Staredit Network

What are the advantages to SCMDraft2.0 over SCXE2.5, and vice-versa. I am asking because when i started making maps, i started out with SCXE and rarely ran into problems, but now that i have started to use SCMDraft2.0, i run to problems quite frequently. One solution that I have come up with would be to do all the map making and unit placing with SCMDraft, and doing all the triggers, briefing, naming, and all the other stuff in SCXE, has anyone tried this and run into problems, or does anyone know of any problems i would run into doing this?

as far as i know, your 'solution' is fine. just be aware that any sprites and stacked units placed in SCMD2 will be deleted by SCXE

SCMDraft (and StarForge) can do sprites, unit sprites, and a lot that StarEdit (or SCXE) can't.

In my opinion, StarForge > SCMDraft > SCXE/FE/SE mods > StarEdit


Eh, StarForge and SCMDraft often corrupt things because its not how Blizzard made it.

i'd have to disagree, it 'd be more like

SCMD2 > Starforge > SCXE > Staredit

the only area starforge really beats SCMD2 is in terrain. Starforge is undeniably the king in that category.

even though SCMD2 is much more powerful than SCXE and Staredit, i still prefer using the latter two jsut because i know that nothing will go wrong with them. i usually only use SCMD2 for unit placement.

i think they are all equally as usefull in their own ways. i prefer to do triggers for classic editor on SCXE 2.5, typing triggers on Starforge and SCMDraft if i need to use classic trigedit without loosing sprites, units or other stuff that SCXE doesnt like. get all of the then you have a wide selection of editors to use.

yep, very good thing to do. Every editor can do something another editor may not do, or do as well. Starforge does awesome terrain, SCMD2 offers the advanced features of SF with more map stability(plus graphical displays), Xtra is very reliable all around and has only a few weaknesses(such as sprites, string editor), and Staredit offers good old user friendliness, with easy to access/use menus and interfaces. so in the end, it really depends on the user and which interface they prefer.

SCMD2 pwns SF

I use the same Process

SCMD2 > Starforge > SCXE > Staredit

I'd have to say SCMD2 is the best if you're doing any advanced/complex/repetitive triggering. And you can pretty much do 95% of a map in SCMD2, and anything else like briefings you can finish in SCXE or SF.

I think the SCMD2 + SCXE combo is good, but there is a chance the strings may get messed up when switching between editors.

oh yeah and staredit is good for placing minerals perfectly seperated and perfectly on the squares and other stuff like that which ive used occasionaly ^_^

you can do that in SCMD2, SCXE and likely, starforge too...

:0 didn't know that :0 i now have 0 uses for staredit way to go and kill an editor for me

SCMDraft > SCXE > Starforge (I'm a starfoge sissy) > Staredit

IMHO

Starforge has an annoying trigger system, good terrain (Like with the clutter %), Locking, although it isn't that good, Player color changing, Fine breifing, and sprites, bad map resizing(pretty messed up, like the anywhere location stays same size), word coloring

SCMDraft2 has Copy/cut/paste, good unit making, good trigger copying(doesn't copy triggers to bottom on list) Multiple windows, okay trigger system, other sprites(although why would you need optical flare grenade!?), pretty good terrain, Pretty bad mission breifings, and good map resizing, also player color changing.

SCXE has almost no bugs when used alone, bad terrain, no complete stacking, no snap to grid, good simple trigger system, good mission breifings, no player color changing(It will actually change colors back if you use it after they have been changed), No sprites, good unit name changing, good word coloring, and no map resizing and no null.

Staredit has, well, you know, not much, its got a simple trigge editor, mission breifings, no stack, no color changing, auto snap to grid, okay it pretty much is useless except for the grid snapping if you're not using scmdraft2 or starforge.

Thing about using editors together, is that scxe and staredit work together fine, but when you use them with one of the other 2, problems will ensue, not always though, just try to use one for one thing and another for another thing, dont try to have 2 do the same thing

SCXE is Staredit. You can't throw it in a seperate category.

This topic shouldn't be in this section.

There is no "This editor is better than that editor". It's about preference. You could use regular Staredit and make better maps than you would with SCMDraft. It's not about the editor, it's the person that uses it.

Also note that going to use xtra after using scmdraft or SF resets goliath and tank damage, and the same vise versa. For this reason and others, I generally do not use xtra anymore but SCMdraft for most everything I need.

I've never had Scmdraft2 do anything bad to one of my maps, and when I hear about it doing bad things to other people's maps, it always involves people switching between two editors, usually Scmdraft2 and X-tra edit, and automatically blaming Scmdraft2 for it.

StarForge is broken and incomplete. I've had no reason to use it for a very long time.

I disagree.

SCMDraft 2 > SC X-tra > StarEdit > Being molested by large burly men and then subsequently roasted alive > StarForge


This is pretty much how I work. Start it in X-tra and eventually I end up switching to SCMD2. You are perfectly fine to work this way, and SCMD2 should not cause you any problems, except for possibly screwing up your strings if you use blank strings anywhere. The nice thing about that is that you can plug your triggers into notepad and use Find and Replace to fix anything that might go wrong, should SCMD2 replace all your blank strings with a random string from somewhere else.

The only problem I have with SCMD2 is that it crashes occasionally, and it always blames TrigEdit even if you've never used it. The trick is to save often, and to always save a new copy of your map whenever you make changes. The first version of one of my maps is Elite (e001).scx and the latest version is Elite (e056).scx, to give you a concrete example.


I'm pretty sure SCMD2's trigger order is based on the order of the TRIG section within the .chk file itself. You can't get more logical than that. StarForge's trigger editing is the worst of all, it's far slower than using StarEdit to make your triggers. With StarEdit it's pretty much all clicking, with StarForge it's a butchered, monsterous mix of clicking and typing, and with SCMDraft 2 it's all typing. I do my triggers in notepad.



Agreed.. If you are going to create a map that you actually want to be playable on Battle.net, never, EVER even open your map in StarForge. Don't even let it get on your computer, it will corrupt all the maps that exist on it.

TrigEdit is apparently the error handler... thingy. It dosen't actually cause the crash, it just tells you about it.
I usually ignore that "something bad happned" message box, as I can keep working, or at least save, despite it.

Also, there's no need to manually save different files for backup purposes. Scmdraft2 does it for you. It autosaves every <amount of time you choose> and keeps every version in the backup database.

PS. Switching between editors is a horrible, terrible, awful, bad idea.

You must click multiple times to make a trigger in StarForge. It is unavoidable.

You have to click between every trigger and every player.

You could do the same thing at least ten times as fast with notepad. Or with a simple VB program.