Original Nolf1 FAQ

General Nolf1

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Original Nolf1 FAQ

Post by Spawn » Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:52 pm

Found this FAQ from the official www.noonelivesforever.com website. Most links are ofcourse outdated, and I also believe that most people have moved on from their SB Live! and Voodoo 5 cards by now :)
However, there is still good info in this FAQ


No One Lives Forever FAQ's

There are several FAQ's available for No One Lives Forever. They are linked below:

[*] Tech Support FAQ
[*] Content Creation FAQ
[*] Server Administrator FAQ
[*] General FAQ

Tech Support FAQ - LAST UPDATED 1/16/2001

[*] Installation
[*] Crashes/Lock-ups/Freezing
[*] Loading and Error Messages
[*] Graphics
[*] Sound
[*] Multiplayer
[*] Gameplay
[*] Compatibility
[*] Additional Tech Support Assistance

Installation
When installing the second disc, it starts playing music and can't find my files.
Make sure that any 3rd party CD playing software (Winamp, Sonique, etc…) has had Autorun disabled before you install NOLF. If the Autorun is on, then the music will play and the game will not install.

My computer stops installing NOLF at 2%
Take out disc 1 and put in disc 2. You will be asked to put in disc 1 again at the end of installation. Once you put the second disc in, you'll need to explore your CD-Rom drive and click on it to continue

Crashes/Lock-ups/Freezing
My game locks up
We're looking into the reasons why certain machines are crashing. If your machine is constantly crashing in-game, check the compatibility section. for tips on your system hardware and then continue reading below for some workarounds. Most of the issues reported so far have been system-specific.

If you are having problems with your game freezing, please try the following in this order:

[*] Disable Trilinear Filtering from the in-game menus: Options/Performance/Display
[*] Disable Triple Buffering from the Advanced Options on the game launcher
[*] Disable Hardware Cursor from the Advanced Options on the game launcher
[*] Disable Music from the Advanced Options on the game launcher
[*] Disable Sound from the Advanced Options on the game launcher

If it turns out that this disabling Music or Sound stops the problem, you may need to upgrade your sound card drivers. Also, please review the hardware listing section to check for information on your specific sound card

My game locks-up randomly and everything is disabled.
Check the sizes of the NOLF.rez and NOLF2.rez files by right-clicking on them in your NOLF installed directory.

NOLF.rez should be 618,254,258 bytes
NOLF2.rez should be 300,703,727 bytes

If the above file sizes do not correspond to the sizes of the copies in your NOLF install directory, put disc one in your CD-ROM drive. Explore the CD-ROM Drive by double-clicking My Computer, right-clicking your CD-ROM drive and selecting Explore. Click the Data directory, right-click on Nolf.rez, and select copy. Once you've copied the file, explore to your NOLF install directory on your hard drive (the default is C:\Program Files\ Fox Interactive\ NOLF), right-click in the NOLF directory and select Paste. A window should appear asking if you want to replace the file - select Yes. You will need to do the same with disc 2 if the NOLF2.rez file is incorrect.

Sound Blaster Live! Freezing
Reducing the hardware 'acceleration' level of the SBLive! card's driver (Control Panel -> Sounds and Multimedia -> Audio Tab -> Sound Playback 'Advanced" button -> 'Performance' Tab -> Hardware Acceleration Slider) from "Full" to just "Basic" acceleration, may help this problem.

Loading and Error Messages
When I try to run NOLF, I can't see Cate Archer in the menu screen and it won't let me load a level.
Check the sizes of the NOLF.rez and NOLF2.rez files by right-clicking on them in your NOLF installed directory.

NOLF.rez should be 618,254,258 bytes
NOLF2.rez should be 300,703,727 bytes

If the above file sizes do not correspond to the sizes of the copies in your NOLF install directory, put disc one in your CD-ROM drive. Explore the CD-ROM Drive by double-clicking My Computer, right-clicking your CD-ROM drive and selecting Explore. Click the Data directory, right-click on Nolf.rez, and select copy. Once you've copied the file, explore to your NOLF install directory on your hard drive (the default is C:\Program Files\ Fox Interactive\ NOLF), right-click in the NOLF directory and select Paste. A window should appear asking if you want to replace the file - select Yes. You will need to do the same with disc 2 if the NOLF2.rez file is incorrect. Once this is done, start up the game again and if you see the Cate Archer model in the main menu, then it should work. If you still do not see her, you may need to replace your NOLF disc.

When I launch the game, I get an ERROR in CglobalClientMgr::Init() OR Cshell.dll error.
These errors will appear if some essential files are not copied correctly off of the CD during installation. Please verify that your NOLF2.rez (and NOLF.rez file if you did a full install) in your NOLF install directory are the correct sizes:

NOLF.rez should be 618,254,258 bytes
NOLF2.rez should be 300,703,727 bytes

If these files aren't the correct sizes, delete the files in your Windows\temp directory, copy the files off the CDs manually (i.e., using cut and paste instead of the installer), and then paste them into the directory where the installer tried to copy them to in your NOLF install directory.


When I try to launch the game, it says couldn't set D3d emulation mode.

Reinstalling DirectX usually fixes this but in some rare cases, this may need to be manually re-enabled. To do this, run DXDIAG.EXE (You may need to search for this file on your hard drive using the Search feature on the Windows Start bar), select Display, and then check Enable Direct Draw box.

