posted 12-25-2001 06:47 PM               

Script Editing Studio portion of the Tomb Raider Library new layout

Thanks,
-Raider

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posted 12-27-2001 12:35 PM               

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SCRIPT EDITING STUDIO
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By Raider Of Tombs joeverdi@excite.com

Easylife Compiler:
By Colin Grigson col@tombraider-customlevels.fsnet.co.uk

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Beta testing:
Lucas Metz (Treeble) Treeble@TRLevels.co.uk
Chaoslord Chaoslord@netc.pt
Trlestuff colinisinhere@hotmail.com
Seth sethoftheunderworld@hotmail.com
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REQUIREMENTS:
You must have the EASYLIFE compiler somewhere on your computer. You can change where SES looks for it, but the default place SES looks when you open the program is in "C:\Easylife.bat".
SES also looks for your TRLE script folder at this address: "C:\Program Files\Core Design\trle\Script".
Both these directorys can be changed by clicking EDIT, SETTINGS. Be warned though, that the stated addresses are the default ones, and SES will revert to them every time you run the program.

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OVERVIEW:
SES is a script editing tool for the Tomb Raider Level Editor. The Tomb Raider Level Editor game would not be able to function without it's script files. Script files dictate to the game all text to print on the screen. They also tell the game what WAD files are used with a level, and how the puzzles within that WAD behave. Also, the script files can be used to enable the horizon in the level, or make the level behave like a train, or even to add lightning to your sky. Manual script editing can be very difficult, because a single error can cause the game to run incorrectly. SES makes this task easier by automating the process, building the script files correctly, with your specifications.

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SES main window:
The main SES window lists all the levels in the script file. Here you can change the names of the levels. Next to each level name is a menu list, from which you can choose which WAD file your level will use. For instance, if you output you level into Cleopal.TOM, you should choose CLEOPAL. Next to each menu, there is a button with an arrow on it. These buttons allow you to change the individual properties of each level.

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Level Properties:
The level properties windows allow you to change properties of you levels, such as the loading camera position and the background soundtrack.

The following settings are listed with their effects:

Include in Script - whether or not the level will appear in the game
Horizon - enables the distant horizon visible in the game.
Lightning - enables lightning, making the sky flash and thunder rumble.
Young Lara - tells the game that the player is using the Young Lara character.
Lensflare - enables a lensflare, creating the illusion of blinding light.
Train - tells the game to kill Lara and send her rolling into the distance at height 0.
Legend - enables text for a few seconds at the beginning of the level on the bottom of the screen. The text can be changed in the game properties menu.

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Game Properties:
The game properties menu can be accessed by clicking EDIT, and GAME PROPERTIES. This menu allows you to change properties of the whole game, not just individual levels. Here you can prevent or allow the player from loading or saving, enable or disable the title level (the level that you fly through when the game starts), prevent the player from playing the levels in any order, disable the flying cheat, or create a demo. You can also change the text of the legends that appear when levels have 'legend' enabled.

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Script Packs:
Each WAD file contains it's own, particular set of pickups. The script files tell what these pickups are called, and how these pickups behave. You wouldn't want to pick up a jar and have it behave like the left half of the eye of horus, would you? At any rate, this aspect of script editing is the most tricky. In order to change how pickups behave, simply change the script pack to your liking. To change the name of a pickup, change it in the pack box, then find it again in the inventory box and change it there, too. Make sure you name it the exact same as you did before.

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Saving/Loading:
You may wish to save your script to edit it later. To do this, click FILE, SAVE, and select a file or type a file name and click Save. SES will save everything in the script EXCEPT for the WAD script packs and inventory pack. To reload your scripts, click FILE, LOAD, and select your script file and click Load. SES can only load files that were created by SES. You cannot open finished Script files in SES yet.
Note that SES files are not script files. They do not work in the editor. They are both english and script files together, and contain only the data SES needs to rebuild your file.

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Compiling / Compiling to / Easylife:
To compile your script into a format that the TR level editor can read, click SCRIPT, COMPILE SCRIPTS. SES will automatically compile your script settings into a script and english file and insert them into your TRLE script folder. SES will then run Easylife.bat to convert the script files into .dat files. To compile your scripts to a different folder, select SCRIPT, COMPILE TO, and select a file. Click compile to save the finished files to the selected file. Easylife will not run. If you wish to run Easylife without compiling, select FEATURES, RUN, Easylife.

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AAAUGH! I've found a bug! What should I do?
Quick, write down exactly what you did, and what didn't work, and mail it straight to me at joeverdi@excite.com. I will take a look at the problem and get a fixed version up as soon as possible. This is an ongoing project, and I expect to be adding more script settings in the future anyway.

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Special Thanks:
Thank you to all the great people at the EIDOS and TRA forums, also to the kind people so eager to Beta test SES. Thanks to everybody who had script problems, so I could take on this great project!

- Raider
joeverdi@excite.com
http://TRLibrary.tripod.com

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