Introduction

Starting Worldcraft
Downloading and Installing
Problems with Installing.
Vocabulary
Editing Jargon
Actions
First Room
Getting Started
The Block Tool
Making a room
Moving around in the views
The Camera
Adding a Pillar
Adding the Player and Lights
Compiling the Level
QBSP/Light/Vis
Common Problems
Textures
Texture Application
Toggle Application
Sizing Textures
The Expense of Textures
Special Textures
Making Water
Manipulating Brushes
Rotate/Resize/Shear
Clip Plane
Vertex manipulation
Carving
Building with Speed in Mind
How QBSP and Vis work
Finding Leaks
r_speeds
Blocking Vis
Working Neat
Connecting Rooms
Creating a Room and a Hallway
Making the Hallway Entrance
Connecting the Hallway
Adding the second room
Basic Entities
What is a Door...
Editing Entity Properties
Creating a Door
Double Doors
Complex Entities
Triggers and Targets
Buttons
Elevators- Func_plats
Teleporters
Trains
Other Entities
Advanced Editing Techniques
Camera
Groups
VisGroups
Lighting
Prefabs
Details
Common Tricks
Texture Browser
Texture Lock
Selection Handles
Clip Brushes
Paste Special
Quick Copying
Alt-Dragging
Back Plane Clipping
The End
The End
  The idea of creating virtual worlds in which we can explore a place that looks as real as our own was popularized in William Gibson's book Neuromancer. That was 10 years ago, long before any computer was capable of creating a true virtual world for us to fully experience. But since that time, advancements in computers have given us the ability to portray worlds which, while not totally immersive like Gibson's 'cyberspace', have come amazing close to those of the real world. People like John Carmack have brought us the ability to create a virtual space where we can experience places and phenomenon that would be otherwise impossible in the real world - instead of going to a movie and watching the hero defeat the villain and save the girl we can take an active role as the hero.

    This analogy between movies and level design is a good one. In much the same was as movie director creates a movie, a level designer creates his 'virtual world'. They both must start with the basics: A set has to be built where the action will take place (Building a level) , a plot must be developed (setting the theme and background story) , actors and props must know their places and cues (Monsters placed, traps laid.). Once all that is done then the real magic can take place. The movie will be filmed; the level will be played. Both the movie and the level will only last a couple hours at most but the work behind the scenes is enormous by comparison. The goal of both these people is to provide the customer with the most intense, most profound, and most amazing 2 hours possible. In this analogy Worldcraft is the director's tools. It does the job of workers who build the sets, the people who run around with cameras, it get the special effects ready , organizes the actors, and makes sure everything goes smoothly - now if only we could get it to cater.

  The aim of this Tutorial is to start people off into editing and creating their own worlds. It will explain the tools and their most effective use in designing a level. It will also explain the basics of the Quake engine and some of the quirks and rules that level designers have to live by. I've made every attempt to be as thorough as possible while keeping things simplistic enough for even the total newbie. I hope that in finishing this tutorial you will be well on your way to creating worlds of your wildest dreams ...or nightmares.

Note: This tutorial has been made over the course of several different versions of Worldcraft. Not all screenshots will look exactly the same as your screen will in all cases. Don't panic and start e-mailing us or throwing yourselves off cliffs :)

   
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