Tomb Raider Forums  

Go Back   Tomb Raider Forums > Tomb Raider Level Editor and Modding > Tomb Raider Level Editor

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 28-09-05, 21:30   #21
Titak
Moderator
 
Titak's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 33,359
Post

20 - Known causes of game crashes.

Does your level crash when you are playing/testing it? Does it crash when you try to load it from the menu?

A game can crash due to several causes, depending on when it crashes.

Below are a few of possible crashes. Many of these possible crash solutions were taken from *** Skribblerz Tutorials ***

- Your level is randomly crashing in game.

1/ One possible cause is having objects lost in cyber space. Check the Error text file in the TRLE root folder. If it says objects are in a room but they're not in that room, it means you have bounded a room (cut it down in size) while there were objects in the deleted part of the room. The editor unfortunately doens't bin these objects from the level, it loses them, and they cause random crashing. The only fix I know is to go back to a previously saved PRJ file before you bounded the problem room and rebuild from there.

BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL THERE ARE NO OBJECTS OR LIGHTBULBS IN THE CUT PARTS OF ANY ROOMS YOU WILL BE BOUNDING.

2/ Another cause could be that you have placed too many objects in the level. At the bottom of the LE screen you can see how many objects you have placed, although static objects don't seem to be counted they do matter! It says that the max number of objects can be 256. This isn't so: you need to stop at around 246. This is needed because animating objects need that extra 'space' somehow.
As Piega pointed out, the above only counts for animating objects. So the number of animating objects can be no more than 246. But beware: doors, the number of rooms and the numbers of lights also count for a number too! I dont know exactly the number but you can place more than 2000 static ones


- Your level crashes when you try to load it from the menu
1/Make sure that Lara is placed in your level! This might sound obvious but you really don't want to know how often this actually happens! (I'm also speaking of myself here!

2/ It can also crash at loading when the level has become too large, especially when you have many rooms with lots of broken triangles.

-Your level crashes randomly but mainly when you step on triggers that worked okay before
This can be caused by having used too many different textures in your level. Not only TGA set textures but also the amount of WAD textures counts. The more textures you use the more memory the game needs and the engine has its limits.
The only solution in this case is to reduce the amount of different textures (so use a smaller TGA set). Or split the level somehow.


*** more to follow ***

[ 17. October 2005, 10:35: Message edited by: Titak ]

Last edited by Titak; 10-01-06 at 11:29.
Titak is offline  
Old 09-10-05, 12:24   #22
Titak
Moderator
 
Titak's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 33,359
Post

21 - Fast, out of control, spinning LE in 3D view

This problem occurs when you run the LE under WindowsXP, but it also depends on the speed of your computer.
It can be fixed by changing some XP settings.

1/ Go to Controlpanel/System/Advanced
2/ from the Advanced window go to the first option: Performance and click the Settings button.
3/ Click Advanced and check the Backgroundservices box of the first option, Processor use.
4/ Click Apply and close Controlpanel.

The LE should stop spinning now.
This new setting can slow the computer down a lot, depending on which programs you run so it is best to return to the original settings after having used the LE.

Originally posted by Tony the Loon:
I was able to try the above suggestion, but I figured out another way to access those settings because, I don’t have a “system” icon in my control panel. So, in case anyone else is reading this, here’s how I accessed those settings on my version of WinXP:
1/ Click on “Start”.
2/ Right-click on “My Computer”.
3/ Choose “Properties” from the menu.
4/ Click on the “Advanced” tab in the system properties window that just came up.
5/ Click “Settings” under performance.
6/ Click the “Advanced” tab in the newly opened performance options window.
7/ Under processor scheduling, check the button next to “Background Services”. Now click “Apply”, “Ok”, close those windows and try the LE again.

Originally posted by QRS:
And don't forget the old trick of right clicking while using the arrows etc. It feels a bit strange first, but it helps a lot on fast computers (especially with fast graphics cards!)

Originally posted by Tony the Loon:
As long as I hold down the right-click in the white space outside the room, and I don't rotate the room under the mouse cursor, this trick works great.


Note 1:
I (Titak) have a Dutch version of XP so I don't know if the English names will be exactly the same as the above translations.

