Topic: Getting back into D1/D2 Level Making

[Kaizerwolf]

Hey all,

I've been thinking about spending some time getting back into Descent level building. I wanted to know how things stood with the editors that are out. I know karx11erx has his DLE-XP, which I would assume is the best one available. My biggest gripe with it though was how clunky it was to move around the view of the level; I hated pushing the rotation buttons to move around. Have things been improved (as in using mouse click to move?) or must I still use rotation buttons?

Also, how do custom textures work? Are they stored in the information/data files for a level? Say I customize the individual frames on a door, by adding them in DLE-XP, will they show up if I release the level for other people to play? I had played with custom textures before but I was never sure on this.

Any help would be awesome! I've had a couple cool ideas for levels (think: multiplayer/singleplayer cave level with cracks for natural light, avoid wall light fixtures).

Thanks!
KW

[Kaiaatzl]

DLE's maintained by Sirius now and it has a first-person mode.  The other editor available is SDL Devil over on the rebirth forums.
You might want to check out Xfing's Descent 1&1/2 project on DescentBB or Dateiliste if you want to put your levels in something.  His project is majorly ambitious and needs a lot more love.

[Scyphi]

I hated pushing the rotation buttons to move around.

This shows how long it's been since I've used DLE-XP because I have to ask this; is that really the only way to navigate through a level? Coulda sworn there was a better way...

 

What's more embarrassing is that's the ONLY D1/D2 editor (counting DMB2 as well, since DLE-XP is an explansion upon it) I ever actually learned how to use. 

Also, how do custom textures work? Are they stored in the information/data files for a level? Say I customize the individual frames on a door, by adding them in DLE-XP, will they show up if I release the level for other people to play? I had played with custom textures before but I was never sure on this.

As I recall, as long as the textures are saved to the level's housing .hog file, then yes, so long as the other person has the whole .hog as well, and I can't really think of any reason why they wouldn't. It IS possible to save and then play a level without a .hog, but it's a must to have for mission sets and any customizations of any sort.

You customize the individual frames of a door animation, though having done it before, it's a pretty tedious process, at least doing it within DLE-XP itself (probably would be easier to open up the file in some other editor, but while always meaning to, I never did take the time to figure out how to do it).

I keep thinking to myself I ought to get back into level editing too, but then I think about how time-consuming it can be and how little free time I've actually got, as well as how many other projects I'd like to do that are sort of more pressing to the mind.

[D2Disciple]

::Horatio Caine voice::

Well, I guess you could say...

::sunglasses go on::

Scyphi goes whole hog with his custom textures. Yeeeeaaaah!!

::crickets chirping::

[Kaizerwolf]

Well it's going fairly well! I've got the starting room, main hub, and reactor sections of a level done, and it's coming along really nicely! It's definitely weird getting used to the controls of DLE again. I have some custom textures of my own, but does anyone have any good .bmp images for Descent missions? I'd love to try and use something to get a different Descent 2 look!