First newest version, last older ver. with portal help

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: Turbo Pascal's TReditor, Release date: 27-May-2000. : ==================================================== : Hi you guys, today is morning Sunday and I spend time yesterday all whole : day and night coding this Update, it is no so big update but it has some : fix/adding that i consider neccesary to be included right now. : From the first time that i made a custom room i had a camera problem, : then i learn how do some fix, but the problem was no fixed totally, the : same problem is related to animals's move in room. : Then when Rgbold came amazing us with his wonderful program, he solve : that problem from his side, then I sent him a e-mail asking how he did it. : So Rgbold teached me how to build a basic Box in a room, then i did some : experiment and learned how to expand a litle the boxes. So, 1,024Mb Thanks : to Rgbold for his help (1 giga Thanks). : : New in this release: : ===================== : 1.- Portals Side Fixed to work with vehicules. : 2.- Better Default Box schemme and Camera/ground zone. : 3.- Semi-Pools are now posibles. : 4.- Quicksand rooms are implemented, it work exactly like originals TR3 levels. : 5.- "Wind Blow" flag for tr2 and "Is Raining" flag for Tr3 implemented. : 6.- Underwater Surface Texture are drawn now from room below. : 7.- Texture "0" now work for walls also. : 8.- Alt-clik control only will change the texture/lights now. : 9.- Levelx.dat IS NOT USED anymore. : 0.- Default Room Light parameter included. ( A Guy request me for that, He know Who is, so i : included this feature just for keeping him happy :-) ). : : Running the samples : ------------------- : I included 2 samples semi_pools_sample.tre and quicksand_sample, : Levelx.dat is not used anymore, the previous TRE file format WILL WORK : with this version, so all your current levels will load fine whitout : any change. : - Run TReditor.exe, you can include the parameter "Default Light-intensity" in the : shortcut command line, for example D:\TREDITOR\treditor.exe 25 will use 25 for defaut : light intensity. : - Open Semi-pools_sample.tre file. : - Select the Option FILE, BUILD LEVEL. : - in the dialog box window correct in the BASE LEVEL info the path where you : have the original JUNGLE.TR2. : - Correct in the FILE'S NAME info the path and name where you put the new TR2 : file. : - Click Build Level. : Portals Side Fixed to work with vehicules. : -------------------------------------------- : Previusly i implemented the side rooms using the room_above field, : this work fine for Lara and animals, but it don't work with vehicules, : so i correct that using the correct room change command, so now : you don't need to fix the portal with TRitem. : It was funy to see Lara riding invisibles Vehicules. : You just need to load your current Tre file and recompile it. : : Better Default Box schemme and Camera/ground zone. : -------------------------------------------------- : I included now a default box scheme for each room, it work : better that the default box from TRitem, but it is not : pecrfect yet. : Now there is "safe place" in the rooms, now the animals Can't : climb to higher blocks, except using lowers neighbor blocks. : The Main problem is the AI (artificial inteligence) for the animals, : they are so stupid; I need more work for fix that. : The Underwater creatures will work fine now, and the animals will : not jump in pools. : The enemies can travel to others rooms now. (but they don't like that). : This defaul box scheme also fix the camera, so no more "Camera shaking" : anymore in any level. : WARNING: You must have to check the checkbox "No Box" when you : put trigers items in TRitem, or TRitem will destroy my : default Box schemme. : : Semi-Pools are now posibles. : ----------------------------- : I was wrong when i said that there is a "half Empty water room" flag (he he), : "Semi pools" are realy regular pools with the floor less that 1 complety : block. : The only thing that you must have to do in the underwater room when implement : this semi-pools is puting all sectors (even the walls) colisional with the : room above, or the game will crash if you put a floor less that 1 block. : In TR1 this kind pool will crash the game. : IMPORTANT NOTE FOR TR3: In TR3 levels exist a way to make Lara can't : go out from pools; This happen if you implement : the floor and the ceiling in different height : that the default floor/ceiling especified when you : created the room. : Quicksand rooms and Underwater Surface Texture : ----------------------------------------------- : Quicksand are exactly pools but with quicksand flag enabled, and : with Sand texture defined in the surface. : Also you MUST PUT COLISIONAL ALL SECTORS (even the walls) with the room above : or Lara Can't go out from the quicksand, you can put floors less that 1 complety : blocks on in also. : I include the "waves movement" to pools and quicksand rooms, for better : looking i changed