When I reboot my computer, I constantly get a message telling me that setup is updating my files even though I didn't install anything.
Find the Wininit.bak file in your C:\windows directory and delete it. This will not affect your system in any way.

NOLF can no longer find the CD after installation of the version 1.001 upgrade.
You may have a copy of the older, U.S. only version of the upgrade. Please be sure to download and install the most recent version of the upgrade from www.noonelivesforever.com. The current version will install correctly on all US and international versions of the game.

Graphics
Can screen flashes be turned off?
Click the Advanced button on the NOLF game launcher type "+ScreenFlash 0" (no quotes) in the Command Line field at the bottom of the window. This should disable screen flashing.

The character models in the game disappeared!
Save games from a previous installation of NOLF may become corrupted if exported to a different machine. To get around this, you may need to delete your old save game files and start the last available mission from the Missions menu.

Sound
My game is locking up and I am running a Monster MX300 Sound Card or A3D compatible card.
We have looked into this issue and determined that this is driver-related. Unfortunately, since Aureal is no longer supporting it's hardware, newer drivers for the latest operating systems and versions of DirectX are not available. You may want to experiment with the drivers available on your sound card manufacturer's website or even try some of Aureal's reference drivers. As a workaround, the crashing may stop if you disable music in the NOLF launcher.

Sound Stuttering:
There are some issues with DirectX 8 and some sound card's drivers. Your soundcard's drivers need to be fully compatible with DX8 (especially Direct Sound and Direct Music). Please contact your soundcard manufacturer for Direct X8 - compatible drivers.

Sound Blaster Live! Freezing
Reducing the hardware 'acceleration' level of the SBLive! card's driver (Control Panel -> Sounds and Multimedia -> Audio Tab -> Sound Playback 'Advanced" button -> 'Performance' Tab -> Hardware Acceleration Slider) from "Full" to just "Basic" acceleration, may help this problem.

Multiplayer
Cannot Load Multiplayer Game
We're looking into this- a couple people have been able to fix this by turning off Internet connection sharing.

Gameplay
Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 Upgrade We highly recommend that all Windows 2000 users download and install Service pack 1. It contains fixes such as:

Slow DirectX Performance
"Sticky Mouse" problem

The God Mode cheat doesn't work properly.
It is our policy not to support cheats. NOLF was not designed to be played with cheats. Any problems or areas that you get stuck in by using the cheat cannot be patched and are unsupported.

I can't pass this level; the guys kill me too easily.
NOLF's difficulty is flexible, if you find that you are dying too quickly in a certain level, you can lower the difficulty by hitting escape, selecting Options, Game, Difficulty. Selecting an easier difficulty will lower the accuracy of your enemies.

Compatibility
Please review the list below and read the sections that apply to the hardware or software in your system. This section contains both performance optimization tips as well as workarounds for known hardware compatibility problems. Please read through all sections that apply to your system.

[*] AMD Processors
[*] Windows 2000
[*] DirectX 8
[*] ATI Video Cards
[*] GeForce / Geforce 2
[*] Savage Video Cards
[*] Voodoo 2
[*] Voodoo 3
[*] Voodoo 5
[*] Diamond MX300 or other Aureal chipset such as the Vortex or Vortex 2
[*] SBLive!

AMD Processors
Athlon Users Please Check the below FAQs for incompatibilities
For Athlon Thunderbird users and Duron users
http://www.apushardware.com/faqs/kt7faq/kt7faq.htm
For Athlon (classic or slot) users
http://www.apushardware.com/faqs/ka7faq/ka7faq.htm

Windows 9X AMD AGP Patch
AMD AGP win9X 4.80 which can be grabbed from http://www.amd.com//products/cpg/bin/. Please download any other software updates available for your hardware from this site.

Windows 2000 AMD AGP Patch
Microsoft has just issued a patch for AMD users running Win2k.
http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/athlon- ... patch.html

Windows 2000
Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 Upgrade
We highly recommend that all Windows 2000 users should download and install Service pack 1. It contains fixes such as:

[*] Slow DirectX Performance
[*] "Sticky Mouse" problem

Windows 2000 AMD AGP Patch
Microsoft has just issued a patch for AMD users running Win2k.
http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/athlon- ... patch.html

DirectX 8
NOLF was tested with DirectX 7.0a. While DirectX 8 is compatible with NOLF; there may be some issues with certain hardware and DirectX 8. We are continuing to look into any incompatibilities relating to DirectX 8.

ATI Video Cards
If you encounter crashes, try turning off lightmaps in the NOLF display menu.

If you encounter a black screen when starting the game using, click the Advanced button and then check the box to disable movies in the launcher.

GeForce / GeForce 2
All GeForce users experiencing problems with NOLF will want to look at the GeForce FAQ page: http://www.geforcefaq.com. This page offers a wealth of information and we specifically recommend the sections on Bios and AGP settings and the sections on completely removing old driver files.

Savage Video Cards
*** From the RED Guy from Savage Daily Messageboard***
These are the setting that makes the game playable:
On the start menu of NOLF, click Advanced, and in the command-line field type "+S3TCEnable 0".
Activate Auto Mipmapping (some small artifacts may show, but it boosts the game, and it fixes the game text) for the Direct 3D (not OpenGL).
And strangely enough, when using 1152x864 resolution for the game with 32 bit, the artifacts in the game start (pink box around the mouse and buttons) are gone.

