Attention GarageGame's Level Builder
by Dark Tengu · in Artist Corner · 05/08/2006 (12:20 am) · 4 replies
I don't know who works with the level editor at Garage Games, but I have a suggestion for whoever does (Tim Asts?). I can't speak for everyone but I think that there are a lot of people here who would pay money for some good VTMs on constructing advanced levels with Constructor once it is released. I know that I would pay good money for such a resource.
#2
05/08/2006 (8:39 pm)
Actually, they're selling ShowTool Pro, and seems it have enough purchases. Although it has very expensive price for such tool. I think, that GG believes, that their engine is very cheap, and therefore they are selling additional tools. And I can agree with that. Professional engines with embedded tools are EXTREMELY expensive. Besides, as the TGE owner, I want GG to continue improving it. They have no motivation for this, because they don't charge additional fees for technical support or so (like some other developers do). 
#3
But since you asked...
1. Concept art
- Draw or design your level first on paper or in some sort of illustration program (like Illustrator or Corel Draw), this will help you understand the flow and how it all needs to come together.
- Use Google Image Search and look for reference images that will help you achieve the motif you are creating. ie) If you are doing a castle level, find lots of picutres of castles so you know all the details that goes into one, the lighting, etc.
- Grab your digicam and see if there are any references in and around in the city around you.
- Go borrow books from the library or buy books that can help inspire you.
2. Quick Prototype
- This is a quick and dirty step. What you are doing here is rough floor, wall and cieling placements. This should look very simple, empty and crude (box like). Your goal here is to ensure that the sizes of doors, rooms and hallways are right, jumping tasks are positioned right and that things flow nicely.
- This does not include things like stairs (use a ramp), pillars, doors or door frames etc.. It is literally a crude representation of the level, things can be floating in 3D space if necessary.
- Assign some quick and dirty texture mapping. The textures do not need to be high quality or final placement, just enough to do the job at this time.
3. Test & Refine
- Bring into Torque, play. Fix errors or things that don't feel right. If its too cramped, make it larger, if its too open, make it smaller and so on and so forth. Your big goal at this point is to ensure that it all feels great to play in for a player and meets the goals that you need of it.
- This is also your last major opportunity to make any major structural and design changes to the layout, so ensure that you are having fun with this box level. If it isn't fun keep refining its size and layout until it is fun to play (because adding details later won't make any difference).
- At this point you can start to add in small proxy items that represent say barrels and crates, pillars, debris, etc.
4. Add Items
- With your layout complete, but crude, add in your items to the level such as weapons, ammo, health, additional spawn and flag points, etc.. You want to make it complately playable and get a feel for the distribution of items.
5. Add minute details to DIF
- Now you get to add all the little fine detail to the level like frames, pillars/collumns, support beams, running boards and crown molding, railings, stairs/steps, small pits, etc.. Whatever you need to add visual interest to the level to make it visually appealing.
- Create, add and refine all of your texture placement so that it is near final.
- Create portals to optimize performance.
6. Refine
- Load your level, play it, look for areas that are boring and bland or have crappy or incorrect texture usage, refine them.
7. Mission Editor Bling
- Add in your TLK lights
- Add in any particle emitters that you need to achieve an ambience or atmosphere.
Pretty easy. The whole thing comes down to smart planning and the patience to slowly iterate and refine the design for what feels and works best for your game. Its honestly no different than modeling a game character, just a hell of a lot slower due to the way BSP editors work.
Logan
05/09/2006 (8:51 am)
You know I hate to say it, but its pretty easy to make levels in Torque with any BSP editor that you have. If you cannot figure out how to do this on your own then there is a serious issue.But since you asked...
1. Concept art
- Draw or design your level first on paper or in some sort of illustration program (like Illustrator or Corel Draw), this will help you understand the flow and how it all needs to come together.
- Use Google Image Search and look for reference images that will help you achieve the motif you are creating. ie) If you are doing a castle level, find lots of picutres of castles so you know all the details that goes into one, the lighting, etc.
- Grab your digicam and see if there are any references in and around in the city around you.
- Go borrow books from the library or buy books that can help inspire you.
2. Quick Prototype
- This is a quick and dirty step. What you are doing here is rough floor, wall and cieling placements. This should look very simple, empty and crude (box like). Your goal here is to ensure that the sizes of doors, rooms and hallways are right, jumping tasks are positioned right and that things flow nicely.
- This does not include things like stairs (use a ramp), pillars, doors or door frames etc.. It is literally a crude representation of the level, things can be floating in 3D space if necessary.
- Assign some quick and dirty texture mapping. The textures do not need to be high quality or final placement, just enough to do the job at this time.
3. Test & Refine
- Bring into Torque, play. Fix errors or things that don't feel right. If its too cramped, make it larger, if its too open, make it smaller and so on and so forth. Your big goal at this point is to ensure that it all feels great to play in for a player and meets the goals that you need of it.
- This is also your last major opportunity to make any major structural and design changes to the layout, so ensure that you are having fun with this box level. If it isn't fun keep refining its size and layout until it is fun to play (because adding details later won't make any difference).
- At this point you can start to add in small proxy items that represent say barrels and crates, pillars, debris, etc.
4. Add Items
- With your layout complete, but crude, add in your items to the level such as weapons, ammo, health, additional spawn and flag points, etc.. You want to make it complately playable and get a feel for the distribution of items.
5. Add minute details to DIF
- Now you get to add all the little fine detail to the level like frames, pillars/collumns, support beams, running boards and crown molding, railings, stairs/steps, small pits, etc.. Whatever you need to add visual interest to the level to make it visually appealing.
- Create, add and refine all of your texture placement so that it is near final.
- Create portals to optimize performance.
6. Refine
- Load your level, play it, look for areas that are boring and bland or have crappy or incorrect texture usage, refine them.
7. Mission Editor Bling
- Add in your TLK lights
- Add in any particle emitters that you need to achieve an ambience or atmosphere.
Pretty easy. The whole thing comes down to smart planning and the patience to slowly iterate and refine the design for what feels and works best for your game. Its honestly no different than modeling a game character, just a hell of a lot slower due to the way BSP editors work.
Logan
#4
I was not talking about Constructor.... I was talking about Video Training Modules, in other words video tutorials. BSP editors aren't hard to use and I'm sure Constructor will be pretty intuitive. So to charge for some simple video tutorial would be wrong in my opinion. It is pretty much the norm now for Companies making good tools to offer free videot tutorials because it is in their best interest to make it easy for people to use what they buy.
In case you didn't understand well my first post... I didn't say Constructor should be free. GG already mentioned possible prices for Constructor and they are great prices!
05/09/2006 (9:59 am)
@ Kostya Teterin:I was not talking about Constructor.... I was talking about Video Training Modules, in other words video tutorials. BSP editors aren't hard to use and I'm sure Constructor will be pretty intuitive. So to charge for some simple video tutorial would be wrong in my opinion. It is pretty much the norm now for Companies making good tools to offer free videot tutorials because it is in their best interest to make it easy for people to use what they buy.
In case you didn't understand well my first post... I didn't say Constructor should be free. GG already mentioned possible prices for Constructor and they are great prices!
Torque 3D Owner Hokuto
Some are free to download from developer web site and some come included with a boxed version of what you buy.
Also there are quite a few training packages you pay for... for a lot of software as well.
So it is not a striaghtforward thing to do... make VTMs and sell them... they may not sell that much.