Trespasser TresEd Tutorial Video Series

[Draconisaurus]

Hey everyone... it's finally hear. This project has been on my backburner for ages. A video series showing how to make Trespasser levels using TresCom.org's tools. Part one is online! Hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more. May these videos bring new talent and art to the forums and beyond.

[TheIdiot]

Great to see this happening, should help new users a LOT. You go into quite a significant amount of detail here, and your explanation is so basic anyone can follow it. Plus I like that you explained what everything is for extra clarity. I'm exited to see more! Will you be doing one with instructions for the ATX and CE features as well?

Also, not to be rude, but that click sound you have is ridiculously loud, overtaking your voice, and both distracting and a bit annoying...I would seriously recommend you mute it in the future. Other than that, great video! Makes me want to try doing one, though I currently lack a decent microphone.

Oh, and shouldn't this be under the "Tutorials" section?

[Teromen]

I found it very helpful. Thanks for creating it.

[Draconisaurus]

Will you be doing one with instructions for the ATX and CE features as well?

Hadn't planned on it... ATX I could go into some detail with; "CE was a mystery to me. I had a child's idea of its optimizations. Big bitmaps, cool new dino stuff, heheh, and miracles..." I would want to delve into CE and make its various features work before doing any such thing as a tutorial for it. Hell, I might just do that to teach myself.

Also, not to be rude, but that click sound you have is ridiculously loud, overtaking your voice, and both distracting and a bit annoying...I would seriously recommend you mute it in the future.

I didn't like it, either; it's a "feature" of the screen recording software. But when you put it that way... Just went and found the sound files it uses for that sound, and renamed them; seems the problem is solved.. Thanks!

Other than that, great video! Makes me want to try doing one, though I currently lack a decent microphone.

Thanks! My mic sucks... It is a tiny hole in the top of my laptop's monitor to go with the tiny webcam. It works as long as the volume is high during playback. Honestly, you might be surprised with what a shitty mic and still put out.

Oh, and shouldn't this be under the "Tutorials" section?

Haha I forgot we had one... thought the old one got merged with FAQ or something. Haven't been any new posts in there in ages. I don't suppose a... mod who knows how to move threads could take care of that? *coughtatucough*

I found it very helpful. Thanks for creating it.

You're welcome - more to come!

[tatu]

Great video. I hope it will help new people who wanna start modding the game

As for moving the topic. I decided not to and make it sticky instead. As for now, until this one grows, I think it will be fine in Levels and Design as I believe people will find it easier for now

[Draconisaurus]

Part two is here! A bit long, but that's how long it takes. In this video we go into the ins and outs of exporting models from levels and importing them into your own. Some common modding errors are addressed along the way. Enjoy and keep on creating...

[Teromen]

I like the part about terrain objects needing the palette to match. Thanks for the tutorial they are very insightful.

[Draconisaurus]

You're welcome! Now all we ever have to do is point to this video with the infamous terrain palette issue... I'm hoping the ability to see someone do it start to finish takes away from the stress of not knowing what to do with which utility.

[Teromen]

So you're doing a test level? Can't wait to see the terrain part. Are you gonna go over the height map creation process or assume they already have an image?

[Draconisaurus]

Heightmap schmeightmap. They are useful things to have/use but have never been my method of creating Trespasser terrain. Terrain Edit Mode exists for a reason and it will be what I demonstrate the use of; I will show how to employ its various features to create realistic-looking terrain at a reasonably fast pace.

[machf]

Drac, not even you start from a flat terrain before editing in TresEd... the base terrain from which you start must have come from somewhere.

[Draconisaurus]

Eh-hem? Years ago I created the "flat.wtd" file, now found in Tres Twilight, specifically as a non-detailed terrain basis from which to make new terrains from scratch. It has a tiny flat hill for purposes of including a start location with high quad division. I created it by flattening pv.wtd and undividing almost all the quads. Essentially the only time I don't begin with flat.wtd is when using an original Tres terrain as a basis. As I think of it, AFAIK the only time I used a grayscale heightmap basis was for JPDS, and I haven't done so since.

[machf]

As I think of it, AFAIK the only time I used a grayscale heightmap basis was for JPDS, and I haven't done so since.

That's the one I was thinking about... anything moderately complex (or more) has to start from some heightmap. Of course, heightmaps AREN'T made in TresEd, so I guess your tutorials won't cover that part...

Anyone here besides me who's into creating heightmaps? Who made the ones for TC Isle and other levels?

[Draconisaurus]

I disagree, from experience... Heightmaps are great and all, but the procedural method of starting with a large flat area of divided quads and creating hills and valleys using random and varied application of the Area tool (with both large and small radii), followed by progressively smaller iterations of same, yields organic terrain made by hand and directed by your will.

[machf]

For small areas with relatively simple geography, maybe, but for anyhing more complex like a canyon, a valley surrounded by mountains, etc., up to a whole island, it's very impractical...