3rd Person

[Arumakani]

I want to make to begin with a mission, then eventually a whole game. Basically for my own enjoyment. I want to primarily start off with the Fp but also do with the option of a good 3rd person like Thief DS.

[sparhawk]

If you know nothing you should focus on one thing. I would sugegst to get started with a level. FPS or 3rd doesn't matter for that. And you can believe me. It doesn't even matter with which knid of level you start because your first levels will be so crappy that you probably shouldn't or dont want to use them anyway. You don't really expect to create a level of decent size whcih is your very first level that you learned how to do it, and it will be so good that you can actually give other people for playing it.

It takes a lot to make good levels. Technically and gameplaywise good.

[Arumakani]

Thanks for the encouragement mate. I will start. I'm friendly with the editor of an Xbox magazine here and he was saying the future is online stuff. It looks as if I'll be having to make games for myself soon

[sparhawk]

Online games are sure creating a big business, but that doesn't mean that they are the only future. My gamesmagazin (which is one of the biggest in Germany) already had an article that online games are competing for the same clients mostly, so there is a limit to how many online games you can have on the market at the same time.

[Springheel]

I want to make to begin with a mission, then eventually a whole game. Basically for my own enjoyment.

 

That's a lot like saying, "I don't know anything about construction, or plumbing, or electrical things, or decorating, but I really want to build my own house for my enjoyment. My goal is eventually to have a fully-furnished mansion. Where do I start?"

[sparhawk]

At the basement. Just because he doesn't know much, doesn't mean he shouldn't even try to start somewhere.

[Domarius]

http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3017

This is all you really need. Everything I learned about Doom 3 level editing I learned from the tutes at Doom3World.org

 

It even has forums for each 3D app, and I know there is a modelling tute to show you how to create a "Plasma Tick" from start to finish and get it into the game.

[Arumakani]

Cheers guys. I have to start somewhere so will work my way through the Doom stuff. Can I ask whether Unreal/Source etc have the same sort of tutorials/techniques applied to them?

[sparhawk]

There certainly will be some tutorials, but if they are similar I don't know. One would assume yes.

[Arumakani]

Was the Doom 3 used for the Dark Mod because it was the easiest to use, has the best shadow stuff or for what? Unreal 3 wasn't available at the time and I think isn't still but Source was. Doom3 lighting and indoors are probably more advanced then the others.

[sparhawk]

It was a variety of reasons. It was out first, it was best suited because of the engine, it was easy to mod for and Id is known to release it's engines under GPL after some time. There are others as well.

[Arumakani]

What is GPL? Sorry I'm new to actual software stuff.

[Maximius]

Im going to sneak a question about D3Editing in here. Ive constructed as simple building in D3ed and now Im trying to merge all the separate walls and stuff into one object. I keep getting a message to the effect:

 

Cannot merge convex edges

 

or something like that. The bugger is none of my edges are convex, they are all straight lines. I know this is elementary but its driving me nuts.

[demagogue]

I dont know too much, ok anything, about D3ed, but it seems familiar because of how cells and optimization work in Dromed, so I'll give it a crack. This is more or less a total guess, though.

 

Maybe by edges they mean the edges of a verticy of two pieces, so not the 1 edge of 1 wall, but the combined edge of 2 walls trying to be merged (??). So if it's a building and you are merging a pair of rectangular prisms (i.e., 2+ walls or building sections or whatever), the verticies or corners where they meet will be an angle, which will be either convex or concave, and it seems to only like concave corners. So it likes merging things into, e.g., L or T or X shapes, and not into enclosed bodies like squares and rectangles. At least, that's the initial reading I understand from the message. Or is this just way off?

 

One thing, though, if that were right, it wouldn't seem appropriate to use the word "edges", would it? That word makes it sound more like what you were suggesting, that the outside edge of one wall itself is convex. Then you pointed out that the edge itself is straight.

 

Then again, of course, as a rectangular prism it will be convex thinking in 3D. But then it seems absurd that you couldn't merge rectangular prisms or really any brushes with anything, since they're always convex... Are the edges flush with one another so one corner isn't burrowing into the side of the other?

 

Ok, I give up ... Now's when the experts can come in tell you what it really means. It was worth trying to figure it out on my own though. Maybe you went through the same brain-wracking process?

Edited May 16, 2006 by demagogue

[ZylonBane]

What is GPL? Sorry I'm new to actual software stuff.

"GPL" means "I don't know how to use Google".

[Arumakani]

Fair enough, however as sparhawk seems to know a lot about mods etc, I thought it was some technical term.

 

Some of you guys are way too serious

[OrbWeaver]

Ive constructed as simple building in D3ed and now Im trying to merge all the separate walls and stuff into one object.

 

You can't.

 

All brushes in Doom 3 are solid and convex. If you want a concave shape (such as a room) you have to make it out of separate solid brushes.

[demagogue]

it seems absurd that you couldn't merge rectangular prisms or really any brushes with anything, since they're always convex

 

You can't.

All brushes in Doom 3 are solid and convex.

 

Ok, maybe not so absurd after all. But doesn't it really reduce the usefulness of a merge function if you can't use solid brushes?

Edited May 16, 2006 by demagogue

[OrbWeaver]

Ok, maybe not so absurd after all. But doesn't it really reduce the usefulness of a merge function if you can't use solid brushes?

 

The Merge function is used to merge two shapes into a single convex shape, e.g.

 

+------+		  +------+
|	  |		  |	  |
+------+	 ->   |	  |
|	  |		  |	  |
+------+		  +------+

[sparhawk]

Fair enough, however as sparhawk seems to know a lot about mods etc, I thought it was some technical term.

 

Some of you guys are way too serious

 

If you want to do something serious, you should learn to find info. As a beginner that is easy, but if you grow more advanced, your questions will be answered less and less, because less people will know it. So it is a good habit to start as early as possible with thinking on your own.

[demagogue]

The Merge function is used to merge two shapes into a single convex shape, e.g.

 

a-ha... That was actually my original understanding, and then I edited it out of my above post because I though it was wrong!

Edited May 16, 2006 by demagogue

[Arumakani]

I was talking about ZylonBane, not you sparhawk . I was also being light hearted. The thing is you guys probably know of loads of places to find good quality stuff and info. Hence my asking. I use google a lot. I'm not hot on technical stuff. Maybe I should join the Doom3 forums myself.

 

Have any of you actually played any Splinter Cell games?

[sparhawk]

Have any of you actually played any Splinter Cell games?

 

I tried one of them, but I never liked it.

[Arumakani]

The first 2 a lot of people found to be trial and error, quite linear aswell as frustrating. If you try Chaos Theory, there are a lot more options, routes and save anywhere feature. It looks amazing for an Xbox game too. I found SC1 the best though. It was tough, but it was so tense. The thing is Thief has a much more likeable protagonist, much better story, aswell as better level design. Splinter Cell is more tense and the 3rd person camera is absolutely brilliant.

[Arumakani]

I'm working through these at the moment.

http://www.ttlg.com/wiki/wikka.php?wakka=T3edTutorials

Any good you reckon?