TRLE Community Level Deux - Thread 2 : Up, up and away

[Treeble]

Related threads
DEUX/0 : Planning
DEUX/1 : Project
DEUX/2 : Up, up and away

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Member list
WAD/LePerk
TGA/Jesseas
OUTFIT/Blind Intentions ("Deux")

01/Staticon
02/Tomb Raider Fan
03/Sk8er Punk
04/Quik Silver
05/Cornchild
06/Dan The Jazzman
07/Netslider
08/Geckokid (currently working on it)
09/zozo

DJ Tech
KingSpyder
Treeble

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The rules

• Deadline remains as one week. Delays may occur due to various issues, though. Aovid them, if you can. We are not rushing anyone, but if you feel like it may take longer than what we expect (one week), let us know. Then we can push you down and don't lose time at all
• Each member can build up to TEN rooms, the only restriction is that these rooms are attached only to your own rooms. You can also put up to THREE 1x1x1 tile connectors anywhere in your rooms, where the next members will attach their rooms. No matter how many (1-3) tile connectors you add, they won't increase your room counter. Just avoid big and huge rooms, for the sake of space saving (you're not building alone, keep this in mind).
• In your turn, you have to build your room, texture it, add objects, triggers and lights. The process will be as in Uno - after finishing your rooms, zip the current project and e-mail it back to me (treeble@msn.com).
• Add a number of objects you NEED - remember, you're not alone! You have to be sensible enough to share the objects accordingly with all members. So spend resources, but don't waste them. Use them wisely.
• Do NOT modify nor the WAD nor the TGA file. We've had a period of time for requesting objects/textures, and this time was long ago. We now have a definitive WAD and TGA file, it will only be changed if something can be improved.

***

Deux files

• TRLE/GRAPHICS/WADS/DEUX.WAD (updated Aug|04)
• TRLE/MAPS/DEUX/DEUX.TGA
• TRLE/AUDIO/103.WAV (background sound for Deux)
• TRLE/SCRIPT/TXT+DAT

***

The story

TBA

***

Mini FAQ

Q. What to do when I get an ARG error upon loading the project?
A. Simply click 'Cancel' and load up the TGA/WAD manually then save the project. This happens because not everyone has the TRLE installed on its default location. 'Error' solved.

Q. Where to put the files?
A. Anywhere you remember. If you get the above error, load the TGA/WAD from wherever you saved them. The *.wav files go to SOUNDS/SAMPLES though, or you might get errors when compiling the level.

Q. There's an illegal slope in the room of the previous member. Can I fix it?
A. NO. Don't touch in ANY way the work from other members. Let us know about it, though.

***

Progress status: 66%

Avoid signatures to keep thread tidy, please. Thank you.

[Treeble]

(note: some of the links above may not work. I am working on it - cope with me.)

Ok, so catching up where we left on Thread #1. Quik Silver finished his rooms, sent the project over and I forwarded it as soon as I could (two days later) to Cornchild. But I'd like to add a few notes for members that are still on the list.

We're a "bit" high here. We are up to 112 movables and we're just in the fifth member. Guys, when you design your room try not to think the whole level is all about it. I didn't complain before and I take all the blame for it, but as I said in the post above - use resources, but don't waste them. Make your room look cool but leave room for other members do that just as well.

Another thing you might have noticed is that we're only in 14 now. TrueRaider left because his computer can't handle the Level Editor. A pity. However, I am not taking new members as yet (I am not even sure if there are people wishing to be in!). Point is - I'll wait until very later on the project to see if we will be able to take more people. It wouldn't be fun getting a new member if he would only have 3 objects to use in his room before taking the project over the limit now, would it?

So, I'll quote myself once again - you're not alone. I remember that when Uno was being designed, with the rules as in "you are allowed to have 10 movables in your room", it worked pretty fine. And we got comments as "rooms were empty". So I thought giving this... "freedom", so to say, would make your sensitive sides get working. I mean, it IS a work-group and shall be treated as such.

A thought just happened. We can split the thing in two parts, can't we? So, what if we make members #1 thru #7 in deux.wad and #8 thru #14 in deux2.wad? Of course this second wad would be a exact copy of the first one. I think we will have to stick with this one because the free space you get on the 2d map is pretty short. I can't see 100 more rooms in there! :O

So, please, voice your opinions. This is a work-group and I don't want you to do what you don't feel like doing

Also, Geckokid will be hosting the artifact in his room and soon we (either me or MDN) will post the story we got. We're working on it, and IMO it's pretty interesting. Thanks MDN. I'll be sure to add special thanks to you for your help.

