As I mentioned earlier, my ambition is to create a new single-player level for Half-Life and get it posted on the net. In this section I will chronicle the progress I'm making on this project, and share my thoughts and experiences with level editing in general.

Over the past several months, I've been gathering the tools of the level creator's trade, and learning to use them. These are the programs I'm using:.

• WorldCraft 2.1. (version 3.3 is available, but it doesn't seem to get along with my ancient PC too well). This is the level editor, and THE essential tool for creating a new level.

• Wally 1.55 (beta). The texture utility that lets you create and edit Half-Life .wad files. This will allow me to add a few custom textures to help make my level uniquely my own.

• MGI PhotoSuite (almost any graphics software will do - this is just the one I use). Useful for the graphics work that Wally can't do - like scanning images.

Up to now I've mostly been playing around with WorldCraft. I've built a few small areas of increasing complexity, and been trying out techniques that I read about in various tutorials. - and I've been reading a lot of tutorials. WorldCraft is not hard to use - but it isn't exactly intuitive either. Creating a common "rotating" door was impossible - until I read the tutorial (see my links page for sites with more tutorials).

There have also been a few disasters along the way. That brings me to my first "Rules for the Novice Mapper" section:

1. Save frequently, and make back-up copies of your maps after completing each section. That way when your working copy blows up, you won't have lost too much work (not that I always follow my own advice).

2. Vertex manipulation is hazardous. The rules are not always intuitive, and you won't see the errors that you create until you compile. It is an essential part of mapping, however, so you need to master it. See Rule 1 before starting, and compile frequently.

3. Flipping or rotating complex objects is also hazardous. If you need to flip or rotate a complex object, do it in a separate test map first. Did I mention rule 1?

4. Beware of prefabs others have created. Many are wonderful time-savers, but some are flawed and can introduce difficult to correct errors into your level - especially if you need to rotate or flip them. Test first .

Half-Life stores its textures in .wad files, and there a quite a few of them that WorldCraft can access from the original game. In fact if all you want to do is create a new part of Black Mesa, you probably won't need any other .wad files at all. Not much fun in that!

Many, MANY more textures are available from The Wadfather, most of them already in Half-Life format. Using a few of these can add a lot of interest to a level, and I've downloaded quite a bunch already. Wally can also take texture files from other Quake based games, as well as individual .bmp, jpg, and other graphics, and convert them into half-life textures.

I'm not quite content to simply use other peoples textures however. Using a digital camera, graphics software, and the Wally texture editor, it is possible to create your own unique textures and your own .wad file for Half-Life. I have created a tutorial on the subject: Textures from Plastic Models.

Unlike many other "first person shooter" games, original Half-Life had a strong story component. Although you don't have to have one, most of the best levels are also built around fairly good stories. Besides, with a good story idea, a good level should be much easier to create.

The story for my level begins "somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains" several months after the events at Black Mesa, with Gordon Freeman continuing as the main character. Gordon has joined an underground resistance movement, dedicated to stopping the evil Administrator and his rogue government operation. The group has received intelligence that the administrator has launched a new project involving Xen.

The level will consist of two parts. In the first Gordon must break into a secret base, discover what the Administrator is up to, then escape with the information. In the second part he will need to return to Xen to thwart the administrator's plans, then return to Earth. I have the story worked out in a lot more detail, but I don't want to give it all way before anyone plays it.

Okay, so I may not win a Pulitzer for this story, but it should be enough to provide the player with clearly defined goals, and a sense of accomplishment when finished. The story also serves to define the kinds of maps I will need to create: a secret base, some clever means to sneak in, an exciting escape route, some Xen areas including a facility or device that needs to be destroyed, and some way for Gordon to return home.

Now I'm ready to begin the actual task of creating the level. As I progress I'll be adding pages to this notebook.

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