I personally think level building is the most time-consuming (and for me, very difficult!) part of building a module. In order to speed this process up, I think a list of tips by some of the more experienced builders out there can help a lot!
This thread is not designed to collect all the 'how-to's out there; the wiki is there for that. This is for any tips, cheats, etc. that can make level building easier.
Let me start...
One of the things I discovered while building interiors is that many of the floor, wall and ceiling tiles have a length (and width, if applicable) of 8 units. So, if you want to line those 2 floor tiles up perfectly, copy and paste the floor tile and change the X or Y units by +/- 8 (depending on the direction). The same applies to most walls and ceilings.
Please share some of the frequent tricks you use in level building! Here's hoping some of the Bioware level artists will pitch in too.
Level Building Tips
Débuté par
TimelordDC
, mars 23 2010 04:21
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#2
Posté 23 mars 2010 - 07:43
Proleric
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It's a great idea to collect these tips.
I imagine most of us would agree that level building is the priority, too.
Why not add an FAQ or Tips section to the end of the wiki pages?
This has already happened on the Follower Tutorial, for example.
That would make the information much easier to find IMO.
I imagine most of us would agree that level building is the priority, too.
Why not add an FAQ or Tips section to the end of the wiki pages?
This has already happened on the Follower Tutorial, for example.
That would make the information much easier to find IMO.
#3
Guest_dewkl_*
Posté 25 mars 2010 - 03:40
Guest_dewkl_*
Guest_dewkl_*
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This is a bit general, but still extremely important. Most people might already be well-aware of this, but there's always newcomers to modding and level building.
Plan thoroughly before doing anything. Failing to plan is planning to fail. If you're just experimenting or not planning to release it publicly it's not as important, but there's still invaluable efficiency and learning to be found in planning. It makes it easier to hypothesize and visualize a level or mod before you begin making it, it gets easier to recognize what you can do and can't do. If you are making a project with someone else it's even more important, the main purpose of documenting becomes to communicate with others.
Most importantly it speeds up your level building. Instead of having to figure out along the way, having a set theme and description for each room or area makes it ten times easier to create. It makes the level more cohesive and enjoyable for the player and it makes it easier for you as a designer. My current project isn't much more than 30 minutes or so with gameplay, but the current document size is 13 pages (including a few pictures) and there's still some missing. You could say that all the time you spend planning could be used to actually building the level, but trust me when I say the outcome will be vastly improved if you choose to plan.
Another tip is to do some research before building. Look at the official level files and attempt to map out where you can find the necessary props and models for you levels. It's not easy when you're looking for something you don't even know where to start.
Plan thoroughly before doing anything. Failing to plan is planning to fail. If you're just experimenting or not planning to release it publicly it's not as important, but there's still invaluable efficiency and learning to be found in planning. It makes it easier to hypothesize and visualize a level or mod before you begin making it, it gets easier to recognize what you can do and can't do. If you are making a project with someone else it's even more important, the main purpose of documenting becomes to communicate with others.
Most importantly it speeds up your level building. Instead of having to figure out along the way, having a set theme and description for each room or area makes it ten times easier to create. It makes the level more cohesive and enjoyable for the player and it makes it easier for you as a designer. My current project isn't much more than 30 minutes or so with gameplay, but the current document size is 13 pages (including a few pictures) and there's still some missing. You could say that all the time you spend planning could be used to actually building the level, but trust me when I say the outcome will be vastly improved if you choose to plan.
Another tip is to do some research before building. Look at the official level files and attempt to map out where you can find the necessary props and models for you levels. It's not easy when you're looking for something you don't even know where to start.
Modifié par dewkl, 25 mars 2010 - 04:05 .
#4
Posté 27 mars 2010 - 09:26
DarthParametric
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If you are building large and/or complex indoor levels, you may want to consider importing all the models used in the level (if you aren't using custom models, you'll have to extract the appropriate vanilla models from the game files) into a 3D app such as Max, etc. and building the level there. Once that is done, you can start building the level in the toolset and just copy and paste the co-ords for each model across. Saves a lot of fiddling with the god-awful toolset controls.
#5
Posté 28 mars 2010 - 03:47
TimelordDC
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Neat ideaDarthParametric wrote...
If you are building large and/or complex indoor levels, you may want to consider importing all the models used in the level (if you aren't using custom models, you'll have to extract the appropriate vanilla models from the game files) into a 3D app such as Max, etc. and building the level there. Once that is done, you can start building the level in the toolset and just copy and paste the co-ords for each model across. Saves a lot of fiddling with the god-awful toolset controls.
Btw, this is why I think investing in a configurable mouse is such a good idea. I have the middle mouse button mapped to the right click button for the DA Toolset app in the mouse profile and with that, level building is so much easier.