[cornchild]

I finished my rooms and sent the prj back to you.

When I was building my rooms I got one of those errors that says Evil.

I had to rebuild my main area and the design of it changed along the way.

[aktrekker]

Just remember, TRFix can fix those EVIL errors. You might lose a couple of objects or a room, but not the whole project.

And even though it might sound like I'm pushing my tools, I think it would be a good idea to develop your rooms in a separate project until they are just right. Then use PRJCopy to add the rooms to the group project. That way if anything goes wrong, you can recover most of your own rooms without the rest of the project being at risk.
Just a thought.....

[MountainDewNut]

Treeble, did you ever get the artifact that I sent you? BTW, I think it would be alright to post the first part of the story.

[Treeble]

Thanks CC, got it and forwarded it to Dan. Originally it should have been sent to chio (aka noangel), but I don't have her e-mail address YET. So I shifted them.

Ak, well, thanks. Regarding losing the project, well, I have working copies of all member's so I don't think this is likely to happen (or so I hope! ).

MDN, yes I got it and have already incorpored it to the wad. Tomorrow I will be uploading the missing files and also this new (final version?) wad. Thanks a lot - it's superb! Regarding the story, well, let's just wait a little more.

[Dan the Jazzman]

Hiya all, Sorry to spring this on you, but now is not a good time for me, I'm very busy writing a music composition which needs to be finished urgently, as I explained to treeble. If you want to forward it to Geckokid in the mean time I'll get it finished as quickly as possible. Sorry about that...

I also have another question to ask, in the old thread I asked if it would be useful to add a certain structure to the level- If I built my room and put a key at the bottom of it, and used four portals, one on each side... Lara could come in the west one (for example), pick up the key, go out the east one, then go through some other rooms. Then I could ask someone later on to connect his/her room into my south portal and she could go through, use the key in this part of my room and go out the north one to someone else's? It's just an idea and I think it would work really well, but it would require some thinking ahead and I don't want to be a pain to the other creators or restrict what they wanted to do, because they may have to consider the path she takes back up towards my room (Or I could build a path back to my room if it would be easier). Let me know if you think it's a good idea or if you disagree, especially if you're further down than me on the list. If you disagree then that's fine, I'll think of something else. Here's a picture to make it a bit clearer...



Thanks everyone, and sorry again about not being able to help just yet!

[Treeble]

Originally posted by TREEBLE
Thanks CC, got it and forwarded it to Dan. Originally it should have been sent to chio (aka noangel), but I don't have her e-mail address YET. So I shifted them.

Not a problem Dan. I got chio's address on the Uno threads and sent her the project instead. You can do your bit after Geckokid's, is that ok?

As for the rooms you're planning, yes, it can be done. You just need to get the people after you to think like that (you can, for instance, write in a readme and zip it along with the project ).

IF we get to build the double-leveled thingie, you'll be the first on that part, then that will give you room, otherwise not.

[Dan the Jazzman]

That's great, thanks a lot treeble!

Sorry I haven't been around lately. I see you made some changes to the WAD without me (that's ok).

How are people finding the WAD, has it got everything people need?

[sk8er punk]

perfect for what i used out of it, leperk. i had a few texture problems with the iceburg, but i think somebody fixed them.

[staticon]

It has a good selection of objects and was perfect for my requirements, LePerk. Thanks.

[Treeble]

It is ok to me just as well, LePerk. Thanks!

Chio seems to be out of reach right now? I haven't heard from her for some time (I sent another e-mail two or three weeks ago asking her if she'd still be in, she didn't reply either that one nor the recent one with the prj file). Shall we drop her out?

I think I will send it to zozo next then. I mean - I don't think Dan is able to do his part right now? If you're wondering why not Geckokid, well, I want him to do the first room in the second level - since he'll be hosting the artifact, it would require something special wouldn't it? He could get working on it if he wanted. That would make things a little faster.... Gecko?

Also, I am uploading the missing files right now.

[Blind Intentions]

Is it too late to change the outfit before all the levels are compiled? I learned a new trick in metaseq and want to add a bookbag

[Treeble]

No it's not, BI. Just modify it to your likings and sent it to me (treeble@msn.com) and I will merge it into the wad. Also, I tried but I didn't find anything wrong in Strpix, but see if you can get rid of that green-textured polygon on her hair bang. ;-)

Btw, so far no response from current member. Will be e-mailing it to the next member and drop the current member out in 24 hours (reason - at work)

[Dan the Jazzman]

Hiya, I'm busy working on the project at the moment (it's gone a bit slower than I had hoped, but I'm getting there). There are a few things I need to ask about, the problem is I need to ask permission to edit one or two things...

