Strilanc
Veteran Scripter
- Reaction score
- 42
Learning to use a new editor is an exercise in frustration and discovery. I figured we should make a list of "gotchas" that new editors might also run into.
I'll start. Post your own below and I'll include the good ones in the main post.
- Unlike WC3 and SC1, start locations are not a unit. You create start locations using the Point layer and assign them under Player Properties. This actually makes a lot of sense, when you think about it.
- Units don't have an actor property, it's the other way around. That's why duplicating a unit without duplicating its actor causes it to have no graphics (the actor points to only the old unit).
- A unit's cost (time/minerals/etc) is not specified in the unit data, but in the training ability data. For example, the SCV cost is specified in the command center's Train ability.
- Maps start with a relatively thick border which is out of bounds. So if you make a really small map you won't be able to place any units unless you modify the bounds.
- If a unit has a behavior with 0 points it will fail the "has behavior" condition, which would be alright except that 0 points is the default. Increase behaviors' min point value past 0 to workaround the issue.
- The "pick each" loops seem more convenient, because you don't have to introduce a local variable, but they can't be nested. Don't use them, unless you like surprise errors when calling functions that happen to use the same loop.
- If you duplicate a unit (and its actor) your unit shows up as a red sphere, because the actor's model paths are updated to include the new unit's id (and no such models exist). Set the paths back to see the original unit.
I'll start. Post your own below and I'll include the good ones in the main post.
- Unlike WC3 and SC1, start locations are not a unit. You create start locations using the Point layer and assign them under Player Properties. This actually makes a lot of sense, when you think about it.
- Units don't have an actor property, it's the other way around. That's why duplicating a unit without duplicating its actor causes it to have no graphics (the actor points to only the old unit).
- A unit's cost (time/minerals/etc) is not specified in the unit data, but in the training ability data. For example, the SCV cost is specified in the command center's Train ability.
- Maps start with a relatively thick border which is out of bounds. So if you make a really small map you won't be able to place any units unless you modify the bounds.
- If a unit has a behavior with 0 points it will fail the "has behavior" condition, which would be alright except that 0 points is the default. Increase behaviors' min point value past 0 to workaround the issue.
- The "pick each" loops seem more convenient, because you don't have to introduce a local variable, but they can't be nested. Don't use them, unless you like surprise errors when calling functions that happen to use the same loop.
- If you duplicate a unit (and its actor) your unit shows up as a red sphere, because the actor's model paths are updated to include the new unit's id (and no such models exist). Set the paths back to see the original unit.