the Terrain section. This is where 75% of your terraforming work will come from. The other 25% will come from Props, but that will come later. The Terrain tab is depicted to the right. Already, you have lots of options. The first step is to decide what terrain style you would like. Your choices are as follows:
Boreal
An example of Boreal can be found on the default maps Salt, Crater, and Sandrim.
Canyon (default)
Canyon is the most widely used but is most memorably used on the map used for the introductory training, Dust. Also used in Chasm, Biohazard, and Thar.
Mountain
Used in Nesthorn and Storm.
Spiral
Used only in Wastelands (like on the Spiral map). I will not give examples because I'm too lazy to launch it.
Valley
Used in the maps Duel and Vale.
Virtual
Composed of solid mid-grey low-poly terrain pieces. Best used under props to get the terrain there to show on the minimap. Not visible in any maps as far as I'm aware. If anyone finds any official use cases, please do add them to this page and remove this message.