Sectors over sectors
Building sectors over sectors is not that difficult. The hard part is dealing with the game engine, negotiating where, how, what, or when... Essentially, all you have to do to build sectors over sectors are two things:
Making sectors over sectors is probably one of the most challenging things to do in Build. Because Build is no where near advanced as Quake II or some of the later game engines, you have to be imaginative. Designing levels that will mimic a true 3D environment is the challenge when building maps for the Duke3D engine. Although some level designers may find this a limitation, I've seen some pretty cool tricks done by some of the Duke cartographers out there. It's all in the way the level is designed, from the architecture, texture selection, to the placement of the monsters, ammo, and power ups. Sectors over sectors: basically
The main thing to keep in mind is making sure that the sector over top is physically higher than the ceiling of the sector below. I make sectors over sectors by first considering how the player will get to the above sector. If it will be by way of stairs then I figure out how many steps I will need to have the last step high enough to join with the above sector. If it's by way of an elevator or platform, then I first figure out how many clicks up from the sector's floor below to the floor of the sector above. Either way, I'll start by making the elevator or the stair well. Don't forget that using sloped sectors to get above will work just as well. The other thing to keep in mind is to not build a stairwell or sloped sectors so that the player can see two levels at once. Whenever the player can see both the bottom sector and the sector directly above it, he will get blurring of both levels. To avoid that, just make sure that you build the transition (ie. stairwell, sloped sectors, elevator or platform) so that the player cannot simultaneously see both levels which are directly over one another. For example: this usually occurs when the player is looking at a two story building and can see in through a window of the upper level and a window on the lower sector from one side. You cannot build it that way. When ever the game engine is forced to simultaneously display levels that are directly over one another, the blurring of both sectors will occur. There's no stopping this effect so don't bother designing your levels this way. There are some tricks you can use to make it appear that both sectors are being viewed simultaneously but I won't discuss that here; perhaps in the section under Problems as soon as I can find the time to work on that section. Need a little more? Try here Sectors over sectors: heights
I like to use even numbers for objects and ceiling heights for a few reasons. First, even numbers are easier to divide. You or I can divide odd numbers but Build raises/lowers sectors in full units, not half units. Secondly, most, if not all wall textures are 64x64, 64x128, and 128x128 pixels. Thirdly, symmetry adds realism to your levels. For instance, lotag 22 doors look and operate much better if the top and lower halves are the same in height. I used to make ceiling heights higher and lower the sectors over doors. This meant using three sectors for doors and meant placing swing doors outside the door jam. By making door jams the same height as the ceiling, I could place swing doors within the door jam. It's true that most doors we see every day have their header lower than the ceiling but having a door that swings open from the outside of the door jam looks less realistic than having the header at the same height of the ceiling. You have to work within the game engine's powers and limitations and decide how you will adjust things to best resemble reality in the world that you are crafting. Try to distinguish what effects are more or less believable. As you play test various parts of your map, keep in mind what your first impressions are as you pass through each area. If some thing springs to mind, take note and make any necessary modifications to your map. There's only so much you can do with the Duke3D engine so many times you just have to weigh one idea against another and decide which one is more likely and/or which one the Build engine will allow. It's not like I always make ceiling heights an even number of units from the floor but it seems to work out better for many reasons so I've switched to using an even number of units in most instances. Sectors over sectors: elevators / platforms
When making an elevator to get from one level to the next, start by making the sector that will house the elevator. By default the elevator's ceiling height is the same as the sector you just extended it from. Using the example of the ceiling height being twenty clicks from the floor, (your ceiling height may be different; this is just an example) then raise the elevator's ceiling forty units (clicks). Now, bring the floor of the elevator up forty clicks. Your elevator's in position where it will be when it rises to the second floor in the game. Now, extend the exit/entrance of the elevator on to the second floor and make the whole sector (room) that will be the upper level. Since you have your elevator's ceiling height and floor to match, the sector above will take on the same ceiling height as the level below and the map will look consistent. There will be 20 units between the floor of the upper level and the ceiling of the lower level. This difference on the vertical plane will most likely be more than enough to decrease the chances of any weird side effects and also be a good height for the elevator to travel to make it seem worth the lift. note: If you want the elevator to start on the lower level then move the floor and ceiling back down 40 units and give the elevator sector a lotag of 19. If you want the elevator to start on the upper level, then leave every thing as they are and give the elevator sector a lotag of 18. note: If you're thinking of using an elevator transport, sector lotag 15. An elevator transport is like a silent teleporter and it teleports the player to another location. It only appears that the player has gone from one level to the next. Sectors over sectors: examples
These three examples are to show the basic ways of getting the player between your SOS's: stairwellselevatorssloped sectors To negotiate with the engine about certain SOS effects: More on Sectors and Problems.
|