Trespasser Level Editing 101

Creating new content for Trespasser!

Moderators: TresCom Support Team, TresCom Board Managers, TresCom Developers

Post Reply
s13n1
-=TresCom Developer=-
-=TresCom Developer=-
Posts: 550
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:54 am
Antispam: No
Location: Australia
Contact:

Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by s13n1 »

Hey guys, I’m just after some schooling on editing levels for Trespasser.

I tried a really long time ago to overhaul the retail levels and import objects from the beta maps, add more trees and generally increase the number of objects throughout the level, but some kind of error corrupted the level and I couldn’t work on it any more.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good tutorial?

To start, I just want to know the correct way to duplicate an object and import a new object.

I’ve just starting playing through with Lee’s TrespasserCE launcher and it’s really nice, it just makes me want to see nicer looking levels.

I eventually want to start making some higher detail objects and textures too, but not for a while.

Yes, my Trespassing project is still active. Parenting is becoming comfortable enough to allow me some free time to start work on some computer things, but I won’t be posting about it for a while.

Cheers.
User avatar
DrShaw
Triceratops
Triceratops
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2014 3:41 am

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by DrShaw »

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=11093

Draconisaurus made a few very detail on using the trespasser editor which is the link above. If it doesn't help then I would pm him directly for questions or something.
~Dr.Shaw

We are tressers by heart like Anne. John made his dream come true as well as mine.
We trespass on his dream and to see the forgotten world that once was alive 65 million years ago now touchable. Who...dares to come trespass....?
s13n1
-=TresCom Developer=-
-=TresCom Developer=-
Posts: 550
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:54 am
Antispam: No
Location: Australia
Contact:

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by s13n1 »

Thank you!
User avatar
tatu
-=TresCom Website Manager=-
-=TresCom Website Manager=-
Posts: 5087
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:40 pm
Antispam: No
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by tatu »

Sadly we don't have a lot of tutorials, or Q&As for regular issues when making a Trespasser level.

One tool that I have found to help me a lot for debugging a level and find a lot of issues GeomAdd does not report on is GUIApp, that one that is included in the CE tools (standalone download). You would need the "trespasser.ini" file from CE itself and enable debug in it (see the readme how to do that). When you load a level in GUIApp with that it could tell you several issues why it doesn't load or crash. This can then be found in the log it produce.
It is possible, with the debug option on, to load the level in CE to and then look at the log file, but I personally find using GUIApp quicker and simpler.
Active project: Trespasser: Isla Sorna
Status:
BE-PH1: Released
PH2-IT: Pre-released
PL-SUM: In production

"...there used to be more benches, but InGen's workers removed them during the evacuation in the name of framerate."
s13n1
-=TresCom Developer=-
-=TresCom Developer=-
Posts: 550
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:54 am
Antispam: No
Location: Australia
Contact:

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by s13n1 »

Thanks guys!

What a fool, only two posts above mine is Dracs tutorials stickied..
User avatar
TheIdiot
T-Rex
T-Rex
Posts: 4343
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:13 pm
Location: Canada, eh?

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by TheIdiot »

To answer your questions in short, you can duplicate an object with CTRL+C, and importing objects is done via GeomAdd, a program which you can download from the "Downloads" section on the forum. :)
I tried a really long time ago to overhaul the retail levels and import objects from the beta maps, add more trees and generally increase the number of objects throughout the level....I eventually want to start making some higher detail objects and textures too, but not for a while.
Hmm, I've been working on a project very much along those lines, and the biggest issue I ran into was actually finding the time (and, to an extent, the skill) to create higher-detail models, along with their physics:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10821

