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Getting Started
Please note:
Most new custom Tomb Raider adventures are being released in a
format which allows you to play them directly from the download.
Please read the release notes included in the download to see if
this is the case.
The first thing you will need is
the Tomb Raider level editor. It comes free with Tomb Raider
Chronicles (if you buy Tomb Raider Chronicles make sure the Tomb
Raider Level Editor is with it!) or you can download it from this
site for free.
This is a big download of 175 Mb so if you’re on dial up you may
want to consider buying Tomb Raider Chronicles to get it on CD.
When you install the level editor, choose
Custom Install NOT Full installation. This is an old game and
the full installation includes an old version of DirectX7
which you don’t want. So select custom install and in the next
screen scroll down and untick the DirectX7 box
and then install the game. If you select Full Installation with
XP you will get a critical error message. This is due to trying
to install the older version of DirectX onto your machine. The
Editor will still play despite the error message, so don’t worry
about it if you’ve already done it.
If you’re running XP you will find the load times between levels
unacceptably long so you will also want to download the trle XP
fast loading patch.
XP Patched TRLE Exe
When you’ve downloaded this new file, find your Tomb Raider
level editor folder on your machine. Click My Computer – local
disk (C Drive) – Programme Files – Core Design – trle. You are
now looking at the files and folders in your trle ROOT folder
and they should look something like this:
If you've used the editor that
came with the CD you should be able to see these eight yellow
folders entitled audio, data, graphics, logo, manual, maps,
script and sound. If you've downloaded the online version the
files will perhaps be a little different. But don't worry, the
important folders you need to remember for now are the Audio and
Data folders.
You will also see a small icon of Lara in red called Tomb4. This
is the exe file that starts the game. If XP is your Operating
System, replace this file with the
XP Patched TRLE exe that you just
downloaded. You can simply copy and paste the new file or drag
and drop it.
You will also need to now add the
Revised WADs, which were released by Eidos, to the Graphics/WADs
folder. Download the Revised WADs here or from the Editor
Resources page.
Once you've downloaded the Revised
WAD files, follow the instructions in the enclosed readme and
copy all the files into your graphics/wads folder. Click the
folder called graphics, then the folder called wads and copy the
files in there, overwriting the existing files.
Your level editor is now ready for
use.
It is a good idea to save a complete copy of your entire trle
folder into a separate folder in My Documents or burn it onto
CD. Keep these original files you’ve just copied safely so that
after playing a custom level you can replace all the original
files and make your editor ready for your next custom game.
Download a Game you want to Play
Now find a game you wish you download and play. If you are new
to the Level Editor you need to download and play Tomb Raider
custom levels that have been released in tr4 format rather than
TOM format. So go to your favourite Custom level download site
and download the level you wish to play. There are plenty of
available games here at this site.
Choose a tr4 game because they are much easier to set up than
TOM games. Once you’ve learned the editor and understand how it
works you will be able to play TOM games but for now stick to
tr4 games. Yes, the downloads are bigger, but trust me, they are
much easier to set up and work with.
Let’s say you download my level, The Imprisoned Spirits - Next
Generation (download by clicking the link below) which is 157 Megabytes.
When you download it, the folder will be zipped. Unzip the
folder and carefully check the files inside and MAKE A NOTE OF
THEM.
You will see two yellow folders,
one called AUDIO and one called DATA. You will also see two DAT files called English and
Script. The authors notes (the Word Doc) should also be read as
this includes installation instructions, the story of the game,
numbers of secrets and the credits. The MAC scripts should be
used in place of the English and Script DAT files if you run a
MAC. Otherwise, ignore those files.
Inside the DATA folder you will find thirteen tr4 files entitled
spirit1.tr4 to spirit 11.tr4, spirithub.tr4 and title.tr4. Inside the AUDIO folder
you will find 28 sound tracks.
To Setup The Imprisoned Spirits - Next Generation
Open your trle ROOT folder by going the My Computer – local disk
(C Drive) – Programme Files – Core Design – trle route again and
open the DATA folder. Now open the DATA folder in the download
which contains spirit1 - spirit11, spirithub and title.tr4's and copy
them into your trle DATA folder.
Now put the 28 audio tracks in the AUDIO folder from the
download into the trle AUDIO folder.
Now put the two DAT files from the download (the English and
Script DAT files) into the trle ROOT folder. Copy over the
existing files.
And that’s it. There is nothing else to do. Start the game from
your programmes menu by going Start – Programmes – Core Design –
Tomb Raider Level Editor – Run Tomb Raider and enjoy your first
custom level adventure.
Preparing the Editor to Play another Game
Remember the note you made of the files that came with the
Imprisoned Spirits download? Do you also remember that you made
a copy of the entire level editor in My Documents or on CD?
Good, open the trle folder and then open your saved copy. Delete
the AUDIO folder in the trle ROOT folder and copy in the SAVED
ORIGINAL folder complete with all the sound tracks. Now delete
the thirteen spirit.tr4 files from
the DATA folder. If the game you downloaded overwrote any of the
original tr4 files, replace them from your saved originals. Now
replace the 2 DAT files,
English and Script. Your level editor is ready for your next
adventure!
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