Chapter 10
Troubleshooting
10.1 Common questions
10.1.1 *My 3D mode messes up*
A common lament.
You've forgotten that the contents of the entire \GOODIES\BUILD
directory have to be copied into your Duke3D directory. The 3D
mode requires the DUKE3D.GRP or the TILESxxx.ART files to work
properly.
So, assuming that your CD-ROM is drive E:
CD C:\GAMES\DUKE3D
COPY E:\GOODIES\BUILD\*.*
ATTRIB -R *.*
10.1.2 How do I copy sectors?
Copying sectors is non-trivial. If done normally, all red lines
turn white and the copy is messed up.
To copy a sector, you'll have to create a holding shell for it
first. This shell must be the exact same size and shape as the
sector to copy and must consist of white lines (single-sided).
Now select the original sector using RAlt-Mouse. Press [Ins]
before moving the mouse. Move the sector onto the holding shell
and press [Ins].
Voila!
You might ask why bother if you have to build the holding shell
anyway? Well, the sector being copied can _contain_ plenty other
sectors. And it's copied perfectly, complete with textures,
shading, tags...
10.1.3 I'm using Windoze/Win95, and...
Tough luck; I don't have any pity for people who can't exit
Windoze to play DOS games.
10.1.4 I can't select sprites
If you can't seem to select a sprite, there are two possible
reasons:
* Two sprites are overlapping each other.
In this case, the sprite _is_ blinking, but you aren't
seeing it. Try to move the sprite anyway.
* You've switched the grid off.
Sprites can only be selected if a grid is shown on the
screen.
10.1.5 How do I make a flat sprite double-sided?
Point at it in 3D mode and press [1].
10.1.6 How do I view the original maps?
Extract them from the DUKE3D.GRP file:
KEXTRACT DUKE3D.GRP *.MAP
10.1.7 How do I use new maps?
Start Duke3d with
DUKE3D -map mapname.map
Don't use DUKE3D /map mapname.map, it'll turn off your monsters.
10.1.8 No monsters in new maps?
This can have two reasons:
* Most user maps are for DukeMatch only, and thus don't
contain any monsters.
* You've started the map like this: DUKE3D /map mapname.map
Try DUKE3D -map mapname.map
10.1.9 *How do I use the new .VOC and .MIDs?*
If you get new .VOC and .MID files with a new level, simply copy
them into your Duke3D directory. Duke3D has a list of all sounds
(VOC) and music fies (MID) in the DEFS.CON - if it finds a file
with the same name in its main directory, it will use this one
instead.
Press [F5] and [Shift-F5] during the game to select different
songs.
10.1.10 How do I show the wall data?
If lots of sprites are real close to a wall, it can be difficult
showing the wall data with [Alt]-[TAB].
Press [G] several times to turn off the grid - now you'll only be
able to select walls.
10.1.11 I can't save the changes in BSetup
That's because you didn't remove the read-only attribute from
your files after copying them from the CD-ROM. Try this:
ATTRIB -R *.*
10.1.12 The game ends with 'MAP E1L9.MAP not found!'
Yes, user maps loaded via the '-map' parameter are loaded as
E1L8. If you end the level, the program automatically looks for
the next level, E1L9 and dies if it doesn't find it.
Thus if you want to play several levels behind each other, call
the others E1L9.MAP (or E1L10/E1L11.MAP) and copy them into your
Duke3d directory.
10.1.13 Can the subway speeds be changed?
No - Todd Replogle confirmed that the subways run at a fixed
speed.
10.1.14 How do I place active tripmines?
Use tile number 2566 instead of 27 (ammo).
10.1.15 *How can I make a mirror shootable?*
Create it as a one-sided wall instead of a masked wall (press [1]
instead of [M]). Don't forget to make it hittable [H] and
blocking [B].
10.1.16 How do I shade a whole room at once?
First select the sectors to shade using RAlt-Mouse in 2D mode.
Then switch in 3D mode, point at any wall and shade away!
Afterwards, press RAlt in 2D mode again to deselect the sectors.
This trick works with visibility setting as well.
10.1.17 *The parallaxed sky looks messed up!*
When you parallax a sky, it can look strange in BUILD - the stars
texture spilling over into the hollywood texture is an example.
Don't worry about it - it looks fine in Duke3D itself.
