Scenario Design

Steel Beasts is seen by many as the premier modern armored warfare simulation and it would be hard to argue otherwise. One very good reason for this is the mission editor. This feature allows a player, any player, to construct scenarios from nothing more than a set of maps and some standardized unit types.

Given only those ingredients, anyone can create any modern engagement involving the vehicles modeled in the game. A player can also recreate realistic training scenarios. Gunnery exercises, small- and medium-size unit drills, map-reading exercises, etc, can all be accurately modeled. Customized and customizable maps can be generated using the Map Editor to recreate diverse environments, everything from a patch of plain desert to the middle of city.

Building a scenario is not insurmountably difficult, but it can be challenging. Steel Beasts has existed for the better part of 10 years and routinely there are questions posted in the SteelBeasts.com Scenario Design forum asking relatively simple questions about scenario design. Some of the difficulties stem from the fact that the game continues to attract new players and even for ‘old hands’ who have done it all there is still the lure of making something new. Some of the difficulties derive from the fact that while the editors (Map and Mission) are not difficult to use, they contain a wealth of features that take some familiarization to use efficiently.

It’s for this reason, then, that we bring you the Steel Beasts Scenario Designer’s Guide. It is our hope that within these pages anyone wanting to build a scenario, or wanting to sharpen their skills at making a scenario, will find the answers they are looking for here. Building a mission for Steel Beasts can be more rewarding than actually playing the game. This guide will show you how to do it well.

Checklists

Steel Beasts Scenario Design Checklist
Briefing Checklist

Links of Interest

Scenario Design Links

Tutorials

What is a Scenario?
Scenario Design Basics
Placing the Pieces:Using the Mission Editor
Scoring
Understanding Control Logic
Using Random Numbers in Control Logic
Events, Triggers, Conditions, and how to use them
Scenario Design: advanced concepts
Obstacles and Fortifications

Map Design and the Map/Theme Editor

Tutorials

Using the Map Editor
How to extract and update SB1 terrain maps
Using the Theme Editor

Tying it all together

Integrating the parts into a whole
Gameplay balance issues
Gameplay and AI, expecting the unexpected
A Simple Scenario, from Concept to Completion

Playtesting

If you have something you would like to playtest, then post about it in the Scenario Design forum.