The Mapmaker's Mapmaking Guide
for
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
by admiralhowdy
[email protected]
Version 0.63
September 22, 2006
Copyright 2006 Matt Ehinger
Table of Contents
-----------------
Introduction
Building Environments
The Basics
Doors and Teleporters
Platforming
The Amazing Strudel
The Mysteries of Memory, Revealed (more or less)
ITEM Memory
TILE Memory
LOGIC Memory
Story AI Memory
Tile Sets
Military
Lab
Egyptian
Horror
Virtual
Story AI
AI Classes
Normal Class
Zombie Class
Robot Class
Individual Characters
Some Notes on Weapons Use
Logic
Logic and Story AI
Creating Story Awards
Glitching!
Further Reading
Random Things
Information
Ideas and Inspiration
To access all pics in this guide, open a 2nd internet browser
window, and copy/paste the following line to the 2nd window's
address bar:
z13.invisionfree.com/admiralhowdy/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=
then immediately after the last "=", copy/paste the number of each
pic to complete the url of each pic.
Introduction
------------
This super in-depth guide is intended as an aid in maximizing the
use and enjoyment of the Mapmaker mode of TimeSplitters: Future
Perfect. The whole, in concept, should be both a resource and a
springboard for ideas. It is written using the Nintendo Gamecube
version, but most of the information contained here should be just
as relevant to the other console versions.
Whereas the most typical use of the mapmaker may be for custom-built
multiplayer mayhem, single-player Story mode maps are at least as
much fun to make and play, but often get the short shrift. If you
have a little creativity, you can create Story challenges that
offer, on either end of the spectrum, quick thrills and amusement
(the many in-game sample maps being prime examples), or ambitious,
lengthy, plot-motivated, puzzle-filled adventures. Depending on
your own creative streak, the process of the map creation itself can
be just as entertaining as the end result. But whatever your
pleasure, any map creation is a nice little exercise for the ol'
gray matter.
Once you have the game powered up and have selected the Mapmaker
mode, most of the options and operations within the mapmaker are
self-explanatory (take the time to study the Controls page, and pay
attention to the ever-present button layout on each and every
options page -- buttons will gain/lose function depending on what
the cursor is placed over). Despite the straightforwardness of the
controls and the options that can be selected, there are many, many
things that can be chosen, created, and/or customized, and the
results of your choices can be quite difficult to predict without
rigorous experimentation--trial and error. It can be a real
challenge to take what's in your head, input it into the matrix, and
have it come out looking and acting any way near the way you
originally intended. This guide is meant to help. If you have
knowledge that can benefit other mapmakers, my wish is that it might
be compiled here to be shared by all. I've started with what I know
so far, but if you would like to share your own knowledge, please
consider submitting it for collection here (see the Random Things
section for details). Join me, fellow cartographers; this big empty
grid world is ours...
====================================================================
Building Environments
====================================================================
The Basics (for beginners)
--------------------------
In order to get started here, we need to be speaking the same
language. So first let's translate the in-game mapmaker visuals
into something that can be easily and accurately depicted here.
In the mapmaker, you must place tiles in the 40 x 40 x 5+ block grid
by looking at them in a two-dimensional view, from the top,
navigating up and down between a standard 5 levels but always
looking down over the top. The tiles for the most part have certain
basic shapes, as seen in this Top View.
Top View (in-game shape):
large large open,
open low ramps, bridges small stair
most _ _ _ _ _ _ room room
corridors | | | | _ _ _ _
_ | | | | | | | |
|_| |_ _ _| |_ _ _| |_ _| |_ _|
After tiles are placed, press the appropriate button to bring up a
3/4 top-down view of the placement, with the placed tiles being
represented by white boxes and how they sit in relation to each
other within a three-floor area (shoulder buttons scroll through
which 3 floors of the grid, similar to the floor-scrolling within
the "placement" view). The simplest way to illustrate tiles on
paper, however, is to think of them in side-view, and to show them
in side-view. This view most clearly shows their basic differences.
Side View (this-guide shape):
large open, small stair
most large ramps, bridges room room
corridors open low _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ | | _ _ | |
|_| |_ _ _| |_ _ _| |_ _| |_ _|
In this guide, the Stackable tiles will be represented by a "+" for
the bottom-most floor, so options are:
large
large ramps, bridges spiral
small open(low) _ _ _ stairs
_ _ _ _ | | _ _
|+| |+ + +| |+ + +| |+ +|
To help ease you into the side-view language of this guide, here is
the simplest sort of map, made by joining 3 large open low tiles,
represented in side-view like so:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_ _ _|_ _ _|_ _ _|
The result is represented likewise in side-view here:
X|________P________|X
...with P denoting the Player standing in the middle of the map, the
open area above being the sky above the player's head (since the sky
feature is available, I like to try to utilize it). The solid line
below is the floor, and the X's represent the walls created around
the placed tiles due to unmapped empty space within the computer
grid.
Joining tiles horizontally is much easier in TS:FP than in TS2, as
there is no required matching of red or blue linkages. Here, any
wall-free edge of any tile will merge seamlessly with any wall-free
edge of any other tile; so many placement restrictions found in the
previous game have gone out the window.
Breaking out into a 3rd dimension, things start to get a little
complicated due to the sky feature. Below are two examples using
"large open low" and "large open" tiles arranged in two different
ways, to demonstrate how the sky feature works.
(A) (B)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_ _ _| |_ _ _| _ _ _| |_ _ _
|_ _ _| |_ _ _|_ _ _|_ _ _|
X|_____ _____|X XXXXXXX| |XXXXXXX
XXXXXXX|__P__|XXXXXXX X|________P________|X
Note how the sky -- the open area above P -- is more visible in (A)
than in (B). Think of the sky as "paint" on the ceiling of the
highest tile. In (A), the ceilings of all 3 tiles are equally high,
so all 3 get painted with sky (this analogy does not do justice to
the effect, but the mechanics are the same). In (B) however, the
ceiling of the middle tile is higher than the others, so only this
one gets the sky "paint job". The two lower, flanking ceilings
become roofed over, and the empty spaces beside the upper floor of
the "large open" tile become wall -- just like walls appear around
the bottom floor in (A), which is essentially (B) inverted.
Making changes to maps where sky already exists can result in a loss
of formerly available sky, due to the "high gets the sky" rule. For
instance, a tiny addition to (A) such as this:
_ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|added| will XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX| |X
|_ _ _| |_ _ _|_ _ _| result X|_____ ___________|X
|_ _ _| in this: XXXXXXX|__P__|XXXXXXXXXXXXX
So that's how the sky works if the "indoor level" option is not
selected. If "indoor" is selected, of course everything gets a
ceiling ala TS2.
TS2 players may notice the absence of the Core tiles from the TS:FP
mapmaker. The reason for there being no Core is that you can create
your own "core" areas by using the Stackable tiles. The TS2 core
tile was only 4 floors high; but here you can make a 5-floor (and
even 7-floor) core, which presents the new possibility of death by
falling. Though the map grid was 2 floors higher in TS2, at 7
"natural" floors, a plunge straight downwards was never possible
beyond a 3-floor drop in the 4-floor core.
"Stackable" essentially means "disappearing ceiling/floor," but the
ceilings and floors only disappear when stacked precisely on top of
an identically-shaped stackable tile. So stacking this:
_ _ _
|+ + +| XXX|_____|X
_|+|_ will only get XXX|_|XXXXX (floor/ceiling
|+ + +| you this: X|__P__|XXX separation
| | XXX| |XXX at every level)
|+ +| XXX|___|XXX
However, when used correctly, the Stackables make possible the
construction of deep shafts, long zig-zagging valleys, or huge open
spaces.
open "mine shaft" ->valley-> "quarry"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_ _ _|+|_ _ _| |+|+|+|+| |+ + +|+ + +|+ + +|
|+| |+|+|+|+| |+ + +|+ + +|+ + +|
|+| <-etc.|+|+|+|+|etc.-> |+ + +|+ + +|+ + +|
|+|_ _ _ |+|+|+|+| |+ + +|+ + +|+ + +|
|+|_ _ _| |+|+|+|+| |+ + +|+ + +|+ + +|
X|__P__ _____|X <-- --> X| |X
XXXXXXX| |XXXXXXX <-- --> X| |X
XXXXXXX| |XXXXXXX <-- --> X| |X
XXXXXXX| |XXXXXXX <-- --> X| |X
XXXXXXX|_______|X <--___P_____--> X|________P________|X
Note: a jump down the above 4-story mine shaft will kill the player.
You can gain an extra floor within the 5-story grid by placing the
bottom of a double-height room on the top level, shown here with
Stackables (possible with regular tiles too):
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|extra| 6|bridg|bridg| X|_____P_____|X
5 |_ _ _| 5|+ + +|+ + +| X| |X
4 |_ _ _| 4| | X| | |X
3 |_ _ _| ; 3|+ + +|+ + +| = X| V |X
2 |_ _ _| 2| | X| |X
1 | | 1|+ + +|+ + +| X|_____ouch__|X
To place items on the 6th floor, you must first position your
intended 6th floor tile at a lower level somewhere. Place your items
on that tile's top level, then toggle to the tile's bottom level;
pick the tile up, carry it to the 5th floor, and drop it. You will
get a message saying you will lose your items if you place the tile,
but it's erroneous. You won't be able to see your item placements
anymore, but they will be there on 6. Similar tricks won't work to
open up a "basement" level, because when holding the double-height
room by the top floor, you are not allowed to place it on floor 1.
