                                                      v0.2    
                        The Unofficial

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                                   3  D    D        Editing FAQ
                                   3  D   D
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Contents
--------

Section 1> About this FAQ
       1.1.Introduction
       1.2.Thanks a lot!
       1.3.About the Author
       1.4.Internet Sites
       1.5.What you should have got!

Section 2> Introducing Build
       2.1.Installing Build
       2.2.Setting up and running Build
       2.3.The original maps

Section 3> Using Build-The Basics
       3.1.Quiting,loading,saving etc
       3.2.The modes-2D and 3D
       3.3.Sectors
       3.4.Lo-tags and Hi-tags

Section 4> Your first level
       4.1.First levels suck!!
       4.2.2D mode-your first room
       4.3.Adding rooms on to the first room
       4.4.3D mode comes to the rescue

Section 5> 3D mode
       5.1.About 3D mode
       5.2.Raising/lowering ceiling and floors etc
       5.3.Shading etc
       5.4.Skies
       5.5.Changing textures
     5.5.1.Lining up textures
       5.6.Slopes
       5.7.Masking
       5.8.Transparency

Section 6> 2D mode
       6.1.Double-sided walls/Valid player space
       6.2.Sprites
       6.3.Vertices
       6.4.Lo-tags and Hi-tags _ how to use them
       6.5.Blockable/Breakable walls
       6.6.Player's START position
       6.7.Moving a sprites 'Tail'
       6.8.Grid sizes
       6.9.Grid locking

Section 7> Sector Effectors and other special sprites
       7.1.Introduction
       7.2.Sector Effectors
       7.3.Activator
       7.4.ActivatorLocked
       7.5.Touchplate
       7.6.Music & SFX
       7.7.Locators
       7.8.Cycler
       7.9.Masterswitch
      7.10.Respawn
      7.11.GPSPEED
      7.12.AccessSwitch
      7.13.NukeButton
      7.14.Camera(1) and ViewScreen

--------------
About this FAQ
--------------

1.1 Introduction
              Welcome to the unofficial editing FAQ [(F)requently (A)sked
(Q)uestions] for Duke Nukem 3D. Not only does it include a guild to creating
your own levels by using build,but also how to use Editart and lots of other 
stuff to.

1.2.Thanks a lot!
                 Hi! My name is Gavin Harris,and I decided to create this
FAQ after finding out how difficult it is to create Duke 3D levels.I just
wrote this section to thank everyone who helped me to bring you this FAQ.
Thanks to:
          3dRealms - for making a fabulous game and bringing out an editer
                     so quickly (and supplying it free).

      Brett Gmoser - for writing a fabulous FAQ and giving me the idea to
                     create my own. If you have the Internet, I suggest
                     down-loading his FAQ. You can find out where to get this
                     by seeing section 1.4-Internet Sites.

1.3.About the author
                    Hi! My name is Gavin Harris. I am an avid game player
who loves Duke Nukem 3D. I started making my own levels as soon as I found
BUILD on the CD. After finding out how difficult and confusing using this
very old fashioned editor can be, I decided to write this FAQ to help.
                    I would just like to tell you to fill free to send this
to your friends or post it on your favorite internet sites.

1.4.Internet Sites
                  Here are some Duke3D sites you can visit:

The official 3Drealms web site} http://www.3drealms.com

Brett Gmoser's site} http://gramercy.ios.com/~gmoser/duke3d 

Meant to be a good one} http://www.newreach.net/~avenger

1.5.What you should have got


-----------------
Introducing Build
-----------------

2.1.Installing Build
                    There is no installation program for Build,so you have
to copy the files manually.DO NOT USE WINDOWS TO DO THIS,USE DOS INSTEAD.

Step 1>Change to your CD-ROM drive (usually D) by typing D: ENTER
Step 2>Type cd\goodies\build ENTER
Step 3>Type copy *.* c:\duke3d ENTER (Change c:\duke3d to where Duke3d is
                                      installed if this is not correct)

2.2.Setting up and running Build
                                Go to your Duke3D directory and type bsetup
to run the setup program. Although it looks as if you can have sound etc,
you actually can't. The only thing you can change is the Graphics. You should
only change it if your computer has a Pentium and at least 16mb RAM.
Otherwise,don't even go in into the setup program. If,however,it doesn't
seem to save your changes type the following in your Duke directory:

ATTRIB -R *.*

It should now save normally.