the way to implement the water/sand surface texture. : Now the Sand texture or the Water Texture (for tr1/tr2) need to be defined : only in the ceiling top texture in the room below, and you put "0" texture : number in the top floor texture in the room above. : This way the surface water/sand texture is generated from the underwater : room, so the surface texture show a "wave" movement and look great!. : This also work for tr1/tr2 levels with animated textures; hope you like it. : "Wind Blow" flag for tr2 and "Is Raining" flag for Tr3. : --------------------------------------------------------------- : When you create the room the properties now show the rooms flags : underwater, wind/blow & is raining and quicksand options, : Semms that there is not exist the "is snowing" and "water is frezzen" flag : in tr3 levels format, i guess that it is flaged in tombpc.dat. : Note that now the "EDIT ROOM PROPERTIES" control WILL NOT DESTROY YOUR : WORK if you bring back the dialog windows until you change the : lenght/width of the room. : This way you can change the rooms flags without destroying your work. : : Texture "0" now work for walls also. : ---------------------------------------- : Previusly you used texture "0" for making solid trasparent for : floors and ceiling, now you can use it for walls also. : : Tip: the best way to chain 2 rooms is no putting wall in the chained : border (the overlaped room/colums), make it like a continuos section, : you don't need to put a "door" necesarily in the overlaped rows/columns, : is better put that door inside the regular room. : Alt-clik control only will change the texture/lights : ----------------------------------------------------- : Use Alt-click in the front/back and right/left view interface : for change the texture and lights without afecting the already : heigh/type shapes and portals attrib in the room. : Alt-clik on any height row/column (for floor and ceiling) while : apply the sector with the current textures/lights values. : Used in combination with the "select" control you can change the textures : and lights intesities easily and quickly. : : Levelx.dat IS NOT USED anymore. : ------------------------------- : I included a dialog window when you build a level with the net info: : - Levels Description: This is mainly for fun, this is the title of your work. : - Comments: You put here comment, intructions, ahutor name etc. whatever you want. : - Base level name: Here you put the full path and name for the level that you : want to use for base. This info will be saved in the TRE so each TRE file can : have his own different base file, and you don't need to especify it each time : that you load the TRe, Only be sure that the file is accesible when you build : the level. : - Level's Name: The name for the new level that you build, this info will be : also saved in the tre file. : : ----------------------------------------------------------------------- : I finished this update yesterday and i it is not full tested, so check : the about dialog to Check the current realease date version, because : new fixed release can come. : - Colored ligths: I dont' include that feature because i have to include : R,G,B controls for the floor/ceiling top/dow/left/right/front/back textures, : and i have no space where to put those new controls in the windows; : so I decided to include that feature until the new "3D TReditor". : May be i make a DOS tools to put the color for the whole room. : - 3D TReditor: I have some technical problem with it, fucking Opengl, : sometimes work in a way in software mode and somtimes work on another ways : in hardware mode, also colored meshes only work if i have the lights mode : enabled, and enabling the lights means that some areas of the room are to : dark, Also in can't make the Text get well iluminated...Arrrg this is : killing me!!!. : Also i have a lot a work in my oficce, (i am a programer for a company), so : when i have some free time i feel tired to work in the project. : - Fexitem.exe: Wooww, Rgbold move so quickly, i can't fallow him, the actual : Fexitem will not save the lastest feature, at first was some ease to save : the Table items,the floor/data and only the changed sectors, but now he : deal with severals sections in the TR file format. : I hope found time to Update Fexitem. : - Lights Importing: If you import a mesh room from a DXF all lights will be : at 16 value, i am stil thinking how to resolve that problem, maybe using : a similar tool like fexitem. The problem is that the DXF file format don't : has light colors for each vertex for the meshes. : - The north/south labels in Treditor: I am wrong with this labels, in the : game when you use the compass you will note that the North is where i label : south in the editor, but...what that hell..i never was boy scout, they never : aceptme, "To much nerd" they said, (maybe that is why i like to play Tomb Raider). : Thanks a lot to all regulars guys from the forum, Popov, Bitshifter..., RGbold for : his help, especial thanks