Common Build Problems

 Setting Up Build

In order to use Build and have it run properly without weird side effects, you must copy ALL the files found on the Duke Nukem 3D CD from the "Goodies\Build" directory in to the Duke3D directory on your hard drive. That's the first step. Then, make sure that all the files you have copied from "Goodies\Build" in to the Duke3d directory DO NOT have the attribute "Read-only" selected. At the DOS prompt using the DOS ATTRIB command you can change the read-only attribute or through the Windows95 Explorer by right clicking on each file choose "Properties" and remove the check mark from the read-only box.   Installation

 How to use the DOS ATTRIB command to remove the "Read-only" attribute

The easiest way to remove the Read-only attribute from all the Build files is to simply do it from the DOS prompt. Either reboot in to DOS or open a DOS window. Get to the Duke3D DOS prompt: C:\DUKE3D> and then type  attrib -r and press <Enter>. This is the easiest way to remove the read-only attribute and this way, you won't over look any files. If you have moved all the Build files from the CD to your Duke3d directory on your hard drive and have run the attrib command in the duke3d directory, all should work fine.
The DOS attrib command will not forget to remove the read-only from the Names.h and .dat files. ;)   Build

 Extracting the original maps from the Duke3d.grp

Open a DOS window and at the Duke3d prompt: C:\DUKE3D> type kextract duke3d.grp *.map

 Working on the original maps from the Duke3d.grp without extraction

Open a DOS window and at the Duke3d prompt: C:\DUKE3D> type BUILD EXLX
The x represents the number of the episode and the number of the level. For instance, if you want to edit episode two's second level, you would type BUILD E2L2

 Setting Up EditArt

ALL the files on the Duke Nukem 3D CD in the "Goodies\Build" directory must be copied in to the Duke3d directory on your hard drive. All files must have the "Read-only" attribute off. The reason why many people complain about getting nothing more than a "black screen" could be a couple of things:

1-  The ART files must be extracted in to the Duke3d directory on your hard drive and/or
2-  Three files that do not end with the extension, "exe" still have the "Read-only" attribute. These three files are Lookup.dat, Palette.dat, and Tables.dat. Make sure that these files DO NOT have the read-only attribute.

 Extracting the .art files from the Duke3d.grp

Open a DOS window and at the Duke3d prompt: C:\DUKE3D> type kextract duke3d.grp *.art

 Duke's Instant Death...

If you have just recently put to use the "Moonsky1" (tile # 80) or "BigOrbit1" (tile # 84) sky texture and have not given this sky a palette of 3, then the player will instantly die upon stepping out under this sky texture.
If you also have the player start position under this texture, then naturally, the game ends just as it starts (another possible reason why the map used to work and now it doesn't). In 3D mode,  just place the cursor on the sky texture and press and hold the right <Alt> and press the letter "p" and then press 3 <Enter>.

Another reason for the player dying instantly upon entering a map is because the sector that held the player start position has been moved but a new start position was not reestablished that is, you forgot to place a new start position. When you move a sector that holds the player start, the player start does not take part in the move. So, when moving a sector that has the player start, remember to make a new player start using the <Scroll Lock> key.

The Lone Sector Effector...

You have been working on a map for some time and you have had no problems with either editing the map or playing it in the game and all of a sudden it doesn't work in the game? Chances are you have accidentally placed a sector effector some where in the map which has no tags.
Sector Effector: tile #1
This is what a "Lone Sector Effector" looks like (see right). The game engine will not run a map if there is such an effector without tags on the loose.

If you use a loader, run the map without using the loader.
Go to the DOS prompt C:\> and type cd\ duke3d (assuming your duke directory is on drive "C").

At the next prompt: C:\DUKE3D> type: duke3d map nameofmap and press <Enter>.
"nameofmap" would be whatever you have named the map in question.

Say the name of your map is, "kewlduke.map" then, at the duke prompt, C:\DUKE3D>,
type duke3d map kewlduke and press <Return>.

It will try to load the map in the game and, as usual, it will crap out but before returning to the DOS prompt it should tell you why it couldn't load.
If you see "Found lonely Sector Effector (lotag 0) at (-5632, 7936)" then the next step is very simple.

Load the map in Build, and then in 2D mode, hold the right mouse button down as you move the mouse around the map. On the bottom left hand side of the screen, you will see the x and y coordinates calibrating to the placement of the mouse. When you see the x and y coordinates match the same two numbers that were previously shown, then the mouse cursor will be right over top of the guilty sprite.

In this example, the numbers were -5632, 7936. The bottom left of the screen in 2D mode would read,
x=-5632 y=7936 when the cursor is right over top of the lone sector effector.

This method is so good at finding the sprite that usually you will notice the lone sprite before the numbers match. This might not be the reason your map won't load in the game but if it worked before then most likely the problem is a lone sector effector. Once you have found the sprite and removed it, the map will work.