If the game is extremely dark in some levels, you may need to try the S3 reference drivers for your card. If this still doesn't help, you may wish to adjust the brightness settings from your video card's windows applet.

Voodoo2
After installing NOLF, you may get a "couldn't set d3d emulation mode" when trying to launch the game. Reinstalling DirectX usually fixes this, but in some rare cases, DirectDraw may need to be manually re-enabled. To do this, run DXDIAG.EXE (You may need to search for this file on your hard drive using the Search feature on the Windows Start bar), select Display, and then check Enable Direct Draw box.

In some rare instances, textures cease showing up in the game. To resolve this, download the latest drivers from http://www.3dfx.com and then reinstall DirectX. Finally, make sure that your texture and screen depth are set to 16 bit.

Voodoo3
If you are running into crashers, press the Advanced button on the launcher and check the Disable Hardware Cursor box. Then run the game.

Voodoo5
If you encounter a black screen when starting the game, click the Advanced button and then check the box to disable movies in the launcher.

Diamond MX300 or other Aureal chipset such as the Vortex or Vortex 2
We have looked into the crashes relating to NOLF and the Vortex chipsets and determined that they are driver-related. Since Aureal has gone out of business, much needed updates for the latest operating systems and version of DirectX are not available. There isn't much we can do to address this. Fortunately, this has not been a problem for all Vortex chipset sound card users. If you have the card and are experiencing crashes, check for updates from your sound card's manufacturer. If that fails, you may want to try older drivers or attempt to disable of the options in your sound card's windows applet.

Sound Blaster Live! Freezing
Reducing the hardware 'acceleration' level of the SBLive! card's driver (Control Panel -> Sounds and Multimedia -> Audio Tab -> Sound Playback 'Advanced" button -> 'Performance' Tab -> Hardware Acceleration Slider) from "Full" to just "Basic" acceleration, may help this problem.

Additional Tech Support Assistance

For further Technical Support assistance, please contact one of the following:

For North America:
Fox Interactive
Technical Support web site: http://support.foxinteractive.com/
Email Technical Support: fox_support@aqinc.com
Phone Support: 1-410-568-3630

For Europe:
EA UK
Technical Support web site: http://retailsupport.ea.com/tech_support/support.html
Email Technical Support: uk-support@ea.com
Email Warranty queries: uk-warranty@ea.com

EA Germany
Electronic Arts GmbH
Customer Service
Pascalstraße 6
52076 Aachen

Direct CS Tel: 0190 776633 (2,42 DM/min)
Direct CS Fax: 02408 940 111
24hr Hintline: 0190 900030 (2,42 DM/min) - 0190 787906 (2,42 DM/min)
CS Email: de-support@ea.com

EA France
Electronic Arts
Service Consommateurs
4 rue Caude Chappe
69771 St Didier au Mont d'Or Cedex

Direct CS Tel: 04-72-53-25-00.
E-mail adresses: FR-SUPPORT@EA.COM - FR-AUTOSUPPORT@EA.COM - FR-TECHSUPPORT@EA.COM

EA Spain
Electronic Arts Software
Customer Service
Rufino Gonzalez, 23 Bis Planta 1ª Local 2
28037 Madrid (Spain)

Direct CS Tel: 91 754 55 40
Direct CS Fax: 91 754 52 65
CS Email: stecnico@ea.com

EA Nordic
Electronic Arts Nordic
Customer Service
Johanneslundsvägen 2
194 61 Upplands Väsby

Direct CS Tel Sweden: 08-594 106 80
Direct CS Tel Finland: 0800 50 82 25
Direct CS Tel Denmark: 80 88 07 89
Direct CS Tel Norway: 800 138 97
Direct CS Fax: 08-594 106 70
CS Email: nordicsupport@ea.com

______________________

Content Creation FAQ for No One Lives Forever

Q: Why are things like weapons and doors not showing up in the game? I can see them in the editor but they are not visible when I run the game.
A: The most likely culprit is that there is a leak in the level. The geometry used to create levels in No One Lives Forever must form a sealed shell.

