initial commit: llamamod 0.2.0 – reverse-engineered level formats (wad, map, trak, text, stpc), python tools and notes, java mod manager (iso install, mod pipeline with exe patching, save editor, wine/windows launcher) with mods (test world, debug wireframe, mirror, randomizer, fog, cheats, intro skip, practice, free camera, boot to level, level projects) and the 3d level editor (geometry, objects, cross-world import, environment, textures, play-test, manual)

docs/manual/16-original-levels.md

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+# Editing original levels
+
+Besides building new levels you can change the game's own 31 levels: add coins and checkpoints,
+move platforms, change the fog and music, open up new paths. Your project stores only the
+changes; the original files on the CD and in LlamaMod's game copy are never modified.
+
+## Opening an original level
+
+**File → Open original level…** (**Ctrl+Shift+O**, or **Open original level** on the start page)
+shows every level of the CD by name, with its loading picture as a preview:
+
+* *Village – Chapter 1* … *Lab – Chapter 5*, sorted by world and chapter. The worlds are Village,
+  Jungle at Night, River, Jungle by Day, Mountain, City, Catacombs and Lab.
+* Chapters marked *(unused)* exist on the CD but are not reachable from the world map.
+* *Other – …* entries are the front-end and demo files (menus, attract demo); they are listed for
+  completeness.
+
+Pick a level and click **Open**. Loading takes a moment; the level appears exactly as on the CD.
+
+![The Open original level dialog with the loading picture of Village chapter 1](img/ui_dialog_open.jpg)
+
+> **Tip:** you can also start the editor straight into a level from the command line:
+> `LlamaMod --editor t1l1m001` (the file name of the level: t1 l*world* m*chapter*).
+
+## What you can change
+
+Everything the editor shows can be edited in an original level, with the same tools as in a new
+level:
+
+* **objects** – move, turn, delete, add any type of this level, change parameters
+  ([Objects](09-objects.md));
+* **waypoint chains** of enemies, cameras and respawn points ([Waypoints and paths](10-waypoints.md));
+* **tiles** – move, turn, paint with other tile models, repaint textures, paint collision
+  ([Building geometry](06-geometry.md));
+* new **brushes** and imported **meshes** on top of the original geometry;
+* **zones**, fog, music, **lights**, vertex colours and **visibility regions**
+  ([Environment](12-environment.md), [Visibility regions](13-visibility.md));
+* **textures** – import new ones or replace pixels ([Textures](08-textures.md)).
+
+The base level of an edited original is the level itself, so all object types of that level are
+available.
+
+## The project stores only differences
+
+When you save, the `.llamalevel` file contains only what you changed compared to the original
+level, plus imported meshes and textures and a thumbnail. Projects are usually a few kilobytes
+and contain no game data, so you may share them freely.
+
+Building is reproducible: the same project and the same CD always give the same level file, and
+an unchanged project builds a file that is byte-for-byte identical to the original.
+
+## Keep tile numbers stable
+
+Some object scripts address tiles **by their number** in the level, for example doors or
+bridges that swap their model. Deleting an original tile shifts the numbers of all tiles after
+it, and such a script may then move the wrong tile.
+
+* Prefer **moving** an unwanted tile out of the way (for example below the ground) or
+  **painting another model** onto it with the Tiles tool – painting onto a tile at the same
+  height replaces its model instead of adding a tile, so the numbering stays.
+* New tiles are added at the end and never shift existing numbers.
+
+> **Note:** **Edit → Hide selection** (**H**) only hides things in the editor's viewport. Hidden
+> tiles and objects are still built into the level and appear in the game.
+
+## Playing your changes
+
+**Play** (**F5**) builds the level, installs it as a LlamaMod mod and starts the game directly in
+the changed chapter. **Play from camera position** (**Shift+F5**) puts the llama on the ground in
+the middle of your view. See [Building and play-testing](15-build-play.md).
+
+While the level mod is enabled in LlamaMod, your version **replaces that chapter** of the game:
+you reach it on the world map as usual, and it uses your save game's progress.
+
+> **Note:** with **Play from camera position** the level's intro fly-by is skipped – the original
+> cut-scene camera is tied to the original start position.
+
+## Conflicts with other mods
+
+Only one mod can provide a level file. If two enabled mods change the same original level – for
+example two edited versions of Village chapter 1 – LlamaMod stops applying with a message that
+names the file. Switch one of them off.
+
+Mods that work on *all* levels are applied after level projects and include your changes:
+**Mirror mode**, the **Randomizer**, **Draw distance** and the **Debug wireframe** (see
+[LlamaMod mods](18-mods.md)).
+
+## Known oddities
+
+* **Exit floor check:** in 8 original levels **Level → Check for problems** reports that the
+  LevelDoor has no exit floor (material 16) in its cell. The original exit floors decode one cell
+  off the door (for example, door cell 42,49 and floor at 43,48 in the Village). The exits work
+  in the game – ignore this message for original doors. Exits you build yourself are checked
+  correctly.
+* **Snap to floor** on original levels uses the same collision data, so objects may occasionally
+  land a little off near those exit floors.
+* **Environment zones** of original levels are mostly house doors: their trigger cells hold exit
+  floors. Moving a door without moving its zone breaks the teleport (see
+  [How the game uses zones](12-environment.md#how-the-game-uses-zones)).
+* **Coins near the start** of Village chapter 1 are not drawn at the very beginning, also in the
+  unmodified game, so changes there are hard to see right after loading.
+
+## Tutorial
+
+[Tutorial: Edit an original level](tutorial-original-level.md) walks through a complete example:
+moving coins, adding a checkpoint and changing the music of Village chapter 1.