1. Tomb Raider Fan, there's a flyby camera in your room labelled as part of sequence 3, whilst the rest of them are sequence 2. I'm building a flyby as sequence 3 and it's being interrupted by that camera. I assume that was an error, would you like me to change it to sequence two to match the rest of the sequence? Or would you mind if I deleted it?

2. Quicksilver, your exploding amber lights and rollingballs are causing disturbance in my room (and cornchild's) since the screen keeps shaking and the amber lights explode every time I load the game. Do you mind if I antitrigger them after your room is finished?

3. Staticon, the rolling balls in your room are resting on triggers, sometimes this causes problems with the cameras, they snap back to lara far too quickly. I'm not sure if this is a problem yet in our project, but if you like I can make a flipmap of that room with the triggers under the boulders gone, which would prevent that from happening.

4. Since I'm using this Crystal Key and she'll be carrying it around for a while until the player gets back to my room, the other builders won't have a suitably ancient looking key in the wad to use, if they wanted one. Since I made this key for my room, would it be possible to find another ancient looking key for the other players to use?

Thanks everyone, I hate to be fussy but I want this project to be as good as possible, since I have the project at the moment I can make any subtle alterations, they'd really help I think., but of course these aren't my rooms so I want to ask before I change them at all. With a project such as this it's inevitable that some things will be a little inconsistant, but we can work it out! I'll get my piece finished as quickly as possible, I might be a bit late but I'll do my very best, I'm pleased with how it's turning out so far. Thanks again everyone!

Ps. I also moved the entire project towards the side of the map, we're rapidly running out of space!

[Tomb Raider Fan]

Oh rite thanks for noticing that Dan.. Delete it if you wish...

Howz ths project coming along anyway??? I havn't really heard any news on who's turn it is, who's turn it is next etc...

[staticon]

Dan the Jazzman - I would, personally, prefer the triggers to be moved out of the pits, (ie. moved back by one or two squares) but they must stay in the order they are in now or you will not see the flames go out. (see diagram.)

Likewise, there is an enclosed part of the room with a rolling ball which is used solely for triggering a camera. This could be enlarged by one square if it is causing problems.
I have a number of triggers and anti-triggers in this room to try and avoid the flare bug later which is why I would prefer not to flip the room, but if you must, put the flip-room trigger at the exit of my section.
Hope that helps.

K

[Quik Silver]

I never thought of antitriggering the lights. Go ahead.
I have used your key, sorry. I'll have a look for a new one to use if you like.

Bye

[KingSpyder]

Okay people, it's been almost a month. What's going on?!

[Tomb Raider Fan]

Is the project still going ahead...???

[Dan the Jazzman]

Sorry everypeoples, I've taken a lot longer than I though I would. I've nearly finished my part now, but lots of stuff has come up unexpectedly in the past week or so, please accept my apologies, I will try my hardest to get my part finished this weekend. I'm really sorry everyone, but I hope my room will be worth it

[Tomb Raider Fan]

Im sure it will be worth it

Could I have an update. Where are we up to in this project?

[Dan the Jazzman]

Okay.... I have good news and bad news. The good news is that my part is 99.99% finished and it's looking fantastic, despite the long wait (I'm so sorry it's been so long!). The bad news is I've found a bug... or two. Here's the deal- I have a key and a keyhole (as you may know if you're paying attention lol) set to activate a 5 second earthquake, OCB 888. It also triggers a rolling ball which activates a heavy trigger with a timer of -5 to open the doors after 5 seconds... the result is when you use the key the ground shakes and the doors open, it looks fantastic and it works fine... usually. When I test my part of the level on its own everything works together perfectly, but when I play through the rest of the level beforehand and get to my section it doesn't work! The doors don't open! What's going on!? Does anyone have any ideas at all? If I can fix this one bug I can send the project back to Treeble and the next person can start on their part...

Also I've noticed some bugs when Lara is shimmying. She sometimes doesn't grab the edge properly when you press forward and action, you have to press the jump button. Also at one point where she is shimmying she won't keep going but stops abruptly. This isn't a problem since she can climb up at that point... but hopefully it won't happen again anywhere else...

I need to solve this rolling ball problem though, I have no idea what's causing it! Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks everyone!