to BART (the more loyal Treditor's User), Eep2 where : are you??, and of curse thanks to my very close friend THE VAGRANT. : : Turbo Pascal. : : --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : *** TReditor.exe - Tomb Raider Room Creator, Imcomplete Version. **** 19-March-2000. : : NEW IN THIS VERSION. : --------------------- : - The Front/Back view interface is implemented. : - Portals are implemented; now you can make severals room for Lara to explore. : Lara can Travel to front/back/left/right/up/down rooms positions. : - Pools and bridges are now possible. : - Portals are a little tricky, so now I'm including: : a separate section to explain how they are implemented. : : I was very lucky, I discovered a trick to make Lara change from 1 room to another (front/back/left/right rooms) : using the "Room Above" field, so i implemented portals to any direction just using Room Above/Below fields, this way i : have no need to deal with the Floor Data commands yet. :) : 1.- Overview. : This program will create new a PHD/TUB file with severals room and now with : Portals, but without, items or animals. just floor and ceiling edit with severals textures : and lights. : IMPORTANT.- this can only CREATE NEW PHD/TUB files, It can not open already phd/tub and : edit them. : You won't need to use an external CAD program to create the floors/wall/ceiling mesh, but right now : the Automatic mesh generating routine is not 100% done, so in some cases, some faces are not well : generated. : You can use Rview.exe 2.0 program for exporting these mesh faces to DXF file format and edit them : with a CAD program. To learn how you can apply textures to any faces, read the readme.txt on the Rview : package at the oficial home site at http://www.home.arcadia.net/userpage/vagrant/treditor.html or in the : Eep2 site. : You can use Vtexture.exe, jack.exe or Popov's TRviewer to get the textures number that you will use, the editor right now : doesn't have too much real-time texture support. : To play the levels, you'll need a way to play phd/tub from your hard disk, using the demo version, : unfinished business version or a CD-emulator. : : 2. Install. : -Create a new directory;perhaps name it "TRedit" : -Put into it: treditor.exe, paleta.bmp, shapes1.bmp, shapes2.bmp and floor.dat. : -Put into it: an existing phd file from the original CD (no demo phd) and rename it 'levelx.phd' : the program will use this file for base model, it will use this level's "textures" : & in the future, will use this level's animals, items and static also. : : 3. Running the samples. : I include 2 Samples file and 5 tutorial files (basic*.tre), run the : SAMPLE1.TRE AND SAMPLE2.TRE right now to see what you can do with this new version : Please, read the PORTAL SECTION before room the learning files. : In the EXAMPLE2.TRE, I show a cool effect, never seen before in a TR Level! : In this example Lara is TELETRANSPORTED to others rooms, you step : on 3 "special" tiles in the floor; each time Lara is : magicaly transported to other room ! : also, for the "sample2.tre" file...(use level8a.phd as the "base") : - Put LEVEL8A.PHD in the directory editor and rename it LEVELX.PHD. : - Run Treditor.exe, : - Select from the menu File, Open, and select a TRE file. : - Select File,Make PHD and select a directory and a name for the new level. (you can select TUB file format also). : - Rename the new level whith the apropiate name and play it in normal way. : : 4.- Using the program. : - Click the Grid buton to create a new room, fill the room properties: : - Large, width is how big the room is. : - the descriptions is any description that you want for the new room. : - Select water enabled for make the room underwater. : - Default Floor heigth and default ceiling height are the heights with : will start editing the room, you can change each floor/ceiling heigt : individualy Later in the Edit room option. : Never put default ceiling less that default floor, lara is 4 units tall. : - Lara Light is the ambient light that Lara will have in this room. : Lara light is from 0 bright to 32 dark. : - Room Light is the default light intesity that the floor/ceilings meshes will have. : You can change the light intensity for each floor and ceiling later in : the Edit room option. : Room light is from 0 bright to 32 dark. : - The Floor and ceiling fields are the default textures that the : room meshes will have. : You can change the Textures for each solid individualy later in the : Edit room option. : Each solid has 5 diferent textures, Front/Back/left/right/top. : : The room will be created, use left mouse button to drag the room to another position. : you can create severals room, the last room created is the current room, (blue color). : To make current another room you can point and click right buton mouse or select the room : description from the room description list. : In the future when the doors is implemented the rooms must be overlaped. : When you make the phd/tub file lara will start in the current room at the