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Author
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Topic: A question for the experts??
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JolieCroftTR
Member Posts: 77
From:New York
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 08-01-2001 05:54 PM
   
how do you get your levels to be so beautiful, i find that when i look at others i feel actually embarrassed with my own projects. . . how long do most of you spend on one room?? any advice for me to do better jobs on my project.IP: Logged |
Ekim642
Member Posts: 440
From:CT, USA :-) Mooooooooootown! Cows overpopulate people
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 08-01-2001 06:13 PM
Yeah same here... wot's the secret?------------------
Lara's Humble Abode - Newsletter, forums, chat, news, hundreds of levels, and everything else that is Tomb Raider. www.trlaracroft.com  NEW FORUMS! http://forums.trlaracroft.com IP: Logged |
Raider of Tombs
Member Posts: 442
From: The mining ship Red Dwarf
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 08-01-2001 06:20 PM
Oh, gosh, I find myself working for several weeks on a single room... smirk... and I often use upwards of 30 rooms in ... I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. I feel the exact same way you do. I have never made a complete level, and I am also always dumbfounded by the quality of other's work. I just do a little a day now. In some kind of half-assed way, I hope the more time I put into something, the better it will become. (very rarely true for me. It mostly just gets uglier.) IP: Logged |
Bullet ridden monkey
Moderator Posts: 461
From:Canada, eh?
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 08-01-2001 06:37 PM
Er, I'm kind of an expert so I guess I should have a say:1. Plan ahead! Plan puzzles, rooms, baddies, textures. Write a script, do drawings! http://www.tombraiders.com/tr2gold/Team/Designer/designer.htm (they don't have to look like that, just get your ideas down on paper!) Most importantly plan ahead with traps and puzzles, very often have I designed beautiful rooms which I was stumped on what to put in as a trap/puzzle. 2. When building, take four steps:
- Build (shape and size the room, add whatever blocks etc.)
- Texture (apply textures)
- Place (put down enemies, traps and puzzles)
- Light (Light the thing!) 3. For textures: Figure out what your level is going to be, then add textures together in one big set. Don't be afraid to add textures once you start building, it shouldn't effect your work. Use texture rippes, the extra textures supplied by Eidos, and texture set makers. (search the forums for more info) 4. Room building: Less is more! As a general rule of thumb, I try to never go over the room size of 10 x 10. Why? Because this makes your room seem wayyyyy out of porportion to Lara. Also, add variety to your room. If you are doing a valley for example, don't make it just one flat rectangle, add shaped blocks to it (create hills, rock formations etc.) Try also to put a lot of textures in the room, make good use of the split features on walls and blocks (the 'e' 'd' 'r' 'f' buttons) 5. Lighting: I'll just put a little blurb in here:
Bright ambient light + only shadows in room = flat Lara [bad!]
Dark ambient light + shadows and lights in room = 3d(ish) Lara [good!] 6. Misc: -reverse engineer from the prjs provided in TRLE
-Play older TR's to get ideas when you are stumped.
-If you see something neat in a custom level, e-mail the author about how he/she did it.
-PLAN AHEAD! I could say more, but my hands are tired  ------------------
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Nigel1985
Member Posts: 630
From:England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 08-01-2001 07:46 PM
Also try to make your rooms creative. Not just a room w/ nice textures. You have to add something to the rooms to make them seem more life like. Im guilty of that and I try not to do it. Making the level have exploration is good too. IP: Logged |
Ekim642
Member Posts: 440
From:CT, USA :-) Mooooooooootown! Cows overpopulate people
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 08-01-2001 07:55 PM
Hey thankx! Any of y'all want to provide tips for my site? If ye want to, I'll open up a section just for you. ------------------
Lara's Humble Abode - Newsletter, forums, chat, news, hundreds of levels, and everything else that is Tomb Raider. www.trlaracroft.com NEW FORUMS! http://forums.trlaracroft.com IP: Logged |
jliboy64
Member Posts: 1134
From:connecticut
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 08-01-2001 08:05 PM
well, i guess i can be considered an expert, i spend half my time on making custom objects, the other 50%, i use to make textures, lighting, and placing things, it is taking me a week to make the first room in my level, im still not done, the hardest part is to make the textures. after you are done with the first room, other room similar to it will be much easier------------------
NOMINATED JLIBOY64 FOR THE "BEST WADMAKER AWARD" IN LIL KID'S 2001 TRLE AWARDS! CLICK HERETO EMAIL HIM AND SAY "I NOMINATED JLIBOY64 FOR THE BEST WAD MAKER AWARD! THANX! DOWNLOAD COOL OBJECTS HERE NOW!
 JCO-Jliboy's Custom Objects jliboy64@hotmail.com [This message has been edited by jliboy64 (edited 08-01-2001).] [This message has been edited by jliboy64 (edited 08-01-2001).] IP: Logged |
Raider of Tombs
Member Posts: 442
From: The mining ship Red Dwarf
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 08-01-2001 08:13 PM
Also, don't forget that real environments don't end. Some how you have to justify your levels coming to an end. With indoor levels this is simple - you can't go through a wall. With outdoors levels it becomes more difficult. What I do the most is have rocky cliffs or trees blocking the way, or high walls. When I did a desert room, I used start placement to move lara back one square when she came to the edge of the room. This transition was not noticable, given the hazyness of the sandy horizon (i did a custon, fading from sand to blue) and you could run infinately, but at any time turn around andsee that you hadn't really gone anywhere.IP: Logged |
GeckoKid
Member Posts: 365
From:Hong Kong
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-01-2001 08:47 PM
I am supposed to be an expert ain't i? Anyway, BRM is VERY right. So I'll focus on something else. (However I would prefer scenery [and tricky jumps] other than traps... i just don't like to make Lara confused) Such as technical stuff. Don't use TR1 and 2 textures without editing them! Try to blend them with some TR3/LR/C textures. TR2 textures are more confident to be used but if you look at it detaily it uses only 256 colors and TR1 textures are even more 'cartoonish'. Without lightings these textures are crap to me.On textures, if you create a block or something on the wall, take a look at the offical maps. It won't look like this. (I didn't know that in my 1st map!!! and I always wondered!)
