Copyright (C) 2006 Mancuso Raffaele
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the
terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version
published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no
Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. You can find a copy of the GNU Free
Documentation License version 1.2 here
ARES' GUIDE
Index
1.
What is Ares
2.
License
5.
Level editor
8.
User tracks
9.
Scripts
Appendix
A: Support
Appendix B: This guide's license
Appendix C: Changes
1. What is Ares
Ares is a 3d first person shooter, development with irrlicht
graphic engine.
2. License
Ares is released under the terms of the GPL. You can find a copy of the GPL here or click on start->programs (or
all programs if you have windowsxp)->ares->license. This guide is released under the terms of
the FDL version 1.2 (freeware documentation license). You can find a copy of
the FDL version 1.2 here.
3. Ares' commands
This is Ares' commands:
Up
walk forward
Down
walk backward
Left
walk left
Right
walk right
Mouse
aim
Left mouse button shoot
Right mouse button jump
End
center the sight
ctrl
bend down
M
key
active\deactive the sight
1
key
shot gun
2
key
machine gun
3 key rifle
gun
A
key
capture a screenshot and save it into ares\screenshots
4. Additional levels
Ares' additional levels are separated into 3 parts:
1. Level's model\s (.x,.3ds,.obj,.csm,.dae,COLLADA
.xml,.dmf,.ms3d,.my3d,.oct,.lmts,.bsp,.md2);
2. Script that contains information about medikit's
and monster's position and rotation, if the diffuse light is present, the
initial position of the weapon and other informations
(.aresmap or .aresm2)
WARNING: level's installation script it not supported yet, because now
when you double click on a .aresm2 file, ares will start
automatically
Level's model (1st point) contains information about walls,colums,roofs,floors and all solid geometrics that
compose the level. Level's model must be in a supported format. Supported
formats are: Directx X (.x),3d Studio (.3ds),Maya (.obj),Cartography shop 4 (.csm)m,COLLADA (.dae),COLLADA (.xml),Delgine DeleD (.dmf),Milkshape (.ms3d),My3D
(.my3d),OCT (.oct),Pulsar LMTools
(.lmts) ,Quake 3 levels (.bsp)
,Quake 2 models (.md2) .Level's model can be created with whatever 3d modeller
that can export in one supported format. Here are some
of most famous 3d modeller to create levels. They're downloadable from the
respective internet sites in brackets:
Q3Radiant (www.qeradiant.com), is quake's level editor. Save the level in the .map
format that must be compiled into .bsp format with
the integrated utility. Ares support .bsp format.
Blender (http://www.blender.org)
is a free and open source 3d modeller. It has got a
excellent exporte for .x model. But it is not
user-friendly a lot.
Anim8or (http://www.anim8or.com) . Freeware and good documentated.
Use a propietary format (.an8), but it can export
into .3ds (supported), obj (supported), vtx (not supported), and .c(not
supported).
For a complete list of most famous 3d modeller (freeware and shareware) go in
this
internet site http://www.irrforge.org/index.php/3D_Modellers
If you create the model with a modeller that can't export in any supported
format, try Crossroads,
a free utility to convert the models in an other format.
or visit this site for a complete
exporter\model converter list
5. Level editor
The second part of an additional level is a script file, with .aresm2 (or old .aresmap)
extention, that contain informations
about level models (see above), position
and y rotation of medikits and mosters,
the initial position of the player,
position and ray of the lights,the sky,if use or not diffuse lighting,exc..
The format .aresm2
is ASCII not compressed. This mean that you can read and\or
modify a .aresm2 file with a program like notepad, wordpad,
word or any others
programs that support file ASCII not compressed.
It is not enough to know in what part of the level you want to position
medikits,monsters,ecc..,but
you must know the position on the 3 axis (x,y,z).
So you can use Ares' level editor, that allows to position elements in visual
way and with a graphical interface, and it calculate automatically the position
on the 3 axis and all others parameters. The level editor can load\save the
levels directly in the format .aresm2
To start the level editor :
-download it from here
or visit ares web site
and click on tools button
-decompress the downloaded file with an utility like winzip,winrar,7 zip or other utility which can decompress .zip
file
-install it by click on install.exe button
-start ares
-click on level editor button
For more information see the documentation of the level editor (level edtiro\documentation)
To start your levels, simply double click on
.aresm2 file
7. Technical characteristics
Ares uses those library:
Irrlicht for graphic
FMOD Ex for audio
Lua for
scripting
Tolua++
to interface c++ with lua
Collisions are based on bounding boxes.
8. User tracks
If you want to play your songs as background music
during the game, open the
folder ares\user tracks and copy all songs here.
Supported
formats for default are mp1,mp2,mp3,midi and ogg. But if you download one or more patch, you can extend
supported file formats. Here is the description of every patch and the file
format supported by the patch:
Name: Ares most used codec patch
Supported file
formats: cdda,flac,mod,ogg,wav
Name:Ares rarely used codec patch
Supported file
formats:
aiff,asf,,asx,fsb,it,m3u,mod,pls,raw,s3m,wax,xm
To download a patch, click
here or visit Ares web site and click on
tools button.
Ares can play the songs sequentially or casually (choose play metod in the first screen that appear when you start Ares)
For informations about scripts, see
scripts’ documentation here
Appendix A: Support
Ares support e-mail: ares_support@virgilio.it
Ares web: http://aresfps.sf.net
If you notice a bug and you want to signal it to me, you can send me
this module (partially compiled also) in the e-mail address above and\or post
it in the forum "Bug reports" accessible from here. Thanks
for your bug-report
BUG REPORT
Ares version (write your ares version)
1.Information about your computer
Frequency of your processor(mhz\ghz):
Manufacturing of your processor (specify the model if possible):
Operating system:
Video card (manufacturing and model):
Video memory (VRAM):
Audio card:
RAM:
2.Information about the bug :
Bug type(crash,ecc..):
Bug's description (describe the bug carefully but not very longly):
When occurs the bug?:
Is the bug reproducible? (yes\no):
3.Personal information
Do you want to be contacted by e-mail if are necessary more informations
to solve the bug? (yes\no. It will come
considered as your address e-mail the sender's address used for sending
this bug report. Warning: if you answer yes, your e-mail address won't affiliate
at services,lists and
mailing lists. I won't send you publicities and I won't communicate to others
your e-mail address. If you send this bug report in the forum, leave this field
empty):
THANKS FOR YOUR BUG-REPORT!!!!! :-)
Appendix B: This guide's license
To show the license
of this guide, click here