Keep in mind that any tile jutting up above the 5th floor will rob
the sky away from any single-height tiles on the 5th floor, or from
any double-height tile whose top level is on 5. High gets the sky,
as always. However, you can also put single-height tiles on 6,
containing items if desired. To do this, put the intended 6th floor
single-height tile on 5. Then use the Mark or Highlight tool (drag
a Select box) to mark/highlight it, along with at least one lower
"tugboat" tile (my choice of the word "tugboat" is an analogy, there
is no tile called "tugboat"... yes some folks will need this
clarification). Grab your highlighted tugboat(s) and move it up one
level, and any single on 5 will move up to 6 as a result.
(Note: Use of a tugboat to push tiles into the 7th floor or higher
and retrieve them again is the basis of "glitching"; see that
section for details. When not intentionally glitching though, be
careful not to push single-height tiles above 6. Anything left
above the 6th floor will not connect, and therefore even a Stackable
on 7 will automatically have a floor, thus cutting off the sky at
the 6th floor/7th floor juncture. Player travel between tiles above
6 can only be accomplished through teleporter, but this can still be
a useful feature if you want to create a secret room in an indoor
level that is not visible even from the editor. Also note that
pushing the bottom of a double-height tile from 5 to 6 will place
the double-height tile on 6/7, with free travel possible to/from 7
in an up/down direction; however the top half of the tile will not
connect to other tiles beside it on 7.)
Designing outdoor levels containing tall structures of any kind is
problematic, because any feature with height will be matched in
height by the perimeter wall put up by the computer (the quarry
effect). Here B represents simple buildings:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
|+ + +|_|+ + +|
|+ + +|_|+ + +|
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ |+ + +|_|+ + +|
|+ + +|_|+ + +| |+ + +|_|+ + +|
|+ + +|_|+ + +| |+ + +|_|+ + +|
_
X| |B| |X
X| |B| |X
X| |B| |X
X| |B| |X X| |B| |X
X|__P__|B|_____|X X|__P__|B|_____|X
Note that in such a quarry though, you can fashion crude edifices
and megalithic statues. Doing so against a "cliff" wall spares some
memory, as Stackables are needed to create any empty space around
the creation, and Stackables can add up quickly and become quite
expensive to the memory. Here, N's are Null tiles (vacant grid
space) used to create an edifice in combination with Stackables and
ordinary small tiles (quarry walls are not shown in the
representation illustrations):
man skull sphinx
(profile)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|+|_|_|N|_|_|+| |+|N|N|N|N|N|+| |N| |+|+|+ + +|
|+|N|N|N|N|N|+| |+|N|_|N|_|N|+| |N|N|+|+|+ + +|
|+|+|_|N|_|+|+| |+|N|N|N|N|N|+| |N| |+|+|+ + +|
|+|+|N|N|N|+|+| |+|+|N|N|N|+|+| |N|N|+|+|+ + +|
|+|+|N|_|N|+|+| |+|+|_|_|_|+|+| |N|N|N|N|+ + +|
_
O__|X|__O |XXXXXXXXX| |X|O
|XXXXXXXXX| |X| |X| |X| |X|X|
_|X|_ |XXXXXXXXX| |X|_
|XXXXX| |XXXXX| |XXX|
_P_|X|_|X|___ _P_|D|D|D|___ |XXXXXXX|__P__
The O's are ornamental items in the man's hands and on top of the
sphinx's head, and D's are doorways at the skull's teeth. Here's a
pic of the sphinx:
2810437
The more complicated the structure, the more difficult to visualize
and execute, especially given the restrictions of the top-down
placement visual and the 3-level-only 3/4 view in-game. Also, the
tile sets can be limiting in creating imaginative yet sensible
outdoor constructions. The best looking options for making
building-block statues would be Egyptian (take tile rotation into
consideration to avoid unwanted features), or Lab for a futuristic
sci-fi look. While Horror has some nice stonework, you have to be
careful of paintings and wallpaper being hung in the great outdoors
(everything outdoors in Horror is better covered in the stone of
tile #27, which can be expensive to the memory.)
Before you start building your outdoor level, check out the sky
before you start placing tiles. I had used the above sphinx in a
map, when I later realized it would be much more impressive with the
sun beaming over the quarry wall above it, visible from the starting
point; I had to flip it around the other way so the sun was in the
right position. If you drag a select box over all the tiles in each
level, you can reorient an entire map very quickly. If you ever
need to do this, be sure to save the map beforehand, because once
when I was doing this with a very large map, the game froze.
Stackables can be used in conjunction with ordinary tiles, or with
unmapped grid space, to create floating platforms:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|+ + +|_ _ _|+ + +| |+ + +|+ + +|+ + +|
|+ + +| |+ + +| |+ + +|+ + +|+ + +|
|+ + +|_ _ _|+ + +| |+ + +|N|N|N|+ + +|
|+ + +|+ + +|+ + +| |+ + +|+ + +|+ + +|
|+ + +|+ + +|+ + +| |+ + +|+ + +|+ + +|
X| _____ |X X| |X
X| |X X| _____ |X
X| _____ |X X| |XXXXX| |X
X| |X X| |X
X|________P________|X X|________P________|X
Using this feature in conjunction with building-block manipulation,
you may find it fun to fashion a hovering spacecraft:
construction view top view front view
(profile) (ship only) (ship only)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|+ + +|_|_|_|+|_|_|+ + +| |XXXXX|_|X|_| |XXXXX|
|+ + +|N|N|N|+|N|_|+ + +| |XXXXX|XXX|_ |X|
|+ + +|+|+|N|N|N|+|+ + +| |XXXXX| |X|_|
|+ + +|+|+|+|+|+|+|+ + +|
|+ + +|+|+|+|+|+|+|+ + +|
X| _____ ___ |X You could build diagonally too, for a
X| |XXXXX| |X|_| |X simple delta wing or otherwise
X| |XXXXX| |X "pointy" type craft. Use platforms
X| |X (floors, F) as opposed to blocks to
X|____P__________________|X give the "wings" a sharp edge.
_ _ _ _ _
|FFFFFFFFF|
|FFFFFFF|
"B1" top view: |FFFFF|
|FFF|
|F|
The engine nacelles of the first ship are a Null tile plus a small
corridor, opening to the rear. Use of internal lighting can help
convey an engine effect. Pulsating "UFO" lights could be put on the
bottom too, especially on the second ship.
Constructs, or portions thereof, can be given a "paint job" by
manipulating the light within each tile along the surface of the
construct. Some tile sets accept color changes better than others
though.* Changing much color in Egyptian, if not a universal
change, results in the quarry walls and floor glitching out (a
discotheque effect), but not so in Military. Note also that when in
the immediate vicinity, the Player and enemies turn that same color,
since it really is "light," and not paint (which is the drawback of
trying to paint an entire floor green for grass).
To get black (or as close as you can get to it), position the cursor
over any of the colors in the light color palette, and choose Edit.
You can custom-make colors my mixing red, blue and green. Slide the
bottom brightness bar all the way to the left for the darkest color
possible. The default darkest gray (top right corner of palette) is
not the darkest possible. The tile will appear darker if it has no
"light source" within it (i.e., a light bulb or a torch as part of
the tile design). For tall structures it is possible to hide quarry
walls in darkness to simulate an open sky on a moonless, overcast
night (choose Abstract sky). Here B = Black lighting:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
| |+ + +|_|+ + +| | X| B |_| B |X
|+ + +|+ + +|N|+ + +|+ + +| X| |X| |X
| |+ + +|N|+ + +| | X| B |X| B |X
|+ + +|+ + +|N|+ + +|+ + +| X| |X| |X
|+ + +|+ + +|N|+ + +|+ + +| X|__B__ |X| __B__|X
|+ + +|N|+ + +| XXXXXXX|__P__|X|_____|XXXXXXX
*Noted lighting problems may be unique to the Gamecube version, as I
haven't seen them duplicated during my limited experimentation on
XBOX. To correct a similar lighting problem in Horror on Gamecube,
resetting all the lights after the map was finished, then adding the
lighting elements as the final step eliminated any disco effects.
Also, in one instance deleting a window that separated a white and a
black light was seen to help in Horror (no solution has yet worked
for me in Gamecube's Egyptian).
Doors and Teleporters
-------------------------------------
Doors can be placed along floating Stackables, either for decorative
use, or to serve a purpose (hiding a drop-off from an unsuspecting
player, or to construct vertical ventilation shafts on a wall or
chutes in the air).
Teleporters can be used to provide the illusion of added height to
an environment, especially for indoor levels. Use of doors or
lighting can help facilitate this illusion, as darkness or doors can
hide any dissimilarity between points A and B.
