Starting a New Level.
HOW TO:
Start A New Level
=================
THIS FILE INSTRUCTS ON USAGE OF THE LEVEL EDITOR. PLEASE
READ THE LEVEL EDITOR KEY-GUIDE FOR BASIC INSTRUCTIONS.
First of all, create a directory:
MYDIR/LEVELS/LEVEL_A
This is where the files for the first level will be created.
Now run LEVED. You will be presented with a screen, the upper and largest part of which is
blank, the lower part of which contains icons.
USING THE ICON BAR:
===================
The icon bar may be scrolled left and right using the ( and ) keys on the keypad.
Click on an icon with the LMB to select it. A short message will appear next to the icon bar to
inform you which icon you have selected. For the present, DONT PRESS ANYTHING!
We shall begin by creating a very simple level consisting of two rooms or, as they shall be
referred to here, 'zones'. What you may think of as a single room will frequently consist of
several zones, for reasons which will become apparent.
1. Select the 'add point' icon. This is the one at the top left of the icon bar represented by
+O
2. Move the mouse up to the top area of the screen and click four times in a square pattern, the
corners about 2 inches apart. Put them towards the left hand side of the screen, like so:
* *
* *
3. To create a zone, click on the icon immediately below 'add point', the one like a triangle with
dots in the corners. Move up to the edit area and select the points, one at a time, in a
CLOCKWISE order, returning to the one you started from. The result should be a flashing grey
box, like this:
*---------------*
| |
| |
| |
| |
| END |
| |
| |
| |
| |
*---------------*
4. Now that you have one zone, you can add more points....
*---------------* *
| |
| |
| |
| |
| END |
| |
| |
| |
| |
*---------------* *
5. ....and connect the four rightmost points, again in a clockwise order:
*---------------*-------------*
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| END | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
*---------------*-------------*
6. Notice that the line common to both zones is dark, rather than bright. This indicates a border
between the zones. Bright lines are solid walls which stretch from floor to ceiling.
Note: That dark line only represents a border. That is, the zones are connected together to make
one room, made out of 2 zones. A room can be made of many zones. I personally found out that you
can make a nice complex room, with two levels with only 16 zones. You have up to 256 zones per
level, which isn't bad. Stair cases can start to take up zones, but even at that, it is a good
amount of zones to have at your disposal. If you manage to make a level that REALLY needs 256
zones(No redundancies), doesn't take the player 2 hours of hunting to find their way though,
and doesn't get the player hopelessly lost, then please send me a copy. (Mike B.) As you see,
putting zones together, like this, automatically connects the Zones together, removing the wall
between them. You must add the wall, if you want one there.
7. Now you'll have to place the player start position. Select the icon of the little man, and click
with the LEFT mouse button in the RIGHTMOST of the two zones. You should see something like this:
*---------------*-------------*
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| END | P1 |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
*---------------*-------------*
If you want to test the level out in the game, read the document
HOW2-Save_Levels_To_Disk
for full instructions.
When you run the game, notice that the game ends as soon as you step into the 'end' zone.
BUILDING LEVEL OUTLINES
=======================
Personally, I prefer the following method of level design:
1. Design the level outline, that is, the plan view of the level.
2. Run the game on the level and have a wander around.
3. Assuming all is OK, I put in the floor and ceiling heights.
4. Have another quick run around to make sure all is well.
5. Next, I put in all the wall and floor and ceiling graphics
6. Check out what it looks like.
7. Put in all the snazzy lighting effects
8. Have another look.
9. Put in objects like keys, medipacks and guns, together with doors and lifts.
10. play the level through, ensuring that it can be completed by collecting the right keys and so on.
11. Put in the control points for aliens to use
12. Put in aliens.
13. Final playtest.
This is also a very good way for you to learn how to use the features of the game, as it introduces new
concepts one step at a time.
See these files for information about later stages of level development:
HOW2-Change_Floor_and_Ceiling_Heights
HOW2-Set_Wall_Floor_and_Ceiling_Graphics
HOW2-Change_Level_Lighting
HOW2-Add_Doors_And_Lifts
HOW2-Add_Objects_To_Levels
HOW2-Add_Control_Points
HOW2-Add_Aliens_To_Levels
This document will now concentrate on the rules of designing level outlines.
RULES and REGULATIONS:
----------------------
1.
Zones MUST ALWAYS be defined by selecting points in CLOCKWISE ORDER.
2.
Zones can have a MAXIMUM of ten sides.
3.
Zones MUST ALWAYS be convex.
Several definitions of convexity (pick the one which makes sense to you):
a. A convex shape is one where you can walk all the way around the edge and only have to turn in
ONE direction.
b. If you draw a straight line between any two points in a convex shape, that line will always lie
ENTIRELY within the shape, ie it will never cross out of the shape and back in again.
4.
No zone must ever be visible on more than ONE side of a hole in the map from any other zone.
This is a bit trickier to explain, but I'll do my best:
*------------*
| |
| A |
| |
*===*----*===*
| | | |
| B |HOLE| C |
| | | |
*===*----*===*
| |
| D |
| |
*------------*
The shape above consists of FOUR zones A,B,C and D; a large one at the top and at the bottom, and two
smaller connecting ones on either side, with a hole inbetween. The hole DOES NOT count as a zone,
even though it is completely surrounded by zones. You can tell that it is a hole and not a zone in the
level editor because the walls around it are BRIGHT WHITE, indicating impassable walls, whereas the
borders between zones (shown as double lines '=' above) will be in grey.
The above design is NOT ALLOWED, because zone A is visible from zone D on both sides of the hole.
There are TWO ways of fixing this situation:
a. Delete zones A and D, then add points and zones to get the following:
*---*----*---*
| # # |
| A # D # F |
| # # |
*===*----*===*
| | | |
| B |HOLE| C |
| | | |
*===*----*===*
| # # |
| G # H # I |
| # # |
*---*----*---*
This is legal, because no zone is visible on either side of the hole from any other zone.
b. Add one extra zone, covering the hole:
*------------*
| |
| A |
| |
*===*====*===*
| # # |
| B # E # C |
| # # |
*===*====*===*
| |
| D |
| |
*------------*
then change the floor height of zone E to be the same as its roof height, or vice versa.
Method a. is good because HOLES in the map allow the game to ignore anything on the other side.
Thus, if the player stands in zone H, zone D will not be drawn because it is invisible from anywhere
in zone H.
However, method a. is not always feasable except in very simple or regular patterns of holes. The
difficulty involved in making sure this rule is obeyed in complex rooms is prohibitive. That is
why method B is often used, despite the fact that it prevents the game eliminating invisible zones;
in this case, zone C would be drawn if the player was in zone B, despite the fact that zone E
completely obscures it.
5.
Try to avoid using sharp, pointy zones when designing the level; for various reasons the game doesn't
really like them. If you find yourself about to add an excessively pointed zone, try rethinking the
way you have designed the room.
6. Zones MUST NOT contain within them any other zones, or any points be they connected or not.
One of the most tempting things people try to do is to create a raised pedastle in the following
manner:
*-----------------------*
| |
| |
| A |
| |
| |
| *-----------* |
| | | |
| | | |
| | B | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| *-----------* |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
*-----------------------*
This WILL NOT WORK. If you want such a pedastle you must create it in the following way:
*-----------------------*
|# #|
| # # |
| # B # |
| # # |
| # # |
| *-----------* |
| | | |
| | | |
| A | E | C |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| *-----------* |
| # # |
| # # |
| # D # |
| # # |
|# #|
*-----------------------*
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