Level Editors for FPS
Author
Now, as most people know when you create an FPS you need to create a level editor, because it would be much too time-consuming and exhausting to hardcode the levels yourself. My question is, has anyone made a 3D level editor, and how hard is it? I maybe wrong, but to me creating a level editor seems harder than creating a 3d engine. I'm thinking in terms of something like UnrealEd, you have to add code to place items in it, events, make a cube brush, intersecting lines, and more. and if you have made one, approximately how many lines of code is it? I know the whole game of Doom was about 200,000 lines INCLUDING the level editor and other tools.
Edited by - cannon346 on January 31, 2002 8:11:44 AM
Author
One last question before i shut up, is the code that was used to create the level editor included in the engine?
I''m currently working on an FPS level editor, for my 3D engine. It''s written in VB, using the Multiple Document Interface, and OpenGL. It will eventually support BSP trees, lightmaps, subdivision and a host of other features, but at the moment, I''m starting simple. It creates walls (basically a cube, with two triangles making up each side), and allows you to modify them.
You can move the vertices (they''re linked to a vertex array, so if you move one vertex, it modifies every polygon connected to it) and the whole object, and also scale it. More features will be implemented soon, but it saves to the *.iMIF (iNsAn1tY Map Intermediate File) file format, and compiles maps to the *.iMAP (iNsAn1tY MAP File) for use by my engine. It is very useful, and will save a lot of time hardcoding levels (which I''ve been doing up to now).
Actually, up to this point it hasn''t been too difficult. I use a perspective projection to "fly" around the level, and orthographic projections for the front, back, top, bottom, left and right views.
iNsAn1tY - the place where imagination and the real world merge...
Try http://uk.geocities.com/mentalmantle - Now updated!
You can move the vertices (they''re linked to a vertex array, so if you move one vertex, it modifies every polygon connected to it) and the whole object, and also scale it. More features will be implemented soon, but it saves to the *.iMIF (iNsAn1tY Map Intermediate File) file format, and compiles maps to the *.iMAP (iNsAn1tY MAP File) for use by my engine. It is very useful, and will save a lot of time hardcoding levels (which I''ve been doing up to now).
Actually, up to this point it hasn''t been too difficult. I use a perspective projection to "fly" around the level, and orthographic projections for the front, back, top, bottom, left and right views.
iNsAn1tY - the place where imagination and the real world merge...
Try http://uk.geocities.com/mentalmantle - Now updated!
lol thats funny. you will not accept 1 reply.. are you going to foce ppl to reply? man... this place is supposto be friendly. you didnt even thank insan1ty for his reply....
Well, so I don''t piss him off, I will give him one more reply!
Why not just use an already existing level editor? Why not just use one of the open-source level editors out there and modify it to suit your own needs? Why not just try things for yourself?
There are a lot of editors out there that could do the job for you and unless you want to do it to prove something for yourself, just use one of those. Why reinvent the wheel?
ACCEPT IT
Cray
Why not just use an already existing level editor? Why not just use one of the open-source level editors out there and modify it to suit your own needs? Why not just try things for yourself?
There are a lot of editors out there that could do the job for you and unless you want to do it to prove something for yourself, just use one of those. Why reinvent the wheel?
ACCEPT IT
Cray
There is a good reason to reinvent the wheel. If you don''t know how to make the basic wheel, how will you make a bigger and better wheel that better suits your needs?
Author
Ok, thank you for the replies. I only said that cuz other people who post topics about level editors have gotten plenty replies. As for using another one instead of my own, It''d be hard to integrate that into my engine and figuring out the code that in the time it takes my to figure everything out, i could make a pretty decent one. Also, i wanna join the games industry when im older, and entry level programmers are usually assigned to develop tools for the company''s games, such as level editors.
I understand your point, but in my eyes its still a waste of time. I would simply use Quark and write a "compiler" instead of a whole map editor. The "compiler" (or converter whaterver you want to call it) converts the quark map format to your game engine format. Quark can easely be configured to make maps for any game, even your own.
btw... I just say Quark becuase used it for all of my projects up till now, and its open source. I do know there are probably some more out there...
btw... I just say Quark becuase used it for all of my projects up till now, and its open source. I do know there are probably some more out there...
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