FAKK2 Editing
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Tutorial03 deals with how to add the Eden sky backdrop to your level as seen in the early FAKK2 levels. First download tutorial03.zip. You'll noticed it has no script file so the only thing you should be concerned about is the black box below the actual level. You can copy the box and it's contents from the .map file I provided and paste into your own levels. Basically, within the black box is the .tik model of the world that will be rendered onto the sky textures in the level. You actually add anything you want within the box to be used as the sky, I'll cover this later. Each brush that is a sky is textured with the "skyportal" texture found in the "common" texture directory. To get the .tik model of the world, right click to add a SKY entity, you should see a list pop up and choose the eden sky. This will create the .tik model. Edit it's entity properties to set the MAKE_STATIC flag checked and also give it a targetname of "sky". The MAKE_STATIC flag ensures that it is lit correctly during the compile process.

Next, fly inside the bubble of the model and create a small 16x16x16 brush textured whatever, and turn it into a script_object entity by right clicking while the brush is selected and choosing from the menu popup. This script_object will act as a camera floating high in the sky that looks at what is inside the box, and then projects it onto the screen, which is the skyportal texture for your level.

Hit "n" to edit the entity properties of the script_object and give it a targetname of "skycam" Next click on the "Script..." in the lower right corner and add the following:

rendereffects "+skyorigin"

This will ensure that the script_object with the targetname of skycam is designated as the "camera in the sky". Targetname isn't actually needed. It is used when you want to use multiple skies for one level. You can do this through your level script with the following commands:

$skycam rendereffects "-skyorigin"
$skycam2 rendereffects "+skyorigin"

The minus character will deactivate the camera in the sky while the plus character will activate the other camera in the other skybox it.

right now you should have the following:

1) your sky brushes in the level textured with common/skyportal

2) a box textured as caulk surrounded by another box textured as black. The reason for this is because on RARE occasions the vis program will not render the correct sky backdrop if multiple skies are used. So most of the time you can texture the box only with black as caulk is not solid and will cause leaks.

3) the .tik model of the Eden landscape.

4) script_object with the rendereffects +skyorigin

The above four steps are all that are needed to make a sky box for FAKK2, however, you can expand on it but adding your own brushes, entities, etc to the skybox to be included as the sky. In fact, you don't even have to use a model of the landscape, you can use only brushes, maybe some SMALL models of trees and bushes, etc.

Adding Special FX: Sunflares and Storms

The following is taken directly from www.ritualistic.com's FAKK2 level editing forums. "Phook", who happens to be a level designer for Ritual Entertainment and designed some the most beautiful levels for FAKK2, (the first level for example) was generous enough to share his knowledge.

1) Find the coordinates of where your sun is in the skybox, I find it's fairly easy to place an entity like script_origin (it must be a point entity, not brush type) right on the spot that the sun sits.

2) Save the map and open up the entity window.

3) Copy those 3 numbers you see in the origin key and delete that entity.

4) Add the key "sunflare" to the world spawn and paste that origin in.

5) add "sunflare_inportalsky" "1" to the worldspawn as well.

In the level "homes2evil" you will notice the sky changes from calm/sunny to dark and cloudy. This was achieved through modifying the skyalpha of the Edensky .tik model which uses a shader. In the level script you can modify the skyalpha with the following command:

$world skyalpha [0-1]

The numbers between the values 0 through 1 can be floating integers; .3, .8, .69, etc. Oh yeah .666 too. Aren't I clever. Through the level script you can setup a block of code that will fade between the two sky states to simulate a weather change.

That should do it. Any problems, lemme know.

-BrushBaron