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Old 07-07-20, 03:04   #1
mcmike1489
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Default Open Tomb not starting up

For some reason, when I click on the opentomb.exe A window opens and then closes without any error message shown. I already copied all of the necessary game files to the appropriate folders for each of the Tomb Raider games, but still Open Tomb won't start up, just seeing a window open and close. What could be the problem here? Or is it an outdated program to create and edit TR levels?
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Old 07-07-20, 08:50   #2
Krystian
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I think you may be confusing things. OpenTomb is not a level editor, it's a fan-made game engine made for playing classic TR levels and custom levels. It doesn't allow to make levels in it, though. If you want to actually make custom levels (not play them), you have 4 options:
  • winroomedit - the official level editor that originally came with TR Chronicles. With some compatibility adjustments it can still be used on modern PCs, but generally not recommended due to its instability and frequent crashing, as well as clunky controls (this is a 20 year old program at this point). Supports creation of TR4 levels only.
  • TRNG/NGLE - an update on the official level editor. NGLE is an improved windroomedit that crashes far less. TRNG is an engine improvement with some new gameplay and scripting features that open up a lot of possiblities, but not really a full-fledged engine. The base game is still TR4.
  • TombEditor - this is a fan made editor and set of other tools needed in level making. But don't let the "fan made" part discourage you, it's very competent and solid in design. Modern UIs, layout reminiscent of software like Adobe, very rare crashing and just unproblematic in general. People may think of this as advertisement, but if you're just starting out, I would highly recommend it the most of all options. It is truly top notch software, consulted with many veteran builders to make the perfect level editor. As of now it allows making TR4 and TRNG levels, as well as TR2, TR3 and TR5.
  • DXtre3d - another fan made option. It's old (as old as winroomedit I believe), but unlike the other editors it's the only one capable of making levels for all of the classic TR games (TR1-TR5). It's still used by a small group of builders. It has some differences compared to the official winroomedit editor, but it's capable of making very good levels, as levels made by builders using this editor are some of the highest rated.

Out of the above options, the only one maintained and actively supported (bugfixes, features) is TombEditor. However with all tools you can make levels of good quality, the choice is yours which one you'd like to use.

Last edited by Krystian; 07-07-20 at 09:51.
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Old 07-07-20, 09:29   #3
mcmike1489
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Oh ok, thanks for the info. But why does Open Tomb not wanting to start? A window opens and then closes after I click on the opentomb.exe without any error message.
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Old 07-07-20, 09:48   #4
Krystian
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Usually the best way to get OpenTomb to work is to compile it yourself. If you have Win10, here is a post describing how you can compile it using Cmake: https://www.tombraiderforums.com/sho...postcount=2358

With various exes floating around you have no certainty which platform it was meant to target. OpenTomb is still in development and by no means "finished", so there are no "standard" compiled binaries afaik.
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Old 07-07-20, 10:00   #5
mcmike1489
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Oh wow, thanks again! You're awesome! And by the looks of it for editing and creating TR1-TR5 fan missions, the best editor you just mention is DXtre3d. It has just about everything in one complete package. Even though, this is not related to Open Tomb in this thread, but it does help me in a way to choose which level editor to play and create TR fan missions. No need to search for a Tomb Raider fan mission loader either.

Last edited by mcmike1489; 07-07-20 at 10:02.
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Old 07-07-20, 14:03   #6
tlr online
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Krystian View Post
I think you may be confusing things. OpenTomb is not a level editor, it's a fan-made game engine made for playing classic TR levels and custom levels. It doesn't allow to make levels in it, though. If you want to actually make custom levels (not play them), you have 4 options:
  • winroomedit - the official level editor that originally came with TR Chronicles. With some compatibility adjustments it can still be used on modern PCs, but generally not recommended due to its instability and frequent crashing, as well as clunky controls (this is a 20 year old program at this point). Supports creation of TR4 levels only.
  • TRNG/NGLE - an update on the official level editor. NGLE is an improved windroomedit that crashes far less. TRNG is an engine improvement with some new gameplay and scripting features that open up a lot of possiblities, but not really a full-fledged engine. The base game is still TR4.
  • TombEditor - this is a fan made editor and set of other tools needed in level making. But don't let the "fan made" part discourage you, it's very competent and solid in design. Modern UIs, layout reminiscent of software like Adobe, very rare crashing and just unproblematic in general. People may think of this as advertisement, but if you're just starting out, I would highly recommend it the most of all options. It is truly top notch software, consulted with many veteran builders to make the perfect level editor. As of now it allows making TR4 and TRNG levels, as well as TR2, TR3 and TR5.
  • DXtre3d - another fan made option. It's old (as old as winroomedit I believe), but unlike the other editors it's the only one capable of making levels for all of the classic TR games (TR1-TR5). It's still used by a small group of builders. It has some differences compared to the official winroomedit editor, but it's capable of making very good levels, as levels made by builders using this editor are some of the highest rated.

Out of the above options, the only one maintained and actively supported (bugfixes, features) is TombEditor. However with all tools you can make levels of good quality, the choice is yours which one you'd like to use.
This is a really helpful summary Krystian, thank you for posting.
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Old 09-07-20, 19:53   #7
mcmike1489
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I agree, Dxtre3d is the most complete package for creating and editing existing Tomb Raider levels. The other editors you mentioned have limited support or lots of bugs/issues that cannot be fixed unfortunately.

Last edited by mcmike1489; 09-07-20 at 19:55.
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