Here is a small teleporter trick, with T being a single pair of
teleporters and D's being doors on either side of each:
Bottom floor. Top floor.
Teleporter input Teleporter output
_ _ _ _ _ _
P->|_DTD_| |_DTD_|->P
(left door always unlocked, (left door always locked,
right door always locked) right door always unlocked)
The door is "unlocked" when the Player touches the glowing
teleporter orb. Message actions can help with the suspension of
disbelief. For instance, upon reaching the 1st teleporter tile, a
message "Please submit to scanning" could be displayed, and at the
2nd teleporter tile, "Access granted" could be displayed.
Platforming
-----------
Add some thrills to your level by adding in some platforming
elements. Make some raised tiles join diagonally, so that the
Player on top must walk diagonally across them. At first it may
seem impossible within some tile sets, but if the aiming reticule is
placed precisely over the necessary crossing point, it is very
possible, even with diagonally-placed death trap tiles.
The Player hoofing it can jump across a single grid square, but only
if the landing spot is 3 floors down. A vehicle can cross a 1-
square gap if the landing spot is only 1 floor down.
A 4-story drop will kill the Player. However, you can safely take a
6-story plunge (from a double-height stackable on 6/7) if driving a
vehicle. If a necessary drop is 4 floors or more, and there's no
vehicle, well, you'll need to jump into an inertia-dampening
teleporter. Now THAT's a thrill. OR, put a vehicle at the bottom
and try to land on those soft plush seats (hit the "enter vehicle"
button at the last second, for the regular climbing-in animation).
Due to the limited falling distance in the grid, a pedestrian will
not be able to jump a two-square gap in Story mode (in other modes
it is possible, using the Speed pickup). The military buggy (Zeep)
can jump a 3-square gap, and the turbo buggy can jump a 4-square
gap, provided the height is right. The Zeep can make it across 4
death trap tiles, though, if you nose it down and bounce over the
last one, so maybe the buggy can do that over 5 (haven't tried).
Leaping across a death trap tile is possible. Trying to jump one
with a vehicle gives inconsistent results, though. If you try to
jump multiple rows of death tiles and the result is death as soon as
you get the vehicle above the first death tile, remove the first
death tile and you should be fine to make it over the rest. You can
also try placing the problem death trap tile lastly to correct this
problem.
Progression puzzles based on platforming can be quite fun to design,
and you can make some nifty puzzles by requiring use of the cat-cam
to do stuff...
The Amazing Strudel
-------------------
Unlike the vehicles, the cat-cam can jump the Ramp items you can
place within the tiles (as seen in the sample map Cat Racing
Xtreme), and can go backwards up the steep slide tile. It can go
super fast to potentially beat a timer, provided the flooring is
right and there are no bumps or snags (maybe you want the bumps and
snags for a timer challenge).
In Story mode, Strudel counts as you, so Location Reached logics can
be activated (say you want to activate an out-of-reach pressure-
plate).
The cat-cam can go through a death trap tile, but getting out is a
matter dependent upon tile set and tile arrangement. With enough
distance you can get up enough speed to bounce off a spike and out
of the recessed area, but note that Cortez can easily toss the cam
over to the other side of a death trap with the uplink, eliminating
a potential quagmire (hitting the "operate cam" button while holding
Strudel in mid air will both operate and launch at the same time).
Strudel can navigate diagonally-placed death trap tiles without
falling into the recessed area.
Strudel cannot touch enemies (unless you fling her at somebody
without operating the cam) and enemies will pay her no attention...
but she can relocate explosive items by pushing them, and can blow
them up by ramming them at high speed, thus destroying switches or
killing an out-of-reach baddie.
She can also serve as an explosive assassin by delivering remote
mines placed on her back. (Ryan_the_gamer, 7/28/2006)
Last but not least, she can be manipulated as a last or only-resort
weapon, by flinging her with the temporal uplink.
====================================================================
The Mysteries of Memory, Revealed (more or less)
====================================================================
Beginners and veteran mapmakers alike are often confronted by space
limitations, as there is only so much you can do in one map.
However, the memory bar in the top left corner of the screen is
deceptive in its depiction of remaining memory. Misconceptions and
false assumptions about this bar have resulted in many a map being
"finished" prematurely, and have even resulted in a supposed
"Mapmaker Memory Glitch" being circulated, which has been mistakenly
claimed to enable the placement of more tiles and items than
normally possible.
Here is the rub of the memory bar: the one bar is used as an
indicator of two separate memories, not just one. There is a TILE
memory, and also an ITEM memory. The single bar only shows WHICH of
the two memories is lowest. For instance, if the TILE memory is at
half, you can then add items until the ITEM memory gets down to
half, and the single memory indicator will not move at all beyond
the halfway mark. Once you get lower than half of the ITEM memory
though, the bar will start getting shorter again, because ITEM
memory is now lower. And vice versa. If when the one bar is
threateningly empty, you try to place one more tile and get a "no
more memory" message, you still might have plenty of ITEM memory
left. And if you get the message when you are trying to place
another item, you may in fact still have plenty more TILE memory
left.
ITEM Memory
-----------
In addition to this confusion, some "items" in the item menu do not
take memory away from the bar(s) at all; these are the various start
points (start all, red team, blue team, blue assault, red assault).
32 start points can be placed (any combination of all/red/blue) and
in addition 32 assault starts can be placed (any combination of red
and blue), independently of the TILE/ITEM memory indicator. When
both the TILE memory AND the ITEM memories are empty, you can still
place a ridiculous number of start points! Separate from any start
points, 50 "real" items can be placed to take the ITEM memory bar
down to zero. Any "real" item placed, be it a vehicle or a box of
bullets, consumes 1/50 of the ITEM memory.
Although you can always place 50 total items (in addition to any
start points), most individual items carry a lower cap on how many
can be placed in a map. Here are the item placement caps:
Guns: 32
Health: 16
Armor: 16
*Powerups: 12
Bags and bases: 1 bag and 1 of each base (duh)
Gun turrets: 8
Switches: 20
Autoguns: 8
Ceiling cameras: 8
Moveable objects (any): 20
Cars: 4
RC Pets: 4
Each color key: 2 (total 8 keys)
Zones: 4
Features (any): (no cap, can place 50)
Doors: 40
Windows: 30
Collectible (from Trigger menu): 32
*It should be noted that Powerups will not appear if map is played
in Story mode :(
For Story mode maps, choosing the Drop Gun option for Story AI and
placing any keys in AI inventory will NOT detract from the ITEM
memory; it is then recommended that for strictly Story mode levels,
guns and keys be obtained in this manner so you can still place 50
other items. Note that it must literally be a "gun" for it to be
dropped (AI will not drop grenades, mines, bats, or bricks).
TILE Memory
-----------
While each item takes the same amount of ITEM memory space (2.0%),
tiles on the other hand consume varying amounts of the TILE memory.
The simplest tiles you can place the most of, at a maximum of 200
(0.50% of the TILE memory). Below is a list of the individual tiles
and the approximate memory consumption for each (enough digits are
shown to tell which is "bigger" in the memory). Maximizing map
"volume" can be accomplished by incorporating tiles of the same or
larger volume that consume less equivalent memory. For instance,
substitute a #31 where possible for any #13, and you can economize
greatly on the TILE memory. (Some notes to the right don't pertain
to memory; certain tiles might be desired despite memory
consumption)
Corridor
1. Small Open....................0.50%
2. Small Open Pillars............0.50%
3. Small Open Alt................0.50%
4. Small Open Alt. Pillars.......0.50%
5. T Junction....................0.50%
6. T Junction Pillars............0.50%
7. Corner........................0.50%
8. Corner Pillars................0.50%
9. Small Corridor................0.50%
10. Double Corridor...............0.50% <- Best choice for long
11. Open Corridor.................1.83% straight corridors
Large
12. Large Open....................1.55%
13. Large Open Low................1.17%
14. Large Bridge Cross............1.54% Surprisingly not much
15. Large Bridge..................1.58% more expensive than a
16. Large Pit.....................1.06% <- 9 + 10 for the same
17. Large Bridge Ramp.............1.58% distance
Small
18. T Junction....................0.59%
19. Funnel........................0.50%
20. Small Room....................0.50%
21. Small Room Mirrored...........0.50%
Ramp
22. Ramp..........................0.50%
23. Crab Ramp.....................0.90%
24. Stair Room....................0.51%
25. Stair Room Mirrored...........0.51% Good for "hiding" items
26. Large Ramp....................1.92% <- under the ramp
Stackable
27. Small Open S..................0.50% Stairwells must be
28. Alt. Small Open S.............0.50% stacked with matching
29. Stairwell S...................0.97% <- rotation for stairs to
30. Stairwell S Mirrored..........0.97% appear. Use in single as
31. Large Open Low S..............0.87% an economical roof to
32. Large Bridge Cross S..........1.54% 20 or 24 in outdoor areas
33. Large Bridge S................1.57% (must be on top level)
Trench
34. Trench........................0.99% Extremely bad choice
35. Trench Ramp...................4.76% <- when there are far
36. Trench Corner.................1.11% more economical options
37. Trench Corner Ramp............1.11% for getting out of a
38. Trench Corner Ramp Mirrored...1.11% trench
Bunker
39. Bunker Wall...................1.98%
40. Bunker Wall Gap...............1.98%
41. Bunker Wall Ramp..............1.98%
42. Bunker Corner.................2.06%
43. Bunker Corner Gap.............2.06%
Special
44. Slide*........................0.66%
45. Death Room....................0.05%
*An anomaly occurs for the Slide in that if placed individually,
only 151 can be placed, but if an initial 10 are increasingly
doubled by dragging a Select box and copying, 160 can be placed,
seemingly exceeding the TILE memory; delete 9 of the 160, and they
cannot be replaced.
