Experienced Source mapper looking for info

[Soup Toaster]

Hello everyone, I'm an experienced (2000-3000 hours) Source mapper and I'm looking for detailed info on mapping for Lambda Wars. I get the impression that most of what I'll need to know is on the Alien Swarm editing wiki and in the "Hammer Ents" / "Annihilation Req." threads in this forum. If there are any other sources of info I'd appreciate it.

I just started playing the game (my first RTS) and it's pretty great. As a new player however I'm getting my ass handed to me since this game has a very steep learning curve. I'd like to build a series of Single Player maps that teach players step by step how to play to give knuckleheads like me a fighting chance.

Before I start blocking in maps I specifically need to know:

Will I be able to prevent Combine/Rebel AI controlled sides from spawning certain types of units? That way I can build maps where players learn in chunks how to deal with certain situations.

Also can I change the maximum camera height via map construction or in-map variable? As a new player I find the low height incredibly irritating when trying to play a new map "blind".

And finally, how dynamic can elements of the maps be? For instance semi-randomized capturepoint and scrappile locations so that it's not simply a matter of map memorization.

[JJ]

The camera height is determined by a func_map_boundary brush entity. You tie it to a hollow box and it acts like a cage around the camera, so you would just have to change the height of this box.

I think it might be possible to make random control points and scrap locations maybe by deleting some at random just using hammer entities.

The annihilation AI can't be controlled that much within the maps. You can manually add units for the CPU, make them spawn at certain times, and give them orders though.