Haven't really touched the project for a while, but maybe you'd like to work togeter to see this to completion? It was very much inspired by your Trespassing project, after all. :wink: Beach is nearly finished - just needs a bit more to be ready for release - and Jungle Road has been started as well, although JR is using completely different foliage from BE, mostly due to me getting tired of seeing the same few plant models in many levels over the years. Although I'm sure with your help and skills that a lot of the meshes and textures could be redone or even the already redone ones further improved. A secondary goal of the project is to add in all the missing elements from the walkthrough, including the IJ swamp and the Plains level. Let me know if you're interested!
Yes, my Trespassing project is still active.
Excellent news! :D You might want to take a peek at some of the recently-leaked betas we've acquired - one of such includes the lost PH level, which I believe is missing from your Isla Sorna terrain and would definitely make a great addition.
s13n1
-=TresCom Developer=-
-=TresCom Developer=-
Posts: 550
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:54 am
Antispam: No
Location: Australia
Contact:

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by s13n1 »

I had no trouble duplicating objects, and I had the town looking pretty darn good, but I think when I started duplicating things like raptors and other non static objects it didn’t like it.

I may have just reached the object limit or something.

I really hadn’t done any research, just started experimenting and editing, and eventually it stopped working.

As far as collaborations go, it’s not something I’m interested in right now. This is just something to stimulate my brain when I have some free time.

The higher quality objects is something I’ll ask Lee about some time, as I’ve got some ideas for supporting external objects as well as some other things.
User avatar
machf
T-Rex Killer
T-Rex Killer
Posts: 12368
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2003 11:20 pm
Location: Lima, Peru
Contact:

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by machf »

s13n1 wrote:I had no trouble duplicating objects, and I had the town looking pretty darn good, but I think when I started duplicating things like raptors and other non static objects it didn’t like it.
You can't go around cloning dinosaurs just like that. And I don't mean in real life, I mean in TresEd.

You see, the big problem is the skeleton. When you clone (CTRL+C) a dinosaur, the skeleton its base dinosaur uses becomes linked to the clone. And when you move the clone around, the skeleton follows. And thus it's no longer properly aligned with the base dinosaur... and chaos ensues.

The proper way to do it:
  1. cut the t-scripts of the dinosaur you're going to clone,
  2. paste them on the notepad temporarily,
  3. clone the dinosaur,
  4. place the clone wherever you want,
  5. paste the t-scripts back on the dinosaur you cut them from,
  6. edit the t-scripts of the base dinosaur and hit "update" so that the skeleton is linked back to it.
The base dinosaur is the one refered by the "string Physics = " and "string Mesh = " parameters. Don't clone those, BTW. If you want to make a new dinosaur based on the base one, you need to use the "Copy mesh" option in the "Hacking" menu, in a similar way as described in the previous process, but you need to give the copy (not called a clone this time) its own name (ending in "-00") and its own t-scripts (using the "string Physics = " and "string Mesh = " parameters to point at the base dinosaur).

In other words, it would be like this:
  1. cut the t-scripts of the base dinosaur you're going to copy,
  2. paste them on the notepad temporarily,
  3. make a copy the dinosaur with a new name ended in "-00",
  4. place the copy wherever you want,
  5. paste the t-scripts back on the base dinosaur you cut them from,
  6. paste the t-scripts on the copy and add the proper "string Physics = " and "string Mesh = " parameters pointing to the base dinosaur,
  7. edit the t-scripts of the base dinosaur and hit "update" so that the skeleton is linked back to it.
To give an example from the raptors in TestScene...

Here's the base raptor:

Code: Select all

ValueTable for instance 316 "RaptorB" :