If all you want to make are strictly multiplayer maps, tiles and
items are all that need be worried about. But if you want to create
maps to be played in Story mode, memory issues can start getting
complicated.
LOGIC Memory
------------
The basics here are that you can have up to 50 Triggers and up to 50
Actions*, and up to 30 Logic Operations, each one (Trigger, Action,
and the linking Logic Operation) taking away from the single memory
bar, and each type taking up varying amounts of memory, much like
the tiles. However, Logic in relation to the memory indicator is at
this point quite baffling to me. If the memory is entirely consumed
by LOGIC before placing the first tile, you will not be able to
place a tile; if you delete just enough logic to place some tiles,
you can only add so many items (or so many story AI or start
points); so it appears that LOGIC takes away from both TILE and ITEM
memories, and from the "others" too. Yet if you more realistically
max your TILE and ITEM memories first before constructing your
LOGIC, you can still create what should be an adequate amount of
Triggers, Actions, and Logic Operations.
If you are trying to create LOGIC and you get the "no more memory"
message, you may sacrifice tiles and items for more LOGIC memory,
quite unlike the situation for tiles vs. items. However, note that
when the LOGIC memory is full, not all LOGIC options will return the
"no more memory" message but will instead freeze the game (e.g.,
trying to add a Reset Action will do this).
Since I have not yet extensively tested Logic, I am aware of only 3
more caps here:
1. When setting up a Tile Lights Action, you can only select 10
lights to change. (If you want a Trigger to change more than 10
lights, you could simply create a list of another 10, etc., and have
your Trigger activate multiple Tile Light Actions.)
2. Similarly, when setting up a Location Reached Trigger, no more
than 10 cells are allowed per location. (I can't think of why you
might want more.)
3. And you can have up to 8 Assault phases.
(Further testing needed. Reader contribution extremely welcome in
explaining LOGIC relationships to memory in more detail.)
*According to a pop-up message within the Mapmaker, you can only
have 30 of either, but this erroneous message only comes upon trying
to make the 51st Trigger or Action.
Story AI Memory
-----------------------
50 story AI can be placed, on top of a full TILE memory and on top
of a full ITEM memory, but it is highly recommended that you stick
to the simultaneously-spawned maximum of 19. When memories are
full, the risk of game freeze is high with large numbers of AI, and
use of the zoom function will almost guarantee a freeze. This may
not be a problem if you keep at least SOME white in the memory bar.
(Further testing needed; reader contribution extremely welcome,
especially for consoles other than Gamecube.)
====================================================================
Tile Sets
====================================================================
Each wall-free edge of every tile actually has its own wall, which
will be erected by the computer if there is empty space beside it,
or if that edge butts up against the permanent wall of another tile.
Some of these temporary walls you may never see, depending on how
you happen to place the tile in relation to other tiles. Below are
some features of note found in each tile, including these temporary
walls. (Please reference the Memory section for the full tile name;
tile numbers are used here for brevity and consolidation of like
features.) If you want to implement the noted feature (or for that
matter exclude an unwanted temporary feature), preview the tile as a
stand-alone, so as to figure out how to keep (or exclude) any
temporary feature.
Why is this important information to include here? Aside from the
obvious use of providing varied visuals, any "set-piece" can be used
to construct solvable riddles or to advance plot points in Story
mode levels, by creating objectives and employing Logics which are a
little slyer that "destroy this" or "activate that." For example:
Simple Objective: Find the map and see where Khallos plans to use
his weapons of mass destruction.
Simple Logic: Location 1 Reached (in front of the map on the
wall) = Message Displayed, "Found the map!"
That would be the very simplest of uses for set-piece features; uses
can get much more complicated depending on your imagination.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
MILITARY
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Default tile set. Many signs and painted numbers.
Corridor
1,2.........9
3,4.........(blocks)
5,6.........15
7,8.........2
9...........10
10..........1, windows, on/off switch
11..........windows, Zone A1, on/off switch, no trespassing signs
Notes: With proper tile rotation/linkage, tiles 10 or 11 can be
used as the outside of a nice building rather than as the inside,
due to the windows. Using 10 results in surrounding walls though.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Large
12..........12
13..........13
14..........14, map (off center), high voltage x2, level 6 clearance
15..........map, high voltage box
16..........acid warnings
17..........map, high voltage box
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Small
18..........level 6 clearance, security 3 x2
19..........19, 2, security 3
20..........security 3, high voltage box x3, floor drains
21..........same as 20 but with backwards writing (hmm... backwards
writing...there's a story there, something involving a
dimensional travel mishap, perhaps?)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ramp
22..........3
23..........20, level 6 clearance
24..........Danger
25..........Danger backwards
26..........12
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Stackable
27..........9
28..........(blocks)
29-31.......N/A
32..........14, map (off center), high voltage x2, level 6 clearance
33..........map, high voltage box
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Trench (has warheads and ?turbines?)
34,35.......26
36-38.......8
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bunker
39-41.......12
42..........21, caution
43..........caution
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Special
44..........16
45..........mines with warning
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LAB
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Not much different in here. If you want a tile set to get a Player
lost, this is it. A few monitors hanging here and there, but other
than the pit room, it all looks basically the same. Use to build
spaceship or space station levels (Blue DonkeyKong, 6/30/06). I hear
some pipes release steam when you shoot them...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
EGYPTIAN
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"gods?" painting too numerous to mention. Egyptian is the only tile
set that will allow a Speed Pickup pedestrian jump of a 2-square gap
within the safe 3-floor falling distance (modes other than Story).*
Corridor
1,2.........queenless king facing left, 2-strip scene
3,4.........smallish blocks on 1 wall
5-8.........N/A
9...........vertical tablet, "gods?" squished
10..........N/A
11..........lovers, 2-strip scene (also a good example of "gods?")
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Large
12..........dog
13..........boat
14..........dog
15..........square tablet recessed
16..........spikes
17..........square tablet recessed
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Small
18..........1 torch, juxtaposed vertical tablets, bas relief x2
19..........mirrored "gods?" facing 2 torches
20..........queenless king facing right
21..........queenless king facing left
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ramp
22..........2-strip scene
23..........bas relief overhanging, lovers up high
24,25.......3 torches
26..........2-strip scene and dog up high, white god alone
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Stackable
27..........N/A
28..........smallish blocks on 1 wall (good for crude statues)
29,30.......N/A
31..........queenless king facing right, harpist
32..........dog
33..........square tablet recessed
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Trench
34,35.......N/A
36-38.......winged scarab
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bunker
39-43.......harpist, lovers, 3 figures with pets
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Special
44..........N/A
45..........bloody spikes
--------------------------------------------------------------------
HORROR
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Paintings = girl, boy, sis, bro, mom, pop, granny, family, bowler,
coat; multiples listed within parentheses.
Corridor
1,2.........all stone
2,3.........half stone, half interior
5,6.........all interior, floor door
7,8.........girl
9...........all interior
10..........bookcase w/brain, bloody prints, (pop, family, bowler)
11..........girl, (sis, mom, boy)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Large
12..........(granny, pop, sis), (coat, bowler, boy), bookcase w/
eyes, large bookcase, small bookcase
13..........fireplace w/cow skull, chains, floor pentagram, family,
mom, bro(floor)
14..........bloody prints climbing wall, chains
15..........family, (mom, bro)
16..........wall pentagram
17..........family, (mom, bro)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Small
18..........fireplace w/altar, swords/shield x2, bloody prints
19..........figurines (1 broken), pentacle book on stand
20,21.......chains, skull, floor door
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ramp
22..........cellar doors
23..........swords/shield
24,25.......cow skull
26..........big cat rug, swords/shield, swords/pentacle shield,
(boy, bro, coat), family, (sis, mom, granny)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Stackable
27..........all stone
28..........half stone, half interior
29,30.......stone, wood ramps
31..........all interior; 2 differing skulls, 3 femur bones
32..........bloody prints climbing wall, chains
33..........family, (mom, bro)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Trench
34..........casket, skull, bone
35..........casket, skull (bone is under ramp; entering under ramp
makes the ramp an invisible wall from that direction)
36..........skull w/bone, casket
37,38.......skull w/bone (casket is under ramp; entering under ramp
creates one-way travel through invisible wall)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bunker
39-41.......mom, family, bro
42,43.......pop, granny, coat, boy, sis, bowler, cow skull
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Special
44..........bloody prints
45..........origin of bloody prints!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
VIRTUAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------
...uh, no features, at all. Good for simulating MGS VR missions for
attempted stealth play involving patrolling guards. But where's
Captain Snow to play my Genome Soldier?
