[TUTORIAL] Set up your custom Maps with a WoW Server

[Sebbo]

[center:2ax2nlmf][/center:2ax2nlmf]

[center:2ax2nlmf]Level Design[/center:2ax2nlmf]

[center:2ax2nlmf]- set up your custom Maps with a WoW Server -[/center:2ax2nlmf]

[center:2ax2nlmf](c) Sebbo[/center:2ax2nlmf]

Directory

1 Set up your custom Maps with a WoW- Server
1.1   Introduction
1.2   Basic knowledge
1.3   Set up your custom Maps
1.3.1   MPQ creation
1.3.2   DBC replacement
1.3.3    Includes collision *coming soon*
1.4   Travel to your continent
1.4.1   Through GM commands or SQL
1.4.2   Through Instance portal (SQL or C++) *coming soon*
1.4.3   Through World transporter *coming soon*
Credits

[Sebbo]

1    Set up your custom Maps with a WoW Server
1.1    Introduction

-> This guide is based on a trinity core and WoW Woltk Patch rev. 3.3.2.a (11403). <-

Hello Guys,

Today I will introduce you how easy it is to set up your custom maps with your
WoW Server.

Of late i read a lot of post with the question “How can I include my custom maps in a WoW-Server?”. So there came up the image to share my knowledge with you and the idea of this guide was born.

Offline Guide Version

Tools

• MPQ Editor - the name says everything
• Tallis - Editor of everything that have to do with WoW-modding
• Noggit - WoW Map Editor

Of course you can use your favoured programs if they work the same way.

[Sebbo]

1.2   Basic knowledge

Before we can start you must have to know Basics about WoW emulation and worldbuidling.
 There are many excellent guides in this Forum about WoW modding. Subsequent a list of important posts that will be help to understand my guide.

Welcome to WoW modding (Beginners)
- A guide about the basics differences between Server- and Clientmodding

[TUTORIAL]  Modding basics.
- A guide about the basics files formats that are used in WoW

[TUTORIAL] World building Basics
- A guide about the basics of world creation

Wiki pages:
- WoW-modding Wiki
- Basics about server emulation

Core Wiki:
- Trinity core
- Mangos core
- Arcemu core

[Sebbo]

1.3   Set up your custom Maps

1.3.1   MPQ creation

Already there exists a tutorial that show’s how you create a MPQ archive. Read this first, before you carry forward.  

[Tutorial] MPQ/Patch Basics
- A guide about creation of MPQ files

If you understand all about MPQ archives we can finally start to convert our map files.
At the beginning you have to create two folders on your hard disc. Name one “DBFilesClient” and the other “world”.
(The folders should be named without the “ Symbol ).


Now create a subfolder at “world” and name them “maps”.


At the folder “maps” create another subfolder named “*put your map name here*” (the new folder must have exactly the same name like your continent and .ADT and .WDT files are named).

-> Notice: (for example)<-

I will create a new continent of 2x2 ADT’s and name them “Sebbo”.
So I have to create a folder included in my “world” folder and entitle this new folder “Sebbo”. The files I get out of tallis are my .ADT and .WDT files also called “Sebbo”:

Files:
Sebbo.wdt
Sebbo_0_0.adt
Sebbo_0_1.adt
Sebbo_1_0.adt
Sebbo_1_1.adt



Finally the folder structure should look like this:
…DBFilesClient
…worldmaps*put your map name here*

Ok back to the topic.
After you have create all 4 folders (DBFilesClient, world, maps, *put your map name here*) we can go on with the copy of our map files.

Copy your edited Map.dbc that includes a row of your new continent in the “DBFilesClient” folder.


After this you have to copy all the content of your continent folder (this means all .adt files that are registered in the .wdt file) into the “*put your map name here*” folder. It is very important that you copy all .adt files that are registered in the .wdt file. If you forgot one file WoW will be crash.

-> Notice: <-

You don’t have to copy always the whole content of your continent folder, because WoW crash only when the .wdt file is searching for .adt files that doesn’t exist or can’t be located. So it’s possible to edit the .wdt file if you only want to visit 1 .adt file in game.

When you do all the copy acts we can go on to create our own WoW-Patch.
Open your favoured MPQ-program and include the “DBFilesClient” and “world” folder. (It is very important that your MPQ-archive look like this.)

-> Notice: <-

The MPQ folder structure for overwrite files like the Map.dbc is very important for WoW. Because you can always overwrite an existing WoW file with a custom Patch, if the involved files have the same MPQ structures.

If you get all this orders you have to save your MPQ file. Name the file like this “patch-deDE-4.MPQ”. The number must be the highest in the order of all patch files from your “WoWData*client language*” folder. Name the “deDE” in dependence on your client language. I have a German client so it named deDE. If you have an English client it named for example enGB and so on.
Get confident that your custom patch has a file extension .MPQ that is written in capital letters.

-> Notice: <-

The Patch preference. If Wow is start it will first load all WoWData Patches from low to high. Next the WoWData*client language* Patches will be load. Also from low to high. So you want that your Patch works always, create the highest Patch in the WoWData*client language* folder. Of course you can create an Patch in your
WoWData folder, but be confident no patch in the language folder will overwrite the included files.

Last but not least copy your custom patch in your wow “WoWData*client language*” folder.

[Sebbo]

1.3.2   DBC replacement

After the creation of a custom patch your WoW-Client get all show-off informations about your world build.
If you want to visit it your Server needs information about the place where it is.
These informations are written in the Map.dbc. So you have the choice to overwrite your Map.dbc in your Server folder with your Map.dbc from DBFilesClient folder. Also you can edit the Map.dbc in your Server folder that includes a row with your continent.

