Hi everyone,

Sorry if this has been asked before, I couldn't find it on the forum search.

Creating my own FPS game is something I always wanted to do as a kid. And now that the technology exists so that anyone can do it, I would like to finally take that step.

However, after I had downloaded FPSCR, there are many things I still need help with. I am completely illiterate to computer scripting, and have no knowledge on how to download these "packs" that people refer to. I was told to download a pack in order to create indoor segments, a feature that does not appear on my FPSCR. Also, I am completely unfamiliar with most of the terminology, such as "baking" a map.

So, is there a manual out there that someone like me, a total beginner who wants to create a game of my own, to download or purchase?

Hi

A great place to start is Reloaded's official YouTube tutorials which you can find here
https://www.youtube.com/user/thegamecreators

Also some great tutorials from shakyshawn8151 here
http://fpscrforum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=207161&b=1

And searching the forum- it's a great community who are ready to help !

Welcome aboard!







Get your feet wet with the editor and the basics before jumping into scripting! There's a lot to be learned even so. To download packs, there is a download option in your Reloaded editor file dropdown menu. Keep in mind you must be logged into the store through Reloaded as well as in your browser (unless they've changed that; I just do it automatically)



Who told you to download a pack in order to create indoor segments? "Segments", as they are known, only work in FPSC (the old classic one). There are items in the store sold as segments which are actually quite a bit different in nature. These would be fine for creating structures, they just don't work like the Classic segments. (The conkit is coming! The conkit is coming! It's just gonna be a while!) but keep in mind that at this time, indoors isn't really where it's happening, lol.







"Baking" is just a way of pre-calculating lighting on your level so that shadows on static items load with the map instead of making the engine calculate them in real time (this can suck a lot of brain power from your PC, as it does it constantly) When in test game mode, pressing F1, F2, F3 or F4 starts the lightmapper. Be patient, it will take a while! Walk away, make some coffee, run some errands, whatever. Just be prepared for coming back to something that looks nothing like it did before you ran the lightmapper! Trust me, nobody was going buy your first level anyway, except maybe your mom. Moms are nice that way. By the time you are ready to make something serious, Lee will have the lightmapper all sorted out. If you have a decent PC or laptop with a decent graphics card, don't even bother with the lightmapper, stick with dynamic lighting. On second thought, just don't even bother with the lightmapper for now regardless of your system specs, lol!



As for learning materials, there isn't much at this time since the engine is still in beta, and things could change on a dime, making many things obsolete. However, there are some things that should help get you started. In addition to what was mentioned above, in your Reloaded directory, there is a folder called "Docs" that has some basic documentation. Also, syncromesh has the beautifully crafted "Reloaded Files" website where there are also some videos, as well as some free models (most of which are around these parts, too, they're just easier to find on his site). Also, these forums are a good place to start. When I was learning DBPro, I spent several afternoons just going through the forums reading every question and every answer. At first I had no idea what people were talking about, but I caught on. I lurked on those forums for about 8 years (not continuously, mind you) before I finally signed into a TGC forum, and of course, it was here. Anyway, you can learn a lot just reading others' questions and answers. Good luck to you!



Don



EDIT: Oops, forgot to put in the link to Reloaded Files! http://www.reloadedfiles.co.uk/index.html

Thanks for your help!

There certainly is a lot to learn and I plan to take it all one day at a time!

Theres a few tutorials on my page also. Hidden amongst general tests and other stuff Most the tutorials are easily found on the popular uploads section.

https://www.youtube.com/user/RetroGamebloke

We really need a better integration of all these resources within the engine itself. There needs to be a help tab that opens up a complete help index. With tutorials and information under a list of key areas.

Most engines have this, if not all.

I hope there will be some sort of well maintained wiki. The classic guide was a great resource but a little cumbersome.

Actually a wiki is a great idea! That way it could be contributed upon, by everyone (with some administrative quality control). I find its very hard using forums to sought after information, tutorials and already written and explained help. I use many wikis out there for other pieces of software.

Could this be something TGC could add to their server?

You may see this with the Steam launch, I like the idea. It depends if the rest of the team wants to do it, so if you think it is a good idea make sure they know.

Would definitely be a great thing to have.

Would allow them to leverage the community by granting curator positions to users who are gurus of various aspects of the engine. (sorry, that was bad).

I, too, would say to simply learn to have fun with the map building environment!!! The rest is icing on the cake and will be more appreciated after you can efficiently work with the basic tools. Scripting is real advanced and not necessary to work with FPSCR. To really get a handle on scripting, you do have to gain some comfort level with programming. Half the battle with scripting is just understanding LUA features. The other half is learning what functions and data are exposed by FPSCR to allow you to create custom processing. Just as with the "docs" directory, there is a "scriptbank" folder, under the main "Files" directory. Be very careful not to mess with their content, but don't be afraid to start looking at the *.lua contents to see what they do. Also, to give you a better idea of what a script is applied to, place a character in your map, select it so its gizmo appears and select "properties". This will bring up a different screen that shows customize-able attributes for that character. But, under the "AI System" section, the setting for the "Main" item, is the name of the LUA script that's currently attached to that character. So, you can start looking at the scripts and learn what they're for. Watching what a player does, then viewing the script code will give you some visual clues of what parts of the code are doing. But, first get a handle on the customize-able features that are available without writing your own scripts.... there a LOT!

The "packs" installation is confusing at first, because you don't know whether to expect an actual installer, or just a ZIP... but, I do believer these formal "packs" are always self-installers.

I'm glad someone pointed out the "docs" location, because this answered a lot all my questions... But, there was really nothing that told me to, "Make sure to view the documentation in the "docs" folder."

I hope I was thorough and helpful with how to approach the scripts as a newcomer.