Q: If I think I have a leak in my level, how do I find it?
A: The first step in finding a leak in a level is to make sure that the level is sealed. There cannot be any openings from the inside to the outside of the level. The next possibility is that one of the brushes that form the shell of the world has been set as a "detail" brush. In the brush properties there is a property field called "detail level". All brushes that make up the outside shell of the world, or that are meant to block visibility, must be set to the default of "detail level" 0, while brushes that make up the visual details of the world can be set to "detail level" 1. Brushes set to "detail level" 0 block vis, Brushes set to "detail level" 1 do not. Another possibility is that a "detail level" 0 brush is being penetrated by a "detail level" 1 brush. The "detail" brush will essentially punch a hole in the shell of the level causing a leak. Yet another possible cause of a leak is brushes whose vertices are not on the grid. If a vertex is not on the grid it will look fine in the editor, but when you process the level, the processor will snap that point to the nearest one unit grid point. If this is a brush that makes up the outside shell of the world it can cause a leak that will not be immediately evident in the editor. There are two ways to address this kind of problem. One is to move the vertices onto the grid. The other is to set the "nosnap" flag on the brush to true. This will tell the processor to leave the position of the vertices alone and process them where they are. To aid you in the location of the leak in a level, the processor can create a "leak file". A "leak file" is a line drawn in the editor that represents the vis starting at the game start point and bouncing through the level. By following this line you can determine the point at which the vis penetrates the outer shell of the world. To create a "leak file" you must add a command string to the "extra parameters" field in the processor. The command string is -leakfile myfile.lek. When you run the processor it will create a "leak file". After running the processor select "World", "debug", and then "load leak file". A dialog window will open up and you will see a file called myfile.lek (the "myfile" portion of the command string can be anything you choose). Depending on the complexity of your level, the "leak file" might be very simple or very complex. If the file is very complex and hard to decipher you can step through the "leak file" point by point by holding down the "Shift" key and using the "[]" keys to move forward or back through the vis path. The "]" key moves you forward along the vis path and the "[" key moves you backward through the vis path. Each time you press one of the bracket keys all four of the viewports will focus on the next or previous point along the vis depending on which bracket key you pressed. Once you have found your leak, you can remove the "leak file" by selecting "World", "debug", and then "clear leak file".

Q: Why is my level completely black when I run it in the engine?
A: Make sure there is a "WorldProperties" object in your level.

Q: Why is it that when I activate a hinged door that it flies clear across the level?
A: The "RotationPoint" property was not set the in the "HingedDoor" object. The "RotationPoint" of the object defaults to 0,0,0 so the door is rotating around the center of the world instead of where you placed the object. The easiest way to set this is to place the object where you want the rotation to take place, and then copy the "Pos" property to the "RotationPoint" property.

Q: Why can't I step into an elevator cab?
A: The "BoxPhysics" flag is set to true. If the "BoxPhysics" flag is set to true the collision of the object becomes a cube that encases the extent of all of the brushes that are bound to the lift object. Setting the "BoxPhysics" flag to false will tell the object to use the dimensions of each of the object's component brushes to create the collision.

Q: Why can't I get through a hinged door? A: The "BoxPhysics" flag is set to true.

Q: It seems to take forever for my level to process, what can I do to speed this up?
A: One thing that you can do is set the "detail level" in the brush properties to 1 on all brushes except those that form the outer shell of the world or need to block vis. Sometimes the lighting stage of processing takes a long time. The more light maps that are created the longer it will take to process a level. Using Gouraud shading or flat shading on brushes will speed up the processing of the level as well as increase the performance of the level at run time.

Q: Can I set a level wide ambient light value and how do I do it?
A: Yes, Select "World" and then "WorldInfo". This will bring up the "World Info" dialogue window. In the "Info String" field enter AmbientLight 48 48 48. I have used an example of 48 48 48 but you may enter any RGB values from 0 to 255.

Q: Can I view the lighting in the editor or do I have to run the game?
A: You can view the lighting in the editor by selecting "World" and then "Load Light Data". This will load the light maps that were generated the last time the level was processed. The lighting does not update in real-time in the editor so the level will have to be reprocessed and the light data loaded again in order to view any changes made to the lighting.

Q: What were some of the scale standards for elements like doors, handrails, stairs, etc. used in the creation of NOLF levels?
A: We set up a set of basic guidelines to establish a base consistency between levels and designers. These values were used as a guide that was loosely adhered to as dictated by the needs of game play and esthetics. Doors: 96 units wide by 128 units tall by 4 to 8 units thick.
Hand rails: 48 units tall.
Stairs: 32 unit tread and 16 unit rise.
Desks & Counters: 48 units tall.

Q: I made a ladder in my world but can't climb up it, why?
A: In addition to the visual component of the ladder, there is a functional component required. You will need to create a "ladder volume" for the player to move through when climbing the ladder. In front of the visual representation of the ladder you have created, create a brush approximately 64 wide by 64 deep, and as tall as the ladder's climb. Next center the cursor on the brush, right click, and choose "bind to object". In the dialogue window expand the "VolumeBrush" class of objects and choose ladder. When you process the level the "ladder volume" you created will form an invisible volume that the player can travel through. If you encounter difficulty exiting the ladder at the top, extend the brush that defines the volume a little higher. I typically extend the top of the volume 48 units higher than the surface I am ascending to.

Q: When I run my level, why don't the flickering lights I put in show up?
A: Make sure to check off the Light Animations flag in the processor when you process your level.

Q: I can't see through the windows I put in my world, why?
A: In order to create transparency effects in a brush, the brush must be made into a WorldModel (by binding it to a TranslucentWorldModel), and have a texture applied with a valid alpha channel. To see the alpha channel of a texture right click on its name in the texture browser window and choose "texture properties". This will bring up the properties window for that texture. There will be a window on the right that displays an image of the texture and its alpha channel at each of its mip map levels. The areas in the alpha channel that are white will be rendered at full opacity while the black areas will be rendered as fully transparent. There are two different ways of rendering translucent WorldModels in the game. One is Chromakeying and the other is Translucency. Chromakeying will render the white areas of the alpha channel as fully opaque and the black areas of the alpha channel as completely transparent, while Translucency will recognize grayscale blending in the alpha channel to create gradients of transparency. To set a world model to be rendered Chromakeyed, you set the Chromakey flag in the TranslucentWorldModel object to true. To set a WorldModel to be rendered Translucent, you set the Translucent flag in the brush properties to true.

