Tutorial created by Pierrik alias le Cassoulet Unknown. Originally posted in French. Mirrored here for archival purposes.
Hotkeys and control panels
To get started, you might as well know what we're talking about. You have 3 major windows when using Embrace: the XY plane (XY top) which is a width/length plane, the height plane (called Z) and the 3D view (CAM) which is a camera view of your work ; these three windows are useful for viewing your work. Then you have the Textures windows (for the textures displayed on the shapes you create), Scenes (the scenes are for background music, the sky…) Codex (to establish links between objects, outputs…) and Thing & Template (all objects, but also characters and scripts) as well as the Console which records all your actions). These last 5 windows, unlike the others, are only useful occasionally for very specific operations.
The shortcut keys are mainly used to open these occasional windows. T for Textures, N for Things & Templates, O for Console, Shift+C for Codex and Shift+S for Scenes. Finally, you have S for the Surface Inspector (another window for manipulating textures), X for the Clipping tool (the cutter), E for manipulating shapes (making leaning walls) and V for vector manipulation (a complicated tool , which I'll leave you to sort out with). You also have Space to copy one or more selected shapes, Esc to deselect these same shapes and Delete to delete them; you also have Insert and Del. Finally for the camera movements: the arrows to move, A and Z to tilt the view up or down and D and C to raise or lower it.
Creating a level exit
When you create a single level and not a linked level chronicle, no problem you only need a starting point (PlayerStart). To create this starting point, you select 'playerstart 00' from the right click menu and place it where you want to start (be careful to put the playerstart stack on the ground).
If your levels are interconnected, you need to create exit points that players can click to move from one map to another. To do this, you must already select the brush(es) that will be the shape on which the players will have to click to exit. Once the brush(es) have been selected, put them in Template Brush (via the right-click menu). Once done, and the brush(es) still selected, bring up the Things & Templates window and in the Overrides tab in the script box, do Pick Scipt, select ClickExit.class and press Apply Scipt. In DescriptionId you can also enter the name of the output (which will appear in the dialogs in game) and Apply DID. Then you choose the TrackerThing Template (in global > miscelaneous) and do Apply Templates (so that if the mouse hovers over it in game, the output lights up). Your output is created and will light up, but it doesn't have a number yet. To do this, open the Codex (Shift+C) with the output still selected. The first line (as shown in the description) is for the Exit number. Click 2 non-consecutive times on this number (in value) put the desired number, press Enter and click on apply (for the first output, put 0). Deselect your output and reselect it. In the Things & Templates window, on the Keys and Pairs values part, go to CodexPvalue and select the number in front, then type the number (0 also for the first) and Enter. but she doesn't have a number yet. To do this, open the Codex (Shift+C) with the output still selected. The first line (as shown in the description) is for the Exit Number. Click 2 non-consecutive times on this number (in value) put the desired number, press Enter and click on apply (for the first output, put 0). Deselect your output and reselect it. In the Things & Templates window, on the Keys and Pairs values part, go to CodexPvalue and select the number in front, then type the number (0 also for the first) and Enter. but she doesn't have a number yet. To do this, open the Codex (Shift+C) with the output still selected. The first line (as shown in the description) is for the Exit number. Click 2 non-consecutive times on this number (in value) put the desired number, press Enter and click on apply (for the first output, put 0). Deselect your output and reselect it. In the Things & Templates window, on the Keys and Pairs values part, go to CodexPvalue and select the number in front, then type the number (0 also for the first) and Enter. press Enter and click on apply (for the first output, put back 0). Deselect your output and reselect it. In the Things & Templates window, on the Keys and Pairs values part, go to CodexPvalue and select the number in front, then type the number (0 also for the first) and Enter. press Enter and click on apply (for the first output, put back 0). Deselect your output and reselect it. In the Things & Templates window, on the Keys and Pairs values part, go to CodexPvalue and select the number in front, then type the number (0 also for the first) and Enter.
So. Now, if you have several exits, repeat the manipulation for each, placing a playerstart of the corresponding number next to it. To make invisible outputs you have in the Things & Templates window at Global>Miscelaneous an ExitMessage which behaves like the brush of your output.
sound in a zone
Before putting noises, it is necessary to have them at hand. The .wav sounds are in a Nob file called Sounds to unzip in vampire. They will be placed in a Sounds directory, separated into several folders; I advise you to listen to them a little to know what they correspond to. Sounds must have a starting point, a Soundbox (easier to use than simple Sounds) accessible in the right-click menu; this soundbox will be the starting point of the sound and the sound will be heard in all the sectors where the soundbox passes. You set the size of your soundbox like a bush (it's not necessary) then open the Thing & Templates window. In the Sound tab, you have several things to select. In the Sound box, made Pisk Sound, choose the desired .wav and Apply Sound; The distances box indicates 2 values: the first for the distance from the soundbox at which the sound attenuates, the second for the distance at which it stops (these distances are in bytes). Put the distances (1 and 1000 to not bother you) and Apply Distances. Finally the volume you adjust and Apply.