row 2, : column 2, facing to the north. : - The second button (hand and paper editing) is for changing the room properties for the : current room. WARNING, the prior work that you done with the Edit room button will be lost ! : : - The EDIT button is for edit the floor/wall/ceiling height for the current room. : - 3 views are availibles: : - Top/Down view. : - Front/back view. : - Right/Left view. : *in the top/down view you can put walls, use left mouse button to put a wall and : right mouse button to remove the wall. : The wall will have the default ceiling height. Do not put a wall at tile row 2,column 2 : because there is where lara will start. : The portals view controls are explain later in the PORTAL SECTION. : : In the right/left and front/back view you can edit the floor/ceiling type and height, note that a "wall" realy is : a floor with type 1 and height same to the ceiling. : There is 10 floor/ceilings types implemented, click in the type floor/ceiling button that you want to use, then : use LEFT MOUSE click in the tiles for to apply this type and select the height of the FLOOR. : use RIGHT MOUSE click in the tiles for to apply this type and select the height of the CEILING. : Each tile is 4 unit tall (one complete block). : -Use the COLUMN/ROW field for select the column/row that you want to edit. : -The SELECT field is for selecting severals columns/rows when you are editing the floor/ceiling, : with this field you are telling how much columns/rows are you editing at the same time, for example, : if you are in the column 3 and put 4 in the SELECT field, then all changes that you make to the : current column (the 3 column) will be apply to to column 4,5 and 6 columns also (4 columns selected). : -The Floors/Ceiling Textures and Lights Fields are for selecting the Texture and the : light intensity that the solid will have. : Each time that you click a floor or ceiling this floor or ceiling will have the atributes : currently charged in this fileds. : If you want to know what attrib has any floor/ceiling press and hold the shift key : and click (with left mouse button) the grid that you want to know; the Floor/ceiling textures : and lights fields will be charged with the attribs from this grid. : Hold the CTRL key while click left or right mouse to apply the textures and lights from the controls to : the clicked tile without changing the shape type and the height floor/ceiling (Useful for retexturing already drawed floors/ceilings). : The portal attrib control are explain later in the PORTAL SECTION. : : -Use the Horizontal and vertical ruler just for put a mark to columns and rows because sometimes you : get lost when you change the column. (you will see :-) : Be carefully with the floor type 9 and 10, Lara can get stuck if you dont put a standable floor below : this type floor. : : - click Ok when you are done. : : - Select file save or save as for save your work to the propetary file format *.TRE., : in the future when the editor is complete i expect to : download TRE files from all you and compile the level. is better that download the : big PHD/TUB file. : I not guarantee that this actual TRE file version will be compatible in each new Update version, so : do not fall in love with the rooms created with this incomplete version. : - Make PHD will create the phd/tub file using the current levelx.phd like base model, i will : add in the future a option for select another file base. : If you want to use a TUB file for base model you can use rview.exe v1.01 for open the TUB file : and then resave it like PHD, then put it in the editor directory and rename with levelx.phd. : 5. - PORTALS. : Putting portals in is a little tricky; if you do it wrong the game can Crash. : I will try to explain how to do it, but you will have to experiment a litle : to undertand how it works. : When you are putting in a portal to make Lara travel to another room, you need : 3 things: First the rooms need to be overlapped for at least 2 rows or columns, : then you need to put a Portal Attrib and Put a portal view in the appropiate place. : The Tile's portal Attrib is defined in the front/back or in the left/right edit windows, : the portal view is defined in the Top/down view. : : a.- Rooms front/back/left/right. : Load the file BASIC1.TRE to see how the rooms need to be overlaped. : Note that it is overlaped the row 9 and 10 in the room-1 with the row 1 and : 2 in the room-2. : Make the PHD and play it, this 2 rooms has not walls just for show you how portals work; : go forward and you will see in the last row at the column 5 a tile with a diffent texture on in, : Go forward and stop over this tile, at this moment Lara is changed to the room #2 but : you note none change, this is because the camera is in the room-1 yet, (at Lara's back), : go forward 1 tile more and you will see how the room #2 sudenly will appear. : The Engine only draw the meshes for the current room where the camera is, : if you go out from the room going forward without steping the especial