Virtual creates invisible wall effects in Trenches, same as Horror.
Another similarity between these two tile sets is a double barrel
for the exotic turret gun item.
*In other tiles sets, the 2-square gap jump is possible, if a
vehicle is parked close enough to enter, on the edge of the 3rd
floor down.
*** Open request for any known special features, unique to a
particular tile set, that would alter gameplay by choice of the tile
set. Like in TS2 a certain tile in one set might have a ledge you
could walk on that wasn't there when you changed tile sets, or like
the steam pipes in Lab here. Know any? ***
====================================================================
Story AI
====================================================================
The Story AI are highly perceptive, in that they don't need to spot
the Player, or see another enemy attacked, in order to start
seeking/attacking the Player. All they need to do is see some other
enemy reacting, and they will join the attack. This makes the
direction they face, and their placement in relation to one other
very important things to consider. If they are placed facing the
same direction and in one long row, only a single AI on the very end
needs to spot the Player and all in the row will react with equal
timing. That's some mighty good peripheral vision and reflexes.
Spreading them out and facing them in different directions will
correct this "group consciousness" effect.
Though somewhat "smarter" in this respect than previous TS AI, an
unarmed Story AI is unable to pick up weapons that might be lying
around, and will remain unarmed until dead.
The "ancestral memory" glitch from TS2 has been fixed, so that Spawn
and Wait enemies won't come gunning for you when their forefathers
die.
In TS:FP you can place 50 baddies... with some restrictions. You
can only have 19 of these 50 materialized in the map at 1 time, so
don't plan on having all 50 spawned at Game Start. One of the 1st
19 will have to lose all of the lives assigned to it before number
20 will spawn on the map.
There is one simple condition that must be met within the
construction of the surrounding environment, or the Story AI will
not behave properly. This is that there must be NO barriers
(windows, gaps, death traps, ramps, whatever) that keep the AI from
doing the Player harm. If there is an AI separated from the Player
by some barrier, they must have a gun to shoot with; if they don't,
then they will soon freeze, and even when the barrier is
subsequently eliminated (say, Player hops down to them from a higher
level), the AI will stand there like an idiot and do nothing but
point their gun hand. If there are multiple AI, you can get some of
the others to act normally again by attacking or killing one of
them, but results vary.
Placement of Feature items near hallway entrances, corners, or other
bottle-neck areas in the map -- Features which the Player can easily
walk around -- will impede the progress of Story AI, and become an
impassable barrier for them. Rotation of the item may or may not
allow a "doorway" for the AI to pass.
Ramp items, which are used to create one-way travel through a
hallway, will snag the AI if the Player is watching. Though they
will try forever, they cannot go over the top while being watched;
but they will instantly go over as soon as the Player looks the
other way.
In this guide, individual characters are placed into Classes based
on general behavior and attributes. So that there will be no
confusion between Classes and Bot Sets, I'll call the Classes
Normal, Zombie, and Robot.
AI Classes
====================================================================
Normal Class
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Your basic AI, which spawns standing up and on watch, regardless of
Bot Set. Mannerisms and mobility are always "human," although
aliens, cyborgs, and fantasy creatures abound.
When armed and aware of the Player, Normals will travel normally,
and will dance around trying to get a good shot at the Player while
trying to make themselves a difficult target. However, unarmed or
bat-wielding Normals (essentially unarmed) can only travel in
straight lines directly East-West, North-South, NW-SE, and NE-SW
(like this): \ | /
\|/
<---X--->
/|\
/ | \
so they often take what looks like a long way around in order to get
to the Player. When unarmed and in large numbers, each Normal will
take the "nearest" route, running in formation and executing
precision turning that not only looks pathetically hokey, but can
cause them all to get hung up on one another when converging from
different directions.
An unarmed or bat-wielding Normal behind a barrier will run a ten-
mile course to get at the Player, provided that such a course
exists. If there is no route to reach the Player to facilitate
physical contact, they will soon blow a gasket and freeze, without
approaching the barrier.
Normals utilize many weapons in a ridiculous rapid fire (grenades,
mines, bricks, flares, harpoons...)
With health at the default setting, Normals die with one head shot.
Most Normals die instantly from flamethrower flame, with a few
exceptions noted in the Character table.
A Normal that is armed (bat doesn't count) will run to and man a
nearby turret gun item, or will take a defensive position behind a
barricade item.
Normals will dive to avoid grenades. If remote mines are placed on
the front of a Normal, perpetual diving and somersaulting begins.
The next two classes are somewhat schizophrenic, in that they behave
like Normals (human mannerisms and mobility) if they think no one is
watching.
Zombie Class
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Bot Set chosen will affect the spawning behavior of the Zombie Class
AI. In any of the pre-set Bot selections, anything other than Spawn
and Attack Zombies start out lying on the ground and will not awaken
to spot the Player until approached. If you place a Zombie Class
character in your Mapmaker Custom Bot Set, however, the Zombie
character will start out standing up and on watch (patrol possible
when acting "human"), and for a split second after they spot the
Player will act exactly like a Normal character until the
characteristic shambling Zombie behavior kicks in. Note that a
character does not have to look like a reanimated human corpse to be
in this Class.
When armed with a firing weapon, Zombies will continually advance in
a B-line towards the Player, whilst firing. If there is a barrier
in the way, they will fire but not advance. If a way exists around
the barrier, the firing Zombie will take that route to get to the
Player once the Player is no longer within their direct line of
sight.
When unarmed (or with bat), Zombies will not follow the N/S/E/W rule
of unarmed/batter Normals, but will still realistically shamble in a
B-line for the Player, even in the presence of a separating barrier.
They will advance towards the barrier but stop upon reaching it, as
long as the Player keeps an eye on them. BUT... when the Player's
back is turned, the unarmed/batter Zombie will "phase" through the
barrier. This phasing behavior of unarmed/batter Zombies happens
whether they are trapped or not at all trapped; they will walk
across gaps, through death tiles, windows, and ramp items, and even
float up to a higher level, as long as the away-facing Player
remains in their line of sight. If the Player faces them and waits
for them to reach the barrier, the trapped ones will freeze, sooner
or later. However, killing another AI may unfreeze them and they
could again potentially pull a Kitty Pryde. Although Normals are
also known to mysteriously cross barriers when trapped, it is
nowhere near as bad as in Zombies, because the unarmed/batter
Zombies do it 100% of the time, if so allowed.
Zombies (armed or not) will take an available ten-mile course around
a barrier to get to the Player, but if the Player is within their
direct line of sight, the armed Zombie will stop to fire (similar to
an armed Normal), and the unarmed/batter Zombie will abandon the
ten-mile course to B-line towards their quarry. If the Player
removes himself from their line of sight, they will resume the ten-
mile course (assuming the unarmed/batter Zombie was not given a
chance to phase).
Zombies fire weapons at a slower rate than Normals (no ridiculous
rapid fire here), and though they appear to be rather clumsy about
it, can still hit their target.
Head shots kill Zombies like Normals, but beheadings make them more
vulnerable; i.e. the ones that can be beheaded can die with a
beheading head shot from an ElectroTool, whereas Normals will not
die with a headshot from that weapon. Even with health set to Tough
Guy, you can get an instant kill with a beheading. The unarmed
Player cannot execute an instant beheading with the fists (default
AI health setting).
Zombies catch fire and burn a while before dying (one exception in
Crispin).
Zombies will not use a turret gun item or barricade under any
circumstances.
Zombies will not dive to avoid grenades and mines, but the initial
release will startle them if they are caught unawares and in their
"human" state. Any time a mine is placed on the front of a Zombie,
they break character and panic for a moment (pretty funny).
Robot Class
--------------------------------------------------------------------
When unaware of the Player, Robots exhibit human mannerisms and
mobility. When aware of the Player (and armed), they will plod
slowly along like... a robot. If unarmed however, they continue to
act like a Normal, and start running towards the Player as though
human, conforming to the N/S/E/W rule. If armed with a bat, they
think the bat is a gun, so they try to fire it, plodding slowly
along to keep the Player near and in their sights, B-lining unless
they have to turn with the map. They won't swing the bat, so are
harmless.
Robots will not advance on the Player if the Player's back is turned
(unless they are unarmed and running), so there is no Zombie-like
phasing through barriers if the Player is within their line of
sight. If they are trapped, they do not advance, armed or not. If
there is a ten-mile course to reach the Player, the armed Robot will
start the plodding trek as soon as the Player leaves their direct
line of sight (unarmed ones take it immediately at a Normal's trot.)
Robots, like Normals, utilize many weapons in a ridiculous rapid
fire (grenades, mines, bricks, flares, harpoons...)
With health at the default setting, Robots die with 2 head shots.
Robots are impervious to flamethrower flame.
The main mode of the ElectroTool will not hurt them, but if they are
armed, the shock will paralyze them for a brief second or two. If
they are unarmed, there will be no paralysis effect to slow down
their chase. If they are trapped, there will be no paralysis effect
to slow their firing rate. If they are in extreme close proximity
with another AI there will also be no paralysis effect.
