Lately I've been getting annoyed by always seeing threads (with non descriptive titles, may I add), asking the same questions, over and over and over. So, I have decided to make a thread, where I list all of these common noob problems, and post answers to them.
*****If you have a question, post it, and I will add it and the answer to the list.*****
Why should I buy FPS Creator?
Answer.
Where should I ask for help?
Uh...here!
What is the proper way to ask a question on this forum, and what is the importance of wording it properly?
Well, first of all, use proper grammar and punctuation. Nobody will want to read a question the looks like this.
Quote: "i has a cheezburger. can has cheezburger?"
Haha. Actually, This is the real example:
Quote: "i got a problem with ma fpsc creator i cant get the lites 2 work can any1 helpme plz"
That means that they have to decipher whatever strange language you are speaking in at the moment. I mean, people who aren't native English speakers, try your best, but people who speak English, you are just making yourself look stupid.
When asking about a problem you are encountering, give as much information as possible to give readers an idea of what's going on. If you just say that you are having a problem with your lights, or you get an error, you will probably get a good flaming, or no answers at all.
And, I will say this one more time,
use proper grammer and punctuation.
I am new to FPSC. Where should I get started?
The first thing you should do, before even attempting to make a game, is read the manual. All you have to do is click the shortcut in the start menu, and read. It'll take all of ten minutes, and you will get a better feel for FPSC.
Next, read Nickydude's Hints and Tips Guide. It is a sticky in the Product Chat board, or, if you're lazy, click
here.
Also: Do not try to make the next Halo. Make a small game, using stock media, and FINISH IT. Make it only three levels, if you would like.
I have built my game, and gave it to my friend. He can't play it for some reason. What's wrong?
You probably just took the .exe from the folder and gave
that to him. When you build game, FPSC copies all necessary media to your specified build game folder, along with a pre-made FPSC-Game.exe, which is renamed to the title of your game. If you want to give your game to your friend, you must give him the "Files" folder and all of it's contents, the .exe file, the setup.ini file and the userdetails.ini file.
How do I get my own media ingame?
If you are making a model, make sure it's a .x file. There are three ways to do this from here.
NOTE: These are not arranged in any order.
First Method:
Entity Workshop. This is not a modeler. It simply imports your media into FPSC with a few button clicks. Best of all, it's free.
Second Method:
MagicFPS. I have never used this program personally, but apparently it's pretty good. It allows you to texture and scale different prefabs, or use your own .x file and import it into FPSC.
Third Method:
MakeEntitiesFromXFiles (Download Link). This is the original entity importer used by TGC to import the FPSC media. This program gives you the most control over your objects, but in some aspects it could be a tad confusing. It comes with the source code (for DBPro), if you are into editing it, and a bunch of tutorials about how to use it.
If you are trying to make segments, there are also three options. Make sure you have your texture file finished, and in a common image format.
NOTE: These are not arranged in any order.
First Method:
Signs IV. This is an incredibly easy tool, and it's what I use to import all of segments. You can also use it to create overlays and HUD's from images, and import them easily.
Second Method:
MagicFPS (again). You can easily create room and ground segments with this program, and it apparently comes with over 50 high quality textures.
Third Method:
Segment Editor (download link). This is what TGC used to import the stock media segments. This is definitely the hardest option out of all of them, but it offers the most flexibility. You can add shaders, and position the different parts of the segment.
My map is running really slow. Why is this happening?
There are many reasons for this.
Most of the stock media entities are dynamic by default. This means that physics is on, which always slows down your computer. This is because the engine has to continuously check the objects position and it's other properties.
FPSC relies on a portal system to help boost framerates. This means that it chops up sections of the level, and when they are in view, or your about to enter them, it is rendered. If you have a wide open area, this portal system won't work, and you're left will low framerates.
Also, if you use only high poly models, it will generally slow the game down.
How do I take screenshots?
There two ways to do this. The second one is the one I prefer, just out of habit. The other way is probably better.
