DF-21 Forums

[Alectriciti]

Hey there.

A few weeks ago I started a level project. Earlier today, while i was editing the level, the computer randomly rebooted. I looked for the file and it was completely gone. I'm very, very upset after spending hours into this project.
Fortunately, I had a backup file.
Unfortunately, that file, also, was corrupt. I don't know how, or why.

I thought I'd go ahead and let you guys know what it was about and kind of describe it to you. (you can skip this part if you want.) It was called 'Investigating Danuta'. It was about a scout (you) going to locate an imperial base on danuta (where the death star plans are kept). Basically, you're supposed to locate this particular base (of the many that are on the planet) and place a tracking device to pinpoint the location for kyle. The storyline wasn't as high of a priority as making my first level and making it good, getting the INF files just right, the texture allignment, everything.
The whole level was a puzzle and a fun one at that.

It starts off you are dropped off in the mountains of Danuta where you can see the wall of the imperial base and a few stormtroopers inside. In these mountains you can pickup a IM mine.
As you travel through the mountains, you will have stormtroopers shoot at you from the windows of the base (even thought most of the time you're in the mountains). The IM mine is used to break into the base when you come across a part of it in the caves.
When inside the base, you have a few keys to collect, some troopers to kill, and about a third of all the rooms had INF settings on them. It was beautiful. (I think that explains enough.)

The project was almost ready for beta testing when I lost it.
While I go vent my frustration on a pillow from loss of this project, I need to think of a new project to start on.


I wanted to ask everyone what they would think if I changed the original DARK.GOB file into something slightly different. First off I would consider legal issues. I realize it's Lucasarts property, but we already do take their files and change them anyway right? Plus, it's not really possible to use the file unless you have the other files and the cd anyway right?

I would like to present the Masters Edition of Dark Forces.

This would be for the vetern players who have mastered dark forces on hard and want something harder.

Example:
When you play on easy, it would be 'Very Hard'
When you play on medium, it would be 'Extremely Hard'
When you play on hard, it would be 'Nearly Impossible'

You can compare this to How 'Legend of Zelda' games work with 'masters' edition. Everything is harder.

Example on Secret Base:
As soon as you start, you have imperial officers shooting at you (so they don't drop the storm trooper rifle right away) and the floor is covered with pits, as if the whole place was ruined. The higher the difficulty, the more dangers i put, and key locations would be different depending on the difficulty.

I just want people's opinions on this and I would also like to know if anyone would play it if there was such a thing.
That's basically all I have to say!
Later!

_________________
~Alec~

[The MAZZTer]

[Burning Gundam]

I know all about that same problem. Read my story of sorrow and tragedy here, I more than know how you feel. Now I be sure to backup everything I work on. I have my photography (my other hobby aside from this) backed up on 3 different drives.

_________________
I don't think outside the box... I customize it.

[Barry Brien]

Yeah it's happened me on more than one occasion. There is nothing worse.
However once the tears of rage dry up and you go back and start again you'll find that what you build is of superior quality. Don't despair.

[sheepandshepherd]

Heh, I think at least half of the projects I've worked on were lost at one time or another. I'm too careless with my backups . . . better learn that lesson soon.

Anyway, if you plan on making a "master's edition", remember that the enemies are the only things you can actually change across difficulty levels. Physical geometry and INF, for example, are the same on all difficulties. There are ways around this though. You can use an enemy only present on certain difficulty levels in a dummy sector to activate INF scripts, thereby making things only happen on the chosen difficulty. That means you can even deform the physical geometry at the start of the level. Depending on how much INF you know, that may or may not make sense, so if you ever need any help, go ahead and ask - I've done this in my level, so I remember pretty well how it works

[Burning Gundam]

Actually that's not entirely true. You can use INF scripting using enemies that appear on certain difficulties to activate dummy sectors that affect the geometry in the areas specified by it (In theory anyway). I know there's a showcase level that explains it somewhere.

_________________
I don't think outside the box... I customize it.

[The MAZZTer]

It's easy, an elevator that moves the ceiling to the floor will only reach its stop (and fire those triggers) if there are no enemies in the sector to block it.

It's been used before to trigger complete events for enemies that don't normally send those messages. (you have to confine them to a single sector though, and if the player enters it and kills the enemy while in it it won't fire until he leaves).

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http://www.mzzt.net/ | I am a respectable admin with a respectable sig.