Note 2: LE might still react very fast to a slight touch of a key after having changed the settings. This seems to depend on the CPU speed of your computer.

Slowing down your computer - CPU Grabber
A very usefull little program can now be donloaded to slow down your computer temporarily while running the LevelEditor and older games: CPU Grabber.
Many thanks to BeciMester for posting a link to this program!

[ 10. October 2005, 09:34: Message edited by: Titak ]

Last edited by Titak; 29-06-06 at 19:40.
Titak is offline  
Old 10-10-05, 11:52   #23
Titak
Moderator
 
Titak's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 33,359
Post

22 - How to use the burning floor from the Lost Library level?

To set this up you need some objects, a flipmap and a lighted torch.

Objects needed:
- Burning floor
- rock 8
- rock 9
- burning-torch
- a flame-emitter to light the torch on
The objects can be found in the Library wad and can be copied into your levelwad using WADMerger.

Setup:
1/ Create two rooms and connect them with a horizontal door. Raise some triangles around the door to create the shape of the burning-floor object.
2/ Use Toggle Opacity on the door to the lower room. So Lara can walk on the floor and the torch won't fall through.
3/ Place the BURNING_FLOOR object on the door. Place it exactly as shown in the screenshot below. Why? Because the position of the flames appearing after you throw the torch onto the floor is hardcoded and they will always appear the same way: in the way the floor is placed in the screenshot.



4/Trigger the burning_floor in a place where you can't see it but that Lara will cross for sure.
5/ Now flip the upper room and make it Flipmap 0. No need to place a trigger for the flipmap.
6/ Go to the flipped room and place the rock8 and rock9 objects on the floor. These are the burnt leftovers from the floor. (rock 8 is the one marked in red)



7/ Don't use Toggle Opacity this time and apply No collision on the triangles of the door.

[ 10. October 2005, 12:54: Message edited by: Titak ]

Last edited by EscondeR; 25-08-09 at 07:32.
Titak is offline  
Old 24-10-05, 09:21   #24
Titak
Moderator
 
Titak's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 33,359
Post

23 - How to add more waterfalls to your wad.

Tutorial has been moved to the Tomb Raider Leveleditor Tutorials subforum.

Last edited by Titak; 24-11-06 at 18:36.
Titak is offline  
Old 11-12-05, 13:43   #25
Titak
Moderator
 
Titak's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 33,359
Post

24 - Remapping vertices with Strpix

Tutorial has been moved to the Tomb Raider Leveleditor Tutorials subforum.

Last edited by Titak; 24-11-06 at 14:58.
Titak is offline  
Old 10-01-06, 11:25   #26
Titak
Moderator
 
Titak's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 33,359
Default

25 - Tutorials

Except form the stuff posted in this thread there are a lot of other TR related websites which have posted usefull information and tutorials.

Here are a few:

- Skribblerz - TRLE Tutorials
Find all sorts of tutorials on many different subjects here!

- Tomb Raider Library
Here you can find a good and elaborate manual on how to use Metaseqouia and how to import the object you have created into your wad using Strpix, for texturing.

- TR Search Engine
Different tutorials on different subjects.

- Lara's Home forums
Bojrkraider has made a tutorial on how to make cutscenes. The tutorial is in the second post of the thread.

- I'm sure there are more. Please PM me in case you find a good tutorial page somewhere. I'll then add it to this list.

Last edited by Titak; 11-01-06 at 10:41.
Titak is offline  
Old 15-01-06, 20:36   #27
Titak
Moderator
 
Titak's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 33,359
Default

26 - Tomb Raider Engine Patcher (TREP)

This is a most wonderfull addition to the large range of tools currently available for the custom level community.
This wonderfull program allows you to modify the tomb4.exe.

The author, Pyuaumch, has been working hard to add new stuff to this program for the past few years.
However, progress has stopped at the moment.
You can find the latest version of the program and the add-on programs/modules on the Tomb Raider 4.5 Engine Patcher(TREP) website.
You can also find a good Users Guide on there!


Using HEX values
Some values, like the colours for the health bars and such, require HEX or HTML codes instead of numeric or RGB values.

