README.md

ChkForge

Starcraft map editor backed by Qt, ChkDraft, and OpenBW. Inspired by Starforge and SCMDraft.

Some code snippets from Starforge are used (i.e. terrain).

Libraries & Technologies Used

• Qt for GUI and other utilities.
• Qt-Advanced-Docking-System for better docking UI.
• MappingCoreLib (ChkDraft) and its dependencies for map/chk management.
• OpenBW for rendering and simulation.
• StormLib for MPQ management.
• CascLib for Casc loading.
• oxygen-icons-png for icons.

Credits

Code and Vision

Code and ideas sourced from the following:

• tscmoo for OpenBW
• TheNitesWhoSay for MappingCoreLib
• Jon Cable (Heimdal), Carlos Pastor (Clokr_), and Sam Wilkins for Starforge: Ultimate (unreleased)
• Henrik Arlinghaus (Suicidal Insanity) for SCMDraft

Translations

Translations were sourced from the following:

• Qt
• Polyglot Gamedev Project
• Starcraft: Remastered
• Starcraft 1.16.1
• Starcraft JP
• Korean Fan Translation (VIRUSGOD?)

Development

Developer Setup

1. Install Visual Studio Community 2019.
2. Install Qt for Open Source Development.
   1. Use the Qt Online Installer to install the following:
      • Qt 6.5.1 - MSVC 2019 64-bit
      • Qt Creator (any version)
3. Install Qt Visual Studio Tools in Visual Studio (the application) under Extensions -> Manage Extensions.
4. In Visual Studio, go to Tools -> Options... -> Qt -> Versions and add a qt version called 6.5.1_msvc_2019_64 pointing to your Qt/6.5.1/msvc2019_64 directory.
5. git clone --recurse-submodules [email protected]:heinermann/ChkForge.git
6. Open Chkforge.sln with Visual Studio 2019.

Some Class Info

• MapContext is the class that bridges ChkDraft and OpenBW between each other, and is used to programmatically interact with the map and openbw "game".
• MapView is the window that shows a MapContext. There can be more than one MapView with the same map context.
• MainWindow is self explanatory.
• Different UI components are separated as follows:
  • Tool Windows (minimap, item tree, etc)
  • Property Dialogs (unit, sprite, location properties w/ enter key)
  • Other Dialogs (New Map, Unit Settings, etc)
• ChkDraft classes are used for chk manipulation, but in general we should only be doing things through MapContext to also reflect those changes in OpenBW.
• OpenBW classes are just a mess of header files.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Use tr() for strings to create translatable strings in-code. (more info)
• Only interact with maps through MapContext, and not directly through ChkDraft/OpenBW.
• Avoid globals.
• Try to keep the boundaries between ChkForge and OpenBW separate (as much as possible, i.e. don't start using QString in OpenBW).

Libraries to Investigate

• QSimpleUpdater for automatic updates?
• Possibly some sound library for ogg, but Qt might support it already, though Qt doesn't support directional sound or sound mixing.