mtoutlaw

Ok, guys...
After about a week of being frustrated with the JO Editor (MED) I finally sat down and figured it out two nights ago.
Like all programs, the program is only as good as the manual, readme file, etc.
And, like many of you, I found the JO MED readme file pretty confusing.
I will assume that most of you are experienced map makers and are familiar with bms files , Z levels etc.
Althoug I don't know all the ways that the JO MED can be used, I know the way it is now working for me. If you follow the steps EXACTLY like listed below, you'll be making custom JO maps in no time.

What You Need: A working BHD Team Sabre installation.
This is necessary for you to copy/paste certain files to your JO MED folder.
I don't know if a basic BHD-only files work so I can't vouch for them.

Ok, here we go:

First, the JO MED is divided into 4 steps:
1-Setup
2-Map making
3-Conversion
4-JO Map Loading

SETUP
-Make a folder in your Novalogic folder and call it JO MED
-Download the JO MED (that is available in the downloads section here at www.Nova-Inside.com) into the folder you have named JO MED
-Extract the files from the file that you downloaded using the WinRar program (can be found at www.win-rar.com) and make sure that they unpack in your JOMED folder.
Once unpacked you should have two folders: Editor and Maploader (you will also see a text file called JOTRMT_Readme.txt. That's the installation file that comes with the JO MED. Ugh!)
-NOTE: You will be using Windows Explorer windows when working with the JO DEM, so keep the windows explorer open and you should be viewing the EDITOR folder and the MAPLOADER folder in the exporer screen.
-Create a new folder in that screen and call it anything you want, like MY JO MED.(this makes a good reference point foryou to work in) You should now have three folders in the Win Explorer window. My JO MED, MAP LOADER and EDITOR
-Double click the EDITOR folder. Another window will open and all the JO editor files will be seen. Select all of them, right click and copy them. CLose that window and you'll see the original window with the three folders (MY JO MED, Map LOADER, etc).
-Double click the MY JO MED folder. A new blank window will open. Right click on it and click PASTE. All the files from EDITOR folder will now be in that folder.
Leave that Win Explorer window open.

Now open another Windows Explorer window and goto to your Black Hawk Down (Team Sabre) folder.
Find and copy the following files ONLY: Do NOT copy the Exp 1.pff listed inthe readme .txt

Localres.pff
Med.pff
Resource.pff
dfbhdmed.exe
pack.exe

Go back to your Win Explorer window that contains your MY JO MED folder (that contains the copy/pasted files that you pasted from the EDITOR folder) and PASTE these 5 files into it.

You should now have in MY JO MED folder both sets of files that you pasted. (5 files from your BHD TS folder and the files from the JO MED folder called EDITOR).

Find the file called run Install_1.bat and double click it.
(you should see a DOS window open and files will do their thing. If you have a firewall, like I do, you may get a request asking if the files (like Pack.exe)can access the Internet. I clicked YES)


NOTE: Once that's finished your files in the MY JO MED folder will be ready to use. You may now want to make a desktop shortcut to the dfbhdmed.exe file and name it JO MED for easy access in the future.

NOTE: Move the MY JO MED Win Explorer window to the top of your desktop. Goto to your original JO MED folder window and double click the MAP LOADER folder. Place that window below your MY JO MED window. This will help you work with these files easier later on. (Notice the the open Map Loader folder contains three files called dreamer0.bms, dreamer1.bms,dreamer2.bms. This is important to note as they will be explained below. They are the maps that were included in the Map Loader program)

2- MAPMAKING
Double click your MED file called dfbhdmed.exe in your MY JO MED folder. The familiar BHD MED GUI will open and display.
GOTO: Edit/General Information and name your map.
I will call the map JJ-1 as my sample map file name.
In the terrains you will only be able to use the two files below:

dvxg1
dvxi4_c

In the "Environment File" (lower right side pull down box that has your DAWN 1 ,etc choies) select one of the two files only:
(they are the sky files)

FULL_00
FULL_01

Select the type of game that you want.
NOTE: you will not be able to choose "ADVANCE AND SECURE" in the game type selection. Only the standard game types (TKOTH, TDM, etc.) so don't freak if you don't see ADVANCE and SECURE! You haven't done anything wrong.

Close the General Information window and return to your MED GUI (Graphical user interface). If you're familiar with map making. You'll know pretty much what to do.

NOTE: When you choose INSERT you will notice that your ITEMS selctions (buildings, vehicles, etc.) are very limited. That's the drawback of a demo MED. I'm sure that the official MED will have tons of Items.

NOTE: You'll notice that the VEHICLE Items Section now contains the JO vehicles found in the JO DEMO.
Also, some items will show on your map graphically when you insert them and others will show as the infamous red Xs that some of you might have experienced in the BHD TS MED for items like fire and some foliage. You'll have to live with that for now and you'll find that those items like for FOLIAGE are very large (group of trees, for example) so space them apart so that you don't end up with overlapping foliage).

