llamamod/docs/manual/tutorial-original-level.md

Tutorial: Edit an original level

In this tutorial you change the first level of the game, Village chapter 1: you move a few coins, add a checkpoint, give the start of the level a different fog and music, try it in the game and save it as a project you can share. It takes about 15 minutes.

You need LlamaMod set up with your game (see Installing LlamaMod).

Step 1: Open the level

1. Start the editor (Level Editor in LlamaMod's header).
2. Choose File → Open original level… (Ctrl+Shift+O).
3. Select Village – Chapter 1 and click Open.

The village appears in the viewport. Press Home to see the whole level, then fly closer: hold the right mouse button and use W A S D (see Navigation).

Step 2: Move some coins

1. In the Outliner, type Coin into the filter field. The tree now lists only coins.
2. Click a coin in the list. The Inspector shows its properties and the viewport highlights it; press F to frame it.
3. Press W for the Move tool and drag the arrows of the gizmo – or simply drag the coin over the ground. With Snap on (G), it moves in steps of the grid.
4. To move a whole group, Shift+click more coins (or draw a box around them in empty space) and drag them together.

Every drag is one undo step – Ctrl+Z takes it back.

Tip: Edit → Select similar (Shift+S) selects all objects of the selected type – an easy way to see where every coin of the level is.

Step 3: Add a checkpoint

1. Open the Objects panel (left dock) and click the quick setup Checkpoint.
2. The Place tool (P) is now active. Click on the ground where the checkpoint should stand.

The editor places a checkpoint post together with its respawn point a little in front of it. When the llama falls into the water after passing it, it comes back here. More about objects in Objects.

Step 4: Change the fog and music

The start of the level uses the start zone:

1. Open the Environment panel (left dock, Zones tab).
2. Click the first entry, Start zone (level default). The Inspector shows its Environment zone section.
3. Tick Live fog in the viewport in the panel to see the fog as in the game.
4. In the Inspector, click Fog / sky colour and choose a new colour – for example a soft orange for an evening mood. The viewport follows while you pick.
5. Lower End (Max) a little for a denser fog.
6. Under Music & sky, choose another Music track, for example PUZZLE2.

The village houses have their own zones (one per door), so the inside of a house keeps its original fog. See Environment for every field.

Tip: for a real evening mood also try Level → Bake lighting… with the Dusk preset and the option Set start zone fog & ambient colour.

Step 5: Play from the camera position

1. Fly the camera so that the middle of the view looks at the ground next to your checkpoint.
2. Press Shift+F5 (Level → Play from camera position).

The editor builds the level, installs it as a mod and starts the game with the llama standing at that point. Walk through the checkpoint, collect your moved coins and listen to the new music. Press Escape to quit the game and return to the editor.

Note: F5 starts at the level's normal start instead, including the intro fly-by. If the editor says there is no walkable floor at the point you look at, aim at open ground – roofs and trees often have no collision.

Step 6: Save and share

1. File → Save (Ctrl+S). Give the project a name, for example Village evening. Projects are saved in LlamaMod's levels folder by default.
2. Back in LlamaMod, your project appears in the Levels category of the mod list. While it is enabled, it replaces Village chapter 1 in the game.
3. To share it, send the .llamalevel file. It contains only your changes – no game data – so it is small and others build it from their own CD (see Sharing levels).

What next

• Editing original levels – what to watch out for (tile numbers, conflicts with other mods).
• Tutorial: Make a parkour – build new platforms with brushes.