tile, : you will go to a dark area; the room #2 also has a a especial tile to return to room #1. : The room#1 and #2 has not portals view, just portal attrib in the especial tile. : Load the example BASIC2.TRE, make the PHD, run it, go froward and stop in the : especial tile, you will see a portal windows to the room #2. press INS key and the : shift key to move the camera, you will see how the Window portal view is moved also. : Lara will travel rooms smooth using portals views, but this is a ilusion; move Lara to : a tile before the especial, now turn Lara facing to the right, now make lara step the special : tile moving Lara with the side-walk key, at soon Lara step the special tile Lara will sudenly : appear in the other room at row 2 (or at row 9 is you are coming from room 2). : To make the ilusion that the rooms are continuos, the overlaped rows or columns must be identical in : the shapes and textures in both rooms. : It is important to overlap 2 rows or columns because that way when Lara change to a room she will : stand at 1 row or column forward or backward from the row or column with the return portal attrib. : If you overlap the row or column that has the Portal attrib with the row or column that has the portal : return attrib, the game will crash. : To put a Portal attrib on a tile go to the front/back or left/right windows edit, : in the portal attrib control, put the room # at where Lara will change, or 0 if this is a regular tile. : select a kind portal tile, <Side> to make lara change to rooms at front/back/left/right, <UP> for rooms : above and <DOWN> for rooms below. Then Click any tile to apply the attrib to the tile; hold SIFT key and : left click mouse a tile to get the portal attrib. : To put a portal view go to top/down window edit, put the room # that you want to see with this window, : define how width the portal window is (in tiles units) and the height if this window is front/back/left/right type, : or the Large is this windows is Top/Down type. The <Top> type is for portal window at the ceiling, and <down> for : portal windows at the floor. : Now click <add view> to add the portal window, then Hold Shift key and click the tile where you want to put the window. : The view portals windows must be placed at the same tiles where the portal attrib is. : b.- Rooms Above/Below. : Rooms above and belows are basicaly the same, but you put both rooms at the same X,Z position and : put the ceiling for room "A" with the height of floor in the room "B". : Load the BASIC3.TRE, make the PHD and play it. : In this example Room #1 has the Floor height at 127, Room #2 has the Floor lower at : 115 and the ceiling at 127. : Like you see, the Floor and the Ceiling are at the same plane, for room #1 : you put some tiles with portal attrib #2 and <down> type, the texture for the floor : at this tiles are #0, meaning that the editor will not generate meshes for it, : then put at portal view at the floor (Down Type). : For Room #2, you put the the portal attrib for some tiles at #1 and type <UP>, : put the textures for the ceiling with #0, and put a portal view at the ceiling (type <Top>). : To create the illusion of floor/ceiling depth, put the standable floor for room #1 a litle : bigger that the portals tiles. : Normally, for portals tiles; the ceiling and the floor heigth are at the same plane, but it is not : mandatory, you can make a cool efect putting the ceiling in the room below biger that the : floor in the room above. : : c.- Pools and Bridges. : Load and play BASIC4.TRE to see a pooll example. : Pools are exactly the same that rooms above/below, just define the room below : under water and select the texture for water in the floors/ceilings portals tiles. : Load BASIC5.TRE to see a Bridge example. : This is implemented with un room above/below, but just the bridge has regular tiles in : the room above, the rest tiles are colisional to the room below and textures #0. : ----------------------.------------------------------------------- : Well, that is all for a while, this is the last version with 2D interface, : I was using RVIEW for a while, then when i go back to use the 2d TReditor : interface i say my self "This interface is crap!" so, i will rewrite the : interface to OPENGL 3D; I was thinking how to implement the editor in 3d : and now i have a more clear idea, but this will take me some time. : The editor needs a lot a work, of course. Maybe I'll release fixed : version for this actual editor. : So I will not add more features to editor for some time, after I finish : the 3D interface, fix bug and implement better controls you will do basicaly : the same that what you can do now, Levels with empty rooms. : The next features that the editor need is Static objects and source lights, : then the GROUND AND FLY ZONES and last Items and commands. : I hope you like the editor and get a lot a fun with it, and if you : make a amazing level, please send me a copy!! : Good luck. : Turbo Pascal.

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