Tutorial 3

Tutorial 3


In this tutorial, we shall cover some more interesting aspects of editing the hex map image, namely we'll be adding terrain details like hillsides, roads and rivers to a map. This tutorial can be found in the tutorial folder as the file "tutorial3.map".

To get ourselves ready for the following example, we go through the usual routine of starting the Joy Of Hex Editor application, selecting New... from the File menu, and chosing to start with a 10 by 10 hex map with the climate of Europe1.

Once we have our map window open, we begin by wanting to create a small mountain over the center of the hex map. To this end we need to first select a number of hexes by shift-clicking them, as in the following image:

As this example goes on, notice how I'm thinking ahead, and instead of creating the mountain by building it hex by hex I'm doing it in as few motions as possible.

I then move the cursor up into the toolbar. Since we've only just started a new map the toolbar is already in the correct state that we want. I am first intending to place down a hillside that goes up from left to right, and so I move the cursor over the appropriate detail button as in the following image:

In the following image, you can see what happens when I chose the terrain detail that I did. Also notice that I have shift-clicked the next series of hexes that I want in order to build my mountain.

This time I want a hillside that goes up as we go from right to left, so I move the cursor to the toolbar and over the appropriate graphic, as is shown in the following image:

In the following image, you can see what has happened when I've made my choice of terrain detail. Also notice that I've begun to select the next set of hexes that I want to add a hillside to.

This time I want a hillside that goes up as I go from the top-left to the bottom-right, and so I move the cursor into the toolbar and over the appropriate terrain detail button as is shown in the following image:

In the following image we can see what happens when we make the terrain detail selection that I wanted. Notice that I've also selected the next set of hexes that I want to add hillsides to.

I now want a hillside that goes up as we go from the top-right to the bottom-left, so I move the cursor to the toolbar and over the appropriate terrain detail button, as is shown in the following image:

In the following image, we can see what happens when I make this terrain detail choice. Also I have selected the hexes for the next series of changes.

I want a hillside that goes from the bottom-left to the top-right, and so I move the cursor into the toolbar and over the appropriate terrain detail button as I've pictured in the following image:

In the following we can see what happens when I make this terrain detail choice. I've also selected the hexes for the final additions to the hillsides.

This time I want a hillside that goes up as we go from the bottom-right to the top-left, so I move the cursor into the toolbar and over the appropriate terrain detail button, as is shown in the following image:

In the following image we can see what the whole mountain now looks like. Notice that I thought out how the mountain would look from the start so that I could make it in as few steps as possible. Tricks like this help making scenarios a much faster affair.

The following image also shows that I've selected a hex which shall be the start of a road that goes over the mountain that we've just added to the map.

I'm just starting the road, so I need a half road that goes in the direction that I want. Before I can chose the relevant terrain detail button I must first go to the scroll buttons adjacent to the terrain detail buttons row and click on the down arrow until the appropriate terrain details row appears. Once the correct row appears, I then move the cursor over the terrain detail button that I want, as is shown in the following image:

In the following image we can see what happens when I make the surfaced road selection that I wanted. Also notice that I've begun selecting hexes for the next part of the roads.

Up in the toolbar the terrain details button are not showing the ones that I want so I must first click on the down arrow so that the next row of terrain details is showing. Once this is done, I then move the cursor over the appropriate button as is shown in the following image:

In the following image you can see the results of my choice, as well as noticing that I'm going back to fill in a road segment that I've jumped over.

The terrain details row in the toolbar is correctly set for this choice, so I merely move the cursor over the appropriate button as I've shown in the following image:

In the following we can see what my choice looks like. Also I've begun to select a series of hexes for the next road additions.

In the toolbar the terrain details row isn't correctly set so I first need to click once on the up arrow in order to bring the previous row of buttons into view. Once the terrain details row is correctly set, I then move the cursor over the appropriate button.

Since I'm using only a half road, I need the other half to make a road that goes from one side of the hex to the other. So I move the cursor over the appropriate terrain detail button as I've pictured in the following:

In the following image you can see what has happened with the last few changes that I've made. Also notice that I've selected the final hex where the road will stop.

To finish off the road I only have to add a half road, which I do by moving the cursor over the appropriate terrain detail button in the toolbar, as is shown in the following image:

In the following picture you can see the final road. Notice that the road is continuous with no breaks - that is if a road type goes to the edge of a hex, then a road of the same type must meet it coming from that neighbouring hex.

Also notice that I've begun selecting hexes for the final terrain detail addition - a medium sized river.

In the toolbar the terrain detail buttons aren't set correctly, so we must click in the terrain details scroll buttons until the row corresponding to medium rivers appears. Once this row of terrain details buttons appears, we move the cursor over the appropriate detail button, as is shown in the following image:

Since I'm trying to make a river as quickly as possible I can also make a second choice of a river detail, to this end I move the cursor over the appropriate terrain detail button as I've shown in the following image:

In the following image we can see what the beginings of a river now look like. Notice that I've already selected some other hexes so that we can continue building the river.

Previously, I put down the left side of the river. Now I need to add the right side by moving the cursor over the appropriate button in the terrain details row, as I've shown in the following picture:

In the following image we can see what has happened when I made my selection. Also notice that I've begun selecting new hexes for the final parts of the river (see how I made life easy by shift-clicking the top hex off, and shift-clicking the lower hex on).

I then move the cursor over the appropriate terrain detail button in the toolbar, as I've pictured in the following image:

In the final image we can see what the hex map has finished up as. Notice how the rivers consist of two halves of the same type of river - that is if I have a river of a certain type along the border of a hex, then a same river of the same type must join the previous river by lying alongside the neighbouring border of the neighbouring hex.


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