group RaptorB = {
    int Archetype = 0
    int Team = 15
    bool ActMoveBy = true
    bool ActGlare = true
    bool ActBite = true
    bool ActEat = true
    bool ActDrink = true
    bool ActLookAround = true
    bool ActNothing = true
    float Width = 0.750000
    float HeadReach = 2.620000
    float TailReach = 3.700000
    float JumpDistance = 2.000000
    float JumpUp = 1.000000
    float JumpDown = 3.000000
    float WalkUnder = 1.000000
    float WalkOver = -1.000000
    float JumpOver = 0.750000
    float CrouchUnder = 1.000000
    float MoveableMass = 0.530000
    float HitPoints = 75.000000
    float ReallyDie = -30.000000
    float Regeneration = 1.000000
    float CriticalHit = 35.000000
    string Class = "CAnimal"
    int PVA = -2
    int NumJoints = 21
    int NumDoubleJoints = 6
    bool Curved = true
    string Type = "Raptor"
    string Head = "$RaptorBHead-00"
    string Body = "$RaptorBBody-00"
    string Tail = "$RaptorBTail-00"
    float Diffuse = 0.900000
    float Specular = 1.250000
    float SpecularAngle = 16.000000
    string SoundMaterial = "RAPTOR-FOOT"
    float BiteTargetDistance = 1.250000
    bool ActOuch = true
    bool ActSnarl = true
    bool ActCroon = true
    bool ActDie = true
    string DetailShadow = "$RaptorBSh"
}
And here's the copy:

Code: Select all

ValueTable for instance 454 "RaptorB300-00" :

group RaptorB300-00 = {
    string Class = "CAnimal"
    string Physics = "RaptorB"
    string Mesh = "RaptorB"
    int Archetype = 0
    int Team = 15
    bool ActMoveBy = true
    bool ActGlare = true
    bool ActBite = true
    bool ActEat = true
    bool ActDrink = true
    bool ActLookAround = true
    bool ActNothing = true
    float Width = 0.750000
    float HeadReach = 2.620000
    float TailReach = 3.700000
    float JumpDistance = 2.000000
    float JumpUp = 1.000000
    float JumpDown = 3.000000
    float WalkUnder = 1.000000
    float WalkOver = -1.000000
    float JumpOver = 0.750000
    float CrouchUnder = 1.000000
    float MoveableMass = 0.530000
    float HitPoints = 75.000000
    float ReallyDie = -30.000000
    float Regeneration = 1.000000
    float CriticalHit = 35.000000
    string Class = "CAnimal"
    int PVA = -2
    int NumJoints = 21
    int NumDoubleJoints = 6
    bool Curved = true
    string Type = "Raptor"
    string Head = "$RaptorBHead-00"
    string Body = "$RaptorBBody-00"
    string Tail = "$RaptorBTail-00"
    float Diffuse = 0.900000
    float Specular = 1.250000
    float SpecularAngle = 16.000000
    string SoundMaterial = "RAPTOR-FOOT"
    float BiteTargetDistance = 1.250000
    bool ActOuch = true
    bool ActSnarl = true
    bool ActCroon = true
    bool ActDie = true
    bool ActWander = true
    bool ActPursue = true
    bool ActMoveBy = true
    bool ActGetOut = true
    bool ActSniffTarget = true
    float Bravery = 0.500000
    float Anger = 0.000000
    float DamageAnger = 10.000000
    float Hunger = 0.000000
    float DamageHunger = 10.000000
}
Further copies of the base dinosaur might be called RaptorB100-00, RaptorB200-00, RaptorB400-00, etc. (assuming that's the explanation for having chosen RaptorB300-00 as the name for the current copy), while further clones of the copied dinosaur might be called (automatically) RaptorB300-01, RaptorB300-02, RaptorB300-03, etc.
Visit The Carnivores Saga - a forum devoted to modding Action Forms' Carnivores, Carnivores 2 and Carnivores: Ice Age games
Tres WIP: updated T-Script Reference and File Formats documents
Sound name listings for the Demo (build 117), Retail (build 116), Beta 103, Beta 99, Beta 97, Beta 96, Build 55, PC Gamer Alpha (build 32) and E3 1998 Alpha (build 22) TPA files
User avatar
TheIdiot
T-Rex
T-Rex
Posts: 4343
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:13 pm
Location: Canada, eh?

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by TheIdiot »

You can't go around cloning dinosaurs just like that. And I don't mean in real life, I mean in TresEd.
Huh, I did not know that. So if I were simply to copy-paste a dinosaur from the base mesh (say, Velociraptor00-00 cloned into Velociraptor00-01), would I still run into this problem? I can't recall ever having something like that occur in the past. I'm aware of the lengthy method you described, but I'm just curious.

