PotatoGuy on 25/3/2021 at 09:42
I've been checking a few tutorials in order to make my first mission, and I noticed there are some great pieces of really small advice tucked away between large explanations on how the editor works. Small comprehensive tips that really help someone who has just started building. But these little nuggets of wisdom often get buried in big threads or other information, while they are very useful for everyone to know, sometimes even advanced DromEders.
Stuff like:
- The flying mode in DromEd is Shift + Q.
- Start with grid size 16 to carve out your main terrain brushes, so you need less texture adjustment.
- (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149944&page=3&p=2426714&viewfull=1#post2426714) Always gridsnap by rotation
So my question to you is: what is your golden tip for people who just started? It can be something that you find really annoying in author's first FMs, or something that you wish you knew when you just started yourself.
trefoilknot on 25/3/2021 at 11:27
Number one tip: look at other fan missions in DromEd and see how they were made. You will learn a ridiculous amount from looking at well-made missions.
nicked on 25/3/2021 at 19:15
Finish something.
Reduce your scope, don't reinvent the wheel, play to the strengths of the original game, whatever it takes to just get something made and playable end-to-end, test it and release it.
Learning how to finish is an art in itself.
skacky on 25/3/2021 at 20:22
Compute pathfinding is a misleading operation as it does a LOT more than just that and often fixes quite a few common issues such as the light gem not working.
Nameless Voice on 26/3/2021 at 13:25
Run.
Xorak on 27/3/2021 at 00:12
Have a drawn map and a plan ready, and then just convert the map into dromed shapes and units. If you go in with an idea, you can shave off dozens of hours of fiddling around and trying different permutations. Saving time is the most valuable thing as it allows you to push forward and get somewhere. To me, that's more valuable then having to systematically add back in 100s of objects that had the wrong properties or whatever, or manually adding textures onto brushes that with a little foresight could've been pre-selected, etc.
DarkMax on 27/3/2021 at 00:42
hilight_check_snap 1 and hilight_do_snap 1
Use these commands everytime before portalizing.
bbb on 28/3/2021 at 01:39
Two suggestions.
1. At the beginning, think small, complete a mission. There are many stories about newbies who set out to make a 10 mission campaign and they never finished anything.
2. At the end, make sure you have your mission tested by good (and at least 3) testers. Then, listen to what they tell you. It will make a huge difference in the quality of your mission.
bbb
Oh, and #3. Learn how to use area brushes. They are a gift from heaven.