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

3.      Ares's commands

4.      Additional levels

5.      Level editor

6.      How to start your levels

7.      Technical characteristics

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)


6. How to start your levels

 

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)

 

9. Scripts

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

 

Appendix C: Changes

Click here