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Ezxariarch

My floors falts gets split in half (new level builder)

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I just got into level editing last week ( I wuz a plane sprite, flats, texture, editor b 4)...So far I made 2 small yet decent maps...but they ALL have ONE mistake I cant correct....for sum reason da floor textures dont match..dey get split on da middle...wut im saying is, let say I got a BIG 'O' TILE like dis:

_______
| | |
|___|___|
| | |
|___|___|

When I put it to use it ends up showing sumthin like dis in
da game:
_ ___ __
| |
_|___|__
| |
_|___|__ , I have no Idea wut is goin on..... (x_X)

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Use the grid to align them, each 64x64 grid block is the size of one floor texture.

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Ahhhhhhh, I see.....but only one problem.....how do I move the ENTIRE mape into 64x64 grid....DONT TELL ME THAT I HAVE TO DO IT VERTEX BY VERTEX.....AHHHH MAN...!! But Thank U for the help. : )

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You can select the entire map in almost any editor and slide it over. Usually you have to do the things and structure in two separate moves, but some can do it all at once, i.e. WadAuthor.

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Normally only a few things are sensitive to a 64x64 alignment, like teleport pads. Or any small area you have. If the area is not a multiple of 64 you are stuck anyway and have to split the difference to make it look good.

To fix an area with DeePsea, you need to be in vertex mode, otherwise it won't snap to the exact grid. That difference is on purpose to prevent more problems in other modes.

Sometimes you can select a bunch of vertices at once using the "rubber band" selection tool (hold the left mouse button down and drag the mouse) and do it quicker. Usually that won't work for complicated areas or areas that are less than the 64 grid, but you can try it.

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A word of caution, if you are selecting all the vertices in a level to try and align things to the 64x64 grid in DeePsea, if you have the grid set at 64x64 all the vertices will snap to that setting.

This is both good and bad. Good, because all the teleports and so on will be aligned correctly, but bad because things that are not supposed to be will also be aligned to the 64x64 grid. eg a door or step that is only 16 wide will have its vertices snap to the nearest 64x64 point, and so its lines may end up lying on top of others and merge with them etc.

One way round the problem is to switch snapping off (/ key) toggle the grid to 64x64, select all the vertices you want to move and move one you know needs to be on a 64x64 corner to the correct point. Remember, no snapping will mean you need to be accurate (zoom in, + key) as you can move the vertices unit by unit. It will also mean that other vertices, whilst they will move correctly in relation to each other, will not snap to the grid, which may be something you need.

What you can do instead when moving a bunch of vertices is work out a point on the 64x64 grid that you want to use as a reference for the corner of a certain sector, keep your eye on it and toggle the grid down to something appropriate (2x2 is the smallest) and then move the appropriate vertex onto the correct location, all other vertices will move correctly with respect to each other. They will also snap to a 2x2 grid in this case, which will only cause problems if you have vertices closer than that.

Judging by another thread in these forums, the above method just got a lot easier because Jack has just implemented a grid display mode where the 64x64 lines/corners stand out more. So no having to keep your eye on the correct grid point when toggling the grid down to smaller values as there will be the option of having a coloured cross or something on the 64x64 line intersections.

Although, once you have realised that aligning levels to the 64x64 grid is important for specific flats, you are unlikely to need to fix whole levels like this again (presumably you will align appropriate sectors correctly in future) it is still a very useful thing to be able to do when you need to shift large structures around in a level. I find it particularly useful when I have pasted a lot of detail from a temporary working level or similar into another level.

Before moving a whole load of vertexes, you might want to change the vertex merge tolerance (in the map page of the DeePsea F5 preferences) to a nice low value, to stop close vertices merging in detailed maps.

Of course, Ezxariarch, you never said you were using DeePsea, so if you aren't, I'm sure you can just ignore the above unless there is something in it applicable to your situation.

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This is something wadauthor does with ease. Set your grid to 64x64. Press "n" on the keyboard. Go edit -> select all. Grab a vertex of one of the teleporter pads or whatever flat you need aligned to the grid and snap it over. All other verticies, lines, things etc will slide over properly with no problems :)

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This is something wadauthor does with ease.


Not exactly. That only fixes ONE area of many - so if one has a whole level with various areas that are "off", it doesn't work - so most of the time that's not useful.

With DeePsea (and in WA) the most common way is to select any "parts" of a level in vertex mode and only those parts will shift to 64 aligned coordinates and the rest of the level stays put. So for example, select the "64x64 pad" with the rubber band and drag to have it snap.

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Yep that's true. But shifting the entire map (things included) around while maintaining the proper position of everything is is very easy to do in Wadauthor. That's what I was trying to say :) The remaining vertices and things are not snapped to any specific grid.

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But you have to select ALL to do that - not exactly a flexible method. What if you want to just shift a sector?

In DeePsea ANY thing(s) in sector mode are automatically moved with whatever sectors are selected. One does not have to select the whole map (although it could be the whole map).

So let's say you have a teleporter that should be moved. Just select the tele sector and drag it to whereever. The telething is moved with it. Similarly with any other sector that gets dragged somewhere else.

It's the more common use I was relating to.

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But you have to select ALL to do that - not exactly a flexible method. What if you want to just shift a sector?


Nope, you don't have to select the whole map. Things are not moved automatically when you shift a sector in WA though(after all there may be times you don't want this). If you want to move a teleporter sector with the destination thing you just go: ctrl click on sector click on destination thing, then when both are selected you can drag them around all you like :)

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Ok, that works, but I was going by your earlier description - which as it now turns out was not really the right answer to the original post topic. The last example is more suited for alignment.

However, in the new context, overall this is relatively more work compared to just dragging a sector (the things automatically moving in DeePsea in Sector mode can be turned off - but since that's usually what one wants, it should be on).

Interestingly, WA snaps in this case, which in the general case can cause some issues, since movement is not in grid units, but "snap" units. I suppose knowing either DeePsea or WA differences here is just a matter of adapting.

If I were giving the suggestion for WA, the shift+rubber band is more efficient that the ctrl+click to select both the area and the things - although an irregular area would be a bitch to do:)

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WA does do the "rubber band" thing as well. Just left click and lasso whatever you want. Although you are right it is often a bitch to be precise selecting stuff that way. That's why I don't use it much.

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What I wrote -was- about WA's method of rubber banding. DeePsea "rubber bands" without having to press the shift key:)

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So does WA :) Really it does. You do have to click the left mouse button though.

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So does WA :) Really it does. You do have to click the left mouse button though.

Not exactly. Should this be a contest?

You keep leaving out little details since the start of this thread and shifting around. In fact, I was going to mention this earlier, but decided not to since I figured most people would almost always use the shift key. But since you insist:

WA will DRAG an object when the left mouse button is clicked + drag if any object is active. That's a royal pain in a tight map (if not all the time). IMO a pretty clumsy feature to have to be sure that no object is active.

It can be done at this price: you do have to make sure no object is selected though.

So that's why the shift is employed and is really the primary method (documented as such) since it's tedious to do otherwise.

Next you'll tell me that busting prefabs apart is also an easy way to make complicated areas:)

In DeePsea rubber banding is rubber banding. Anytime, anyplace, anywhere which is all I was saying earlier.

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