Alright I have NEVER made a custom upgrade in my life in SC2 and after poking around a little, Im completely lost. Ive found that upgrades are in the requirements and upgrade tabs, what else do I need to open, and is there a step by step instruction somewhere to make a new upgrade?

Brb checking the wiki.

Best way to learn nearly anything in SC2, duplicate, alter, and learn.

Thats the kicker, I cant figure out HOW to duplicate it.

Ctrl+U is the shortcut to duplicate an upgrade. You can also right-click on an upgrade and choose to duplicate from there, or choose to make an entirely new upgrade.

I know HOW to dupe something, I dont know where to.

Is anyone reading the OP?

I read that you found where the upgrades are, and now that you know how to duplicate and modify one. The OP is asking for a step-by-step instructional guide, which I do not have, and I'd rather not create one if you're so close to solving this on your own (especially since my own experience with the Data Editor is limited).

What do you mean you don't know where to dupe an upgrade? The OP says you found where the upgrades are. It's under the "Game" section in a category called "Upgrades."

Part 1: Making the Upgrade

Open the Upgrades tab in the Data Editor.

1. Right-click anywhere in the list. Select "Add Upgrade..."
2. Name the upgrade to what you want. Base it on the upgrade type you want (ex. if you're making a weapon upgrade, base it off of one of the Upgrade Ground/Air Weapon upgrades).

-- OR --

1. Find an upgrade that already exists and is similar to the upgrade you have in mind.
2. Right-click the upgrade and select "Duplicate Upgrade..." In the screen that pops up you only need the upgrade selected, not the links to units. Rename the upgrade if desirable.

Part 2: Adding Effects to the Upgrade

I don't know how you view your Data Editor, but I view mine on Table View. These instructions will be for Table View on (Toggle with Ctrl+T).

1. Locate "Upgrade - Effects - Data Reference" and double click on the value. A dialog will appear. (Double-clicking "Operation" or "Value under" "Upgrade - Effects" will open the same dialog).
2. Right-click in the table area in the dialog and select "Add Effect."
3. While highlighting the effect, you can customize it with the fields below the table.

• The "Type" is the type of the upgrade. If the upgrade is for a unit, you would select "Unit." Likewise, if the upgrade was to improve an ability, you would choose "Ability."
  
• The "Object" is the specific model being affected. For example, if the upgrade is for a Marine, you would select "Marine."
  
• The "Field" shows what parts of the object can be manipulated by the upgrade. If you have chosen a Marine, then you will see the Marine's stats in this window. Click on one value to select it.
  
• The "Operation" is the instruction to modify the selected field. This is similar to SC1's Set/Add/Subtract, except it includes Multiply and Divide.
  
• The "Value" is how much you want to change the field by the specified operation.

4. Repeat steps 2-3 for as many effects as you wish.

Part 3: Adding Requirements

Open the Requirements tab in the Data Editor.

1. Right-click anywhere in the list. Select "Add Requirement..."
2. Name the requirement to what you want. Select the Race you want and Tech Type "Upgrade."
3. Double-click "Requirement - Node Link." A dialog will appear.
4. Insert conditions for making the upgrade display.

• The "Use" is the conditions to be met when the player is allowed to start researching the upgrade (ex. Tech-Tree requirement like "Owns a Barracks").
  
• The "Show" is the conditions to be met when a player can see the upgrade (ex. Show "Protoss Shields Level 2" if "Protoss Shields Level 1" is queued or better and "Protoss Shields Level 2" is not queued or better).

Part 4: Adding the Upgrade to an Ability

Just going into a quick example for this.

1. Look for the ability to which you want to apply the upgrade (ex. "Engineering Bay - Research") (You can make your own ability if you want).
2. Click on it and find "Ability - Info - Upgrade." Double-click to open a dialog.
3. Choose an empty research space and double-click it. Another dialog will open.
4. At the top, you can choose a default button.
5. If you have a requirement, set the button state to restricted. Find your requirement in the "Info - Button - Requirements" and select it.
6. Scroll down in the dialog until you reach the bottom. Select your upgrade in the "Info - Upgrade" section.

Part 5: Adding the Upgrade to a Building

I'm just going to assume you want to add it to something that already provides upgrades, like an Engineering Bay. Open the Units tab in the Data Editor.

1. Find and select the appropriate Unit.
2. Locate "Ability - Command Card - Buttons - Face" and double-click it to open the dialog.
3. Choose a location on the command card and click it.
4. In the "Buttons" box, right-click and select "Add Button..."
5. Choose the image you want your upgrade to have and hit OK.
6. Select "Ability Command" as the command type.
7. Select your custom requirement as the requirement.
8. Select the ability you added the upgrade to in part 4 as the ability.
9. Select your upgrade as the Ability Command (It will be the name of the default icon, not the name of the upgrade).


I think that sums up how it works. Let me know if my instructions are inaccurate, don't work, etc. or if they successfully solve your dilemma.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Jan 23 2011, 4:48 am by Roy.

Thats more like it, brb data editor

Perfect. Your guide has me on the right path and my map goin good.

I love how you can change just about anything in the data editor with an upgrade. Change the cost of the upgrade with an upgrade, how bout that.


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