        Now run Build by typing build. I now suggest that you 'play' around
with it. Look at the section where all the keys are listed (they are also in
the build help program-see below for how to run it) in order to get used to
the keys.
         To QUIT Build, just hit the escape key (this brings up a list in
the orange box),followed by Q + N if it askes to save changes.
         To run the build help file simply type:
         buildhlp

I also suggest playing the game ALL the way through from beginning to end.
This is to get you used to how the game works and see the different types
of doors etc. If this sounds to tuff,I have included all of the Duke Nukem
cheat codes.

2.3.The original maps
                     People are always asking if you can look at the original
game maps in Build. Well YES,you can. This is accomplished by the use of a
program called KEXTRACT which should have been copied when you copied
the build files.To EXTRACT the original maps simply type the following
within you Duke directory:
KEXTRACT DUKE3D.GRP *.MAP

You can now load them in the normal way. See the next section if you didn't
figure out how to do this.


----------------------
Using Build-The Basics
----------------------

3.1.Quiting,loading,saving etc
                              You probably figured out how to do all this
simple stuff. But for all the dim people,here's how.

In build you will see a small orange BOX below the grid. When you press the
Escape key,a list of commands will appear in this box. Simply press:
Q -to Quit
L -to load a map
S -to save the map
A -to change the name of a saved map
N -to start a new map

Sometimes you will be asked to 'save changes'. If this happens,just press
Y for yes or N for no.

3.2.The modes-2D and 3D
                       The Build Engine has 2 different 'modes'. 2D mode
is the top view of the map which you see when you start Build. 3D mode looks
exactly the same as the game. Most of the planning and building will be done
in 2D mode. 3D mode is used to change the textures of walls etc and is also
useful for checking the map without actually playing it. If you don't
understand what I mean,simply load one of the original maps,press the ENTER
key next to the numeric keypad (not the big one with all the letter keys),
and voila!!

3.3.Sectors
           Everything created in Build is a sector. A sector is an area drawn
in 2D mode which duke can walk around. Even a door is a sector which has
been given a number to tell the game that it is a door.
           This is not a very good explanation. Load an original map and look
at it in 2D mode. You can zoom in and out in 2D mode with the A and Z keys.
Look at the way the doors are made. All this will be explained better later
on.

3.4.Lo-tags and Hi-tags
                       These are not actually basic,but are vital in creating
your level. It is a very hard subject to explain,but I will try my best.
                       These are number TAGS which are given to sectors and
other things to tell the game what to do. For example,a sector might be given
a Lo-tag of 20 to tell the game that the sector will rise like a door.
There are different types of door,swinging doors for example, and so if you
want a sector to be a swing door,you would give it a Lo-tag of 23.
                       If you still don't understand,don't worry. You will
get the hang of it the more time you spend making levels. (These will not be
used in section 4>Your first level, and so you can ignore them for the
moment).


----------------
Your first level
----------------

4.1.First levels SUCK!!
                       Yes,your first level is going to suck. In fact,it
won't even be a 'level' because it will have no doors etc, and not even
monsters. Actually,it will be a piece of crap. But,I suggest you make it
suck on purpose. Don't go reading on ahead and try to make a brilliant
level,because it will suck even more.

4.2.2D mode-your first room
                           Let's start off by using 2D mode only. This is
the main part of level making and is a top view of the map. To draw a sector
we use a thing called 'line-drawing mode'. This is simply drawing lines on
to the grid. First let's make a square room. Move your mouse and the cross
should move (the cross should be red. If it is not,press the L key-this will
be explained later). Now,point the cross anywhere on the grid and press
SPACEBAR. Now,if you move the mouse you will see a white line attached to the
cross and the point you just made. Now move the cross along the grid to make
a line and press SPACEBAR again. You have now created a line but line draw
mode is still on. Now move the cross down and press spacebar. You should now
have something like this:

                        ___________________
                                           
                                          
                                          
                                          

Now make another line back across which is parallel to the first, and back up
to join with the first point you made. You should now have a square:

                         __________________
                                                  --> =player(this must be
                            -->                               in a sector
                                                       before entering 3D
                         _________________                    mode)

Move the cross into the square and press the RIGHT mouse button. A white
arrow should appear in the box. Now press the ENTER key (the one next to
the numeric keypad) to enter 3D mode. All the walls should be a grey brick
texture. This can be changed,but lets not worry about that yet. Go back into
2D mode (ENTER key).

4.3.Adding rooms on to the first room
                                     You now have a square room. Now
lets add another room,on the side perhaps. First,you must insert points on
one of the lines to 'hook' other lines on to this. Point to one of the lines
on the side of the square and press INSERT. You will see a green dot appear
on the line. Now do the same again,but further along the line. Point to one
of the points and press spacbar to start line drawing mode. Take it out,then
down,and to the other point you made. From here go to the first point to
complete the square. The line between the two sectors (squares) has now gone
red. This means that it is a 'double-sided line'.The map should look
something like this:

                        __________________
                                        _______ 
                                        #       
                                        #______       
                        ________________

        Now go into 3D mode and you now have a room connected to the first.

