[C&C1] Setting up XCC Editor (for making maps)

[Nyerguds]

Right... I noticed a lot of people were still stuck using CCMap... which is not only limited by C&C's old 16K ini size limitation (which is raised to 50k by C&C95), but is also missing a few tiles in the Desert terrain.

 

Here's the most reliable way to set up XCC Editor:

 

-If you don't have it already, download & install the XCC Utilities pack from http://xhp.xwis.net (go to the "Utilities" section in the sidebar)

-Add these files in the XCC folder. They contain the terrain graphics, but modified to make the Blossom Trees identifiable on the map.

-Copy conquer.mix from your C&C folder to the XCC folder.

-Start XCC Mixer, go to View -> Directories, set the "TD Primary" folder to the XCC folder, and the "TD Secondary" to your real C&C folder (it also tries to read general.mix, to read missions straight from the mix file. Kind of dumb that that makes it a required file though.)

 

Then, open any map by right clicking on the ini file in Windows Explorer, selecting Open With, and pointing it to "XCC Editor.exe" in the XCC folder (Make sure you have the right one. NOT "XCC Mixer" or "XCC Mix Editor"!)

 

Note that opening missions this way may not work on modern OSes. If it fails, instead make an icon to launch XCC Editor, and, to open a mission, just drag-and-drop the ini file into the editor.

 

Oh, you may notice you can't edit stuff immediately after opening a map in XCC Editor... this is simply because it locks the terrain-related layers on startup. This is easily fixed though. Simply click on the map itself, hold down the [CTRL] key and tap [F1], [F2], [F3] and then [F4]. This will unlock all of the locked layers (respectively Template, Overlay, Smudge and Terrain)

 

Have fun

 

 

NOTE ON SNOW MAPS:

To make previews of Snow maps, download this file and unzip it in a DIFFERENT FOLDER than where XCC Editor or C&C are. This is a temperat.mix file which has the Snow graphics in it. This has the effect that any Temperate maps opened from the folder this file is in will be shown in Snow.

 

 

NOTE ON MISSION EDITING:

Note that while this editor is ideal for making maps, it's not very handy for making or editing missions. It completely rewrites the ini file on every save, and saves all text in the ini file in upper case, screwing up briefing text and mission names. This isn't really a problem for multiplayer maps, since the gameshows their names in caps anyway.

[N3tRunn3r]

uh nice, but why should we add the conquer.mix file into XCC's directory?

files are missing? if yes, maybe thats why i see some pink-only tiles in the Editor.

[Crimsonum]

XCC editor is good, but it tends to crash without warning (CCMap does that often too). I was just about finishing my map for the C&C1 mapping competition, and it decided to crash JUST before I was going to save my work. I lost 70% of it. Not that great... :mammoth:

[Nyerguds]

N3t: conquer.mix contains all unit & building graphics... xcc editor is a mission editor too, you know. You kinda need those. And I thijk that without it it doesn't accept it as being a TD folder. Not sure though. It might indeed be redundant if it can read it from the real C&C folder.

 

Crim: Save often

[N3tRunn3r]

XCC editor is good, but it tends to crash without warning (CCMap does that often too). I was just about finishing my map for the C&C1 mapping competition, and it decided to crash JUST before I was going to save my work. I lost 70% of it. Not that great... :mammoth:

 

did you start to map in temperate mode then changed into winter? or anything like this processing?

[Nyerguds]

I've had it crash when saving sometimes, but I don't really know what causes that. Usually it was related to one specific (official) map I opened, so I guess it choked on something that was on it.

[Crimsonum]

XCC editor is good, but it tends to crash without warning (CCMap does that often too). I was just about finishing my map for the C&C1 mapping competition, and it decided to crash JUST before I was going to save my work. I lost 70% of it. Not that great... :mammoth:

 

did you start to map in temperate mode then changed into winter? or anything like this processing?

 

Nah, I was placing a tree, IIRC. Suddenly, it just displayed an error message and closed on itself.

 

No worries though, I finished the map today

[MrFlibble]

Why do you think it's necessary to copy C&C files into the XCC folder? It suffices that those files are in any of the TD folders (primary or secondary) you have defined in the "Directories" section of XCC Mixer.

 

Also, a very important thing to remember when using XCC Editor, is that it does not add the "Count=" line in the [base] section - without it, the AI won't (re)build its structures. I've reported this to Olaf, but he seems to not have fixed this as yet.

 

Another thing is that some team type flag (I mean the 0/1 value) is not set properly in XCC Editor, but I haven't looked more thoroughly into it. This issue does not seem to have a major impact on AI behavior, but I have not enough data to be 100% sure about this.

[Nyerguds]

Well, I replaced the theater files by different ones where the blossom tree has a recognisable blossom tree as first frame (otherwise they're shown as normal trees). But for the rest, I guess it doesn't really need conquer.mix in there.

