help in making a first person shooter

Akin_seasoned_askari · Fri Jun 25, 2004 7:38 pm

I really need to know the tools to get me started on this great quest.

tools I need would be(sites to where I can find these would be great)
--a map maker
--a model maker
--a skinner
--a compiler for all of these.

I am looking for the cheapest and easiest to learn. Thanks for your help.

afecelis · Post by **afecelis** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:12 pm

1.map makers:

gtkradiant (ID license restricted)
http://www.qeradiant.com/

Quark (Quake Army knife) - free for commercial projects -needs independent bsp compiler
http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~quark/

Cartography shop: doesn't export to bsp, exports to .x so you get no lightmaps, lights must be added thru Irrlicht: this one costs around US$60-70
http://cartographyshop.thegamecreators.com/

2. Low poly modelers:

milkshape3d: the ms3d model format can be imported directly, but ms3d imports and exports any game format as well: US$25
http://www.milkshape3d.com/

anim8or: version 0.9 soon to come out, and it's free. You can export to 3ds and obj, I think
http://www.anim8or.com

ac3d: very good modeler with excellent opengl support, exports to various game formats as well via plugins. US$49
http://www.ac3d.org

3. A skinner: the best and cheapest money can get; Unwrap3d. US$39.95 . It can also be used as a great model importer-exporter
http://www.unwrap3d.com/

4. Compiler? don't understand what you mean. The level editors got compilers in order to export geometry to bsp, but they're included. For models, you don't need to compile, just export to a model Irrlicht can work with (check Irrlicht's models availability), and for skinning, you do it on those models. I can recommend an excellent character animation package: CharacterFX US$15
http://www.insanesoftware.de/

I heard there's also a free character animation project called Cal3d.
http://cal3d.sourceforge.net/

that's pretty much it to get a project up an running, under $100 or sometimes for free. The most important thing....get Irrlicht!!!!

cheers!

Acki · Post by **Acki** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:21 pm

Well, the minimum you need is a modelling tool, a C++ compiler and Irrlicht !!!

some modelling tools:
3D-StudioMax (expensive)
Milkshape 3D (shareware) www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft/
GMax (free-3DSMax) - but a little bit tricky to use, because no Irrlicht-compatible export, but possible to use with addons...
Anim8tor (freeware)

some C++ SDKs:
MS-VisualC++ (expensive)
DevC++ (freeware) www.bloodshed.org (or .com ???)

For sounds you'll have to use a seperate sound sdk like OpenAL...
And for real physics you'll have to use a seperate physics engine like Newton or Tokamak...

I think the best and cheapest choice would be MilkShape3D and DevC++ !!!

I use DevC++, MilkShape, OpenAl and Tokamak !!!

CU, Acki

afecelis · Post by **afecelis** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 3:27 am

http://www.bloodshed.net/

afecelis · Post by **afecelis** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 1:33 pm

Sorry for not understanding about compilers. MS compilers are not that expensive. You can get the standard version of MS vc++ .net for US$80-90. There's even a nice Microsoft press version that comes with a step by step 500 pages book and it's even cheaper (including the 6 cds of msvc++ .net standard). I bought it at Amazon for about $70, but if you check now I bet it's cheaper, or you can buy a used version in good conditions. It's a great compiler; the only drawback is tthat it's got no code optimisation but it still works pretty good. The exes I compile with .net are smaller than the ones I get with MSvc++ 6.0.

Or get a copy of MSvc++6.0. It must be even cheaper nowadays.

Electron · Post by **Electron** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 3:36 pm

more modelers (google for them, i'm too lazy to look up urls)

blender - very powerful but high learning curve

JTEdit -- only free modeler I know with working .x export (though blender has partially working and I've heard there's a trick with gmax). JTedit has some problens, crashes often, less future than blender

lithunwrap - texturing mostly

DeleD -- level editor, exports to .X

bal · Post by **bal** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 4:13 pm

I would suggest Blender too. It takes a while before you understand the non-Windows interface. But you can almost do the same like in professional programs... And the .x exporter still has some bugs but a new version is coming (http://xoomer.virgilio.it/glabro1/python232.html)

Acki · Post by **Acki** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 5:57 pm

afecelis wrote:MS compilers are not that expensive. You can get the standard version of MS vc++ .net for US$80-90.

But it's still more expensive than DevCpp, for example

Akin_seasoned_askari · Sat Jun 26, 2004 9:01 pm

Thanks for all your help... I have Vis Studio pro so that should bring the cost down.. What I mean when I said compiler is this (.map to .bsp or .x to .pak3) or something like that.

afecelis · Post by **afecelis** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 2:29 am

@Acki: yep, nothing beats the price of DevC++....free!!!!

I got it installed as well for testing purposes and I must admitt it's pretty spiffy and neat to work with. In other words, it's a very good program - pro level as well.

@Akin: then I got you right when you said "compilers", didn't I? Well, as I told you, if you use gtkradiant it uses Q3map2 as bsp-vis-rad compiler, but its license is restricted so you'd better find an alternate way of creating your bsps, and that would be using Quark and a compiler such as map3bspc
http://map3bspc.sourceforge.net/

but personally I couldn't get it to work with Quark. Quark works well with Radiant's Q3map2. There are 2 other free bsp compilers around, try searching for them in the forums.
I would think of bsp if I definitely need lightmaps baked on my textures, but if you're planning to use dynamic lights then you might model your levels in .x with Cartography Shop, which I personally think is a kick-ass level editor with no license restrictions.

You could also try Gmax or 3dsmax. There r several tuts around on how to create levels with them.

cheers!

warui · Post by **warui** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 8:42 am

@Acki:
Microsoft Visual C++ Toolkit 2003 is also free

http://msdn.microsoft.com/visualc/vctoolkit2003/