10.1.18 *I've parallaxed the sky and now Duke dies!*
Parallaxing a BIGORBIT texture will kill Duke immediately upon
entering that sector, even in God mode.
However, it you set the sky palette to anything except 0 (3 works
fine), Duke won't be killed.
10.1.19 How do I set the par time?
You can't set a par time in your .map file - the times are stored
in USER.CON, line 329 ff.
We'll have to wait until somebody writes a simple .CON patcher
(hint, hint).
10.2 Bugs in the game
The game itself contains some interesting bugs, none of them
serious.
10.2.1 Holodukes
10.2.1.1 Bug
Not sure if this is a bug or not, but holodukes can be
distinguished from Real Men easily:
* They don't cast shadows.
* They don't glow in night vision.
10.2.1.2 Workaround
None known.
10.2.2 The shrinker
10.2.2.1 Bug
If you shrink something (a monster or a dancer) and then freeze
it, it will stay small when it thaws.
10.2.2.2 Workaround
Don't allow shrinkers and freezers in the same level if this bugs
you.
10.2.3 Endless ammo
10.2.3.1 Bug
If you freeze, for example, a pig cop, it might drop a weapon.
If you then allow it to thaw and freeze it again (easy, because
it's already severely weakened), it might drop another weapon.
Repeat until you're sick of it.
10.2.3.2 Workaround
None known. If you want to keep ammo away from the players (for
shame!), don't add the freezer.
10.2.4 Remote switch triggering
10.2.4.1 Bug
If a switch is placed on a thin wall, you can trigger it from the
other side of the wall.
10.2.4.2 Workaround
Place switches on thicker or even outside walls.
10.2.5 Underwater toilets
10.2.5.1 Bug
Somebody actually had the idea of placing a toilet underwater...
But when Duke uses it, he's unable to surface again.
10.2.5.2 Workaround
None - drown the bastard ;)
10.2.6 Explosions
10.2.6.1 Bug
Explosions are often clipped incorrectly, and you can see a part
of a wall or sprite overlapping it.
10.2.6.2 Workaround
None - this seems to be caused by the fact that the clipping for
a sprite is worked out from its midpoint - if the sprite is big
and unhappily placed, the clipping can fail.
Not terribly serious, though.
10.2.7 Crash on shattering objects
10.2.7.1 Bug
If you break too many objects at the same time (I shot an RPG
into a very well-stocked bar) the game will crash.
10.2.7.2 Workaround
Don't place too many breakable objects near each other while
designing a map. ## Anybody found out the limit? 32? 64?
10.2.8 Breaking unbreakable glass
10.2.8.1 Bug
Glass marked as unbreakable can still be shattered by an
explosion (bomb) nearby.
10.2.8.2 Workaround
None known. ##
10.2.9 Trip mines
10.2.9.1 Bug
Trip mines don't work well with mirrors or moving sectors: They
don't reflect in the mirror (looking completely wrong), and the
beam breaks up in a moving sector, creating a rather strange
effect.
All this grief is because the beam is actually a collection of
sprites.
10.2.9.2 Workaround
None known. Just don't place trip mines in such a way that the
beam hits a mirror.
10.2.10 Phantom bullet-holes
10.2.10.1 Bug
If you design a one-sided glass wall and shoot at it from the
wrong side, bullet-holes will appear in the glass. If you then
shatter if from the right side, the bullet holes will stay in
mid-air.
10.2.10.2 Workaround
Who cares?
10.3 Bugs in BUILD
Like any complex CAD software, BUILD has some bugs as well. Some
of them we have to be aware of, most are just weird.
10.3.1 *Using a Busmouse*
10.3.1.1 *Bug*
Using a busmouse, BUILD can crash after displaying the disclaimer
page.
10.3.1.2 *Workaround*
Try different mouse drivers, one of them works (anybody know
which one?) ##
10.3.2 Selecting long lines
10.3.2.1 Bug
If a line is too long, you can't select it anymore by moving the
cursor near it. Thus you also can't insert new points on it, for
example.
10.3.2.2 Workaround
Keep the lines short by inserting points on too long lines:
shorten the line, insert a point, lengthen the line again, move
the newly inserted point into the middle of the line.
10.3.3 Splitting a sector
10.3.3.1 Bug
Splitting a sector containing another sector (like a door) is
often a bad idea. I've had lots of sectors disappear on me
already.
10.3.3.2 Workaround
None known so far. Save your work first.
