Tutorial #1 - Building Cliffs In Final Alert2

 

How to build cliffs...written by Lion & RVMECH

Introduction: Building cliffs, although at first glance looks rather intimidating, is really very easy once you learn the basics of constructing them. Cliffs are a great way to make your maps much more interesting for the player. Flat maps with no changes in elevation, etc. get boring in a short time. In this section we'll build a simple cliff. Once you learn the steps as outlined below, you can apply them towards any size and configuration of cliffs. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. If you're a beginner, you will make mistakes. The trick is to learn from those mistakes and go on learning. Eventually you'll get the hang of it and become a master cliff builder in no time! Enjoy the Cliff Tutorial...

Getting Started: In Final Alert there are two option you have to construct your cliffs. You can choose to place each cliff tile one at a time. For more advanced cliff building this is the preferred method if perfection is what your after. To use that method of cliff building, you select the "Cliff Set" in the Terrain/Ground menu. Click on the picture to your right and see where that is located. Then you simply select one of 40 individual cliff tiles and begin placing them. It's a good idea to have in your mind the shape of the cliff you'd like to make. Before I begin to make a map, I like to first draw it on paper so I have a guide to go by. Saves a lot of time. 

The second way to build your cliffs, and a much faster way if your building a big cliff or want to include lots of cliffs in your map, is to use the paint cliff feature that allows you to simply click and drag your cliffs. For the remainder of this tutorial we will be using the simple "Paint Cliff" feature. It's the easiest to use if your new at making maps. You can of course combine both methods of building cliffs, and will need to if your going to make very detailed maps. But let's learn to build our first complete cliff plateau, then you can experiment on your own. That's when the fun really starts!

 

 Quick n Easy Steps To Making Your First Complete Cliff Plateau:
First, choose a location on your map where you'd like to build your cliff. On your top menu bar, look in the Map Tools menu and select "Paint Cliff Front" to get started. You'll also find short-cut buttons (Green icons to your left in the top menu) for the Paint Cliff Tools if you don't want to open up the Map Tools menu.  The pic on your left will show you where teh Map Tools menu is located. Now all you have to do is left click (hold button) n drag to make the first part of the front of your cliff. Go ahead and make it about 12-14 tile (squares) long. We want to keep it small and manageable until you get the hang of it. Then you can go for the big ones!
The picture here details the four easy steps to forming your cliffs that will eventually become the cliff walls of our cliff plateau. Basically your connecting four corners, sort of like connect the dots game. Look at the picture and you'll see how easy this is to do. Using the "Paint Cliff Front" in the Map Tools menu, you go from point "A" (starting point) hold left mouse button, click and drag your cliff to point "B", then release your left mouse button. And like magic, you have the first section drawn! Now use the same "Paint Front Cliff" tool to connect point "B" to point "C". To do the remaining two sides you will be using the "Paint Back Cliff" tool. It's also located in the Map Tools menu. You start at point "A", then simply click n drag to point "D". Finally, make the last cliff wall by connecting point "D" to point "C" using the same tool. That completes our four walls.
Now you must level the ground inside your cliff walls so the ground is the same height as your cliffs. When you do that, the white squares will disappear. Red Alert2 maps are in 3-D. That's why you see the white squares. First look in your Map Tools menu and select the "Auto Level Ground Height". This will level the top few squares all along the inside edge of your cliff walls. When you view this after using the Auto Level feature, you will see things taking shape. What you have left is a big hole that needs to be filled with ground. Remember, RA2 maps are in 3-D. Ok, you still have a little more to do before everything is complete.
Now you'll need to use the "Flatten Ground tool" to get the entire inside area the same height as your cliff walls. The picture to your left is self explanatory. Again, we'll be using the simply click n drag method we used to paint the cliff walls to level everything out. One thing I do want to point out is this: When you are leveling the ground, you will be starting from one side of the cliff wall, then working your way to the other side in a straight line pattern as indicated in the picture. DO NOT go past the cliffs when you click n drag. If you do, you will raise the ground height outside your cliff walls. We don't want that. If by chance you should make a mistake, simply select edit in the top menu bar, then choose undo and start again. When I'm working near the edges of cliffs, I use the 1x1 brush/tile size. You can select from various sizes to work with in the "Brush Size menu" located at the top right of your editor. If you have made a really big cliff, and after you have leveled the ground near the edges of your cliff walls, you can change the size of your brush to a larger size and perform the leveling much faster. Just experiment with different size brushes and you'll find what works best for you. 
The picture to your left shows an example of what the top of your cliff plateau should look like when complete. If you still see any white squares on top, then you will have to select the "Flatten Ground tool" again and correct it. Now your finished with making the cliffs. If you want your units to have access to the top of the cliff plateau, you will need to include a way for them to get there. The next steps will show you how. If you do not want to give units access, then just leave it the way it is. I sometimes do that and place an Oil Derrick or Tech Airport on top. Makes the game interesting. Helicopters still have access. And the Allies can use the Chronosphere to transport units to the top.
In order for all units to have access to the cliff plateau, you'll need to place a ramp in your cliff wall. This is very easy to do, and the picture to your left shows you how. The pieces you need to make your slope are located in the "Terrain/Ground" menu. The pic shows you right where to find it. The ramp is made up of two pieces that should fit perfectly together. The pic shows the left half of your ramp and what it looks like before and after placement of this piece.
Now you will need to place the second half of your ramp, which in this case is the right half. The picture to your left shows what the right half of the ramp looks like, and what your completed ramp should look like. If it doesn't look like the one in the picture, then it's wrong. Use the undo feature in the Edit menu and start over. You can undo up to six turns, but one time I was able to undo eight turns. I didn't question why either. It would be nice if it had unlimited undo though. When I first started making maps, the undo feature really came in handy. 
Now that you have completed your very first cliff project, you can add all the trimmings to make it look more interesting. The picture to your left is just an example of things you could place on top of your plateau. In this example I used the Tech Oil Derrick, which can be found under building/other in the left menu, and I topped it off with some trees and rough cut grass. Just remember not to overdo it with trees, etc, so there is room for units. 
Final thoughts: This cliff tutorial only touched on the basics. But there is much more you can do with cliffs. You can add waterfalls to them, or use the cliff/water pieces and create high cliffs overlooking the ocean or inlet. You can even stack cliff plateaus on top of one another. Start with a big cliff plateau, then add another smaller one on top of that. Now you have your map in three levels (height). Just remember to level your first cliff plateau before you place the second one. Regardless of what you do, the best way to learn is by trial and error. You know the old story, practice makes perfect. In this case, that's a fact. I hope this tutorial on making cliffs has been helpful to you. I had a lot of fun making the tutorial. If you have any questions on cliffs, please email me here and I'll do my best to help you out..

 
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