Q: The processor tells me that I have a number of "problem brushes" in my level. Is there an easy way to find them?
A: In the processor the world coordinates of each of the "problem brushes" will be listed but this can be a time consuming way to track these brushes down, particularly if there are very many of them. Another way of identifying these "problem brushes" is by adding the -selectproblembrushes command string to the additional parameters field in the processor. When you run the processor it will stop when it comes to the point where it identifies the "problem brushes". When you close the processor all of the "problem brushes" will be selected. You can then hide inverse or move the brushes to a specific folder where you can more easily trouble shoot them.

Q: Why is my level rainbow colored when I run it?
A: Typically this results from processing a map without processing the lighting.

Q: Why does my level look normal in the editor, but when I run the game there is missing geometry and geometry appearing out of nowhere?
A: Most likely you have created some concave geometry or, you have geometry that is off of the grid. First let us address the problem of geometry whose points are off of the grid. When the processor processes a level it snaps the vertice points of the brushes to the nearest 1 unit grid point. If the points of a brush are not on the grid, everything will look fine in the editor, but in the game, faces will be slightly askew or not rendered at all. The way to fix this is to build on the grid. However, that is not always possible and it is sometimes necessary to work with geometry that is off the grid. If you have brushes that are off the grid, set the "nosnap" flag in the brush properties to true. This will tell the processor to leave the vertices where they are. The LithTech engine works with convex geometry. If you create concave geometry, the engine will through a tizzy and render faces all over the place just to make sure that you know that you have upset its delicate sensibilities. Since the engine sees brushes as "All space inside the area defined by the intersection of their planes," a brush that's concave can intersect with itself, which effectively gives it multiple "insides." Unlike a 3D modeling package, game engines don't handle this at all well. The game will pick one "inside" as the right one, then throw out the rest of the brush. You can locate concave brushes in the editor by clicking on World, Debug, and then "Find concave brushes". The editor will then select all the concave brushes in the level. Once you have identified them, you can reconstruct the shapes using multiple convex brushes. Sometimes you can slice a concave brush into two valid convex ones.

Q: I built the geometry in my level on the grid. Why is it the geometry in my level is ending up pulled off the grid?
A: Some geometry such as domes, cylinders, and spheres, are off the grid when constructed initially. But there are a few practices that can cause points of otherwise proper geometry to be off the grid. One is resizing geometry that is anything other than a cube, in brush mode. If you resize something in brush mode you are scaling the furthest most points, while all the points between shift relatively. Basically if it isn't a cube, scale it in geometry mode. This way your geometry will always be on the grid, things will line up easily, and you won't spend your time chasing leaks and other problems. Another thing to avoid for the same reasons as the first is scaling a selection of multiple brushes in geometry mode. Unless you're careful it will end up throwing points off the grid.

Q: When I import geometry for Terrain, I get a leak and the leak file shows that the leak passes straight through the shell containing the Terrain geometry. If I remove the Terrain geometry there is no leak. I have made sure that all the vertices in the Terrain geometry are snapped to the grid at 1:1 before importing it (if that makes any difference.)
A: Sometimes if one of the vertices of the Terrain penetrates the outer shell it will cause a leak. Another possibility is that the "Outsidedef" object needs to be placed further from the map. If you have an oddly shaped Terrain map, an "L" shape for instance. The engine determines the inside of that Terrain by the extents of its bounding box. It is therefore possible to position the "Outsidedef" object outside the sealed world but within the bounding box of the Terrain. The engine would think that the "Outsidedef" object was within the world and register a leak. To remedy this you would simply move the "Outsidedef" object to a position outside the sealed level, that is also outside the bounding box of the Terrain.

Q: I have a hard time keeping track of the grid size I am building on, is there anything that can help?

A: First, recognize that each window has a separate grid. If you are not careful, you may think, for example, that each window is set to a grid size of 64 when you are trying to build a cube. However, it is easy for one or more window to be set to a grid size that is different. When you hover your cursor over a window, the grid size will show across the bottom of the screen in a small box. Also, you can easily change your grid size by using the + and - keys on the number pad. This will change the grid size in the currently active (the one your mouse is over) window.

Q: How do I use "Prefabs"?
A: A "Prefab" is a selection of brushes and objects that have been saved as a world in the Prefab directory of the NOLF assets. Select the "Prefab" tab in Dedit to view the available list of "Prefabs". To view a "Prefab" before you place it in your level, right click on its name and choose open. The "Prefab" will then open in a separate world in Dedit. To add a "Prefab" to your world simply double click on its name. The "Prefab" will be copied into your world at the current coordinates of the green position marker. If you want to create a "Prefab" out of something that you have created in Dedit, simply select the entities you intend to make into a "Prefab", click on the "Selection" menu and choose "save as prefab". Be sure and save into the "Prefab" directory and not the base worlds directory.

Q: I have a wall with a door and window cut out of it and I'm having trouble aligning the textures on all the separate brushes down the length of the wall. Is there a less tedious, more accurate way of accomplishing this than trying to align each texture on each brush one at a time?
A: Go into Geometry mode and align the texture on the first face of the wall the way you want it to be aligned for all of the faces of the wall. Now select this face by left clicking on it. You can tell it is selected by the red outline that remains around the face whether your mouse is over it or not. Now select all the other coplanar faces that make up the wall, right click, and choose "reset texture coordinates". This function takes the texture coordinates of the first selected face and continues it across all the subsequently selected faces. This only works for coplanar polygons. If you do this on polygons that are not coplanar the textures will skew as the angle of offset increases.