Like Zombies, Robots will not use a turret gun item or barricade
under any circumstances.
Robots will completely ignore both grenades and mines, even mines
placed on their face (the 1st release of a nearby grenade/mine will
startle them during their split second of human behavior.)
Individual Characters: Class, Availability, and Special Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of the 150 characters you can already use somehow from the
outset, as even if they are locked (*), some may appear in the pre-
set Bot selections; conditions of unlocking each character are
conveniently displayed within the gallery, in-game. Names of the
locked are not displayed in the gallery, but you can use the list
below as a reference; top to bottom in the roster = left to right,
top row to bottom row in the gallery.
For a Bot Set, Mapmaker Custom is obviously the best choice for your
own mix-and-match opposition, but remember that Zombies will not
spawn in their natural sleeping state.
The character stats visible when selecting your avatar for
multiplayer action (speed, fire proof, etc; see ---Freak---'s
Character FAQ at Gamefaqs.com for a rundown), are not applicable to
Story AI but there instead seems to be a whole new hidden set of
stats for Story. For instance, in multiplayer, most Zombies are
supposedly weak against fire and strong against shock, but in Story
they are clearly the most resilient against fire, 2nd to Robots, and
seem to react to ElectroTool shocks no differently than most Normals
(beheadings not withstanding). Also, note that while Stone Golem
has equal fire proof and shock proof rankings in multiplayer, in
Story he is impervious to flame but can be killed easily enough with
the ElectroTool; in Story the Freak and Berserker Splitter have fire
resistance that belies their stats; Jo-Barf Creepy can't possibly be
among the fleetest of foot when she shambles like a Zombie. Many
other examples can be spotted, but in short, don't pay the stats any
attention for use in Story.
***My intent is to have an in-game pic available here for each
character as a quick online visual reference. A special thanks to
FB who posted a saved profile (coyote) with all characters unlocked,
at gamecube-saves.com. Pics will slowly be added (10 here to
start)***
Character Table Abbreviations
Classes: Normal = (nothing, if Normal)
Zombie = Z
Robot = R
Bot Sets: Mapmaker Custom = open or (*) at outset
Mapmaker = M Undead = U
Assorted = A Cyber = Cy
Femme Fatales = FF Freaks = F
Sidekicks = S Creatures = Cr
Henchmania = H Baldies = B
Available in Bot Set
--------------------------
Character Class MC M A FF S H U Cy F Cr B PIC
==================================================================
Cortez-----------------------open------------------------
Henchman Cortez--------------(*)-------------------------
Dr. Cortez-------------------(*)-----------------------B-
Time Assassin Cortez---------(*)------------------------- 3945924
Captain Ash------------------open--------S---------------
Harry Tipper-----------------open---A----S---------------
Swinging Tipper--------------(*)---------S---------------
Jo-Beth Casey----------------open-----FF-S---------------
Amy Chen---------------------open---A-FF-S---------------
Dr. Amy----------------------(*)-------------------------
R-110-------------------R----open---A----S-----Cy--------
Victorian Crow---------------(*)-------------------------
A special Normal, impervious^ to flame.
Karma Crow-------------------(*)-------------------------
Jacob Crow-------------------(*)-------------------------
A special Normal, impervious^ to flame.
Mad Old Crow-----------------(*)-------------------------
A special Normal, impervious^ to flame.
Anya-------------------------(*)------FF-S---------------
Captain Fitzgerald----------"open"-----------------------
Nobby Peters-----------------(*)-------------------------
Sapper Johnson--------------"(*)"----------------------B-
Tommy Jenkins---------------"(*)"------------------------
In Mapmaker Custom, the above 3 with "" are clones of
Nobby Peters in a Story map; apparently a programming blunder.
Ivor Baddic------------------open------------------------
Pulov Yuran-----------------"(*)"------------------------
Comrade Papadov-------------"(*)"------------------------
Above 2 are clones of Ivor in Story.
Warrant Officer Cain---------(*)----A----------------Bx2-
Warrant Officer Keely--------(*)-------------------------
Deep Diver-------------------(*)------------------------- 3945941
Jungle Queen-----------------(*)---------S--------------- 3945946
Robot Louis Stevenson---R----(*)---------------Cy-------- 3945955
Onboard machinegun overrides Unarmed. If hit with a Player's
surprise bullet from up high, RLS will freeze; though
machingun will fire slowly, bullets will not connect. No head
shots.
John Smith-------------------open------------------------
Jim Smith-------------------"(*)"------------------------
Clone of John in Story.
Fergal Stack-----------------(*)-----------H-------------
Khallos----------------------open----------------------B-
(He's not even bald!)
Booty Guard------------------(*)-------------------------
Kitten Celeste---------------(*)------FF-S---------------
Henchwoman-------------------open----------H-------------
Elite Henchwoman-------------(*)-----------H-------------
Henchman---------------------open----------H-------------
Elite Henchman---------------(*)-----------H-------------
Vlad the Installer-----------(*)-------------------------
Leonid-----------------------(*)-----------H-------------
Oleg-------------------------(*)-----------H-------------
Dr. Peabody------------------(*)-------------------------
Nurse Gulag------------------open------------------------
The Deerhaunter--------------open-----------------F------
Carrion Carcass---------Z----(*)-------------U----F------
No head shots, obviously.
Headsprouter------------Z----open-M---------------F------
No beheading, obviously?
Mr. Fleshcage-----------Z----(*)-------------U-----------
While no head, head shots count.
Clip Clamp--------------Z----open-M----------------------
Crispin-----------------Z----open------------------------
Was of Normal Class in TS2, wasn't he? Brain well done now.
Impervious to flame^; no beheading. Not the only TS2 character
whose Class status has changed.
Gideon Gout-------------Z----(*)-------------------------
Daisy Dismay------------Z----(*)-------------U-----------
Jed---------------------Z----(*)-------------------------
Arthur Aching-----------Z----(*)-------------------------
Gilbert Gastric---------Z----(*)-------------U---------B-
Jo-Barf Creepy----------Z----(*)-------------U----F------
Though not an actual zombie by looks, can be beheaded.
Gladstone---------------Z----open------------U-----------
Blanche Deadwood--------Z----open------------U-----------
Gaston Boucher---------------(*)-------------------------
Dr. Lancet-------------------(*)----A--------------------
Dr. Pustule-------------Z----open------------U-----------
Nurse Tourniquet-------------open------------------------
Nurse Sputum------------Z----(*)-------------U-----------
An actual zombie in the Zombie class that does not behead like
other zombies. When on fire, the fire soon goes out, but she
will still die not long afterwards.
Lenny Oldburn----------------open---A--------------------
Edwina-----------------------open------------------------
Deadwina--------------------"(*)"------------------------
Clone of Edwina in Story, so what you get is a Normal. If she
was supposed to be a Zombie counterpart (like Jo-Barf) we may
never know.
Brother Bartholomew----------open----------------------B-
Sister Faith-----------------(*)-------------------------
Envirosuit-------------------open-M----------------------
Neophyte Lucian--------------(*)-----------H-------------
Neophyte Constance-----------(*)-----------H-------------
Security---------------------open-M----------------------
Jack Sprocket----------------(*)-----------H-------------
Inceptor---------------------(*)-----------------------B-
Inceptress-------------------open----------------------B-
The Freak--------------------open-----------------F------
A special Normal who burns a while before dying from flame.
Tin-Legs Tommy---------------(*)-------------------------
SecuriDroid XP----------R----open------------------------
The General------------------(*)-------------------------
Private Hicks----------------open-M-A----S---------------
Private Jones----------------(*)-------------------------
Lazarus Mumble---------------open------------------------
Mordecai Jones---------------(*)-----------------------B-
Ghengis Kant-----------------(*)----A--------------------
Angel Forge------------------open-----FF-----------------
Prison Officer---------------(*)---------------Cy--------
Lt. Black--------------------open---A--------------------
INSETICK SD/12----------R----open-M------------Cy--------
INSETICK SD/10----------R----(*)---------------Cy--------
PROMETHEUS SD/7---------R----open-M----------------------
PROMETHEUS SK/8---------R----(*)---------------Cy--------
GOLIATH SD/9------------R----(*)---------------Cy--------
No head shots.
Med-Unit 6--------------R----open--------------Cy--------
No head shots.
Time Assassin----------------(*)-------------------------
Berserker Splitter-----------(*)------------------F------ 3945968
Homing Lightning overrides assigned weapon once the AI becomes
aware of the Player. Depending on the Drop Gun option selected,
the Splitter will drop the gun or the gun will disappear upon
awareness. Can be "forced" to keep assigned weapon if the Player
hits them with a surprise bullet from a higher level (they will
stand frozen in place and fire their assigned weapon). Also they
may become thus frozen if the Player on a higher level "teases"
their awareness by crouching, standing, then crouching again
quickly, or using certain weapons to provoke their "search" mode.
Killing a frozen one will unfreeze any others. A special Normal
who burns a while before dying from flame.