RGB - HTML
Some paintprograms will not only show RGB values but also HTML values.
Use the colour selecting tool and select the colour you want to use for the bars. RGB values should show up but also HTML. For example: magenta has R,G,B=255,0,255. The HTML equivalent is FF00FF.
But don't worry if your paintprogram can't do this: Zac found a RGB Hex Colour Chart which lists a good number of colours.

Numeric - HEX
The other values, for example enemie HP values, use HEX values. You can easily convert decimal numbers into HEX values using the Calculator on you computer:
Start->Programs->Accessories and choose Calculator. Then, select "View" drop-down menu item, and choose "Scientific" option. Make sure "Dec" mode is turned on, and enter DECIMAL number you want . For example you want the dog to be killed with 10 pistol shots. Enter 10 and then select "Hex" mode, and you will see that Calculator will automatically convert decimal value into hexadecimal. In this case, you should see "A" value. So, to set dog's HP to 10, type "0A" in corresponding textbox in TREP.


EXTENDED MEMORY PATCH
Hope you don't mind me adding this to this post Titia.
It is a must for level builders and is a patch for extending memory for both texture and vertex information, so you no longer have to worry about too many textures on objects or rooms.

http://www.trlevelmanager.it/downloa...tendmemory.zip

In Paolones's words (the author):
Patch for tom2pc.exe allows to handle until to 30 pages of textures in wad files without crash.
Tomb4 patch extends memory for geometry world (vertex of rooms and statics) from 4 MB to 32Mb.
Regards
Paolone


Want to know more about this patcher and the other available patches?
Patches for LE

Last edited by Titak; 17-05-09 at 11:48.
Titak is offline  
Old 15-01-06, 20:56   #28
Titak
Moderator
 
Titak's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 33,359
Default

27 - Starting a game with the crowbar already in the inventory

It is possible to have Lara start a game with the crowbar already in her inventory so you won't have to place it in the level anymore!

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulf.

The solution is simple but not very widely known, so I thought the subject may deserve its own thread. Also, I want to add some credits for the discovery and a cautionary note as well.

The solution is: Enable "DemoDisc" in the general options of the script. That is all. When you run the game with the new script, the crowbar will be in Lara's inventory from the start and thus does not need to be picked up.
This script command was apparently used for the TR4 demo level The Lost Library, in which the crowbar does not appear as a pickup but is already part of the inventory (since Desert Railroad).

As far as I know, this is the only effect of the command DemoDisc= ENABLED, but it hasn't been tested thoroughly, so you should be careful when you use it; there may be some unwelcome effects, too—like not being able to load the next level, for example (since the command was used for a single level).

Credits for this discovery go to Dark Death of the Levelbase. I noticed that in his level "Peaceful City", the crowbar was part of the inventory from the start, and when I asked him just how he did that he replied he had no idea at all. However, after some inquiry into the matter, he found out that after experimenting with the various script commands, he had accidentally left the DemoDisc= ENABLED command in the script for this level. All credits for this discovery therefore should rightfully be his.
Titak is offline  
Old 07-02-06, 17:26   #29
Titak
Moderator
 
Titak's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 33,359
Default

28 - Sounds are not working when an object is placed underwater
The sounds objects make are not always heard underwater. Changing the soundsetting in WADMerger Animation Editor does not always work.
Why?

Piega found an answer to that question:
The sounds for underwater are hardcoded in the slot the object is in.
Objects that do have sounds working underwater:
- underwater door
- underwaterswitch
- crocodile
- hammerhead


This list might no be complete.
If you know of another object that has working sounds when placed underwater please PM Titak.
Titak is offline  
Old 16-02-06, 13:13   #30
Uvavoo
Member
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,282
Default

The list can now be viewed in our tutorials section.

Textures - Where to get them?

Last edited by Titak; 11-12-11 at 12:40. Reason: Added new websites
Uvavoo is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT. The time now is 18:21.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Tomb Raider Forums is not owned or operated by CDE Entertainment Ltd.
Lara Croft and Tomb Raider are trademarks of CDE Entertainment Ltd.