Q: Since Models that I place in the world show up in the editor as simple bounding boxes, how can I tell how to orient the object so that it faces the direction I want it to?

A: In the editor the bounding box of the Models and Objects you place show red, green, and blue lines that represent the x, y, and z facing vectors. The models for NOLF have all been set up so that the blue vector is the forward facing vector. If you are placing a padlock on a gate you rotate the orientation of the object so that the blue vector was pointing away from the gate. If you were placing a doorknob on a door, you would rotate the orientation of the object so that the blue vector was pointing away from the door.

Q: What is the "vis" and what does it do?
A: The "vis" is a visibility data set. The "vis" process calculates this data. It's then used at rendering time to reduce the active polygon set to what might potentially be visible from the perspective of the player's position in the world.

Q: How do I create a .rez file?
A: As of version 1.002, all custom maps MUST be converted into .rez files before they are distributed. Simply adding the .dat file(s) to the custom folder will no longer work. Also, the directory structure within your .rez file must match the directory structure used for NOLF. Assuming that you have already installed the NOLF tools to create your map(s), just follow these steps to convert them into .rez files:

1. Create a new directory on your hard drive. (For this example, we'll use c:\mymaps)

2. Copy your custom .dat file(s) to the proper subdirectory within this folder. For example, if you have created a deathmatch map, you would copy it to:

C:\mymaps\worlds\multi\deathmatch

Or, if you have created a H.A.R.M vs. UNITY map, you would copy it to:

C:\mymaps\worlds\multi\assaultmap

3. Repeat this process for all of your custom maps (and other resources, if any).

4. When done copying files, use lithrez to create a .rez file from the contents of your new folder. Here's an example:

lithrez cv mymaps.rez c:\mymaps

This example will create a rez file called "mymaps.rez" from the contents of the directory "c:\mymaps".

Q: How do I use a .rez file?
A: The first step in using custom .rez files is to copy them into the proper folder like this:

1. Create a subfolder named "Custom" in your main NOLF directory. (i.e. (install dir)\custom) 2. Copy all custom .rez files into this folder.

If you are running a dedicated server, any .rez files in the custom folder will now show up when you start the dedicated server setup wizard. Maps contained in the files you choose to use at this point will then show up in the map selection screen.

If you plan to host or join a multiplayer game, just follow these steps:

1. Bring up the NOLF launcher.
2. Click on "Advanced".
3. Click on "Customize".
4. Select the .rez files you wish to use.
5. Launch NOLF.

Assuming the directory structure in the .rez file is correct, any multiplayer maps contained within should now show up in the list of available levels for that game type along with all of the retail NOLF maps. NOTE: Singleplayer maps will not show up unless the mod maker has modified the missions.txt file appropriately!

Q: How do I make a teleporter?
A: In order to make a teleporter, you will need to create two things: a trigger object, and a teleportpoint object. The trigger object will be where the player is teleported from and the teleportpoint object will be where the player is teleported. The trigger object is going to be set up so that it is touch triggered. This means that when the bounding box of the player intersects that of the trigger object, the messages entered in the trigger object will be sent. Depending on the implementation, you may want to change the size and shape of the triggers bounding box. This can be accomplished by changing the values in the dims property of the trigger object. The direction of the blue vector on the teleportpoint object will determine which way the player is facing when they are teleported to the point. For this example change the name of the teleportpoint object that you have placed in your world to DEST1. In the trigger object properties there is a field named "NumberOfActivations". Enter a zero in this field if you want the teleporter to function an infinite number of times. There is a property named "TriggerTouch". Set this flag to true. Below that there is a property named "MessageTouch". In this field you would enter the command string:

Teleport DEST1

In the command string above, "DEST1" would be the name of the teleportpoint object that you want the player sent to by this trigger object. Now if you process your level and run through the trigger object you will be magically teleported to the teleportpoint entered in the trigger object "MessageTouch" field.

________________________________________

No One Lives Forever Server Administrator FAQ


Last Updated: 5/25/2001

When running a server on a LAN without an active Internet connection, the gameplay often freezes for 10 seconds or more.
Make sure that the host computer has a valid IP address. If your network is a peer-to-peer system without a central server to assign IP’s at login, then you’ll need to specify one manually. This can be done in the TCP/IP properties of your network adapter in the windows network control panel.

I have a 56k modem, can I host a server?
Yes, but your server will only be capable of reliably supporting 2 players, including yourself. The joining player's connection to the server is dependent on the server's dial-up rate. Running a dedicated server on a 56k modem is not recommended.

What minimum system requirements do I need to host a No One Lives Forever server?
The minimum server system requirements are the same as No One Lives Forever's single player system requirements. However, noticeable performance degradation will occur on host systems that just barely meet the system requirements. If you plan on hosting a game with more than a few players without sacrificing performance, we recommend no less than a P3 550 with at least 256 MB of RAM.

What is the difference between a dedicated server and a host server?
A host machine allows the server to fully render and participate in the game. Hosting is not recommended for server administrators. A dedicated server does not render the game and is not playable, but gives players who play on the server a better connection.