***NOTE***: Like the default readme_me.txt file stated (briefly) the Z levels (height) of objects in the JO MED are screwed up. Don't count on the 3d Wrie view to be accurate as it isn't. Also, CHECK ALL ITEMS INSERTED for their Z levels as they often insert BELOW a terrain. THIS is the most time consuming aspect of the JO MED!!!!!!!!

OK, do a simple map with only a few items inserted (1 Blue Player, 1 Red Player, two helos at each camp.)

Save Map: Make sure that the map is being saved in your My JO MED folder. We'll use the name JJ-1 for an example. This important so that you'll be able to follow the name of the map in this tutorial. Save and export. Minimize your MED. DOn't close it cause you'll be coming back to it as youtest and tweak your map(s).
You will now have two files in your MY JO MED folder. JJ-1.mis and JJ-1.bms.
NOTE: YOu will notice that they are in your Win Explorer window called MY JO MED, that you have open on the top of your desktop.

3-Conversion.
This is the part that screwed me up and confused me for days. (You're probably in the same boat! LOL)
Make sure that you have a pad and pen handy so that you can log what BHD bms file is assigned the JO dreamer file name!
In your MY JO MED folder you will notice in your open Win Explorer window that there is a file called: BHD_TO_JO_BMS.exe.
This program will convert the map that you made, JJ-1.bms to a JO format called dreamerX.bms, where X is a number of the map in the rotation list. More on that later.

NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT: The design of this program is confusing because it opens in a similar window (gui) when you perform two distinct functions in the BHD to JO conversion.
DOUBLE click the BHD_TO_JO_BMS.exe file
FIRST: you will see a box that says "OPEN".
Click it. You should see a box that opens that has your JJ-1.bms file (and maybe a couple of others, I don't remember), You only want to choose the JJ-1.bms file in the list. Click it until it's in the lower box and click OPEN. You ar SELECTING the file that you want to convert.
***VERY IMPORTANT***now another IDENTICAL window will open. THIS IS THE WINDOW WHERE YOU WILL ASSIGN THE FORMER BMS FILE (JJ-1.bms)a JO DREAMER FILE NAME.
If you checked previously and found the following files in your MAP LOADER folder (dreamer0.bms, dreamer 1.bms, dreamer2.bms) then you will now name your file dreamer3.bms
exactly like that.
Type in dreamer3.bms and click OPEN.
If you notice closely in your MY JO MED folderon your sektop you will see that file dreamer3.bms added to the folder.
Close the box that says OPEN again( another confusnig part of the program) . You're finished with it for now.

Now find the dreamer3.bms file that you just created in your MY JO MED folder and copy it.
Goto your open MAP LOADER folder that you have positioned underyour MY JO MED folder on your desktop and PASTE the file.
You will now see your dreamer3.bms in the MAP LOADER folder.

So far, you have made a map named JJ-1.bms in your MED, converted it in your MY JO MED folder with the program BHD_TO_JO_BMS.exe and it is now named dreamer3.bms which you have copy/pasted into your MAP LOADER folder.
You should have noted in your writing pad that JJ-1.bms = dreamer3.bms for easy reference.
Still with me? Hope so.
JO MED Tutorial Part 2

4- MAP LOADING
NOTE: I should mention this right now because it may clarify something about the maploader. The default MAPLOADER program that came with the JO MED has three maps in it.
dreamer0.bms=Green Island
dreamer1.bms=Pulau Jajung Islands (deafult demo map)
dreamer2.bms= Other Island

In other words, the JO dreamer file names = the names of the maps that were assigned in the general information section of the MED. Often ppl name the bms file name the same as the general information name.
This is why you'll need the pen and paper when designing JO maps. To log the assigned dreamer file name to the original name of the BMS file.

LOADING:
1- Open your JO DEMO to the MAIN SCREEN (Where you see the menus at the bottom, LAN, NOVAWORLD, OPTIONS, etc).
2-Hit ALT+ESC. This will take you to your desktop.
3-Double click on your open WinExplorer window that has the JOTR_maploader.exe program. The Map loader GUi will open.
Remember you have 4 maps in your MAP LOADER folder (dreamer0.bms, dreamer1.bms, etc) So you should enter "4" (without quotes) in the text box and click ADD. You'll now see a 4 in the rotation text box.

=Sarc=

There's another unofficial editor I saw the other day in the official NovaWorld forums. It's also a converted BHD editor just so you all know that both are not the final JO MED or even a beta version.

Unofficial BHD Editor for JO

Tutorial for the Editor

The tutorial that NovaDude wrote for the editor has pics and explains some of the things in the editor plus features that are obsolete from BHD. This editor does not require BHD or the Team Sabre expansion.

Anyway, good write up, Outlaw. The part about converting is helpful.

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