10.3.4 Selecting sprites
10.3.4.1 Bug
If several sprites are exactly over each other, they don't start
to flicker as they are selected.
10.3.4.2 Workaround
Be aware of this, try to move the sprite anyway.
10.3.5 Autoaligning textures
10.3.5.1 Bug
When pressing [.] in 3D mode to autoalign textures, the system
hangs at times.
10.3.5.2 Workaround
I don't know of any workaround to this.
Save before your press [.], and don't use it needlessly.
10.3.6 Displaying memory info
10.3.6.1 Bug
When pressing [']-[M] to display the memory info, the system will
be unstable, crashing when returning to 3D mode.
10.3.6.2 Workaround
None known. Don't use this function, you don't need it anyway.
10.3.7 Function keys in 3D mode
10.3.7.1 Bug
In 3D mode, the function keys [F5], F[6], F[7] and F[8]
evidentially try to display the same help screens as they do in
2D, messing up the graphics in the process.
10.3.7.2 Workaround
Simply press [NumEnter] twice to jump to 2D mode and straight
back into 3D.
10.3.8 Deleting sectors
10.3.8.1 Bug
You can run into LOTS of trouble when deleting sectors.
10.3.8.2 Workaround
Here are some general tips on deleting sectors:
* Remove all sprites (including sector tags, etc) from the
sector before deleting it.
* Don't delete a sector by collapsing it (moving all points
over each other).
* To delete a two-sided sector, join it with the sector
around it.
10.3.9 Copying sectors
10.3.9.1 Bug
Copying sectors doesn't work properly - the copied sectors can't
be inserted into existing sectors (the lines turn one-sided).
10.3.9.2 *Workaround*
The problem is because red lines are two-sided and only the one
side (the inner one) is copied, producing a white one-sided line.
Thus we have to give the system a line first: Build a 'shell'
sector made up of white lines where you want to copy your sector.
This sector must have the exact same size and shape as the sector
to be copied.
Now just copy your old sector over the shell sector and -voila!-
the outer lines are now red.
The advantage: the sector to be copied can contain plenty other
sectors. Thus it might be a good idea to build a library of
complex objects, encase them in simple rectanglular sectors and
just copy these.
10.3.10 FPU reliance
10.3.10.1 Bug
It would seem that BUILD runs somewhat unstable on a system
without an FPU (like an 486SX).
This is not a terribly serious bug IMO, as most people are using
486DXs or Pentium CPUs these days.
10.3.10.2 Workaround
Download a good emulator. ## Anybody know any exact ftp
locations?
10.4 *BUILD wishlist*
Here's a wishlist for features in BUILD - most of them are pretty
simple and could be fixed with a simple patch (hint, hint).
If some hero out there decides to create a BUILD replacement,
please keep these in mind :)
* Fix the bugs mentioned above.
Especially the one about copying sectors.
* Auto-repeat the '[' and ']' keys in 3D mode.
It's real irritating to press these buttons 101 times to
get the tilt just right.
* Reach normal player height in float mode at the touch of a
button.
I often find myself switching to Game Mode just to set the
height above ground correctly.
* Center view button.
If case you've looked up and down and now need to see the
world as the player will.
* User-buildable help screens.
These would allow you to create your own help screens.
* Allow us to change sprite numbers in 2D mode. It's
terribly irritating to change sector effectors inside
doors with the ceiling already lowered to the floor...
* Control the grid spacing via the number keys on the top of
the keyboard.
* Have a Grid on/off toggle key.
It's irritating switching through the grid resolutions all
the time.
* Allow us to scale selected sectors.
* Allow circle drawing via midpoint and radius selection
(creating a new sector).
* Allow us to tag several objects to change at the same
time.
* Allow us to set most values directly.
This especially applies to the Wall->Sector pointers, but
is also good for flags, room heights, etc.
* Allow us to change both the floor/roof of a sector at once
(enabling us to shift a door down without changing its
height, for example).
* Toggle the data windows on and off, enabling more of the
map to be displayed.
* Perhaps use BSetups Screen resolution for 2D mode as well?
Using 1024x768 in editing would be great.
* 3D option to copy a sprite with _all_ settings (tags,
shade, scale, direction...everything).
* Allow us to use [F7] in Build like we can in the game
itself, to make sure we can get the scaling right.
* Allow us to insert pre-built library objects (hinged doors
spring to mind, or stairs) easily.