I have a server running, but it's not listed in the client's "join game" screen.
This can occur if your computer is behind a proxy server or is using a shared Internet connection. In order to run a No One Lives Forever server, you must have a direct connection to the Internet.

Please note that it may take up to a minute or two for your server to register on the GameSpy network. Also, clients already waiting at the join screen may need to use the "server refresh" option or exit/reenter the join menu before your server will show up.

What are the recommended player limits for my dedicated server?
This totally depends on your system specs and your connection.

Connection Machine Spec # of Players
56K Minimum Server (Host) 2 (including host)
ISDN (128 kb up/down) Fast Server (Dedicated) 4
DSL/Cable* Fast Server (Dedicated) 4-8
T1 Minimum Server (Dedicated) 8-16
T3 Minimum Server (Dedicated) 8-16
T3 Fast Server** (Host/Dedicated) 16

* Dependant on upload speed, Cable and DSL connections vary.
** Fast Server system requirements are above a P3 550 + 256 MB RAM

What port does No One Lives Forever use?
No One Lives Forever uses port 27888 for multiplayer.

How do I add custom levels to multiplayer?
Host Game: In the host menu, click levels and change "Levels Retail" to "Levels Custom". Select which levels you want to use and hit "add".

Dedicated Server: In the Worlds window, change the Level Filter from "Retail" to "Custom". Select which levels you want to use and hit "add".

When trying to add levels in the dedicated server setup, nothing appears in the Map List.
This will occur if you installed No One Lives Forever using the minimum installation option. In order to run a dedicated server, you must uninstall the game and then re-install using the FULL installation option.

I'm having problems when running a dedicated server and a client on the same computer.
The purpose of the standalone server is to provide a dedicated computer as the host. It was not designed to run on the same computer as a client. If you wish to use the same computer as both host and client, you'll need to select the "host game" option within the game itself.

Can I have more than one No One Lives Forever dedicated server on my machine at one time?
We don't recommend running multiple dedicated servers, the amount of bandwidth and processors load would make both server games unplayable.

General FAQ:

Updated June 30, 2000. Check back for updates and additions to the No One Lives Forever FAQ.

What is No One Lives Forever?
The Operative
Story
Weapons & Gadgets
Adversaries
Levels & Locales
Gameplay Features
Multiplayer
Release Date
Demo
International releases
Technology
System Specifications

What is No One Lives Forever?
What genre of game is it? No One Lives Forever is a story-driven, first person adventure delivering over-the-top action, tense subterfuge, outrageous villains and wry humor in the tradition of the great 1960's spy films and TV shows.

What is the gameplay like?
Armed with an assortment of conventional and experimental weaponry and gadgets, The Operative, Cate Archer, will explore exotic locales, circumvent devious traps, and contend with deadly agents determined to take her out of the spy trade once and for all.

The Operative
Who is The Operative? The operative is Agent Cate Archer, a spy for an international anti-terrorist organization known as UNITY.

What does she look like?
Los Angeles-based model and actress Mitzi Martin serves as the template for the in-game Cate Archer model, who can be seen in various '60s-era outfits during the course of the game.

Story
Players assume the role of Agent Cate Archer, a beautiful but deadly operative working for UNITY-a super secret international organization dedicated to protecting humanity from megalomaniacs bent upon world domination. As matters of such delicacy aren't the sort of thing UNITY usually entrusts to a woman, Archer has thus far been relegated to menial busywork out of harm's way.

Ironically, Archer's lucky break comes as a devastating blow to UNITY, when an assassin identified as the notorious Dmitrij Volkov liquidates over half of UNITY's active undercover operatives around the globe in the space of a week. Volkov, it seems, has ties to a little known organization calling itself H.A.R.M. How H.A.R.M. obtained such intimate knowledge of UNITY's clandestine affairs remains a troubling enigma.

When Archer and her mentor, Bruno Lawrie, depart for Morocco to protect a vacationing American ambassador who has been marked for death, little do they know that they are stumbling into a deadly trap that will set an intricate, insidious plot into motion. Can Archer thwart this plot before it's too late? Is there a traitor in UNITY's ranks? And what exactly does "H.A.R.M." stand for, anyway?

It is up to Agent Archer to unravel these mysteries and thwart a conspiracy that threatens the entire free world.

Weapons & Gadgets

How many weapons are there? Archer has access to over thirty weapons and gadgets, including a .38 caliber Petri Airweight revolver, AK-47 assault rifle, Geldmacher SVD sniper rifle with nightvision scope, and Sportsman EX hunting crossbow. Many of the weapons in her arsenal can handle multiple ammunition types, such as full metal jacket, dum dum, and phosphorous rounds, among others. Archer can also carry more powerful weaponry, such as the M79 grenade launcher and Bacalov Corrector, a single-shot firearm that uses high explosive shells.

Is there a secondary firing mode in No One Lives Forever?
The weaponry in the game goes far beyond simply featuring a secondary firing mode. Many weapons have three to five different ammo types plus mods such as scopes, silencers, and laser sites. In addition some gadgets feature several different operation modes.


How does Archer collect her weapons?