 

I basically just did it to make the map editor 100% independent from my actual C&C installation, since I tend to mess with it a lot

 

Oh, and as I said at the end of the first post, I only use XCC for basic map editing and for making previrew images; not for making missions with trigger programming.

[MrFlibble]

Do you create triggers manually? 'Cause I think CCMap is also not 100% reliable. For example, its list of movies does not include Covert Ops additions (at least, in the version that I have), and some unit commands (not used in C&C but used in Covert Ops) are also missing; thus, if you open and save a Covert Ops mission, it may get corrupted.

[Nyerguds]

I create all my triggers manually, though CCMap has a really good system for that.

 

Triggers have nothing to do with movies or unit commands though... but I uploaded an edited version of ccmap on the CnCWorld website where the Unload command is added to the commands list.

[MrFlibble]

It's not only "Unload", but laso some other commands like "Rescue" and "Return" that are also missing.

 

XCC Editor reads general.mix because it has an option to load missions directly from there.

[snitch]

i couldn't find a conquer.mix file but a conquer 'dat' file in my weswood folder. can a

[Tore]

Go to C:\Westwood\C&C95 and you will find conquer.mix or you will find it on your CD.

[Nyerguds]

if there's no conquer.mix in your game folder... update the game, dammit

[Chimas]

Hi guys,

I didn't want to start a new topic since this issue is directly related to XCC the editor I am using for map editing and it is just a comment.

 

I've found one small series which he/I call(s) the Arctic missions and, by the time the author created these pack of 06 missions, the most "cold" theater was the original WINTER.

Then I decided to try to convert from WINTER to SNOW theather and for my surprise it was a bit easy to do that.

 

First I edited the BIN file alone. Nyerguds told me a small trick where you just put the MAP section in the INI, so you can edit the BIN file.

 

Then, I just had to erase some of those winter dust patterns (I don't know how to say, there's no snow in my country) that are placed in the GENERAL TEMPLATE LAYER.

It's the parts P07, P08 and P13 up to P20.

 

Then, it just have to be saved and after you put the rest of the INI file back inside, change from WINTER to TEMPERATE in the map section and follow the procedures to change the XCC for SNOW editing. If you try some finishment in the template layer and your XCC crashes like mine does, you have to do the EMPTY INI trick all over again. Take a look at the result attached. This serie in SNOW theater will be in the SCG160 pack later in the next audit update.

Arctic.zip

[pichorra]

Well, i just opened it with CCWMAP and it is was fine... No crash, etc...

[Weps]

I didn't think this warranted a new topic, but I'm having some issues with XCC.

 

I've installed XCC, follow the instructions in the OP, however I still get "Infantry Load Fail", "Structures Load Fail" and "Units Load Fail" when I start XCC Editor.

 

I'm on Win XP Home Edition SP3

 

Thank you ahead of time for any help.

[Nyerguds]

Eww, XP Home Edition. I didn't know anyone still used that cripped mess.

 

Is the user you're using an administrator on the system?

[Weps]

Eww, XP Home Edition. I didn't know anyone still used that cripped mess.

 

Is the user you're using an administrator on the system?

 

I've managed to fix it.

 

With the v1.06C update, is there is reason the game speed is so slow and is there a way to fix it?

 

Also, where do I put the BIN files for the maps created in XCC Editor? My game version is CnC Gold DL from Gamershell and I can't find the mission INI files in the C&C95 folder or on the disc.

 

I'm sorry for the flood of questions, but I haven't edited or modded any games since Halo:CE way back in 04'/05'.

[Chimas]

Weps

 

Your BIN files + respective INI files, you put in the GAME FOLDER => C:\WESTWOOD\C&C95\

 

The factory BINs+INIs might be inside *.MIX file

 

You can also put your BINs+INIs inside a MIX file, using XCC MIX Editor and start the name file with "SC".

 

Download these MIX files and put them in your game folder and then look your NEW MISSIONS menu (More info about these files HERE) .

 

\EDIT

For the Speed, just adjust inside the game, in the options menu ...

[Weps]

Still haven't found the INI files, but did find out how how to load the .mix files into the editor which is good enough for me right now.

 

As far as the game speed, I had it maxed out before, only after I downloaded and installed v1.06C did it start to become sluggish and lag during gameplay.

[Nyerguds]

Hmm, might be related to CnC-DDraw, then. Try seting the stretch filter to Center in CCConfig, see if that helps; it switches it to a different graphics system.

[Weps]

Hmm, might be related to CnC-DDraw, then. Try seting the stretch filter to Center in CCConfig, see if that helps; it switches it to a different graphics system.

 

Running like a top now, the help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Nyerguds]

It disables stretching videos to fullscreen though, since hifi couldn't be bothered to implement that for the GDI graphics renderer -_-