101 lines
5.7 KiB
Markdown
101 lines
5.7 KiB
Markdown
# Building, problems and play-testing
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Before the game can load your level, the editor **builds** it: brushes and meshes become tiles,
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textures are packed, objects and waypoints are written, and everything is checked. Building is
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fast (a few seconds) and happens in the background, so you can keep working.
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## Check for problems
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**Level → Check for problems** runs all checks without building. The results appear in the
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**Problems** panel:
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* **Errors** (red) would break the level. They block **Build** and **Play** until you fix them.
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* **Warnings** (yellow) are things that probably do not work as you expect.
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* **Info** (blue) are hints.
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Double-click a message to select the item it is about (and frame it with **F**). The button in
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the panel's toolbar validates again without building.
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### What is checked
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| Area | Examples | Details |
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|---|---|---|
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| Level | no player start (error), several player starts, no exit in a new level, no geometry | [Objects](09-objects.md#object-checks) |
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| Geometry | tiles outside the grid, tile models over 8000 vertices, overlapping identical tiles, no floor under the player start, no exit floor (16) in the door's cell, small gaps between floors | [Building geometry](06-geometry.md#geometry-checks) |
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| Objects | wrong parameter counts, values out of range, missing waypoints, impossible exit targets | [Objects](09-objects.md#object-checks) |
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| Waypoints | chains not stored in one piece (with an automatic repair) | [Waypoints](10-waypoints.md#waypoint-checks) |
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| Environment | fog too short or too long, missing start zone, teleport targets outside the grid, black or ignored lights | [Environment](12-environment.md#environment-checks) |
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| Visibility | the player start in a region that does not draw itself, regions that are never drawn | [Visibility regions](13-visibility.md#visibility-checks) |
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| Textures | more than 127 texture pages, textures on missing pages | [Textures](08-textures.md#limits) |
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## Build
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**Level → Build** (**Ctrl+B**, toolbar **Build**) checks and builds the level. When it is done the
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Problems panel shows **Build OK** with the numbers of tiles (and how many came from brushes),
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objects and waypoints, the size of the level file and the time it took – plus any warnings. The
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status bar keeps the result of the last build; click it to open the Problems panel.
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**File → Export level WAD…** builds the level and saves the game file (`.wad`) wherever you like
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– for your own experiments; to play or share a level you do not need it.
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## Play-testing
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**Level → Play** (**F5**, toolbar **Play**) does everything in one go:
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1. builds the level,
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2. installs it in LlamaMod's `levels` folder as a level mod (next to the mods you have switched
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on),
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3. prepares the play-test save slot (unlocked up to your level),
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4. starts the game **directly in the level** – no logos, no menus, no map.
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In the game, press **Escape** to quit straight back to the editor. When the game has ended,
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LlamaMod switches your normal mod selection back on; the level itself stays installed.
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### Play from the camera position
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**Level → Play from camera position** (**Shift+F5**) starts the llama on the ground in the middle
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of the view, facing the way the camera looks. Point the view at the spot you want to test – a
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difficult jump, the end of a parkour – and press **Shift+F5**.
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The editor checks that there is walkable **collision** at that point: many things that look solid
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(tree crowns, roofs, decoration) have none. If there is no floor nearby, it tells you instead of
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dropping the llama into the void. The original level's opening fly-by is skipped in this mode.
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### Play-test options
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| Option (Level menu) | Default | Meaning |
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| **Play boots straight into the level** | on | Off: the game starts at the main menu with the map cursor on your level (choose *Spiel starten* → slot → Enter on the map); groove.exe is not changed. |
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| **Escape quits the play-test** | on | In a play-test the pause key ends the game at once. Off: Escape opens the normal pause menu. |
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| Play-test save slot (**Edit → Preferences**) | 3 | The slot the game plays with; it is backed up before it is changed. |
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> **Note:** Booting into the level uses the **Boot to level** mod, which adds code to LlamaMod's
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> private copy of groove.exe. Some antivirus programs warn about such files – see
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> [Troubleshooting](20-troubleshooting.md).
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### When something goes wrong
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| Message or symptom | What to do |
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| "The game is still running" | The level files cannot be replaced while the game runs. Click **Quit game and play** to close it and start the play-test, or quit it yourself. |
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| The llama falls through the floor | Look at the collision (**C**); give the floor collision (the brush's collision faces, or a collision material other than 30). |
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| The level door does nothing | The door needs **exit floor (16)** in its own cell – use the **Exit** setup of the Objects panel. |
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| The game crashes while loading | Run **Check for problems** and fix all errors; keep everything inside the grid; only one player start. |
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| Objects are missing in the game | Some objects only appear after an event or a cut-scene; also check the visibility regions. |
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More in [Troubleshooting and FAQ](20-troubleshooting.md).
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## Playing without the editor
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The level is now a mod in LlamaMod's **Levels** category. To play it the normal way, tick it in
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LlamaMod, click **Apply** and **Play**. New levels are on the world-9 (TestLevel) map – unlock
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it in **Save games → Unlock TestLevel (world 9)**; edited original levels replace their chapter.
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