Before a mission, players can outfit themselves with various weapons, weapon mods, gadgets, and gear items. Generally, players will have access to any weapon they've collected thus far in the game, as well as any new items UNITY has made available. Weapons can also be retrieved from fallen enemies. In addition, there are many secret areas which may contain additional weapons, ammunition, or gadgets.

What types of gadgets are at Agent Archer's disposal?
UNITY headquarters provides everything a spy could ever need to save the world - lethal acid perfume, a briefcase rocket launcher, explosive lipsticks, a robotic poodle, a 1960s style belt-buckle zip-cord, a Triumph motorcycle and many more strange and helpful gadgets.

Adversaries

Who are Agent Archer's adversaries?
Archer squares off against twenty outrageous characters and their henchmen, including a pugilistic Scotsman, a trio of nubile female vixens, a villainously off-key opera Frau, and countless enemy agents and soldiers!

How are these characters brought to life?
No One Lives Forever features some of the most detailed characters ever seen in a first-person action/adventure game. Each character lip-syncs to the game dialogue and will blink and move realistically using motion capture animation.

Levels & Locales

How many levels are there in No One Lives Forever?
There are fifteen single player missions in the game. Each mission is comprised two to six mini-levels for a total of more than 60 levels. In addition, the game contains ten multiplayer levels.

What cities does Archer visit?

Agent Archer will travel to exotic locales as diverse as the bazaars of Morocco, the oppressive streets of East Berlin, the idyllic English countryside, the snow-wreathed German Alps, the steamy Caribbean tropic and the woodlands of the American NorthWest.

What environments does she explore?
Explore the belly of a sunken cargo freighter, traverse huge deserts and snowy terrains, navigate the hip '60s bar scene, sneak around a hi-tech office building, break into a nearly invincible vault, visit an elegant English mansion, maneuver through a top secret underground laboratory, take a ride aboard a doomed jetliner, and experience freefall without a parachute!

Gameplay Features

What obstacles must Agent Archer overcome?
No One Lives Forever rewards a subtle touch, but also allows a more direct approach. Archer must contend with security cameras, guard dogs, locked doors, hidden entrances, lazy workers, patrolling sentries, man-eating sharks, and much more. A stealthy approach will get you past some of these obstacles, but you can always fall back on your weaponry if the situation demands it.

What vehicles can Archer ride?
Agent Archer can jump on her very own Triumph motorcycle to cross vast stretches of desert or mow down enemy agent in her path. She will also have access to a snowmobile.

Will Archer's abilities increase throughout the game?

Yes. Archer can recover various intelligence items during a mission. The percentage of intelligence she collects will yield a mission ranking. If her ranking is high enough, Archer will become more proficient at certain skills. Only a very careful player will find every single item in the game! Cate may also earn awards based upon her overall performance in a mission.

How does the health system work?
There are no health kits in No One Lives Forever, although Cate may occasionally find body armor during a mission. Just like a real spy, Archer will often find it necessary to rely upon stealth and cunning rather than brute force.

Is there dialogue in the game?
There are thousands of lines of dialogue in No One Lives Forever, all of which is performed by professional voice actors. In addition, sub-titles will be available for versions released overseas where direct translations are not available.

How do the game AIs behave?
Next week, check back to this site for a special Technology section and find out why No One Lives Forever's artificial intelligence system is one of the best around.

Multiplayer

What multiplayer modes will the game contain?

There are ten multiplayer levels, including free-for-all, operative vs. operative deathmatches and mission-based UNITY vs. H.A.R.M. maps. These maps take place over a variety of locations, including an abandoned Moroccan city, a half-built office-tower, a snowy mountain chateau, and a hip 1960's bachelor pad.

How many people can play multiplayer games?
Up to 16 players at a time.

How can I play multiplayer?
No One Lives Forever will support play via LAN or via modem over Won.net. In addition, the game will include GameSpy support.

Release Date
What is the release date for No One Lives Forever? No One Lives Forever will be released late Fall 2000.

Demo

Will there be a demo?
Yes, there will be a demo. We'll have more info on when the demo will be available and where in the coming weeks.

International Releases

Are there any plans for multiple language versions of No One Lives Forever?
Yes. No One Lives Forever will be distributed internationally. The game will feature sub-titles in areas where full translations are not possible.

Technology
What 3D engine does No One Lives Forever use? No One Lives Forever is the first game to be released using the advanced LithTech 2.5 Engine. LithTech 2.5 specializes in highly detailed indoor areas and vast outdoor landscapes.

System Specifications
What are the games minimum system requirements? No One Lives Forever will require: Windows® 95/98/2000, Direct X™ 7.0 or higher, a Pentium® II 300 Mhz with 64 MB RAM, an 8 MB 3D hardware accelerator card with Direct 3D™ support, High color graphics (16-bit), a 4x CD-ROM, a Direct X compatible 16-bit sound card, a Mouse and Keyboard, plus a 56K modem or LAN for multiplayer.

Will No One Lives Forever require a 3D-accelerator card? Yes. Players will need an 8 MB video card at a minimum.

What graphic API does No One Lives Forever support?
No One Lives Forever uses Direct 3D and is compatible with the majority of the video cards on the market.

What sound cards can be used in No One Lives Forever?

Any DirectX compatible sound card should work with No One Lives Forever.

What operating system will No One Lives Forever be compatible with?
No One Lives Forever will run on Windows 95/98/2000.
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