Also, one thing I forgot to note is that when you delete an object, you can start running into issues with magnets. I think Draco or machf might be able to explain this better, but one rule I try to follow is to simply avoid deleting objects - know what you want where you want it, before you start cloning.
As far as collaborations go, it’s not something I’m interested in right now. This is just something to stimulate my brain when I have some free time.
That's alright, no worries! Don't really have a ton of time for something like that myself anyway, but I figured I'd offer. :)
The higher quality objects is something I’ll ask Lee about some time, as I’ve got some ideas for supporting external objects as well as some other things.
As far as my testing was able to find out, CE has bumped the maximum Face Count per object up to 3071. You can, however, create "more detailed" meshes by making each object a seperate mesh and then adding the extra parts on as CEntityAttached objects.
User avatar
machf
T-Rex Killer
T-Rex Killer
Posts: 12368
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2003 11:20 pm
Location: Lima, Peru
Contact:

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by machf »

TheIdiot wrote:
You can't go around cloning dinosaurs just like that. And I don't mean in real life, I mean in TresEd.
Huh, I did not know that. So if I were simply to copy-paste a dinosaur from the base mesh (say, Velociraptor00-00 cloned into Velociraptor00-01), would I still run into this problem? I can't recall ever having something like that occur in the past. I'm aware of the lengthy method you described, but I'm just curious.
Yes, I think it happens. Or maybe it's OK as long as you don't edit the t-scripts, I don't remember. Additionally, when you clone dionsaurs, they (obviously) have the same health, same behavior, etc. And funnily, if you shoot one with a tranquilizer gun, it seems to have effect on all of them...

You can always use CSetAnimatePropertiesAction, CSubstituteAIAction and CSetAIAction to set them differently afterwards, though...
Also, one thing I forgot to note is that when you delete an object, you can start running into issues with magnets. I think Draco or machf might be able to explain this better, but one rule I try to follow is to simply avoid deleting objects - know what you want where you want it, before you start cloning.
Yep.
I think if you edit and "update" the magnets, they can be fixed, but overall, try to avoid deleting stuff...
Visit The Carnivores Saga - a forum devoted to modding Action Forms' Carnivores, Carnivores 2 and Carnivores: Ice Age games
Tres WIP: updated T-Script Reference and File Formats documents
Sound name listings for the Demo (build 117), Retail (build 116), Beta 103, Beta 99, Beta 97, Beta 96, Build 55, PC Gamer Alpha (build 32) and E3 1998 Alpha (build 22) TPA files
User avatar
Draconisaurus
T-Rex Killer
T-Rex Killer
Posts: 14032
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 5:21 pm
Antispam: No
Location: Isla Sorna
Contact:

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by Draconisaurus »

Really. This detail spaghetti they are offering for assistance sounds like choke-bait. I recommend learning the modification/creation of Trespasser levels taken one step at a time with an aim to understand where each modification you make is coming from and begin to build an experience of cause and effect within TresEd/Trespasser.
Second Illiteration
Albertosaurus
Albertosaurus
Posts: 2365
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2003 9:28 pm

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by Second Illiteration »

Would be good to have a dedicated, ongoingly updated source for editing.

Probably the biggest reason why I haven't jumped back into any level creation...just don't have the time to scrounge around to put all the parts together to do things correctly
User avatar
Draconisaurus
T-Rex Killer
T-Rex Killer
Posts: 14032
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 5:21 pm
Antispam: No
Location: Isla Sorna
Contact:

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by Draconisaurus »

Those videos will get any new project off the ground.
Second Illiteration
Albertosaurus
Albertosaurus
Posts: 2365
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2003 9:28 pm

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by Second Illiteration »

There are videos?
User avatar
Draconisaurus
T-Rex Killer
T-Rex Killer
Posts: 14032
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 5:21 pm
Antispam: No
Location: Isla Sorna
Contact:

Re: Trespasser Level Editing 101

Post by Draconisaurus »

Post Reply