-> Notice: <-

The Map.dbc advises the Server where the continent is and what the MapID of it is. Also it tells what coordinates the continent have. Without this information you can’t get on your continent by dint of the gm.teleport.command.xyz or everything else.

[Sebbo]

1.4   Travel to your continent

In public there are many ways to get on your Maps. Now I will show you the two basic methods.

At first we have to look up a point on our continent where we will be teleported.
Open your Noggit and look at the lower line.


Write down or notice these 3 coordinates. (X, Y, Z). In my case it would be X=15874.3, Y=15897.2 and Z=133.580.
Now we need the MapID to enter the new continent. The MapID you can find in your Map.dbc. It is the number forwards your Map name in the Table section.


With these informations you are able to visit your custom continent.

First method: -> using the .go xyz command <-

NOTICE:

The newer Version of noggit support this. The key 'g' on your keyboard the SDL version of noggit saves you current position into the file "ports.txt" in the noggit folder. Therein you can find directly usable port commands for ArcEmu and Trinity!

To the Tutorial

Login the Server as GM.
Open your chat bar (standard pressing the enter button) an enter

“.go X-coordinate Y-coordinate Z-coordinate MapID”.

Enter your coordinates and MapID you searched for. (Make the entry without the “ Symbol )

In my case the command would look like
“.go 15874.3 15897.2 133.580 720”

For users with SQL-knowledge only

Second method: -> adding a teleport entry in the SQL-Database <-

Open your favoured SQL-Tool and connect to your Server. Open the World database.


Open the game_tele database.


Scroll down to the last entry and make a new one.


Description of the fields:
Id - the ID is a unique ID of the teleporter location. (It is usual to add an ID that is one number higher than the last number in the Database.)

position_x - your X-coordinate

position_y - your Y-coordinate

position_z - your Z-coordinate

orientation - the orientation that the player will have after teleporting (it’s a number between 0 and 7. you can look up an orientation with the .gps command. Turn your character in the way you wish and enter the .gps command in the Chat bar.)

map - your MapID

name – the name of the location

In my case the entry looks like

ID - 1428

position_x - 15874.3

position_y - 15897.2

position_z - 133.580

oriantation - 0

map - 720

name - sebbo

At the end you have to reload your game_tele database or restart your server.
To reload the database in game, use the reload command. (.reload game_tele)

After this is done you are qualified to teleport to your location by using the .tele command.
In my case the entry looks like
.tele sebbo


The best way to keep up your SQL-database clean is the usage of batch files.
So you can also create a .txt file on your hard disc and batch them into your SQL.
For example the entry of the batch files look like


Feel free to modify this line to your own !
Finally you see there are many ways to connect to your own continent.

[Sebbo]

[center:6j1e9nwn]

-> Congratulation <-

You are able to set up your custom maps and enter them in game.

It’s me!



[/center:6j1e9nwn]

[Sebbo]

Credits

Thanks to Eluo
– for his beautiful guids about the basics of WoW-Modding and Worldbuilding.

Thanks to Steff
– for his beautiful guids about the basics of WoW Files.

Thanks to Jack
– for his beautiful guids about the basics of MPQ creation.

Thanks to everyone I forgot!

 

I hope this short guide helps somebody!

[SinisterX]

When we are editing existing adts, let say for example: The blocked Gilneas area in normal wow. (I'm thinking about creating my own little Gilneas there).

Once we've edited and saved our changes with noggit and have created our MPQ: (patch-enUS-4.MPQ).

We don't need to edit the map.dbc, or the server side dbc, right? Because these maps are already referenced. (They aren't new maps, just old adts that have been edited).

I did a little test. Followed the exact file structure for the adts. And my area changes don't show up in WoW. Do we need to use a model hack, in order to get the patch working? I'm using wow 3.3.3

-Thanks in advance.

[Eluo]

patch-enUS-4.MPQ for dbc lua ect and interface files.
patch-4.MPQ for normal files like blp,adt wmo m2 ect.

[zimbb]

when i tele to my location .tele Gilneas ut shows only loadscreen and loadbar.
I made all changes in base of server. But it wont tele to my map.
When i relog and Enter world whith my character(wich teleported to gilneas(my custom)) game crashes.

*edit*
Oops! I fix it. My dbc files was in patch-5 mpq file. I put dbfilesclient folder in ruRU(lang) and create mpq and name it as patch-ruRU-5 and all work.

p.s.: Soon i`l make tutorial how to add water.
p.s.s.: Sorry for my bad known of English lang  :ulol:

[glararan]

Hi i have mini problem:D when i use party in custom location Core crash.Where can be problem?.

[Ndogg]

Noggit doesn't work for me, does that mean I cant edit maps?

[Steff]

And why it not work. I know it works for over 40 people i pers. know.
So why not for you?

[Shruik]

I´m really sorry for asking this question but it doesn´t want to work on my pc...
I followed exactly the tutorial but when i´m porting myself on the map (.worldp 750 1 1 1 on arcemu) i just get that loadingscreen with the dwarf holding his hammer (i guess its the crash or freeze screen) and nothing happens. No wow error , no core error. I verified all the informations twice and even made 2 patchs (patch-5.MPQ for ./world and patch-deDE-5.MPQ for DBFilesClient) but i always ends up like this... do you have any idea of what i could do?