Asbestos' - BUILD HELP

Iv'e seen a lot of the same questions pop up in forums many many times, and I've posted the main ones here. Hopefully your problem is one that most others have, and is listed below.

Why won't 3D mode work?
How do I play my map?
Why does my subway shoot rockets at me?
When I walk in my paralaxed sector, I die. Why?
How do I get Editart to work?
What's a hi-tag and lo-tag?
Why does the screen flash when I use my invisible teleporter?
Why does my sector-over-a-sector look all funky?

Why won't 3D mode work?
This would have to be the most commonly asked Build question. You need to have the Build files (the ones under GOODIES\BUILD in the Duke3d CD) in your Duke3d directory. This is because Build uses duke3d.grp to display the art for 3D mode, and duke3d.grp needs to be in the same directory as Build. You COULD have Build in a different directory and just copy the .grp file in it, but that would be pointless.

How do I play my map?
Let's say you want to play a map that you've saved as "test.map" (only an example). As with any Duke3D map, there are two ways that you can play it.

Way 1: Go into MS-DOS (it's at the bottom of the Start menu), and when in the Duke3D directory, type the following-

duke3d -map test

"Test" would be replaced with whatever you saved the map as.

Way 2: Go into the Duke3D setup, and from the main menu go to "Select User Level." Then choose your map from the list, go back to the main menu, and choose "Launch Duke Nukem 3D".

Why does my subway shoot rockets at me?
This is happen if the ceiling of the sector that the subway is in is paralaxed. Either un-paralax it, or give is a palette of 3 (in 3D mode, hit "alt+P" on the ceiling). Any palette will work, it's just that 3 will keep the color the same.

When I walk in my paralaxed sector, I die. Why?
This is because you're using one of the BIGORBIT textures for the paralaxed sky. Again, just give it a palette of 3 (or any other palette) and it won't kill you.

How do I get Editart to work?
Here's the step-by-step to get Editart working:

1.) Copy all the files under GOODIES/BUILD (on your Duke3d CD) into your Duke3D directory.

2.) Extract the .art files by typing this at the DOS prompt:

kextract duke3d.grp *.art

3.) Extract the .dat files by typing this at the DOS prompt:

kextract duke3d.grp *.dat

If you get an error resembling "could not write to PALETTE.DAT", then delete your .dat files and try extracting them again.

4.) Editart should now work. When running it, a screen should come up that says something like, "Reading tiles000.art" in red letters. If so, then Editart works. If not, then try everything again, and if it still doesn't work, e-mail me or ask someone else who knows about Editart.

What's a hi-tag and lo-tag?
All righty, this is kind of a hard question to answer. When it comes to hi-tags and lo-tags, you really don't need to know what they "mean" or do, because they can do so many different things and serve so many different effects. All you really need to know is how to give something a hi-tag or a lo-tag, as any tutorial you find will tell you what numbers to use and other information on the tag. So, how to give something a hi-tag, or a lo-tag... well, there's 3 different objects in Build that are capable of having tags: walls, sprites, and sectors. So, here's the how-to for each:

Walls: To give a wall a hi-tag, go into 2d mode, point the cursor at the wall until it's flashing, and hit "alt T" for a lo-tag and "alt H" for a hi-tag.

Sprites: Sprites are the same way as walls, except you'd place the cursor on the sprite until it flashes rather than the wall.

Sectors: For sectors, go into 2d mode, place the cursor in the sector, and hit "T" for a lo-tag and "H" for a hi-tag.

There is also another way to give walls and sprites tags which can be done in 3D mode. To place tags in 3D mode, point at the wall or sprite and hit the ' key (it's between the "Return key and ; key) along with T or H (depending on if you want a hi or low tag). Personally, I do all my tags in 2d mode, as it's easier to see the tags of related walls and sprites. Hope none of that was too confusing.

Why does the screen flash when I use my invisible teleporter?
This is because the textures of both sectors (the ones you teleport in and out of) aren't lined up correctly. Try copying the sector when you make the other sector to be teleported to so that both have the exact same texture alignments.

Why does my sector-over-a-sector look all funky?
This is because you are viewing both the above sector and the sector below it at the same time. That will cause one of the sectors to look really weird. The only way to fix this is to mask one the sectors so that you can't see in it. A curtain works nice.

There's a good amount of "special" sprites in Build that can be pretty confusing to use if you don't know how to use them. Sector Effectors, Locators, Activators, ect. So, if you're lost as to what they do, here's some descriptions.

Sector Effector - Probably the effects sprite you'll hear about most often. The Sector Effector is sprite #1 (the blue "S") and basically effects a sector. They're used for things like doors, earthquakes, rotating sectors, basically everything that effects a sector. The effect of the Sector Effector is determined by the Sector Effector's lo-tag. Ceratin numbers do certain things. Check out the Sector Effector Tag Reference to see what all the different tags are.
Activator - Activators are kind of hard to explain. They basically work with a sector that needs to be effected. In conjuction with a touchplate, the activator kind of tells where something should happen.
Touchplate - Touchplates basically make things happen by walking in a certain sector. If you walk into a sector with a touchplate sprite, it'll activate whatever effect you've told it to do (explosions, earthquakes, opening doors, ect.).
Activator Locked - As I said, Activators are kind of hard to explain. An Activator Locked is kind of used under the same context as an Activator, except it's used in things that would be locked and unlocked (i.e. doors or lifts).
Music and SoundFX - These are basically just used to place sound effects in levels. You'll need to stick one of these in a door or lift for it to make sound. The sound you give it is determined by the lotag you give it. This sprite is also used for ambient sounds, where the hi-tag number determines the distance you'll hear it, and the lotag is the sound it plays.
Locators - Define the path for moving objects/sectors such as the flying recon pig hovercraft and the subways and other such. Thanks ][ce.
Cycler - Cycler sprites are used basically for pulsatin lights. The shading of the sprite determines the brightest the room will be, throw in a Speed sprite and the lotag of that will determine how fast the light pulsates.
Masterswitch - Ok, I have no idea. I'll get back to this.
Respawn - Basically spawns whatever you define. In use with a touchplate, when hitting the touchplate something will respawn in the place of the respawn sprite. Not everything will respawn though, it's mainly used for respawning enemies.

