Field Placement
Contents
Zones[edit]
Before you begin to place fields on a terrain there is one topic that needs to be covered and that is Zones.
A zone is a group of fields and strat objects that are tied to a "Zone Master". Each zone has it's own supply routes and factories(strategic objects, usually shortened to just "strat"). Zones 1,2 and 3 are automatically assigned with the Headquarters for each country being the "Zone Master".
The country assignments for the first three zones are:
- Zone 1: Bishops : Country #1
- Zone 2: Knights : Country #2
- Zone 3: Rooks : Country #3
These must not be changed. Any other zone number may be assigned to any country. However the preferred method is to assign zones in the same order as the first three zones. So, zones 1,4,7,10..etc would be Bishop. Zones 2,5,8,11..etc would be Knight. And, zones 3,6,9,12..etc would be Rook.
When a field is assigned as a "Zone Master" to a zone and it is captured, all of the associated supply factories(strat objects) for that zone become the property of the capturing country. This gives resupply priority to the country that owns the "Zone Master".
There can only be one "Zone Master" for a zone.
Field Types[edit]
There are 5 ground based field types in Aces High.
Small Airfield Shape name: safld0 |
Medium Airfield Shape name: mafld0 |
Large Airfield Shape name: lafld0 |
Port Shape name: port0 |
Vehicle Base Shape name: vfld0 |
Field Placement[edit]
Click the Objects tab in the Editing Options Area to activate the Objects tool and put the Terrain Editor in object editing mode. When in object editing mode, clicking on the main editing window will produce a red “+” on the terrain which marks a spot for an object or object group to be placed.
All objects in Aces High have two basic components:
- Shape
- Defines how the object visually appears
- Properties
- Defines how the object functions in Aces High.
For our puposes, shapes can be categorized into two types:
- Shapes
- Three-dimensional objects.
- Invisibles
- Used to perform a non-visible function (i.e. a spawn point)
All objects must be owned by either a field or a country. Objects owned by a country are strategic objects (Strat) and cannot be captured. Objects owned by a field would be items like the field itself, the town, spawn points, guns etc.
To add a field to your terrain, activate Snap in the Terrain Window Options area. Also, activate the Grid in the same area. This ensures your field will be perfectly centered in the 1 mile grid.
Then left click on the center of the 1 mile grid where you want your base to be. As an example select lafld0 (a large airfield) from the list of available shapes and click Add Shape/Group in the Objects tab.
NOTE: The terrain where you are placing a base must be perfectly flat. Click on the terrain tab and then left click on the 9 points for that grid(cell) in the main editing window and check the number shown in the Y axis of the position display for each point. Adjust the terrain height if needed.
When you click Add Shape/Group, the base will be placed in the grid you selected and the properties box will appear.
Setting Field Properties |
After setting all of the properties click OK. After you do this you will notice the object name has changed to something like F01GMS000. This is normal. What it is now saying is that the field belongs to F01 (field 1) is now a GMS (group master) with the id of 0 (000).
Rotating Fields[edit]
You may rotate any field in any direction. The only limitation is that the field must be rotated in increments of 90 degrees. The easiest way to do this is to use the U,L,R,D buttons on the Objects Tab.
NOTE: The icon shown in-game does not rotate to represent runway directions. This is normal since the icon is intended to show the type of field, not it's configuration.
Add a Town[edit]
For Online Use[edit]
For online use, every air field must have a town attached to it.
NOTE: Ports and Vehicle bases to not need to have a town or map room added to them because the map room is built into those objects.
Town Shape name: town0 |
Adding a town, is done in the same manner as adding a field.
Locate an area within 5 miles of the airfield that the town will belong to. Left click on the center of the 1 mile grid where you want to place the town. Select town0 from the list of available shapes and click Add Shape/Group in the Objects tab.
When you click Add Shape/Group, the town will be placed in the grid you selected and the properties box will appear.
Setting Town Properties |
After setting all of the properties click OK.
After you do this you will notice the object name has changed to F01GMS000. This is not correct. You need to save your terrain, exit the Terrain Editor and reload the terrain for it's correct name to show.
After you reload your terrain, you'll see the town name has changed to something like F01GMS001. This is normal. What it is now saying is that the town belongs to F01 (field 1) it is a GMS (group master) with an id of 1 (001).
For Offline or Lan Play[edit]
For offline use, or lan play fields to not need to have a town. But, they should at the very least have a map room attached to them.
To add a map room to an airfield, uncheck Snap in the Terrain Window Options area. Locate an open area on the airfield and left click where you want the map room to be.
Now, select mpr0 from the list of available shapes and click Add Shape/Group in the Objects tab. You may not be able to see the map room because it is quite small. Zoom in using the Alt slider to see it.
The object properties for a map room are the slightly different than a town. The object type for a map room should be Map Room and the Can Collide box should be un-checked.
Marking a Field as Uncapturable[edit]
Making a field uncapturable is done in the map window of the terrain editor.
Right click on the map window an select Show Field Numbers. RIght click on the map window again and select Show Field Links. Find a base you want to be uncapturable and hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard while right clicking the field with your mouse. An arrow will appear on the map showing that the field is marked.
To be sure the field is marked, you can click on Settings-->Field Capture Order on the main menu at the top of the terrain editor. A list will show the fields marked as uncapturable and should appear as:
A2->A2
A3->A3
Or whatever field numbers you have selected. You can also remove a field from the list in this window.
Limitations[edit]
- Terrains can have no more than 255 fields.