Level Layout

[GogglesPizanno]

So Im doubting anyone knows the answer to this, but Im throwing it out there anyway. When you import a level layout file it imports all the objects to the map, but they don't show up in the in-game level editor. This is due to the the import not knowing what the template of the objects are. If you run the game, the objects all show up fine because while the import didn't know what the template was it does have the path to the mesh file to use.

So the question is, does anyone know a trick for getting the editor to recognize what the templates are for objects imported via a level layout file, as opposed to having to manually set the template for each object? I'd like to use the level layout file for the big grand level layout, but it makes it really hard to detail up a map when you cant see the placement of those objects in the editor.

[tommyboy]

Does putting a "template.txt" file in the object's dir help with this? I sort of thought that was the point of that file.

[GogglesPizanno]

Yeah you would think, but it doesn't.

As a test I tried importing the level layout from a standard game map using all built in objects and the same thing happened, so I'm guessing this is just another one of those little quirky FFEdit things that was never quite finished when the tools when out.

[tommyboy]

What we really need is something like the "send to dat" option in Alex's herotool, but for map layout files.
I imagine it's do-able, but my programing is going to have to improve a lot in order to be laughably bad, so I wont be doing it any time soon.
I will "speak" to alex about whether he can adapt his existing code to do this though.

Oh, and it is one of those inconsistent things where sometimes it works. Obviously I used the import function a lot in making the NYC megamaps, and it definitely works in Editor some of the time, but obviously not ALL the time.

[GogglesPizanno]

I figured out the level layout issue.
In order for it to work, you have to set the Nif library path in FFEdit to the library location where the physical nif files are. I mistakenly thought it was supposed to use the primary data path for everything first and only move on to the others if it couldn't find anything. But that's just the path for the dats.

Good safety tip.
Thanks Egon.

[stumpy]

Good to see you got that sorted. I was hunting through the code I used to parse the mission files last night, and, well, let's just say it leaves something to be desired. 

[Boalt92]

Arrgg!!!!

I wish I had known that BEFORE I created custom templates for everything that didn't match up... Like those stoopid ff_objects! 

Thanks for the tip though.

B92