4.4.3D mode comes to the rescue!
                                This is where we need the help of that very
thing called 3D mode. Lets say we wanted an elavated surface in the middle
of the main room. Draw a square sector inside the first. Enter 3D mode,you
now have a doughnut shaped sector. But we want an elavated survace right.
You better read the next section first.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         IT GETS MORE ADVANCED FROM HERE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_______
3D mode
-------

5.1.About 3D mode
                 3D mode looks just like the game. It is what your level will
actually look like when you play it. With 2D mode you can only draw things
horizontal (so you have a flat map). 3D mode is used in creating the
verticals. It is also used for the placing of monsters etc and changing the
'textures' of walls etc.

5.2.Raising/lowering ceilings and floors etc
                                            As I said above,3D mode is used
to do the verticals. That is,make things higher or lower. This would mainly
be used on floors and ceilings.
        Simply point to the ceiling or floor and use the PAGE UP and PAGE
DOWN keys to lower and raise them.

5.3.Shading etc
               You can make things darker or lighter by using the + and -
keys. You can also insert a number fo the shading by holding down the ' key
and pressing S.
        You can also move textures around on the wall by holding SHIFT and
pressing th arrow keys (that's the keypad ones). Also,press the arrow keys on
there own and you can 'stretch' a texture. Look at the 3D mode keys and
fiddle around with other forms of panning etc.

5.4.Skies
         This is called 'paralaxing'. You can only do it on the ceiling and
floor. Point to the ceiling and press P. It gives the effect of an arching
sky. Put the L.A. texture on the ceiling and press P. Cool huh!
Note: If it looks all messed up, don't worry. It will look correct in the game.

5.5.Changing textures
                     You could also call it 'patterns'. Simply point to a
wall (or the ceiling etc) and press V. Press V again and all the textures
will appear. Simply scroll down using the arrow keys or the PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN
keys and press enter to change the texture. You do exactly the same thing with
sprites. Simply press V on a sprite and choose (a monster for example).
You can also go to a certain texture/sprite by pressing G (at the list) and
typing in the number. [see 6.2]

5.5.1.Lining up textures
                        If the texture on 2 different walls is not lined,point
a wall and press > [or .]. This lines up all the textures from the left. 

5.6.Slopes
          To slope the floor/ceiling,simply press [ and ] while pointing to it
(in 3D mode). Use ALT and F to set the sectors first wall to make it slope in
different directions.

5.7.Masking
           You can 'mask' double-sided walls. This makes another wall 'appear'
(in 3D mode). You can use this as a normal wall by making it blockable,make
glass by making it blockable and breakable (and changing the texture),or use
it as a 'fake wall'. This is a cool effect for secret areas-(an example of
this is the room one floor above near the start of E1L1).

5.8.Transparancy
                You can make sprites 'transparent' with the T key in 3D mode.



-------
2D mode
-------

6.1.Double-sided walls/Valid player space
                                         Go back to your doughnut shaped room
that we made earlier. Point to the rectangle in the middle, hold down ALT amd
press S. The lines have now turned red. These are called 'double-sided walls'
and the sector is now 'valid player space'. Go into 3D mode,theres nothing
there!!! Point at the middle and press the PAGE UP key. An elavated surface!!
You can also do it on the ceiling.

6.2.Sprites
           I should have mentioned these earlier,but if you have read the
Build help file,you should know what they are.
           A sprite is what you use for monsters,weapons etc. It is also used
to place Sector Effecters and others of the like. You will usually place
them in 2D mode,although you can place them in 3D mode. You can't move them,
however,in 3D mode-only 2D mode. You can move them with the mouse. To change
them to what you want (monster),simply point to it in 3D mode and V followed
by V again to bring up everything. Your find most of the monsters at the end
of the list. [see 5.5]

6.3.Vertices
            These are the green 'dots' (or 'squares' even) that are at the
corners of sectors (wherever you press SPACE). You can move them by holding
down the left-mouse button on it and moving the mouse-just like a sprite.

6.4.Lo-tags and Hi-tags _ how to use them
                                         You can only type these in 2D mode.
To give a sector a sector a Lo-tag point to it and press T. Type in the number
(your see it in the orange box) and press ENTER. Do the same with a Hi-tag,
except use the H key. For sprites/walls use ALT-T and ALT-H.

