Written by Greg Allen and Tim Maushardt

Scenario Design Basics
Maps and Deploying the Units

Maps
Unfortunately every game's scenario editor doesn't have the ability to create new maps. If this is the case, then you will be stuck with using an existing map that closely represents the terrain of the battlefield that your recreating.
Back when we discussed the Research Phase hopefully you were able to either find a map at the proper scale, a picture of the battlefield, or a description of the battlefield. If you were able to dig up a highly precise map then you will have an easy job of creating the computer version of the battlefield. A precise map may show terrain types with elevations, roads, rail lines, bridges, farms, cities including significant buildings, unit deployments, and any other significant land feature that the battle may have been fought over.
The below techniques should get you closer to making an accurate portrayal of the battle.
The first step in inputting your map is to determine the scale of the game that your working with. For instance in Steel Panthers I each hex equals 50 yards, East Front each hex equals 250 meters, and Steel Panthers III each hex equals 250 yards. You will have to come up with a conversion to go from the scale of your map to the scale used in the game by using a ruler and possibly a calculator. For instance if 1 hex equals 50 meters then 32 hexes would equal about one mile and in East Front were each hex equals 250 meters six hexes would be approximately one mile.
The amount of terrain covered by a map is usually a lot bigger than what a game will handle. So the next question will be were to start? For me it depends on the kind of action were simulating. If the scenario is a meeting engagement then the location of the battle should be centered on the map. If the engagement is an assault then you will want to shift the map off center in the game towards the defending side. Why, the attacker should be given more room to maneuver in an assault scenario. Also if there are allot of units the size of the map shouldn't crowd the units up to the edge of the map. Luckily in the East Front Editor you can resize the map at any time, but it is always better to plan it out ahead of time. Of course if your battle involves a well prepared continuous front were flanking maneuvers were not possible then the map and placement of units should reflect this.
This also reminds me of a problem I ran into when creating a map for a Steel Panthers I scenario. Steel Panthers I was rather unforgiving and according to nationality would define one side of the map or the other as the "natural" start position. The start position also defined the direction units would retreat towards during battle. So if you entered a map with the "natural" start position of one side in occupied territory of the other side units would retreat towards the enemy, not a very realistic occurrence. To over come this I learned to always setup a test game for the countries involved to see which side of the map the natural start line would be located.
If you were able to find good reference material. It is now time to start entering in your map. Especially if you have multiple good maps, unit deployments, and possibly photos. These items will make your job extremely easy, since it removes a lot of the guess work. And if you plan on making a historical scenario, it is alright to guess based on information that you have, but you should not make things up. You are better to leave it out if you are not fairly sure, based upon your sources. Just as an option: You also might want to include a text document with you scenario explaining your design decisions and the sources that you used to create it.
If on the other hand you don't have ideal sources then you will need to keep a couple things in mind when creating your map. When inputting natural features like mountains, streams, or forests stay away from repetitive or perfect geometric looking shapes as these features are more random looking in nature. Of course if your adding man made features like a farmers field, orchard, a group of buildings, or roads then these will usually be more squared up. When your inputting a terrain type just try to think how it would look in real life. One common mistake in many auto-generated maps is streams cutting right through a hill, rather than going around its base.
Also keep in mind that the choices you make with cover terrain will affect the tactical decisions made during the battle. For instance the addition of a wheat field or tall grass may provide concealment for advancing troops in a large open area. Likewise the addition of a stone building or trees in the right location can help provide cover terrain for defending units making them harder to hit.
One of the golden rules to remember is to save often. You will find its better to be cautious than it is to have hours of work go up in smoke. Editors can crash and the electrical service can have random power dropouts. It only takes one time losing hours of work to learn this lesson, a voice of experience talking here.
The next step is to define the victory locations. You will need to decide from your readings what was the intent of the battle. Was the capture of a specific cross road, hill top, or town the reason for the engagement. After answering this question you can then set the appropriate hexes as the victory point hexes. The next question will be to determine the amount to be awarded for controlling the victory point hexes. One thing to remember is that the higher value assessed to the combined total of all the victory hexes will offset the points awarded for inflicting casualties.

Force Deployment
Now that the battlefield has been inputed its time to deploy the troops.
You probably won't have a detailed description of where every gun or unit was placed. Your reference material may give general descriptions of were some of the units were located, so you will usually have to make an educated guess.
Generally, when setting up defending units look for possible avenues of approach to the victory hexes that an attacking force would take and set up the defenders accordingly. For instance an attacker will usually not advance in clear open terrain if there is a route to the objectives with trees or hills to hide in. Experienced players shouldn't have a problem here, just put yourself in the commander's shoes of the side that your deploying.
Here is some suggestions: Setup ambushes by hiding units in cover terrain with limited line of site, like infantry in woods or on the reverse slope of a hill. Keep in mind that any Victory Point hexes will be artillery magnets in the Steel Panthers Series. It's also a good idea to not setup any attacking units directly in an enemy unit's line of site.
Steel Panthers allows the designer to define way points which the units will "generally" follow. Use these to help the computer controlled forces take "smarter" avenues of approach to the objective.
The last article in this series will cover just that, tips for balancing a scenario so that each side has a chance for victory.
You can also E-mail Greg Allen or Tim Maushardt for any further questions or problems with any map or scenario design. We will be available at the Wargamer to help if you need it.