You probally have gone through this a hundred times by now...
by GT_koopa · in Marble Blast · 07/20/2005 (5:35 pm) · 14 replies
...but anyway hi! I have lurked around looking at the Marble Blast Gold fourm and I finally got up the courage to register. I have the game for Mac and really love it since I want to design video games as a job. I was exited when I found I could access the editor and have been making custom levels here and there. ^_^ Still, I have a couple of questions.
1. besides the $testcheats=1; and changing the gravity of the marble, is there any other cool "~" text codes out there? Just curious.
2. I believe that I have a quark program that came with the Adobe Publisher/other-various-programs and I'm still a little scared to use it. I'm afraid that if I try to do anything create/edit wise to moving platforms, it will corrupt the level I'm working on and won't let me access it anymore (I have had a history of losing good levels that way) or even worse destroy the entire game. Am I fretting over nothing?
3. There are a lot of empty folders in various places. Will that change if I download that custom interiors file on this site?
4. If there is a safe way to use quark, is it possible to have platforms spin around in a loop (like the giant green or blue circle platforms or the various tubes) while you are playing besides moving them back and forth or along a path?
5. Is there a limit on how many gravity switchers you can have in a level? Is there a way to stop MBG from exiting from error if you hit a gravity switcher powerup too fast?
I might have some other questions if I remember them, but I guess that is all for now. I would have not known how simple it was to access the MBG editor if it wasn't for this site. I thank you in advance.
1. besides the $testcheats=1; and changing the gravity of the marble, is there any other cool "~" text codes out there? Just curious.
2. I believe that I have a quark program that came with the Adobe Publisher/other-various-programs and I'm still a little scared to use it. I'm afraid that if I try to do anything create/edit wise to moving platforms, it will corrupt the level I'm working on and won't let me access it anymore (I have had a history of losing good levels that way) or even worse destroy the entire game. Am I fretting over nothing?
3. There are a lot of empty folders in various places. Will that change if I download that custom interiors file on this site?
4. If there is a safe way to use quark, is it possible to have platforms spin around in a loop (like the giant green or blue circle platforms or the various tubes) while you are playing besides moving them back and forth or along a path?
5. Is there a limit on how many gravity switchers you can have in a level? Is there a way to stop MBG from exiting from error if you hit a gravity switcher powerup too fast?
I might have some other questions if I remember them, but I guess that is all for now. I would have not known how simple it was to access the MBG editor if it wasn't for this site. I thank you in advance.
#2
07/22/2005 (5:33 pm)
#2 Thanks, but I don't know if that kind of quark is Mac friendly. From what I have seen at that site, that QuArK is only for Windows computers.
#3
07/23/2005 (3:10 pm)
Then you need Quiver. 
#4
07/25/2005 (12:30 am)
The only way I found to exit MBG from an error is to force quit, then restart MB. Have you tried the 'escape' button?
#5
You will find a new .rec file in the folder that holds 'em(Don't know where that is offhand-sry)
solo
07/25/2005 (12:33 am)
Yes, there's another cool console code for recording demos. Demos are the 'movies' that play if you don't chose a level to play. I think the code is $doRecordDemo=true;
You will find a new .rec file in the folder that holds 'em(Don't know where that is offhand-sry)
solo
#6
07/25/2005 (12:40 am)
You will always have those empty folders. They had a purpose in a networking prototype for MarbleBlast, but are now deprecated. However, the custom folder in the Mission folder is used for for you to place you custom .mis files in! I wish that there was a way to install custom levels easier, but right now you have to place the right files in the right folders.
#7
07/26/2005 (7:14 pm)
*reads current posts again* Ok. What is Quiver then? And is it possible to have spinning platforms in levels?
#8
07/26/2005 (8:08 pm)
*reads current posts again* Ok. What is Quiver then? And is it possible to have spinning platforms in levels?
#9
I think to make spinning platforms you have to add animation(modify game engine). Tubes aren't don't have that intrinsic ability. You can use a program called QuArK to make moving platforms. There a special 'entities' that cause the platforms to move or rather 'set up' the movement. The MarbleBlast game engine causes the movement.
