Working with Map Files

This section covers the basic file functions of making maps—from creating a new map to distributing a completed map to your friends.

## Creating a New Map

* To create a new map, select **NEW** from the File menu. In the dialog box, enter the **X** and **Y** size of the map, as well as the initial terrain height. Click **OK**.

## Saving Your Work

Worldbuilder maps are stored as data, along with references to all of the art they use. This storage method means that completed maps are usually less than 5 MB.

* To save your map, select **SAVE** from the **File menu**.
* The default directory for saved maps is inside your *AppData* folder. You can choose to save in any directory, however the game won't be able to see maps that are saved outside of the default folder.
* The path for a default install of maps is:
	+ *AppData\Roaming\<GameName>\Maps*
		- OR for the "System Maps" tab inside World Builder;
	+ *<Game Install folder>\Data\SageXml\pc\maps\official*

* If you want to save a version under a different name or in a different location, select **SAVE AS**… from the **File menu**. To save the map so it is usable in the game, click **USER MAPS**. Save the map in that directory.
* The **Save As** feature is useful if you are engaged in making major changes to your map or if you want to experiment without committing to the change to the original map.

## Loading a Map

To load your map, load the World Builder program. These files end with the ***.MAP*** extension.

* To load a map, select **OPEN** from the **File menu**. Navigate to the folder where you saved your map. Select the ***.MAP*** file and press **OPEN**. Your map opens.

World Builder files contain all of the data necessary to describe your map contents. They do not contain the object and texture libraries; in a World Builder ***.MAP*** file, objects and textures are stored as references to the libraries that are automatically loaded when you load the World Builder file.

For more information on how to load additional libraries/resources, please visit the Map Libraries article.

## Undoing Changes

In World Builder, a few mouse clicks can undo or erase any mistakes or undesirable changes.

 Deleting Objects
 Deleting Textures
 Deleting Terrain Changes
 Deleting Maps from Your Computer

## Making Maps Available to the Game

For debugging purposes, you can dump all of the naming, positional, and scripting information for your map objects into a text file.

* To dump your map to a text file, select **DUMP MAP TO FILE** from the **File menu**. This file will be saved in the same directory where you installed the game.

You can share completed maps with friends by zipping the map folder, and sending the zip/rar file to them, best to include instructions on where to install as well.

Most completed maps should be less than 5 MB.

* For online multiplayer games, if the host selects a user-created map, that map automatically transfers from his computer to all of the players. Single-player maps must be manually transferred to other players.
	+ If you compile a map using a MOD SDK, even multiplayer maps need to be manually installed by each person that wants to play it. The map transfer function in-game doesn't transfer compiled map files, and if you rely on this, it ***WILL*** cause de-sync issues for you and everyone else.

## Editing Official EA Maps

Editing official EA maps requires you to extract the contents of the game's .BIG files and copying them to the folders listed in the ***"Saving Your Work"*** section above. These will make EA's maps available to you for reference, or for personal modification use.

Most games come with Singleplayer and Multiplayer maps separated into different .BIG files in the game's install folder. Most Multiplayer maps have little-to-no scripting, whereas Singleplayer maps are *heavily* scripted and provide a great reference for people wanting to create Campaign style maps.