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Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 11:52 pm
by Teromen
Where should I go to begin making maps for Trespasser?

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 6:43 am
by TheIdiot
First off, welcome to the forum! :)

Unfortunately, a lot of the information is scattered throughout the site. You can start by browsing the Levels and Design forum right here, as you can probably find a good deal of information. There's also the tutorials section, though the basics aren't really covered too well at the moment.

For now, I'd suggest loading up the original game's files in TresEd and fiddling around with them a bit as this is where many modders (including myself) get started. Learn the controls and create something cool before you get started on your own level. You'll have to convert them to SWP format from SPZ - we have a tool for that in the section mentioned below. Once you've converted the SPZ files to SWP, you can begin editing them, but be sure to remove the SPZ files from the Data folder first or the game will read those instead.

You can find TresEd and other related tools on the Downloads -> Tools section of the main site. You'll also be needing GeomAdd if you want to import new objects to levels. For the most part, that's all you'll need - if you want to start from a blank slate, the Shell Generator can create empty level files for you, but I'd suggest if you're starting out new that you begin your first level with perhaps Draconisaurus' StartLev (also on the main downloads section), although it has a couple of minor bugs.

I also HIGHLY recommend Trespasser CE, which you can find under the General section on the forum. It's a huge patch that will update the game's visuals, make it more stable, and allow you to run the game with less hassle in general. It also has support for Modfolders so you can run multiple mods at once without having several installs of Trespasser itself.

Lastly, if you want all of these things except for CE (which you'll have to install manually) and more, I recommend Draconisaurus' Trespasser Twilight, which is deliberately set up to run fan levels, although it runs on an older Trespasser engine patch called ATX. Even if you don't run the engine itself, the Twilight package contains all of the tools you'll need to get started. :)

Hopefully that covers it all! Make sure to look all over the place for information as it takes a bit of time to learn Tres modding, but once you have, it's really smooth sailing. :wink:

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 7:15 pm
by Draconisaurus
Welcome, to Jurassic World 2. ;)

TI has given a pretty good intro. Twilight is linked in my sig - it's my primary recommendation, as well as adding Trespasser CE in its own folder. There are lots of little details to modding Tres - feel totally free to ask away. 8)

I will also add that next month (less than a week) I am planning to make a Tres-editing tutorial video series on my youtube channel. Keep an eye out for it, as will cover basics as well as advanced methods.

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:28 pm
by machf
Draconisaurus wrote:Welcome, to Jurassic World 2. ;)
Oh, boy. I see a definitive ban coming. :wink:

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:00 pm
by Slugger
Don't forget machf's updated T-script reference: http://www.trescom.org/files/docs/tscript.html

T-scripts control in-game objects behavior and can be used to script events and puzzles.

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 1:16 am
by Teromen
Ok, thanks. I'm gonna make the terrain externally in udk and world machine. It's just matter of getting it in. I wanna start with something real simple, like find a key card and open a gate. Add all the decorations to make it pretty. Etc. Then some custom buildings. Getting the gate to unlock and swing sounds like it will be the "fun" part, heh. I'll keep you guys posted with what I come up with.

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 1:34 am
by machf
Slugger wrote:Don't forget machf's updated T-script reference: http://www.trescom.org/files/docs/tscript.html
Which is in need of further updates... man, I need to take the time for that.

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 2:56 am
by TheIdiot
Teromen wrote:Ok, thanks. I'm gonna make the terrain externally in udk and world machine. It's just matter of getting it in. I wanna start with something real simple, like find a key card and open a gate. Add all the decorations to make it pretty. Etc. Then some custom buildings. Getting the gate to unlock and swing sounds like it will be the "fun" part, heh. I'll keep you guys posted with what I come up with.
If you're going to be importing terrains, you might want to chat with tatu. He's got a pretty good idea of how to convert terrain as it is a somewhat complicated and potentially difficult process. You'll need GUIApp and the .trr export script for that since you have to first export as a .trr from 3DS Max, then convert the .trr to a .wtd, then finally rig up the level to load your new .wtd. If you import the heightmap into TresEd without doing any of this, you get some really bad terrain errors. :)

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 8:02 am
by tatu
Welcome to the community! Always nice to see new members wanting to learn Trespasser editing!
Ok, thanks. I'm gonna make the terrain externally in udk and world machine.
Now that sounds really cool. However, can these later be imported into 3ds max or Gmax? Those are the only software that we have script for so it can get converted into Trespasser's terrain file.
I wanna start with something real simple, like find a key card and open a gate. Add all the decorations to make it pretty.
I would suggest playing around in the Town or LAB level. Both have keycards and trigger-scripts for them. Or you could just export what you want and import it to your own level.
Triggers for the keycards and the reader is usually found underground at the reader itself.
If you're going to be importing terrains, you might want to chat with tatu. He's got a pretty good idea of how to convert terrain as it is a somewhat complicated and potentially difficult process.
Yes, I do have a bit of experience with that :P

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 1:24 pm
by Teromen
Do you apply the terrain bitmap as a displacement map in 3ds max?

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 7:55 pm
by machf
That's what the original designers did. We don't, instead we edit the terrain mesh...

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 9:22 pm
by Slugger
Teromen wrote:Getting the gate to unlock and swing sounds like it will be the "fun" part, heh. I'll keep you guys posted with what I come up with.
It pays, for actions like that, to investigate the retail levels. You'll find that there are many scripts that can easily be adapted to your needs. And then study TC Isle to really see how far you can push the engine.

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 10:42 pm
by Teromen
Im happy with this terrain, so i'll try it first. See attached.

Wait, can it be imported or not?

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 5:14 am
by Draconisaurus
If you can't get 3DS Max (does GMax work for this?), you can give Tatu the above heightmap (in a good sized image) and ask him to take it from there. If you can, you can map it yourself as a displacement map. It is one of the options in the steps to get it into Trespasser.

Also, a lesson from my massive JPDS project - don't make an area with such a large size that it will take forever to finish, if you are new to Tres modding.

Re: Point me in the right direction.

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 6:59 am
by machf
Teromen wrote:Im happy with this terrain, so i'll try it first. See attached.

Wait, can it be imported or not?
Well, you can import it using TresEd if it's a square and its size is a power of 2 (2048*2048 pixels with 1 pixel = 1m, for example) and saved as a greyscale (8-bit) BMP.
Then you use GUIapp to process it and fix it...