TresCom Forums

This topic is pretty nice.. I am feeling the progressive build-off one another's work is very workable. Possibly a hub area can also be included as the first location?

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->Tres2020 Starter Kit

"Well, as long as you're under there, you can check the breakers," Thorne said. ... "There's a box right behind the front bumper. Over on the left."
"I see it." [said Sarah]
...
"The box is in backward. Flip all the switches the other way. Are you dry?"
"No, Doc. I'm soaking wet, lying in the damn mud."
~Michael Crichton

If I remember correctly, the terrain we used previously for the Anniversary Level was a bit smaller than a retail level, and we didn't fill it. That Sorna level is the size of a retail level. So maybe it would be wise to re-use the Anniversary terrain instead and just flatten it out to start with. I feel that using the outline of Isla Sorna would also make it restrictive for those wishing to create their own areas. One mistake I think we made in the end was deciding to pre-plan the rest of the Anniversary Level, which took away the freedom of design. Things were a lot more interesting when you never knew what the next person would come up with and where we were going to go from there - being forced to fit your work into the outline of Isla Sorna might take away from that.
Perhaps we can work the "hub" area into this level by having it be the start area in the centre of the map, rather than having the player start in the corner, in order to give everyone plenty of room to expand outwards however they want, and maybe make it so we need to bring items from one area to another in order to progress by travelling through the hub.

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Current Project: Cloning Facility | My Release Thread

Hmm, then how about we use contestlev.wtd instead? There's already some terrain work on it but its rudimentary enough that a lot of creative liberty is allowed. Hell, I was looking at the terrain file from the 2011 Winter Level contest too and it has more terrain work but still open ended. WinterLev.wtd even has a little plateau near the center of the worked-on terrain that could serve as a hub area.

I wouldn't worry about whatever a terrain is already worked on or not. It is better to start fresh and allow people to modify their own areas. Creating a small hub area terrain wise is easy enough.
I also like the hub area idea cause it would allow us to both create paths from it as well as having "teleport" transportation.
For example people could create a path, terrain wise to their area. As well as making a designating spot to where you would get "transported" there.

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Active project: Trespasser: Isla Sorna - Working on PH2-IT (and experimental BE-IT).

"...there used to be more benches, but InGen's workers removed them during the evacuation in the name of framerate."

https://www.mediafire.com/file/xdc7p53u ... y.zip/file

Welp, we better get this ball rolling! Here's the first release where anyone can start editing it. I took the liberty of starting to create what could potentially be the hub area, with an Isla Nublar style waterfall
I decided the terrain texture palette we use this time around would be from TI's MegaJungle, because they're just so aesthetically pleasing and realistic.
I made sure the hub area is right in what I think should be the middle of our level, so level expansion can go in pretty much every cardinal direction

As in the last community level, I've set up an editlog where we can detail what we've imported into the level and what we've changed in the level. My first change log is sort of comprehensive, but some objects that can be arranged into one category I've decided to just all roll into one. For example, the TC~Isle trees I've just listed them in one line. Other more specific objects, such as the helipad, I've listed as its individual model with its full .tpm name.

Oh and btw, when you decide to download the level to start editing, make sure you announce it so someone doesn't take the level at the same time you do and we get two different versions at the same time. That would be troublesome
We're a small enough community that this shouldn't be a problem, but better safe than sorry.

Here, just follow what Drac said during the first community level:

That could work. It would mean that someone would at least have to put in the work to make the hub area, and then make sure the other designers know about the teleportation concept and triggers. However that still would indicate to me that each designer's area would be seperate from the others, which again takes away the dynamic concept from before. I enjoyed it when an area I built was expanded upon by others, such as when Draco modified my cave to have a Mayan theme - I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd prefer it if nobody had any designated "areas", and instead we just work where ever we want, when ever. It was a big success for Tres20, why not do the same here?

EDIT: Whoop, just saw TresGuy's post as I finished writing that...

Hmm, that starting area looks...strangely familiar. The beginning of RTJP V4?
I'm a bit busy with other projects at the moment so it'll be some time before I work on this, hopefully someone else gives it a go in the mean time.

And TresGuy, you might want to add the soft rules (in a bright font or something, to make them obvious) to the OP just to make sure they're clear soas to avoid any confusion for the editors.

EDIT 2: Just went to install the level files and realized that I already have a level called "T20ANIV"..? I suggest perhaps renaming it to something like "TresCom20", to match the other level.

