Workshop - Step 8

# Step 8:
Compile and copy level

| Introduction
| Set number of episode and level
| Last changes
| Compile level (create binary)
| Copy all level files to your Falcon

Introduction

### Introduction

You have edited all sectors of the workshop level, all general level settings like startpoint of the player, textur for the sky etc. have been done.

The following step explains, how to compile the level for the Running Falcon 3D engine and how to include the level in the original Running distribution.

The first version of this editor was planed to create include files for the Atari assembler programme. Include files, which stand for a Running level, do look like:

    level
    		dc.l trains
    		dc.l monsters
    		dc.l files
    		dc.l boden
    		dc.l startpoint
    		dc.l timelimit
    		dc.l level_end-level
    		dc.l level_infos
    		dc.l sec000
    		dc.l sec001
    		dc.l sec002
    		even
    li_let_txt
    		dc.l 89640
    		dc.b "THE TIME IS OVER!",0
    		even
    camera_000
    		dc.w 93
    		dc.l -5744
    		dc.l  31600
    		dc.l 480
    		dc.w 0
    		dc.w 64

For playing the level on your Atari you have to copy the created include files to your Atari and compile the whole Running sourcecode including this new file. But this would mean, that you first need an Atari assembler and second you need the Running sourcecode. This is not possible. So this editor creates such an include file in the first pass. The second pass of the editor then creates from this Atari assembler include file a binary file, which just can be loaded from the Atari Running programme.

The include files, which could be loaded by a normal Atari assembler, have the extension *.s.

The second pass then reads again this include file (*.s) and converts the data to a real binary file. This binary file will have the extension *.rld. Both steps (*.s and *.rld) are best performed on your harddisk (and not on a normal floppy disk). The second pass can be achieved by setting the checkbox [Create binary] (see later on).

The mentioned steps we will now explain in detail:

Episode and level

### Set number of episode and level

Running games consist of episodes. Every episode consists of several levels. Episodes and levels are numbered from 0 (zero). The official Running distribution has one (1) episode (Atomic Power Plant, episode 0) with at all five (5) level (level 0 to 4).

There is a file, which sets the correct numbers of the episodes and level. The file data\episode.dat is stored in your Running folder on your Atari harddisk. The file does have the following format, spaces and line breaks are not allowed:

X stands for the number of episodes, Y stands for the number of level of the respective episode. The file is a real ASCII file without spaces and/or line breaks. Using the original Running distribution with its one episode (five level) the file does look is this way (of course without of line breaks):

    1ATOMIC POWER STATION%
    5data\outlying.rld%data\office.rld%
    data\undergrd.rld%data\science.rld%
    data\reactor.rld%

It would be simple to manipulate the sequence of the level by editing this file on your Atari Falcon. So there's a mechanism to prevent this. Every level file also has the information for which episode and level number it has been designed. If the Running engine loads a level and the number of episode and level are not correct, the loading would be stopped.

Our goal is to build up a new episode with one level. So there's the first episode Atomic Power Plant and a second one. Let's call this new second episode Tutorial. It consists of only one level, the workshop level. So we have to edit the file data\episode.dat on the Atari Falcon. The file can be found in the Running folder on the Atari. We must use an ASCII editor.

The first number (now 1) stands for the number of episodes at all. We change this number to 2 (there are two episodes from now on). At the end of the full line we attach the information for the second episode (remember: do not use any spaces or line breaks). We set a name for this second episode and attach TUTORIAL and the character of a per cent. The second episode has 1 (one) level, so we attach a 1 for the number of the level for this episode and then the path to the level file, relative to your Running folder. The path ends again with the sign of a per cent. That's it.

Having done, the file has the following information (without spaces and line breaks). The file also is stored in the folder \manual\workshop on this CD.

    2ATOMIC POWER STATION%
    5data\outlying.rld%data\office.rld%
    data\undergrd.rld%data\science.rld%
    data\reactor.rld%
    TUTORIAL%1data\tutorial.rld%

Save this file on your Atari in the folder data.

Last changes

### Last changes

We have to take into consideration the pre-mentioned mechanism, that someone cannot simply change the file data\episode.dat to play the level in the wrong sequence. Select in the main windows the menu entries [Edit] and [General level settings]. Change to the tab [Extra] and edit the numbers for episode and level. Our tutorial workshop level will be in the second episode (numbered 1) the first level (numbered 0). Please change the values to:

- Numbering (Episode): 1
- Numbering (Level): 0

Close the dialog using the button OK and save the whole level using [File] [Save].

Compiling

### Compile level (create binary)

Please choose in the main windows the menu entries [File] [Create Falcon030-Level].

The following small dialog appears:

Confirm the dialog as shown, that means

- Create binary as *.rld: The editor creates an assembler include file (*.s) and a binary file *.rld for the Running engine.
- Copy to A:\: The file *.rld is copied to the diskette in drive A:\.

Having confirmed the dialog a file save dialog appears. Here you have to specify the path and name of the assembler include file *.s. The file must be on a harddisk. So change to the folder on your harddisk, where all files of the tutorial level are stored. Please specify tutorial.s as filename. Confirm the dialog using OK.

Pass 1 & 2

The first step now creates the file tutorial.s on your harddisk.

You have activated the checkbox Create binary as *.rld, so the editor creates from the assembler include file tutorial.s a binary file tutorial.rld in the same directory of the file tutorial.s. This second step is splitted into Pass 1 and Pass 2.

Having no errors in the level, you see the following message box:

Attention: Please insert a formatted diskette into drive A:\ before confirming this dialog. The level file tutorial.rld will be copied to disk. Take care to

- insert a disk in drive A: and
- check to have enough free space on this disk for the level file.

Copy

### Copy all level files to your Falcon

#### Level file tutorial.rld

This file still is on your diskette. Just copy the file to your Running folder on the Atari to data\tutorial.rld. Of course the folder data must exist...

#### Graphic files

Open again the dialog [General level settings] and change to the tab[Graphic files]. For every not empty slot you have to activate the checkbox [to *.dit]. Please also activate the checkbox [Copy converted files to A:\].

Insert an empty formatted disk and click on the button [to *.dit]. All files now are converted to a special Running format and copied to disk.

Copy all files from disk (extension *.dit) to the folder data (on the Falcon in the Running folder).

#### Sample files

You must copy yourself any sample files to the folder data\samples on the Falcon. In the workshop level we do not use any samples.

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