My new work-in-progress Level Editor

[Hazard]

Hi Guys!
I just want to keep you up-to-date regarding my newest project without spamming those other threads. This project is a easy to use Level editor directly in 3D that renders the whole level exactly like it'll look like in game. You create the level through drag&drop using predefined parts. You can use every OFF model as part to drop in your level. You can drag&drop all creatures to you level too, to create singleplayer-maps or arenas or battlefields or whatever. I'm planning to include traps the same way, but i haven't tried to include them yet.
Part of the Editor is a new Scripting Language for DbtS that is many times more flexible than the old DbtS Scripting. I've already used it to create the After-Death Camera in my Battlefields. It takes complex scripts in my Dbts High Level Scripting Language (DHLSL) and converts them to normal Dbts Scripts in background. You are able to write those DHLSL scripts for your levels and to write AI Scripts that can be assigned to each character. There is an example script at the end of this posting.

Planned features for the editor:
- Easy Drag&Drop Level Editor with real in-game graphics
- Level objects, creatures and traps can easily be placed with your mouse
- A new scripting language to easily write complex scripts
- Write and assign AI scripts to characters to define complex behaviors
- Create Arenas, Single- or Multiplayer Levels, Battlefields, etc.
- Generates an easy to use mod out of all this

Do you have an idea on what to include in the editor? Don't hesitate to suggest it in this thread.

It'll take some time to finish it, though... Early 2007 is a rough estimate. I can't promise anything since i don't know how much time i'm able to spend on it.


This is a screenshot from an early version, "only" providing the same functionality as the old battlefield creator:



Click HERE to view the DHLSL Camera Script example!

[EDIT] Moved the script example to a new page for readability of this thread.

[Dave]

Holy crow! Hazard, I don't know how you do this stuff (I know I've said that a number of times). Even a scripting language?? Wow. Will there be any rudimentary vertex editing, as opposed to using only predefined drag and drop? If not, that would be my suggestion. Having both drag and drop and manual construction would rule!

I dunno how he does it.

[Hazard]

Hi Dave! No, i'm currently not planning to include vertex editing in the level editor since it is textured-3d only without a wireframe view. But you are able to build your own OFF files with an OFF Modeler programm and use those as parts in your maps. I'm working on a new OFF Modeler too, so we don't need to use the old one.
I'm planning to ship the editor with a new version of orens castle map including all-new models and textures. All elements will be parts that can easily be used in your own maps.

[tons0phun]

make sure to get the pendulum blades in. =P

[Hazard]

Already done. Just drag&drop the template on your map to create one. the editor will do all necessary scripting for you. Same for rope, spear and swinging-blade traps as well as tentacles. You can put 20 rotating blades in your map within seconds. ^^

i'm currently thinking about dropping the scripting language idea in favor of an earlier release. the current version of the language isn't as good as i expected at first. especially the difference between all pre-compiled parts that are generated on map creation and those which are executed in realtime is not clear enough. i'll have to redesign it completely.

As a trade-off i'm trying to include as many automatic scripting features as possible (such as AI Scripts and stuff) to reduce the need of a good scripting language.

Here is a screenshot of the current version:

Each object like the houses is based on a template and can easily moved around with the mouse. This level is based on Oren's castle map... i want to redo all textures until release. You can see two (stationary) rotating blades and a tentacle in the background.

[nuverian]

1.Greetings people! Well..for the info, ive been around the community and old board from the start, just with many names till now...
Hazard! Great things you are doing there, and i was thinking of sending you some objects ive made from some maps i was working on and unfortunatly dropped.Maybe you can include those as templates in your new spectacular program!
There are caves, castle, altar, bridge, trees, graveyard, tomb and so on...
I dropped the maps cause of crashes due to coding...litte time to work on those.
So...let me know..

2.When i was still working on them, i had found a way around for moddeling, although your moddeler served very well the community indeed.
I was using Right Hemisphere's Deep Creator to model, then export to the .off format from the prog.I had made a partialy working little converting program, to convert the .off to the standards of the .off file for DBTS.Still textures are impossible by that way...

Thats all people...Im anxius on you project!

[Cpk]

I wait for the project while I play DbtS.

[jonne_b]

Mind releasing a beta of the editor if your still working on it? I know there's the battlefield creator but that one u had there seems a tad more advanced

[Hazard]

Well, the current state wouldn't help anyone. Some things need to be cleaned up to be useable and stuff like this. But yes, i'll release a Beta as soon as the major issues are fixed. I haven't worked on this since my last posting 1 year ago. At first i spent my time to write the Supreme Commander Map Editor (which was interestingly based on this DbtS editor) and making some maps with it (my "World Domination" map is still #1 in the vault ) and afterwards i had a time of permanent uncreativity, which really doesn't help in coding. :/ However, i'm fully back to coding now and am already busy working on some projects, also involving commercial software development. I really try to find some time to spend on the DbtS editor, but i'm still lacking a good idea on how to model the terrain easily in the editor without messing with polygons. I may include a heightmap editor, which would at least allow you to do some interesting outdoor maps.

[jonne_b]

Hahah yeah I checked the supcom editor out yesterday, be and a friend whos here on a lan have been playing ur world dom map all night :D It looks good, lacks some scenery like trees and stuff but guess its a pain in the ass filling 8 square miles with scenery =P=P

[jonne_b]

Oh and btw, does the supcom editor use 3d rendering or software? I sure hope its software because it was quite laggy when editing big maps (like 40x40+)

If it is, it would be niec with a 3d renderer, might smooth things out alot

[Hazard]

Yeah, the map lacks props like trees and detail textures since my editor had no support for such things when i made this map. The editor uses hardware rendering, but it is very slow due to lack of optimization. It renders the terrain without any LOD, which means a 40x40 map draws more than 8 million pixel-shaded polygons to screen per frame.

[edit]
I think we're getting off topic here.

[jonne_b]

That explains it, and yeah you're right sorry