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Current Project: Cloning Facility | My Release Thread

I'd knew you'd like that


Yeah, I just used the same name from my individual 20th anniversary of Trespasser mod that I abandoned. Maybe I'll rename it to TC20ANIV once someone has a go at editing it.

Whew! Didn't expect this so soon. I must say it looks quite nice.

About this hub area. I still like it but TI brings up a good point about the borningness of no co-working on individual areas building off. Maybe if the different hub extensions are all general domain?

_________________
->Tres2020 Starter Kit

"Well, as long as you're under there, you can check the breakers," Thorne said. ... "There's a box right behind the front bumper. Over on the left."
"I see it." [said Sarah]
...
"The box is in backward. Flip all the switches the other way. Are you dry?"
"No, Doc. I'm soaking wet, lying in the damn mud."
~Michael Crichton

I definitely agree that we should keep the same idea from the last community level and build off of each other’s work. The “hub” area I’ve created is just what I feel is the start of the level and sort of the “neutral” zone. I have this idea where there’s a museum like building in the hub area off the side that showcases TresCom’s achievements over the years, maybe have some dioramas showing different levels, and paintings relating to different mods. Drac, if you want, we can put your artwork in the museum too
I’m not keen on the teleportation thing anymore. I think we should just have a non-linear but still collaborative level design. I also feel that this allows us to have multiple endings to our level. Someone could implement a helicopter rescue at one end of the level, and someone else can make a boat escape elsewhere.

Nooooice. And that's a great idea! Maybe some of my old sketches too.

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->Tres2020 Starter Kit

"Well, as long as you're under there, you can check the breakers," Thorne said. ... "There's a box right behind the front bumper. Over on the left."
"I see it." [said Sarah]
...
"The box is in backward. Flip all the switches the other way. Are you dry?"
"No, Doc. I'm soaking wet, lying in the damn mud."
~Michael Crichton

Alright, I'm gonna book myself as the first editor here. Just gonna go for it and see what happens. Will post when finished!

EDIT: All done for now, no huge additions as I was tired tonight and didn't want to hold onto the level for too long! New skybox, lighting, and some general additions around the waterfall. Wanted to make it look like a sort of tropical dawn with bright colours but overall somewhat dim lighting with distinct shadows. Also decided to create some rock formations down below around an area that might serve as the "hub" - I thought they looked kind of like teeth. As I noted in the changelog, I went overboard with the FarClip settings and was too tired to go back and fix them since I took them from RTJP, so if someone wants to reduce it to a more realistic distance for a smaller level (1024 or 2048 is probably fine).

(Click on thumbnail for full size)

https://www.mediafire.com/file/e94y908g ... I.zip/file

The flat area below the waterfall looked like it might be a good place for a hub area, maybe a town or rocky gorge or something. I left things kind of open-ended we have freedom to expand.

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Current Project: Cloning Facility | My Release Thread

TI, great to see you doing non-accuracy work. 8 ) Also, I was totally unaware that the horizon sky image could be made to move sideways, or that the sun graphic object emitted a glow. That's amazing.

_________________
->Tres2020 Starter Kit

"Well, as long as you're under there, you can check the breakers," Thorne said. ... "There's a box right behind the front bumper. Over on the left."
"I see it." [said Sarah]
...
"The box is in backward. Flip all the switches the other way. Are you dry?"
"No, Doc. I'm soaking wet, lying in the damn mud."
~Michael Crichton

Ooh, as always TI, you knock it out of the park with those CE enhanced skies I like the early morning feel of this, which of course contrasts with what you made for the other community level, which was more of a dusk setting. I'll wait until someone else gives this a go before I have a go at editing again.

EDIT: Scratch that, I'm gonna give my go at this again, and try to fix that FarClip setting

I'd love to see about contributing to this project in some form or another! Map editing is out of the question for me, but I'd be down to do some custom textures and modeling if any of that comes up. Any of you could send me a direct message for a specific thing if you'd like. Something you think would be nice to be added if. Or if a certain part of the map is empty, I could see about incorporating something original to spice things up a bit. I've never added models in to Tres, but this seems like a nice place to start, as this is very team oriented.

Here's the next version, hot off the presses! Just added a bit more detail to the surrounding helipad area, and added a surprise for whoever views this level or decides to edit it

(Click on thumbnail for full size)

https://www.mediafire.com/file/qw8zjsz3 ... y.zip/file