Monkey-----------------------open-M-A---------------Cr---
Cyborg Chimp------------R----open-------------------Cr---
Impervious to flame like all Robots but fur catches fire.
Brains------------------Z----(*)-------------U----F-Cr---
Ninja Monkey-----------------open-------------------Cr---
Renzo------------------------open------------------------
Goddard----------------------(*)-------------------------
Schmidt----------------------open-M----------------------
Jacque de la Morte-----------(*)-------------------------
Viola------------------------(*)------FF-----------------
Mr. Underwood----------------(*)-------------------------
Sewer Zombie------------Z----(*)-------------------------
Undead Priest-----------Z----open------------------------
Crypt Zombie------------Z----open------------------------
No beheading the above 3.
Maiden-----------------------open-----FF-----------------
Changeling-------------------(*)-------------------------
The Cropolite----------------open-------------------Cr---
Jared Slim-------------------(*)-------------------------
Venus------------------------(*)-------------------------
Chastity---------------------open-----FF-----------------
Ghost------------------------open------------------------
The Master-------------------(*)-------------------------
Riot Officer-----------------open-M----------------------
Mischief---------------------(*)-------------------------
Mr. Giggles------------------open------------------------
Leo Krupps-------------------(*)-------------------------
Stumpy-----------------------(*)------------------------- 3945976
Bear-------------------------open-------------------Cr---
Kypriss----------------------open------------------------
Stone Golem------------------open------------------------
A special Normal, impervious to flame^.
Aztec Warrior----------------(*)-------------------------
High Priest------------------open------------------------
Dinosaur---------------------open-------------------Cr---
Braces-----------------------(*)-------------------------
Handyman---------------------open-----------------F------
Candi Skyler-----------------(*)-------------------------
R One-Oh-Seven---------------open--------------Cy--------
Calamari---------------------open-------------------Cr---
Corporal Hart----------------(*)------FF-----------------
Badass Cyborg----------------(*)------------------F------
Snowman----------------------(*)--------------------Cr---
Robofish----------------R----open--------------Cy--------
Chinese Chef-----------------(*)-------------------------
Gingerbread Man--------------open-----------------F------
Duckman Drake----------------open-------------------Cr---
Koozer Mox-------------------(*)-------------------------
Teeth Mummy-------------Z----open------------------------
No beheading.
Captain Ed Shivers-----------(*)------------------------- 3945991
Gretel------------------R----open-----FF-----------------
Impervious to flame like all Robots but clothes catch fire.
Arial DaVinci----------------open------------------------
Dozer------------------------(*)------------------------- 3945980
Sheriff Skullface------------open------------------------ 3946019
The Shoal--------------------open------------------------
Hans-------------------------(*)-------------------------
Mr. Socky--------------------(*)-------------------------
Lt. Christine Malone---------open------------------------ 3946003
Eli Scrubs-------------------open------------------------
^Noted as impervious to flame; however, will stagger when contacting
flame on others. If health set to Weakling, second-hand flame seems
to kill sometimes.
*** Open request to compile here a list of individual character
special attributes in Story mode. Know any? ***
Some Notes on Weapons Use, in regards to Story AI in general
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Drop Gun means Gun only (not grenades, mines, etc.)
Standard enemy-recognition range for an AI is 3 grid-squares (2
diagonally; they can see farther than that once aware, but everyone
starts out daydreaming). Giving an AI a sniper rifle gives them
"scope eyes" with the ability to see across the entire map, and to
recognize you as an enemy instantly, with no daydreaming.
When the Player fires a flare or throws grenades or mines, AI out of
visual range (as opposed to enemy-recognition range) will hear and
investigate. (Hearing ranges not yet tested.) If the AI uses these
weapons against the Player, the noises fall on deaf ears (nearby
unaware AI will not notice).
Glass broken by AI in a firefight will alert other AI too distant to
see the Player; however, distant AI will not "see" glass broken by
the Player. (AI facing away seem not to "hear," so I assume it is
"see.")
AI with plasma grenades will throw them sky high if the Player is
outside a certain range; if you try to catch them there is no damage
inflicted.
The Ghost Gun is harmless in Story (to Player and AI both), so you
can give it to AI which are intended to be harmless, whom you do not
want to freeze. It is also good for spotting invisible Berserker
Splitters whom you can then promptly pistol whip. Be aware that
while harmless, they can injure indirectly by blowing up exploding
objects.
AI will never run out of ammo, even fuel for the flamethrower (in
TS2, AI flamethrowers eventually went empty).
When using a car for vehicular bot-slaughter, the vehicle does not
necessarily need to be in motion; tapping the gas on a stuck vehicle
is just as deadly. It's even deadly with the ignition off; just use
a Ghost Gun to slowly push it against the AI for a kill.
A direct hit from a Flare kills any AI instantly.
Many of the game's Main Story "friendlies" will not cause the
Player's crosshairs to turn red for the "enemy in sights" visual
clue, and will not be tracked with auto-aim. I have not yet tested
every character, but this does not apply to everyone in the
Sidekicks Bot Set.
*** Know anything more? ***
====================================================================
Logic
====================================================================
You can learn a lot by examining the design interfaces of the on-
the-disc sample maps; doing this is quite simply the best Logic
tutorial you can get. Choose Edit/Create New Map, then load a
sample map.
Logic and Story AI
------------------
You can make Story AI "say" various things by making an Enemy Spots
Player trigger, and a Message Displayed action (i.e., a bunch of
ladies with baseball bats could say "Eek! There's a spider on you!"
or a shambling mummy can follow the Player around saying, "Hey!
Whazzup!" Make custom-written last gasps (Enemy Killed -> message)
or death threats... "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my
father. Prepare to die." That is exactly how many characters you
get (63), so be brief and to the point.
Barriers (see Story AI above) will prevent unarmed/bat possessing
Normals, and unarmed Robot characters from triggering message
actions, or any other type of "Spots Player" action for that matter.
Zombie Class characters, armed or not, will without fault trigger a
message action by spotting the Player, over and over (they can say
BRAINS... interminably), until they reach a barrier at which point
they freeze. But a Normal or Robot behind a barrier must be armed
(bat counts only for Robots) or a Spots Player action will not be
triggered.
If you want to create an untouchable friendly that will "talk to"
the Player, it must either be a Normal or Robot armed with a ghost
gun (harmless in Story mode), so they can keep ghosts off of the
Player while they talk (or some other contrived explanation for
their antics), or the untouchable character must be in the Zombie
Class, since Zombies will at least talk until the point where they
freeze; though a Normal or Robot will certainly appear to Spot you,
they will not trigger the "spots player" message action until they
are allowed to fire a shot from some kind of gun.
You can make your ghost-gun-toting or unarmed Zombie friendly say
different things when the Player passes by them on separate
occasions IF: You place identical, yet-to-be-triggered enemies (not
triggered by Game Start) in the same room; these twins will say the
different things when they in turn spot the Player. After the
Player talks to the first friendly, the Player must then go on to
arrive at an out-of-sight Location. Have that Location Reached (or
some other subsequent trigger) kill the first "friend" and spawn the
2nd "friend" (disable spawn sounds). When the Player goes back by,
the "friend" will say something else (provide additional
instructions, for instance.) They might be someone the Player is
trying to rescue. Make the level end (Objective Completed) as any
Undead friend is actually freed, unless you also want to contrive a
reason for the former friend to suddenly want to pummel the Player,
or for the Player to need to kill the freed person. Work with it!
Using message actions, you can actually build a "story" into your
Story.
If you simply MUST have a talking, unarmed, captive, Normal or Robot
friendly, with different things to say, then use a Location Reached
(near the friendly) trigger, since a "spots player" trigger won't
work. Put the friendly in a windowed cell surrounded by up to 4
"message tiles." Protect each tile with doors. Door 1, to Location
1, begins unlocked, thus enabling display of the 1st message. All
the other doors start locked. After receiving message 1, the Player
continues on to perform some trigger which locks door 1, and unlocks
door 2...etc.
Top Down View:
P = Player, (: = Friendly, D = Door, W = Window, X = Wall. Numbers
= Locations/messages
X---D---X
X X
X 4 X
X X
XXXXXXXX|---W---|XXXXXXXX
| | | |
P-> D 1 W (: W 3 D
| | | |
XXXXXXXX|---W---|XXXXXXXX
X X
X 2 X
X X
X---D---X
So that the Player won't forget or miss what each message was, have
each Location Reached -> Reset Location Reached, so that the message
will be displayed upon returning to the tile each time.
Perhaps there are other ways, maybe using Negation tricks and long
Logic strings to use the same tile for different messages, but that
makes my brain hurt... Unless you want to enable communication with
the friendly by "transceiver" (i.e., messages from them displayed
while far away from them), which would be easy.