Handling the textures
Problem sometimes encountered, the textures do not align correctly between 2 brushes. To remedy this, use the Surface Inspector (S) with the brush selected and re-manipulate them. If you only want to manipulate one face of a brush, you must select this face with Ctrl+Shift+left click. Horizontal/Vertical shift to move the texture, stretch to stretch or compress it and rotate to rotate it.
Candlesticks and Torches
You want to make a flaming torch, but in game, no fire or light, just a firebrand. It's silly, but you have to think about it. Once the torch has been placed (in Things & Templates: darkage>light>torchs) you have to place the flame (global>particles>flames) and finally the light (a classic light: see the walkthrough on the lights).
Areas where you can walk
For a character to be able to walk on a ground, it must be made Walkable (the ground, not the character). 2 solutions: if the texture is the same for all the floors and is not used elsewhere, select all the brushes that make up the floor, exit the Surface Inspector and check the Walk box. Otherwise, easier, select your ground brushes and in Selection (at the top) you click on Mark Walkable. If you touch up one of the floor brushes, don't forget to re-Mark Walkable it.
Stairs
For stairs to work, the steps must be a maximum of 24 bytes (3 small squares) in height and of course they must be set as Walkable. However steps of 16 (2 small tiles) look more correct when a character uses them. Also pay attention, especially for spiral staircases, that the steps do not intersect.
Problem: the character goes through walls
During the game, when a character gets too close to a wall or the camera turns at a certain angle, the display is weird. Another possible issue is that characters can pass through certain walls. Two similar reasons for this hassle: first, your walls may be too thin (better if they're 64 bytes or a big tile). Otherwise, it can happen if the theoretically impassable brush does not touch the ground (in the case of a table for example) or the ground sinks into the wall. In this case you have to resize the floor (and put back Walkable the desired parts).
Distribute your card (NOB files)
To send your cards for others to play, it's better to make NOB files, so players just have to put the file in their vampire folder to use your chronicle. To do this, create a new folder with the name of your chronicle (anywhere, it will be deleted). In it, create folders named after those in which the files of your chronicle are placed (generally: chronicles, levels, maps and scenes) then copy the files of your vampire chronicle to your new folder in their progressive directory (ex : the *.nsc in chronicles). If you don't have chronicle files for your chronicle, I strongly encourage you to get ChhonDir which is a card binder. Once the files are copied to their respective locations, you zipped your new folder by setting the compression to NONE (very important). Then you rename the end by putting .nob instead of .zip; all you have to do is create a zip file where you can compress your .nob, and maybe also add a notice (such as, the defects noticed, the era, the theme, etc.) so that it is more accessible to players.
Creating an original light
Placing lights is quite simple in itself: right click and Light, then place the Light where you want. But a continuous white light is sometimes boring. To overcome this you can edit the light with your Light selected and the Things & Templates window open. In the Light tab, you can change the color (Pick Color then Apply Color), the strength and size of the light area (Intensity) and finally the style of the light (Pick Style and Apply) to obtain a light slightly choppy or flashing neon. An example: for a torch, choose an orange light color, an intensity of 300 and the Flickering Torch style for a warm and slightly choppy light.
Single doors (zipper)
I'm talking about doors here, but it's the same technique for cabinets, drawers and secret caches. Once you have cut your brush(es) as you want and textured it, the manipulation is quite simple. With your door selected, go to the right click menu and select Door from Quick Door. You will notice that a brown square has appeared, connected by a wire to your door. If your door is in several brushes, you will also notice that it is selected in full with a single Shift+click. The brown square is called a corner path, it indicates the end point of your door, knowing that the starting point is the beginning of the line. So if you put your corner path higher, your door will slide towards the ceiling. You can also manipulate angles in the Main tab of the Things & Templates window, so your door will rotate on itself as it moves. To give your door a different name when you hover over it in game, go to the Things & Templates window and in the overrides tab enter its name in Description ID (and click Apply DID). To make your door emit a special squeak, in the Things & Templates window on global.not>miscelaneous>door you have quite a choice; click once on the correct one and do Apply Template. And There you go. in the Things & Templates window on global.not>miscelaneous>door you have quite a choice; click once on the correct one and do Apply Template. And There you go. in the Things & Templates window on global.not>miscelaneous>door you have quite a choice; click once on the correct one and do Apply Template. And There you go.
