what do the waypoints and all that neat stuff do...and what do i need to make units respawn etc...

*waypoints tell the bots where to go when they're used on certain maps. From jumping to using jets, waypoints lead the bots along from point A to point B.
*to make units respawn you simply place a spawn point. When your Soldat dies they will automatically respawn from the spawn points in any given map.

For further questions I suggest the Soldat Guide, a recently created portion of the forusm made for questions just like this.

Get a mapmaker and make stuff. You'll need:

Polygons (Unless you want your map to be a bunch of sky)
Spawn points; This is where you, umm, spawn.
Waypoints; Not theoretically needed, but you'll have to have them to make bots move.