10.1 Editing Tools

  The Level Editor for has finally been released. The description of the "toolkit" is taken directly from the Official web site.



Tron Tools (Updated)




tron_tools.zip - 13 MB, released 10/17/03

tron_tools.zip - File Mirror



NOTE: The level editor has been updated on 10.17.2003 with new installation instructions and prefabs for the sample maps.







Tron Tools (Original Release)




tron_tools.zip - 12 MB, released 10/09/03



The Tron 2.0 Level Editor will enable you to create your own single and multiplayer maps, which you can share with your fellow users. You must have Tron 2.0 and the v1.030 update or later installed to use the level editor.

The Tron 2.0 Level Editor is provided "as-is," and is not officially supported by Monolith Productions, Touchdown Entertainment, or Buena Vista Interactive. AN INSTALLATION OF THE GAME MODIFIED BY THE TOOLS CANNOT BE COVERED BY TECH SUPPORT. For community-based peer-to-peer support and discussion, visit the forums in tron20.net.







Tron Tools Install Instructions




Visit the 10.3 Multiplayer Levels section for a video tutorial on how to set up the editing tools!


  The installation instructions for the first release of the tools was badly written, leading to a lot of confusion among fans. The second release has updated the instructions, which does help somewhat . . . but it could still be clearer.

  The following is an attempt to describe the steps for installing the tools, as clearly as possible. Be aware that when you're done with the full installation of the tools, it will use at least 2.5 GB of disk space!



To install the updated Tron Tools properly, do the following:









Using DEdit




Visit the 10.3 Multiplayer Levels section for video tutorials on how use DEdit, to create maps!


  To get you started using DEdit, you can visit the site Nolfgirl.com and download the video tutorials they have there. These tutorials are for an old version of DEdit, used for editing the original No One Lives Forever game by Monolith. However, many of the same principles still apply. Watching these will help you understand the basics of DEdit, because a number of things haven't really changed since then.

  For your convenience, below are direct links to the most relevant tutorials. They are in .zip files, and once you unzip them you need to use the Windows Media Player to watch the resulting .wmv files.


building.zip - 3 MB, How to start building a level
sliding_door.zip - 1 MB, How to make a sliding door (probably not that useful)
transparent.zip - 1.1 MB, How to make transparent objects
sky.zip - 834 KB, How to add a sky to your level
brush.zip - 2.3 MB, More detailed instructions on working with brushes
lighting.zip - 1.5 MB, How to add lights to your level
rotating_door.zip  - 1 MB, How to add a rotating door (probably not that useful)
weapons.zip - 1.3 MB, How to add weapons (probably not that useful)
sound.zip - 670 KB, How to add sounds to your levels
water.zip - 1.1 MB, How to add water to your level (in our case, energy pools)
done.zip - 481 KB, How to process your level when you're done



  Here are some more links worth checking out, for more DEdit tips. Most of these sites talk about NOLF 1, NOLF 2, and AvP 2, but again many of the same principles apply to .

http://www.planetavp.com/modmaker/
http://coty.ms11.net/
http://www.spydave.net/
http://www.nicepurchase.com/nolf/dedit.htm
http://www.thegluefactory.com/forums/index.php






How to Install Custom Maps and Mods




If you don't want to worry about installing maps and mods yourself, the new REZ Handler will install them for you!


  A map or mod is typically compressed in a .zip file, which will need to be decompressed first. Inside the .zip you will usually find one or more .rez files. However, it is also possible that the map or mod is in the form of a .rar file, an installer, or even a self-extracting executable .zip.

  If the latter is the case, then the installer or self-extractor should install the map or mod to the proper place without you having to do anything. (Though if you installed the game to a custom directory, it's possible a self-extracting .zip will still want to install to the base path of C:\Program Files\Buena Vista Interactive\Tron 2.0, and you'll have to change the entire path manually to x:\YourTronDir\Custom\Resources or x:\YourTronDir\Custom\Mods\ModName.) If the file is in .rar format, you will need WinRAR to decompress it.

  If the map or mod is just one or more .rez files, then you will have to move them to the proper place in your game folder.



To install maps:



To install mods:









Tools created by the Community




rezhandler_v1x3_setup.zip - 2.8 MB, released 08/02/05 by tronfaq (aka redrain85)


  REZ Handler has been designed to help players work around the Custom Map .rez file limit on v1.030 or later of the game.


   has a limit on the number of custom-made map .rez files you can use at once, before strange errors start to occur. The most common one is Error copying file cshell.dll. But there are other odd problems that can happen too . . . like the version number of the game decreasing, among other things.


  Why the .rez file limit even exists, is kind of baffling. The only answer can be that Monolith didn't expect fans of their games to create more than a handful of their own custom levels. So, they never bothered to design the Lithtech game engine to be able to use very many of them.