Tag	Effect	Description
0	Rotate Sector	Rotates a sector around a defined pivot point.
1	Pivot point for SE 0	Set's the pivot point that a sector turns around.
2	Earthquake	Used to set off an earthquake. Must be activated by a Masterswitch.
3	Random lights (shot out)	Creates randomly blinking lights after they've been shot out.
4	Random Lights	Creates randomly blinking lights.
6	Subway Engine	Used to create the "engine" (first car) of a subway train.
7	Teleporter/Water	Used to create a teleporter. Placing it in an above-water sector will transport you to an underwater-water sector using the same tags, and vice versa.
8	Up Open Door Lights	Used to light up a sector when a door is opened.
9	Down Open Door Lights	Used to open a room when a light comes down from the ceiling.
10	Door Auto-Close	Makes a door auto-close. The hi-tag is how long until the door closes (32 equals 1 second).
11	Rotate Sector Door	Used as a door that rotates 90 degrees when activated.
12	Light Switch	Used to light up a sector when a switch is flipped.
13	C-9 Explosive	Used to blow up holes in a sector, the result of C-9 explosions.
14	Subway Car	A trailing subway car, one behind the engine (first car).
15	Slide Door	A door that slides to the side when opened.
17	Elevator Transport	Used to transport you from one elevator to another.
19	Shot Touchplate Ceiling Down	Makes the ceiling fall when an explosion occurs in the same sector. Displays message "Unlocked" for some reason though.
20	Bridge	Used to stretch a sector when activated. Sretches textures though, looks kind of ugly.
21	Drop Floor	Used to make a floor or ceiling drop to the height of the SE when activated.
22	Prong	Used to make "teeth" doors. They were un-used in the commercial Duke3D, but can be implemented into user maps.
24	Conveyor Belt	Creates a moving floor, working as a kind of conveyor belt.
25	Engine Piston	Moves a sector up and down from the ceiling like a piston.
27	Camera for Playback	Acts as a camera that records demos.
29	Floating Sector	Used to make a sector float like water or waves.
30	2 Way Train	Creates a train car that moves back and from between two points.
31	Floor Rise	Used to raise or lower the floor of a sector.
32	Ceiling Fall	Used to raise or lower the ceiling of a sector.
33	Spawn Earthquake Jibs	Spawns shrapnel and rock sprites at specified points during an earthquake.
36	Spawn Shot	Used to spawn a shoot every 5 seconds from a specified point. Also known as a "shooter".

Sector Tag Reference

Below is a list of all sector tags, and their effects. The same basic document is located with Build on the Duke3D CD.

Tag Number (low)	Effect
1	Water. This will make the floor of the sector act as though it's the top of a puddle.
2	Water. This will make the sector act as though it's underwater.
9	"Star Trek" doors. I wouldn't insist on using these though, as it makes the door texture squish, and plays the sound twice. Kinda annoying.
15	Used for making a teleporting elevator.
16	"Elevator platform down"
17	"Elevator platform up"
18	"Elevator down"
19	"Elevator up"
20	Door where ceiling starts at bottom and opens upwards ("Doom door")
21	Door where floor starts at top and opens downwards.
22	Door where ceiling and floor start in middle and split open horizontaly.
23	Swinging door (hinged)
25	Door that slides from one side to another.
26	Split "star trek" door.
27	Bridge (?)
28	Drop floor (?)
29	"Teeth" door.
30	Rotate/rise sector.
31	Two way train. Starts at one end, moves to another.
1000+	One-time sound. Just add the sound tag number to 1000, and the sound will be played when the sector s walked into.
32767	Secret place
65535	Ends level when walked into sector (no need for a nuke button).

General Building/Design Tips

These are just some simple tips I advise you to follow when building a map.

Give the player a good weapon to start out with. A shotgun near the beginning of a level is always a good idea.
Try and go for some height changes in a level. For example, a level that consists of different floors, elevator, ect. is ussually more interesting than a completely flat level.
Place weapons in logical locations, like next to a dead body. An RPG in a refrigerator is just kinda silly.
Make sure all your textures are alligned! Nothing is more ugly than un-aligned textures, and really throws the believebility of a map.
Don't pit the player against impossible odds. For one, too many enemies will bog the game down, and going against five commanders and a boss with just a shotgun simply isn't any fun.
Shade! Shading adds a lot of realism to a map, and can easily make the difference between a good level and a bad one.
Don't forget an exit. I've honestly seen maps with no end to them. This isn't a good thing!
Add in decorative sprites. Placing a vase in the corner, or a picture on the wall are nice little touches. Plus, they're fun to blow up.
Don't make maps confusing. I mean, making the player think is one thing, but they should always know where to go next. Wandering around aimlessly for 20 minutes is never fun.
Don't make a maze.
Don't make a map of one room and a boss.
Don't release your first map.
Don't make a map of your house (at least don't distribute it).
Make sure you don't have any of the above four things. They all suck.
Make sure everything in the map is the right perspective. Sometimes it's hard to size everything correctly, but just keep it in mind. A good way to see if things are sized right is to hit F7 while playing Duke and seeing where he stands compared to objects. Stippers, plants, ect. are not taller than Duke.

That's all for now. All of these are really basic tips, and can help save a map that would ussually suck. Don't let yourself fall for these stupid mistakes!