First Method:
Press F12 while playing the game. This will save a .BMP of your current screen in your FPSC install folder. The HUD is not displayed in this screenshot, and if you're in Test Game mode, the debug info is not seen either. Remember: If you want to attach your image on the forum, make sure to convert it into a .jpg. The easiest way to do this is open it in Paint, and then save it as a .jpg.
Second Method:
Hit the Print Screen button on your keyboard. This copies your current screen to an image on the clipboard. Open up Paint, and paste it by hitting Ctrl+V, or clicking Edit > Paste. Note: The image's resolution is the same as your desktop resolution. I recommend scaling it down to 800 x 600. An easy way to do this is
IrfanView. Make sure you save as .jpg, if you want to attach it on the forums.
How do I make cutscenes?
The easiest way to do this would be machinima. You act it out ingame, and record your screen with a, well, screen recorder.
The ones that come to mind are:
Fraps
CamStudio
There are many more out there. If anybody has any suggestions, post it.
If you want to display these ingame, you can either use the VIDEO=X command, or you can use a story zone.
In commercial games, you always see a small video with the developers logo play. How would I do this in FPSC?
There are many ways.
Method One: Write a launcher in DarkBasic, Visual Basic, C, etc. You would need a very basic knowledge of the language, and know how to launch the game when the movie's done playing.
Method Two:
GameCover 2 (From FPSFree). Follow the instructions, and you're good to go.
Method Three:
FPSPack. This program zips up your game files, and offers a minimal amount of protection. It can play videos, and you can choose from different skins for the launcher.
Method Four:
Vishnu. This program offers a fair amount of protection for a cheap price. For most indie games, this is the perfect buy. It allows for you to play one video upon launch.
Method Five:
Pheonix Game Protection. This program offers awesome protection for your FPSC game. It allows you to play up to three videos upon launch. If all you want to do is play a couple of videos when you start your game, this is overkill.
My entities are white. Why is this happening?
When your entities are white, this means either you have attached an all white texture to them for some reason or another, or FPSC could not find they're specified texture.
If this is a problem with the stock media, the easiest way to do this is reinstall. If it's a model pack, reinstall that. Make sure you back up anything that's important. This may cause your ambience to reset, your preferences to reset, or your version to change back to v.1.00. Easy fix, though.
If this is a problem with your custom media, check the .fpe, and check this line:
textured = [YOUR TEXTURE NAME HERE]
Make sure to include the file extension, too.
Where can I go for a scripting tutorial in the FPI language?
There are few resources for this (that I have found).
There is a section devoted to the FPI language on page 85 of the FPS Creator Manual.
FPSFree also has a scripting tutorial, which also comes with a complete list of the conditions and actions found in the language. Click
here to see it.
Click
here to find Bullshock's "Everything you've ever wanted to know about scripting..." tutorial.
The rest is on your own.
I have some FPI scripts that I want to bring ingame. What do I do with them?
Navigate to your FPSC install folder, and go to Filesscriptbank. Place your FPI files in there. Then, when you want to assign the to an entity, right click the entity, and change the appropriate script (under AI Scripts) to the script of your choice. If you are editing a character's scripts, you might have to swap out the "Shoot" script.
How do I know which one to change to my script?
Well, there are four types of scripts: Start, Main, Destroy, and Shoot. The last type is only used by character entities. You rarely switch the Start and Destroy scripts, unless you want different fadeout times, or you want the character to leave it's body behind, etc.
As for characters, the Main script dictates how close they get, if they chase you, etc. The shoot script usually dictates how they attack, and their attack patterns, such as throwing grenades.
Is there a way to change the resolution my game displays at? How could I do this?
Open the setup.ini file in the FPSC install folder, or open up the setup.ini file in your built game's folder. Edit the values in the following code:
Is there a way to change the texture sizes in my built game, without having to recompile?
Yes there is. Open up the setup.ini file in your built game's folder, and look for the following line. Then edit the values accordingly.
0 = 512 x 512
2 = 256 x 256
4 = 128 x 128
8 = 64 x 64
Why do I have to wait for my post to show up?
New users are set on post moderation for the first 30 they are here.
These are all of the questions I have answered for now. I would have more, but I have to go.
*****If you have a question, post it, and I will add it and the answer to the list.*****