Creating Story Awards
---------------------
For setting higher awards for shorter mission completion times,
create a Timer Trigger and a Score Action. Here are the Logic
Operations:
1. Start game -> Score increases by 4 points.
2. Timer reaches A,B,C,D (any of 4 Triggers) -> Score decreases by 1
3. Objectives completed + Score reaches 4 (all of 2 Triggers)-> Plat
4. Objectives completed + Score reaches 3 (all of 2 Triggers)-> Gold
5. Objectives completed + Score reaches 2 (all of 2 Triggers)-> Slvr
6. Objectives completed + Score reaches 1 (all of 2 Triggers)-> Brnz
(Over time D will result in no award given)
*** Open request to compile here a list of Logic techniques and
tricks. Know any? ***
====================================================================
Glitching!
====================================================================
Some amazing things such as invisible bridges, one-way travel
through walk-through walls, invisible enemies, and windows to the
sky can be accomplished through merging tiles. Here are godM0d3's
concise instructions reprinted from the Gamefaqs message boards, to
give the clueless a start...
godM0d3, 7/24/2006:
1: put a tile on the third floor or higher
2: put a tile directly below on the bottom floor
3: highlight both
4: grab the bottom tile and move it up until the top tile is on the
"7th" floor
5: move bottom tile back to bottom and repeat process, but put a
story ai on the new tile
6: move it the same way and use the show on map story ai function
7: use the highlight tool to highlight the overlapped tiles
8: go to the regular tile that was on the bottom, highlight it and
move it to the bottom
9: you now have a glitch tile
to make an invisible floor, put a large low on the top part of a
large open
for the mapmaker noobs when you first start doing this you will
encounter unintentional sky glitches and such. to avoid this,
whenever you put a regular tile next to a glitch tile pick the
overlapped tiles up by highlighting them (u might have to drag over
them to fully highlight) and just put them back down in the same
spot. other than that it just takes trial and error
godM0d3, 7/29/2006:
Suggested tiles to overlap:
1. Overlap a three space corridor with another one turned the other
direction
2. Overlap two funnels turned different directions
3. Overlap a single open with a t-junction (walk-through wall)
4. Overlap windows or doors with walls or each other
5. Different combinations of normal ramps and open tiles
6. Overlap tiles with items on them
...
Thanks to Denkriston at the Rec Room for explaining the intentional
sky window (my favorite glitch). Here's how to add a sky window
onto an existing map:
Overlap two #27s (small open stackables) and bring them back down.
Next, move the merged tiles (drag a select box over both, to pick up
both) up against an open edge of your existing map. Place 3
connecting 27's next to the merged glitch tile -- one above it, one
below it, and one behind it (Player's point of view). On either
side of it, place a #18 (small T junction), with the T-junction's
wall nearest the Player. Now place a window item between the
Player's free-roam area and the glitch tile. The result will be a
window to the sky, which is simply beautiful.
Might I suggest a surprise attack by story AI, triggered by the
Player marveling at the view?
Location 1 reached (tile beside window) = Timer (new, hide) Start,
and Reset any Location 2 reached.
Location 2 reached (any of the 5 tiles around Location 1) = Timer 1
Stop, Timer 1 Reset, and Reset Location 1 reached.
Timer 1 reaches 10 seconds = spawn new AI nearby
Top view:
X
Free Roam Area <--X--> No Player Access
X
.--------.--------X--------.
| | X |
| Loc2 | Loc2 X (18) |
| | X |
|--------|--------X--------.--------.
| | | sky | |
| Loc2 | Loc1 W glitch | (27) |
| | | tile | |
|--------|--------X--------|--------'
| | X |
| Loc2 | Loc2 X (18) |
| | X |
'--------'--------X--------'
X
Free Roam Area <--X--> No Player Access
X
====================================================================
Further Reading
====================================================================
Visit the EAgames website for a very basic mapmaker tutorial:
http://www.ea.com/official/timesplitters/timesplitters/us/home.jsp
Excellent fan sites promoting TS mapmaking and map sharing:
Blakepro's Map Connection
http://www.geocities.com/timesplittersmaps/main.html
Elliot's TimeSplitters
http://z14.invisionfree.com/Elliots_TS/index.php?
The Rec Room's active mapmaking community:
http://z7.invisionfree.com/Rec_Room/index.php?showforum=39
====================================================================
Random Things
====================================================================
e-mail contributions to howdyadmiral@yahoo. If I add your
information or idea here, you will get full credit. Items in this
section may eventually get moved to other sections of this guide as
it expands, but the credit will move with it.
Information
-----------
I am nowhere even close to investigating the workings of Assault
maps, but I found this out while trying to capture in-game images of
the missing Story AI. In an Assault map, the Attacking team will be
made up of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th bots in your Bot Set. The
Defenders will be the 2nd, 4th, and 6th bots in your Bot Set roster.
Bots 8-10 are not used. Place desired Assault participants into the
roster accordingly, in the necessary order (this has nothing at all
to do with who is designated as Story AI Enemy 1, 2, 3 etc.).
Assault phase Logics (limited in their options) will work while
playing the map in Story mode, but Story Logics (any option that is
not available also while setting up Assault Logic) will not work
when playing the map in Assault mode. While Assault Logics do work
in Story, Assault PHASES exist only when playing the map in Assault
mode. Very confusing.
The on-the-disc sample map "A Little Head?" does not work if you try
to play it (no enemies spawn). However, after attempting to play
it, the level design will be in the console's memory. Choose
Edit/Create New Map, then Preview the map within the mapmaker
utility. The level is now playable for some reason.
Transferring saved maps between GCN and PC is possible with the
GameCube USB Memory Adapter. Get one (search online for retailers)
and exchange maps via the internet, even on Gamecube; submit save
files here at GameFAQs.com for download by other players. Please?
On XBOX, aside from enabling much smoother lighting changes, the
UNDO function seems to remember many more steps than Gamecube. On
XBOX the Clear Day sky has a desert plain as a ground far below; on
Gamecube the bottom of the Clear Day sky is just the sky mirrored.
On Gamecube the glare of the sun or of light fixtures (and shielding
thereof) is much more impressive than on XBOX.
Ideas and Inspiration
---------------------
In floating space ships, make a door leading inside, leading to a
teleporter. Put the other end of the teleporter in a "secret room"
with bunches of spawn and attack enemies. They will look like they
are pouring impossibly out of the ship.
Make teleporters that are actually "time portals", leading to
"secret rooms" that are slight variants of the starting room, each
room representing past and future. Oh, the possibilities...
If you run out of memory to do all you want to do in a particular
Story mode level, break it down into simpler sub-levels (i.e. a
Valley of the Sphinx level, an Entering the Sphinx level, an Under
the Sphinx level, a Deep, Deep Under the Sphinx level... you get
the point). The really ambitious can create an opus of continuously
connected adventure. (Note: by "continuously connected" I do not
mean the Player can literally teleport from one map into another
map. You would have to load and play them individually in their
logically named/numbered order.)
For Story mode maps, insert multiple Start points so that the level
will offer different challenges depending on which start point is
randomly used upon loading.
Scottydangerfun, 6/15/06:
(Roman Temple) Start with Large Stackables all over Floor 2. Except
in the middle, delete two so there's nothing there. Then go to
Floor 3. There, put two large Stackables. Then, you should have a
raised platform. You need a way up there, so go back to Floor 2 and
put a large ramp in front of the raised platform. Now, you have 1
raised platform with a way up. Now, for the Roman part, go into
items and get the barricade item (make sure you're on Egyptian
tileset) it will look like a pillar. Now, put these pillars all
around it and then you have everything but the roof. For the roof,
just put a bunch of Regular pieces on Floor 4 above the temple.
Note that everything but the temple will need to be stackabled on
every level but 1 and 5.
Blue Donkeykong, 6/30/06:
Fire Temple: Make an Egyptian level red. Add the sunset sky. Mexican
Mission music fits nicely;
Ice Temple: Make an Egyptian level greenish blue, with an Arctic sky
and snow. Temple music fits nicely;
Make an Egyptian level into a Cavern-like place. I made a level
based around the concept of Chasm from TS2. Using stackables, I made
two halves of a level connected by bridges. If you fell, you'd fall
onto a dark bottom floor and you'd have to take ramps back up. Make
it dark to seem more like a Cavern. TS3 Siberia music fits it, but
the song makes the level boring. Military Bunker Tileset is a better
option. If you get bored with the level (I did), remove the roof,
make a gloomy sky and add rain. It spiced it up quite a bit. I
renamed it Canyon;
Make a horror level seem like a Castle by making the top floor a
bunch of open corridors put together to make a big area and some
trenches to add more of a Castle feel to it;
If you want to make a level have a TS2 feel to it, make it all TS2
weapons, bots, and use the Virtual Tileset music. It's actually the
Gothic Tileset song from TS2, and matches any level nicely.
RainingMetal, 7/1/06:
Try to make a remake of one of the levels from TS2. I'm currently on
AtomSmasher.
SugarLipsHabasi, 7/29/2006:
Add side quests to your story maps. For instance, a 'Hidden Cat'
secondary objective where you place strudel in an out of reach dark
corner of the level.
Spymaster_gold, 8/2/2006:
Why don't you try to make a Horror mansion? I'm in the process of
making a zombie outbreak level that starts in the alleys of a city
and moves to a building.
Well... Time to split!
====================================================================
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned
by their respective trademark and copyright holders.
This work may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or
otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission.
Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public
display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.