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1995-03-28
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DOCUMENTATION FOR NOWHERE.RTL
RISE OF THE TRIAD LEVEL
(STANDARD GAME LEVEL)
This package contains an experimental level, NOWHERE.RTL, for the REGISTERED
version of Rise Of The Triad by Apogee. What began as a game level and WAD
file analysis routine has now evolved into a level editor for ROTT. This
game level is my first attempt at creating ROTT maps. (I was analyzing
the game for my Game Developer magazine/Chopping Block column and found
the mapping data very interesting, which prompted me to write a level
editor for experimenting with some of the cool things found in the game.)
My editor is still in the evolving stage and still displays "undocumented
features" occasionally, so please excuse any unusual ROTT malfunctions caused
by the NOWHERE.RTL level. I have tried to make the level as error free as
possible using my current understanding of how game maps are generated and
how the 3 planes (Wall, Sprite, and Info) of map data are translated into
game world features.
Rise Of The Triad screens are drawn using some interesting ray casting and
sprite manipulation techniques. For example, the sky/ceiling backgrounds are
drawn using a "tiling" technique as opposed to the "usual" background draws
of sky and ground texture which is then overlaid with data from the ray
caster. One really cool effect of this technique is that sky data can be
tiled around any game wall, floor, sprite, etc. The NOWHERE.RTL level
takes advantage of these tiling features and therefore gives you a true
"road to nowhere" effect where floor area is totally surrounded by sky
tiles - a winding road that sometimes has no beginning or end.
The standard map features such as bad guys, rotating blades, fire chutes,
doors controlled by keys or touch plate/wall switches, etc. are included in
the NOWHERE.RTL level just to make things a little challenging. Combine
these features with the "road to nowhere" features and you end up with a
very challenging level. I didn't design the NOWHERE.RTL level to be real
hard or real easy - just an experimental offshoot of the original E1A1 level
"In The Thick Of It". Here's a few comments about the level:
No RLE file compression is used in the level, hence it is quite a
bit larger (in bytes) than the original game levels. I haven't
written file compression into the editor yet. Remember that the
original game levels are compressed and to alter them you must
uncompress them, edit the data, and then recompress the data. The
new size of the edited compressed data will (most likely) be
different from the original compressed size so you must put the
new level data into a separate file.
I designed the level so it plays well on my 486DX2/50 system. I
had to adjust the number of bad guys and other features so the
game engine would play the level using a good frame rate. If the
frame rate seems slow, adjust your screen size to increase the
rate. As you wipe out more bad guys, the frame rate may increase
because the engine is monitoring/adjusting fewer enemy players.
When walking down the "roads to nowhere", remember that you can
easily fall off the oftentimes narrow roads, which will cause your
character to die. Firing a large gun may cause a recoil which
can push you backwards off the "world". Be careful when using
jump pads located on the narrow roads since you can easily get
thrown too far.
All the enemy can/will follow you down the "roads to nowhere"
just as they normally do.
I found the glass windows and doors especially interesting, so
you may find these in the level. However, I would advise not
to blindly shoot out all glass windows/doors since some REAL
NASTY enemies may be hiding behind them. NOTE: If you DO end
up confronting the nastiest characters, and you happen to kill
one (and I'll bet you can't without cheating...), the game engine
might halt the game because of the internal protections against
killing BOSS characters on levels other than end-game levels.
RUNNING THE NOWHERE.RTL LEVEL
To play the NOWHERE.RTL level, just run the ROTT setup routine and select
the "Use Modified Stuff" menu item followed by the "Alternate Levels" option.
The NOWHERE.RTL level contains only one map, so the game engine will exit to
DOS once you exit the level.
THANKS THANKS THANKS THANKS THANKS
I would like to say a BIG thank you to the Apogee Rise Of The Triad
Development Team for courteously and graciously answering all my questions
on ROTT game engine and mapping features.
FINAL COMMENTS
I hope you enjoy this level. Although it only consists of a single map,
it should give you a good idea of the features obtainable via the use
of a "generic" ROTT level editor.
Wayne Sikes
1-505-869-3522 (Home and BBS)
CompuServe: 70733,1562
Internet: 70733.1562@compuserve.com
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