6.5.Blockable/Breakable walls
                             A blockable wall stops you from walking through
a wall (red/double-sided). To make a wall blockable point to it in 2D mode
and press B. It should turn pink.
       A Breakable wall is a wall that you can break by shooting it etc
(glass). To make a wall breakable,use the CTRL and H [Hittable] in 2D mode.
The line should get thicker.
NOTE: You can also make sprites Blockable/un-blockable with the B key.

6.6.Player's START position
                           To set the player's start position,move the arrow
(player) to where you want it and press SCROLL LOCK. A brown arrow will appear
under the white one.

6.7.Moving a sprites 'Tail'
                           Have you noticed the little tail on sprites?
To move it,point to it and press the < and > keys. It will change the direction
that a monster faces,but is used for other things to.

6.8.Grid sizes
              Although I recommend using the default size,you can change the
size of the grid with the G key.

6.9.Grid locking
                When you sart Build,the cursor will be red. If you go into
line drawing mode,the vertices will 'hook' to the nearest point in the grid.
However,when you become a better builder,you may need it to go 'between the
grid lines'. Press the L key to turn 'grid locking' off. The curser will turn
white.


------------------------------------------
Sector Effecters and other special sprites
------------------------------------------

7.1.Introduction
                All the following are sprites. You can change them with the
V key. Sector Effecters and the other 'letter' sprites are at the start of the
pallete list. I have included the sprite number anyway,and the letter (symbol)
if it has one.

7.2.Sector Effecters
                    Sprite number: 1
                    Symbol: S

The most important sprite. They are just what what the name says. They effect
sectors. They need Lo-tags and Hi-tags,but not always both. The Lo-tag
designates what happens to the sector. The Hi-tag is only normaly used if it
is connected to a switch (e.g. light switch).

7.3.Activator
             Sprite number: 2
             Symbol: A

These are used to activate sector effectors. For example,you hit a switch and
the door opens automatically.

7.4.Activatorlocked
                   Sprite number: 4
                   Symbol: L

                   These are same as activators,except for locked doors.
For example,you hit a switch (or a combination of switches) and you have to
open the door yourself.

7.5.Touchplate
              Sprite number: 3
              Symbol: T

Put one of these on a sector to make it a touchplate. These are used instead
of switches. For example,you walk on a touchplate and a monster appears (see
Respawn sprite) or an earthquake happens.

7.6.Music & SFX
               Sprite number:5
               Symbol:M

These are used for.....can you guess.....Music and Sound Effects (SFX). There
usually used in door sectors to add the door sound. You can also, for example,
put one near a waterfall (+add the correct numbers) to make it sound like you
are actually next to/near to it.

7.7.Locators
            Sprite number:6
            Symbol:L+

Note that the symbol is L which is the same as an ActivatorLocked, except that
it has a + next to it (at the top). These are used to plot the route of a
subway or a PigCop Recon Car.

7.8.Cycler
          Sprite number:7
          Symbol:C

These are used to make a sector's floor, walls, and ceiling pulsate in
brightness.

7.9.Masterswitch
                Sprite number:8
                Symbol:D

These activate Sector Effectors (they may also activate sector Lo-Tags, but
I'm not sure). They are activated by a switch or touchplate.

7.10.Respawn
            Sprite number:9
            Symbol:R

This is used to make something appear (e.g.a monster) when something happens.
The event can be the killing of a dancer, or stepping on a touchplate.

7.11.GPSPEED
            Sprite number:10
            Symbol:GPSPEED

These define the rate of movement (speed) of things.
e.g.How fast a door opens/closes, or how fast gears turn.


>>The following do not have symbols, nor are they at the start of the texture
list.


7.12.AccessSwitch
                 Sprite number:130\

These are the 'slots' for keycards. Change the palette number to change the
colour (you need that colour keycard to open it). These will be explained
later.

7.13.NukeButton
               Sprite number:142

These are used to end the level when a player presses the button. Give it a
Lo-tag of 32767 to end level and go to the stat screen. Change the palette
number to 14 and give it a Lo-tag of 1-11 to end level and go to a secret
level.
        Also, give a sector a Lo-tag of 65535 to end the level when a player
steps on the sector floor.

7.14.Camera1 and Viewscreen
                           Sprite number:-Camera1:621,Viewscreen:502

Use a viewscreen to see what a camera/camera's is seeing. Place a camera and
a viewscreen. Give the camera a Lo-tag. Give the same number to the viewscreens
Hi-tag. For multiple camera's linked to the same viewscreen, just give them
all the same Lo-tag.
        The angle on the camera is the angle that it will point. To make
camera's pan (move from side to side), give them a Hi-tag. 220 is recommended.
If it seems to be swinging to far, change the angle of the sprite (> or >).








