Bottom Line: The best you can hope for is to add more moving platforms, elevators and catapults.
Good luck!
P.S.: Quiver is a 3D modeling program. I don't know much about it, but I heard you can make a .map with it. A .map has to be converted to a .dif to work in MarbleBlast. I don't know of anyone who had success with this, but I know people have made a .map with it. The big question is if the .map can be converted into a .dif using the map2dif(Windows only) tool found on the archive page. Another factor is that .map files have to be exported using something called Valve220.
Hope this info helps a little.
07/27/2005 (2:04 am)
GT,I think to make spinning platforms you have to add animation(modify game engine). Tubes aren't don't have that intrinsic ability. You can use a program called QuArK to make moving platforms. There a special 'entities' that cause the platforms to move or rather 'set up' the movement. The MarbleBlast game engine causes the movement.
Bottom Line: The best you can hope for is to add more moving platforms, elevators and catapults.
Good luck!
P.S.: Quiver is a 3D modeling program. I don't know much about it, but I heard you can make a .map with it. A .map has to be converted to a .dif to work in MarbleBlast. I don't know of anyone who had success with this, but I know people have made a .map with it. The big question is if the .map can be converted into a .dif using the map2dif(Windows only) tool found on the archive page. Another factor is that .map files have to be exported using something called Valve220.
Hope this info helps a little.
#10
Anyways, right now I'm like 99% done with a level that I made by myself...only thing left is to maybe add more timetravel powerups and help text popups and it should be ready for submitting. You have to email it right?
07/29/2005 (1:37 pm)
>sigh< I guess if there was an easy way to spin platforms/tubes, it would have been posted by now. And I guess even Quiver is useless if the only program to convert .map to .dif only works in Windows. Anyways, right now I'm like 99% done with a level that I made by myself...only thing left is to maybe add more timetravel powerups and help text popups and it should be ready for submitting. You have to email it right?
#11
Don't despair about making interiors for marbleblast! I think GG is working on a new editor that will work on
Mac to create interiors. BTW, if Quiver creates .map files that work when converted to .dif. You have have a friend who has a PC convert your quiver .map(s) for you.
Congrats on your level.
07/29/2005 (9:53 pm)
Right! Email it to Alex at alexs@garagegames.com and/or start a new thread to 'advertise' it to others on this forum.Don't despair about making interiors for marbleblast! I think GG is working on a new editor that will work on
Mac to create interiors. BTW, if Quiver creates .map files that work when converted to .dif. You have have a friend who has a PC convert your quiver .map(s) for you.
Congrats on your level.
#12
I also have a few ball skin ideas that haven't gotten to reality yet (sonic the hedgehog ball, pokemon ball, kirby ball) but if you have the talent to make them before me be my guest at it. ---
09/21/2005 (10:43 am)
Update: I got the level that I was talking about finished (of course) and I am like 7/8ths finished with another level. Also, using the wonders of the internet/google image search I fused together a copy of the original tornado skin with "angry eyes" pic I found and isolated the eyes then pasted them onto the top-middle of the tornado skin creating a cheap but interesting "alive tornado" skin. Transparent and everything. Plus it is cool that you can swap marble/ball skins with tornado skins (Like an alive sandball rolling to your every whim or a tornado with a green grid spinning about). Likewise, I have made a background skin to make the Marble Blast World look like Casino Night Zone from the classic game "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." ^_^ (now if only I could figure out interiors I could add a foreground block set possibly) My only problem with it is the buildings/skyline looks blocky on the below corners but it looks great from above with the stars. It used to be a pallete/skin I made for Microsoft's 3D maze screensaver that I transfered onto my family's Mac and updated. The original casino night bg pic came from the internet. But why am I telling you all this when I haven't even e-mailed it yet? My reasoning is that I want to submit them all together, if that is okay.I also have a few ball skin ideas that haven't gotten to reality yet (sonic the hedgehog ball, pokemon ball, kirby ball) but if you have the talent to make them before me be my guest at it. ---
Torque 3D Owner Lance Hampton
3. You'll most likely fill up the folders marked "custom" with .dif, .mis and .jpg files. There are probably two of these folders, one under interiors and one under missions...at least, that's how I set them up.