Tribes Editor and TribesRPG

Introduction
     So you want to make a Tribes RPG map variant?  It's really not that complex if you know what the hell you are doing.  Lets start with preparations.  [New 4/20/03] And those PhantomStrangerTrees?  I've made it simple for you.  I've also corrected a problem with the guide that has existed since its beginning. [New 6/4/03] I've updated the command line syntax for those of you who were having a problem.  [New 7/5/03] I've once again updated the guide to account for all problems that I've found.  If you were still having problems with the trees this WILL address the problem.  This also fixes the bug that deletes all the mining crystals and ferries on the map.

Step 1 - Copying Files
     Tribes is VERY picky about how it edits things.  Any map not in the base/missions will not correctly write.  Knowing this, let's set this up to where we can edit our map, shall we?

     Open up your Tribes/RPG/missions and your Tribes/base/missions folders and move (yes move, a copy won't suffice) your four RPG mission files from your Tribes/RPG/missions folder to your Tribes/base/missions folder.  That wasn't hard was it?  Didn't think so.

     Now copy the follwing .vol and .dts files, along with all .bmp files from Tribes/RPG to Tribes/base.

Step 2 - Adding RPG Items to the Editor (And Fixing the Disappearing Items Problem)
     You need to either extract the registerUserObjects.cs file from your RPG's scripts.vol and place it in Tribes/base or you need to >download it< and place it in Tribes/base.  This will let you have all of the RPG items in the editor and your Phantom Stranger Trees will show up.  The arhive requires WinRAR 3.0, available at www.rarlabs.com [Edit 7/5/03] I've updated the archive with an additional file to make all RPG items work correctly in the editor now.

Step 3 - Starting the Editor
     From here, you need to open up your run dialog.

     If your Tribes installation were in F:\Tribes\ then you'd type (with the apostrophes)
"F:\Tribes\Tribes.exe" -host rpgmap5
The first term obviously targets your Tribes executable and -host rpgmap5 automatically loads your map that you'll be editing.  [edit 6/4/03]Contrary to what I've had here before, do not run the RPG mod while editing.  You can do it, but it's flakey on some machines and takes a little more to get going.  If you feel you must use RPGmod, then add a "-mod RPG" to the command like without the quotes and make sure you select the rpgmap5 that's in your base/missions folder instead of the rpg/missions folder or you can't save.

Step 4 - Starting that Clunky Bitch
     Once you've started the server (done in step 2), you need to start editing.  Press your tilde ( ~ ) key and then type:
exec(editor);
and start editing.  Pressing F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 will bring up different modes of the editor.  For the most part, you'll only deal with the keys F2, F3, and F5.
     F2 - The property editor.
     F3 - Creation mode.
     F5 - Back to player view.
After you press F5, you'll have to type something to get back into the editor:
memode();
and voila, you're back in and ready to edit.

Conclusion
     I won't go into detail about the editor, as it already has guides which can be found listed below.  This basically covers how to setup your TRPG map to edit.

Links to Tribes Mapping Tutorials
NecroBones Tribes (via Internet Archive)
Mapping Extreme (via Internet Archive)
MapLight Tutorials (via Internet Archive)

Editor's note 2020-02-26:  Sadly, my site appears to have outlived virtually everything I've ever linked to.  Thankfully we have Internet Archive.