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Space Colony - Advanced Features: Campaign Editor

The Campaign Editor is used in conjunction with the Planet Editor to create your own Space Colony game missions. First create a map in the Planet Editor and then use the Campaign Editor to script the action that will take place on that map.

This page describes all the functions and options available in the Campaign Editor. For practice using the tools, try the Step-by-Step Tutorial for Creating a Simple Campaign.

To access the Campaign Editor, from the Main Menu click Editors then Campaign Editor. Then choose New Campaign or Load Campaign to bring up the Campaign Editor screen, or choose Back to return to the previous menu.

Some of the features of the Campaign Editor only work in the patched version of the game. If you have not already downloaded and installed the patch, I recommend it. (See the Space Colony v. 1.1 Patch page for more info.)

The Campaign Editor Screen

This is where you link the maps you have created into campaigns. The Campaign Editor screen looks like this. It includes a list of missions in the current campaign, along with the following buttons:

Reuse Map button - Allows you to continue the action on a map you have used previously in the same campaign. It is grayed out when you first start a campaign. (Click for details on Creating Multiple-Mission Campaigns.)

Add Map button - Allows you to add a new map to your campaign. This may be the first map used in the first mission or a fresh map in an ongoing campaign (i.e., when achieving victory on one map opens up a whole new map).

Mission Type button - Lets you toggle between military, tourist, economic or free-build missions. It doesn't really matter which one you choose, since you can have goals of any type within a given mission.

Save Campaign button - This brings you to a save screen where you can type a name for your campaign and then click Save. If you choose an existing campaign name, you will be prompted to overwrite the previous file.

(IMPORTANT: When naming your map, do not use special characters, such as : ; " ' / \ * ? < >, etc. This can create problems loading and saving it later. Use only regular upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and spaces.)

Exit button - Returns you to the Campaigns screen. An intermediate screen asks you to confirm that you have saved. If you haven't, click No to return to the Campaign Editor screen. Then use the Save Campaign button.

Numbered Map Screen

Each mission in a campaign has a numbered map screen (e.g., "Map 1", "Map 2", etc.) that looks like this. To get there, go to the Campaign Editor screen (above) and click on the line of text corresponding to the mission you want (e.g., "1 Map Name (-> Victory)", etc.). On the numbered map screen you'll find the following buttons:

Next Map, Map and Victory buttons - These three buttons allow you to determine what happens when a player beats one of the missions in a campaign. Generally you can ignore these settings since the Reuse Map and Add Map buttons on the Campaign Editor screen do the same thing. (See Creating Multiple-Mission Campaigns for more information.)

Import Last Setting button - This button only appears for the second and subsequent missions in a campaign. Clicking it copies all of the previous mission's goals, events, options, personnel, building availability, trading resources, etc., into the current mission.

Briefing button - Click here to bring up a text box where you can type in the briefing text that the player sees at the start of the mission. When you are finished, click the green arrow to return to the numbered map screen. Each mission in a campaign can have a different briefing. You can edit the briefings at any time by clicking on the Briefing button again. (NOTE: Briefings only work if you have installed the Space Colony v. 1.1 Patch.)

Edit Scenario button - This takes you to a different screen with the same title (e.g., Map 1, Map 2, etc.). To avoid confusion, we'll call this second screen the Mission Plotting screen. (More about this below.)

Delete button - If you make a mistake and decide you want to scrap a mission, you can click the Delete button.

Back button - This button returns you to the Campaign Editor screen.

Mission Plotting Screen

What I call the Mission Plotting screen looks like this. It is actually titled with the map name (e.g., Map 1, Map 2, etc.) just like the first numbered map screen (above). This screen is where you set the various parameters for the mission. It includes the following buttons:

Training Availability button - Click this button to set the types of training programs available during your mission. All types are set at Off. Click the Off button to toggle to On if you want your operatives to be able to learn a given skill. Click OK to return to the Mission Plotting screen. (NOTE: You also need to include the necessary number of training programs under Options, below.)

People Availability button - Click this button to choose which colonists will be included in the mission. Click the button to the right of each colonist's name to choose how or if that person will participate. Then click OK to return to the Mission Plotting screen.

• At Start - Arrives in first personnel shuttle.
• Start on Bridge - This setting is usually used in the second and subsequent missions for operatives who are carried over from the previous mission.
• Arrival 1 - Arrives on a personnel shuttle at a time you determine when you set conditions and actions.
• Arrival 2 - Arrives on another personnel shuttle at a time you determine when you set conditions and actions.
• Competing - Part of a competing crew in a second base. See Setting Up A Fribulan, Competing or Inactive Base for details.
• Auto Compete - This was used by the developers and has no function in the finished game.

Cap Resources button - This button is used to limit the amount of each resource that is carried forward from one mission to the next. (See Creating Multiple-Mission Campaigns.)

Trading Resources button - This button lets you set which resources may be bought and sold during the mission. Click the buttons to toggle on/off buying and selling options for each resource type. Then click OK to return to the Mission Plotting screen.

Options button - This button brings up a screen where you can set the following mission options:

• Cap Credits - Sets a limit on the number of credits in the player's account. Once this number is reached, credits stop coming in. Use the up/down arrow buttons to change the value.
• Kill Off Invasions - This is prevents aliens from being carried over when a map is reused in the next mission. (See Creating Multiple-Mission Campaigns for more info.)
• Income - This allows you to set the number of credits coming into your account every 4 hours from Blackwater Industries. Use the up/down arrows to set the value. (See the Editors FAQ for more info.)
• Planet Type - Lets you toggle between the three terrain types. Type 1 = gray, type 2 = green, and type 3 = red. Make sure the setting here matches the one you chose in the Planet Editor or your map will not appear as you intended when the mission is played.
• Training Program - Lets you set the number of training programs available, up to a maximum of 50.
• Starting Oxygen - 300 is the default setting.
• Starting Power - 300 is the default setting.

Building Availability button - This button lets you set which buildings and objects can be bought during the mission. Click the buttons to toggle between On, Later and Off. "Later" means that object will become available after a certain condition is met during game play. After choosing your settings, click OK to return to the Mission Plotting screen.

NOTE: A few of the objects have different names in the editor than they do in the game (e.g., brasserie = luxury bar, shower block = hygiene pod, laser 1 and 2 are automatic and manual lasers, etc.). The human resources and alien storage facility objects don't exist in the game.

New button - This button enables you to add new conditions and actions to your mission. There is a lot of detail here, so I have made a separate page on Setting Conditions & Actions, which hopefully covers everything.

Exit button - Return to the numbered map screen.

To save your campaign in progress, exit to the numbered map screen. Click the Back button. Then click Save Campaign, type a name for your campaign and then click Save. If you choose an existing campaign name, you will be prompted to overwrite the previous file.

If you want to play other gamers' creations, or if you want other players to be able to try your maps, check out the section on Sharing Your Campaigns.

Text and site design copyright © 2004- Stellalune. Game art, screenshots, Space Colony name and logo copyright © 2003- Firefly Studios and Gathering of Developers. All rights reserved. See the main page for copyright guidelines.