Making a new WAD

by George Maciver

Have you ever converted your project and seen Lara's butts running around in game? Messing with WAD files can seem daunting and it is true that great care is needed with them but it isn't difficult once you understand how the Editor works.

Simply put, your PRJ is your working level, your map. When you load your project it also loads your WAD files and your texture TGA set. When you output your WAD all the information from your map is saved back into the WAD files in your graphics/wads folder. When you convert your level using the Tom2pc utility, all the information stored in your WAD files is converted into a playable TR4 file in your data folder. It is this TR4 file which you play in game.

Problems arise when folks mix up WAD files and maps during the conversion process. To keep things simple, it is good practice to have separate WAD files for each level. This is easy to do.

For example, if you've been using the tut1 WAD files, make a copy of them and then rename all the copied WAD files from tut1 to your own name, ie, mylevel.* etc. In the example below the WAD files have been renamed to szsz4. You must rename all the WAD files correctly and leave all the extensions, ie, .TOM .lar .CD etc in place. It is a good idea to copy and past the new name so you don't make mistakes. Be sure to check all the extensions to ensure they're right.

Once you've done that you then output to the new name TOM file, in this case szsz4.TOM, then convert the szsz4.TOM file using Tom2pc. This will create an szsz4.tr4 file in your data folder.

However, if you try to play your game you will still play the original tut1 converted level so now you have to change the script to tell the game engine which tr4 file to play when you load the level so the game will play this new szsz4.tr4 file and not the original tut1.tr4 file. This is done by overwriting the script with the name of your new level making sure you leave the forward slash and the comma in place, as illustrated below.

Do this for each level you're working on to keep the WADs separate. And that's it!

Back to Top