In this screenshot, even if you textured it perfectly, after adding lights and start playing it you will realise the lighting looks weird. And you will sometimes see a very thin white line between the 'gaps'. There are 2 suggestions to slove this.
or
I would suggest the 1st pic if your wall is a building, 2nd pic would be very good for rocky textures. Oh for rocky textures, don't just apply it like tiling, instead do this. 
It will not let your rocky wall look like a carpet now. For more, study the architechure of the buildings (doesn't quite fit for 'base' stuff). Like my chinese roofs, stairs, bridges and the stony ship are from some photos I took when I was in Beijing. I did scan some textures for my new level too. Really you need paper and pen, as BRM says, VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. coz even when I am in the loo just something suddenly pops out of my head. I will usually forget it a few hours later. What I do is after f*u**ing the loo (what were you thinking about huh?!) and washing my hands I go back to my room and draw it on a paper. That pic doesn't have to look realistic with 3D shadings etc. It can be like a baby drawing. But understandable by yourself. After that you apply that to your level. This should help you alot! Post here if you encounter something.
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TRT
Member Posts: 85
From:TOKYO
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-01-2001 09:01 PM
Well, as a game designer for a few years now I'd say to make good designs you need 2 abilities:1) artistic sense
2) be anal retentive. he he.  second one means who have to have the ability to mindlessly sit there for hours making a tree out of blocks, as if that mattered to anyone, without it driving you completely bonkers. MIRAI
http://intelligentsia.online.fr/area3.html IP: Logged |
GeckoKid
Member Posts: 365
From:Hong Kong
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-01-2001 09:10 PM
hey marai, i want more screenshots from your levels! Esp your city-like level (with a tr3 london outfit one)!!IP: Logged |
pwhirl
Member Posts: 818
From:Mission, BC, Canada
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 08-02-2001 12:32 AM
First Read the manual throughly, it may seem confusing but the more you read and test what it tells you the easier it is. Second brainstorm: what do you want Lara to do, where she should go. You don't need to draw the level then build it, I like to have the idea then design from that. Remeber, Your level will take twists and turns and will either be exactly like you planned or totally different. And the number one rule is "BE CREATIVE!" Well that's how I make my levels anyway.------------------
Top 5 Favorite sayings:
-Never give-up! unless the situation is hopeless:)
-The only thing certain in life is uncertainty!
-You get what you pay for.
-Nothing is impossible, it's just not likely to happen.
-If it doesn't kill you, it can only make you stronger.   TR Level Archive, My own level archive with 210+ levels. IP: Logged |
TRT
Member Posts: 85
From:TOKYO
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-02-2001 01:30 AM
Nei ho ma
'ere ya go mate.I'll put more of the Tokyo city scape soon- probably similar to Hong Kong city.
I am having fun changing the advertising neon signs.
MIRAI  IP: Logged |
GeckoKid
Member Posts: 365
From:Hong Kong
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-02-2001 02:23 AM
Hey I live in Hong Kong and it looks nothing like it. A LOT of rubbish is missing.IP: Logged |
TRT
Member Posts: 85
From:TOKYO
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-02-2001 06:36 AM
rubbish?ha ha. If you can wait ten years, I can make the game suffer from De-Rez Rot. In the meantime Jeeves has been around the city doing a bit of spring cleaning. MIRAI IP: Logged |
Tomb_Raider_Nut
Member Posts: 283
From:Millwaukee,Wi,USA
Registered: Jun 2001
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posted 08-02-2001 06:46 AM
I would have to say, DRAW!!! i use graph paper and it seems to work the best.
i get most of my best ideas from doing this.IP: Logged |
GeckoKid
Member Posts: 365
From:Hong Kong
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-02-2001 07:01 AM
anyway and whatever, I really LOVE your level Marai. LOVELY. still, more screenshots please.------------------
 <br><A HREF="http://www.geckokid.com
GeckoKid" TARGET=_blank>GeckoKid Interactive</a> IP: Logged |
GeckoKid
Member Posts: 365
From:Hong Kong
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-02-2001 07:03 AM
what happened to my sig?! testing------------------
[url=http://www.geckokid.com]
GeckoKid Interactive IP: Logged |
the_last_frustration
Member Posts: 1607
From:Northern Ireland
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 08-02-2001 11:25 AM
how to make the perfect level:1. buy a large and powerful gun.
2. find someone who is famous for good levels.
3. point the gun to their head and demand they make you a level.
4. don't move the gun until they are finished.
5. add your name to the readme file and voila!  ------------------
simon! heel!! IP: Logged |
GeckoKid
Member Posts: 365
From:Hong Kong
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-02-2001 11:35 AM
What if I don't do but instead willing to be shot?------------------
GeckoKid Interactive IP: Logged |
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