Custom Levels in TR4

 

* Some customs are stand-alone like the TIMES level, the retired version of the COTW, The Last Crusade, and In Search of Imhotep.  Here, you get to download a setup.exe file (or .zip which has the .exe) and when you click on the executable file, it installs itself automatically. Then play. No hassles. Unfortunately, the distribution of stand alone is discouraged. I really don't know why.

 

* With TRIV, we don't have to patch a "no-cd" version because we already have a tomb4.exe in TRLE

 

* Most, if not all, custom levels are in .zip (you need WinZip to decompress them).

 

* These zips contain either:

       

      A)    .tr4 file

            .dat files (script and english)

            audio (.wav) files

            readme.txt

   OR      

     

      B)    .TOM file

            .wad file (not always)

            readme.txt       

 

 

FOR LETTER A) TOMB RAIDER LEVEL EDITOR (if .zip contains .tr4 file already)

 

I suppose that you have TRLE already installed on your hard-drive, e.g. in directory C:\Program Files\Core Design\TRLE

 

Create a separate directory C:\TR Custom

 

Create another data folder C:\TR Custom\data

 

Copy following files from TRLE data directory into C:\TR Custom\data:

title.tr4

uklogo.pak

 

Copy the audio directory from TRLE to C:\TR Custom

 

Copy following files from TRLE directory into c:\TR Custom:

load.bmp

tomb4.exe

 

Unzip level file into C:\TR Custom\data

 

Unzip .dat files into C:\TR Custom

 

Unzip audio files into C:\TR Custom\audio

 

And ... play the game.

 

 

FOR LETTER B) IF .zip CONTAINS .TOM FILE

 

I suppose that you have TRLE already installed on your hard-drive, e.g. in directory C:\Program Files\Core Design\TRLE

 

* BE CAREFUL HERE. Read the readme.txt first and find out what existing .TOM and .tr4 files will be overwritten by the level file. You must rename/back up those files before you unzip the .TOM

 

For example, the .zip contains settomb.TOM

Then do these first:

go to C:\Program Files\Core Design\TRLE\graphics\wads

look for settomb.TOM and rename that original file into, say, "orig settomb.TOM"

go to C:\Program Files\Core Design\TRLE\data

look for settomb.tr4 and rename that original file into, say, "orig settomb.tr4"

 

Unzip the .TOM file into C:\Program Files\Core Design\TRLE\graphics\wads

 

Run tom2pc.exe (level converter). Add the .TOM file (in this example, settomb.TOM). Open it. Click and highlight the batch, then click on Build Selected button. This procedure converts the .TOM file into a playable .tr4 file and will automatically be placed in the data folder.

 

Wait for the level converter to finish the build up. When done, close the level converter window, play TRLE and choose New Game from the menu ring, and select the level --- The Tomb of Seth.

 

Have fun!