  The program author tried various techniques in the past to get around the .rez limit (combining custom map .rez files manually, disabling obsolete .rez files that are part of the game itself, etc.), but none had satisfactory results. Certainly, none of them were an easy, painless solution. And while those who have experience with this problem may find a way to work around it, newcomers won't immediately realize it even exists.


  So, I decided to do something about the problem. REZ Handler is the result. Until Monolith fixes the .rez limitation, this program has been designed primarily to keep your custom map .rez files under the limit. (However, over the course of developing the program . . . it actually became something much more sophisticated.)


  But before describing the program, let's talk about custom .rez files and where they go.

  When you finish your own level/map after using DEdit — from the tron_tools.zip (13 MB) package — it needs to be packed up with any other required files, into what's called a .rez file. Which is just a simple format for combining several files into one. When players download your level, they place the .rez file in a Custom\Resources folder that they create, in the game folder. So the folder to put custom levels in, ends up being called x:\YourTronDir\Custom\Resources . . . where x:\YourTronDir is the directory you installed the game to. Players will then be able to play your map online.

  It's important to distinguish the difference between a level/map, and what's called a mod. Mods also come in the form of .rez files, which can make it difficult to tell them apart from maps. But mods do not go in the same directory as maps. Instead, mods go into a Custom\Mods\ModName folder structure that the player creates, in the game folder. So the folder to put a custom mod in, ends up being called x:\YourTronDir\Custom\Mods\ModName . . . where x:\YourTronDir is the directory you installed the game to. Mods are typically used to add new Single Player missions, or modify the behavior of the game. (e.g. The Light Cycle Custom Colors and Super Speed Mod.) You can only have one mod active at a time. A mod is activated through the game launcher instead of using REZ Handler, by clicking on the new Custom button that appears, and then checking the box beside the mod you want active. An active mod does count against your .rez limit, but REZ Handler takes this into account the next time you run it.


  You will not need to worry about much of this, if you use REZ Handler. It will create the necessary folders when you run it, and can install maps and mods for you. It will also keep track of all active map and mod .rez files, constantly ensuring you don't go over the limit. The only thing you need to be certain of is that when you use the program's Install Maps feature you actually install maps, and you use the Install Mods feature to actually install mods. The program can't automatically tell them apart. So read the description carefully when you download a file, to determine whether it's a map or mod.

  Make it a habit to run REZ Handler first, before playing . That way you can always be sure that you are under the limit, and will not have any problems when you play the game.



  With that out of the way, let's look at the REZ Handler program.

  The program is pretty straightforward. You should be able to use it very easily, without even having to read this document.

  REZ Handler disables map .rez files by renaming them with a .derez extension. Then, when you choose to enable .rez files, it renames them back the way they were. It's a ridiculously simple, yet effective method. Also, using a .derez extension somehow seemed fitting, don't you think? The Lithtech engine doesn't recognize the files when they have a .derez extension, and ignores them. Hence, the .rez file limit problem is solved by renaming enough files.



  Changes in v1.3

  Changes in v1.2

  Changes in v1.1

  Original v1.0


  Some things to keep in mind








WinRezLTStudio.exe - 4.4 MB, released 04/23/03 by Black-Angel Software



  WinRez LT Studio is a free set of GUI tools to help with your editing tasks in any Lithtech game, including . Even though the WinRez LT Studio has been billed as being compatible with Win 2000/XP only, the author has run most of the suite on Win 98/Me with success. (The only program definitely incompatible with Win 98, is Res Edit.) The package consists of three programs: WinRez LT, DTX Viewer, and Res Edit. Before we get to the main program, let's talk about the other two.

  DTX Viewer allows you to view the textures used in Lithtech games. These .dtx textures are in a proprietary format, so a program like DTX Viewer comes in real handy. Especially since it allows you to preview and see a .dtx file right in My Computer of Windows Explorer by highlighting it . . . provided you enabled the Show common tasks in folders option. (Note though, that DEdit also lets you view .dtx textures.)

  Res Edit lets you easily edit the cres.dll file, used by Lithtech games to store text strings. So every time you see a printed message on the screen, chances are it's located in the cres.dll file, hidden away in one of the game's .rez files. Instead of using a difficult program like a hex editor or something similar, Res Edit lets you easily edit the text used in the game. It lists every text string in the file, which you can click on and change to whatever you want. If you use the edited copy of cres.dll you made, the game's text will now be changed.


  The main WinRez LT program itself, is used to edit or create .rez files. You can extract their contents, add files or folders, and delete files or folders. It's much easier to work with than the LithRez.exe program provided by Monolith. You'll want to use this to put your custom made map .dat files into .rez files, for distribution to the community.

  There is also a Pro version of WinRez, that has extra features but it isn't free. You can find out more by visiting this page.