That's the simple method. The other, which I give just in case, consists with your selected door to put it Template Brush by the right click menu, then in the Things & Templates window to Overrides use the Door.class script and finally, always the selected door, to create a corner path for it with Shift+K. Then you just have to place the corner path as you want.
Pivot doors (hinged, what)
The technique is exactly the same as a simple door, only in the right click menu, select PivotDoor. The corner path will be placed here as if it were the hinge of your door by not modifying its height (it does not matter if it is not in the center of the brushes of your door). Then you have to set its angle (for the opening angle of your door) in the Things & Templates window. At Main, set the angle as desired (Yaw at 90° for a classic door). If in test the door does not open on the right side, put the same angle but in negative.
Double doors (single or pivot)
For a door whose two halves should open at the same time, create your two doors individually using the same technique as for a single door, but selecting DoubleDoor/DoublePivotDoor from the right-click menu (don't bother, make one and copy it with its corner path with space); Take care for a double pivot that one of the angles is the same negative of the other, otherwise they will not open in the same direction.
Once your doors are built, select one (without its corner path) and activate the Codex window (Shift+C). In Value, an open field appears in front of the second half-door. Click twice non-consecutively to open this field, and instead of entering data, simply select your second door; a purple arrow should connect your two doors. Repeat the same maneuver from the Codex with your second door and you're done.
Single switch doors
I would speak here of immobile switches, not yet knowing how to make the levers. First, make your door as usual, but selecting SwitchDoor and not Door from the right-click menu. Then make the brush of your switch and by the same menu put the template brush, and in the Things & Templates window go to Global>Miscelaneous>ButtonSwitch select one of the switches (any) for your switch (and do Apply Template). Then open your Codex window with your door selected and, the free field of Value for Switch open, you select your switch. A purple line now connects the two. You can also name your switch like a door. In the game your door will shine if the mouse is on it but clicking the door will not move and the message "it's open elsewhere" will appear. To make the door not appear highlighted, in the Things & Templates window go to Global>Miscelaneous>TrackerThing_Noholite with the door selected. Your door won't make any noise when it opens, but will only be better concealed.
For switch pivot doors I couldn't find, so use the double switch walkthrough, and place the second unnecessary door out of sight (like, behind a wall).
Double doors with switch
The technique is a little different than for a simple switch. First make your double door as usual (single or pivot as you wish it to be). Then make your switch brush, put the template brush and in the Things & Templates window at Overrides use the SwitchDoubleDoor script. Then you open your Codex window with the switch still selected and you open each free field (first and second halfdoor) to select in each one of your doors. By selecting your doors and the switch, 4 purple arrows should appear: 2 between the doors and 2 starting from the switch towards each one a door. You can still prevent your doors from being highlighted with the same trick as for single switch doors.
Creating a mirror
It's quite simple, but sometimes it doesn't work the first time (at least for me :o) ). For a simple mirror, once your mirror brush is done, texture it with a texture used for nothing else (any) then in the Surface Inspector check nodraw, reflect and 2sided and apply. Do not stick your mirror directly against a wall, it can sometimes make it opaque (test, you will see).
For reflective glass, same thing but instead of nodraw check trans33 or trans66.
Create a water zone
For transparent water without any problem in the Hall of Mirrors, use a water texture (like sewerwater or josefwater) in the general textures, then transform your brush into a templatebrush using the right-click menu. Then in the Things & Templates window go to Global>Miscelaneous and select TrackerThing_Laser with your brush still selected (don't forget the apply template). And There you go.
Problem with posters/graffiti
For partially transparent textures like these, use the same manipulation as for creating water.
Making arches/circles
You must have noticed the Brush tool in the menu line at the top of the screen which is used to make multi-sided polygons. If you're smart, you even use it for your arched corridors. This tool can also make between-pieces or circles very quickly without clipping (the cutter) or cutting in CSG. With your circle brush selected, excavate with Hollow and turn the two middle blocks; you are left with the whole circumference. To modify its size, change the size of the Grid before making the Hollow.
Make a dome or a sphere (see a cone)
In addition to making polygons, the brush menu allows spheres and cones. To do this, in Primitives, select sphere or cone. Do not put too many side for a sphere so that there are not too many brushes. For a dome, cut your sphere in half and hollow it out with Hollow (put the texture before).
Hall of Mirror or Hall of Mirrors: bad display
You may have already noticed that some corners do not appear in game and that when you hover over them, it gives a strange reflection effect like a hall of mirrors. It's the Hall of Mirror effect. This happens when the computer doesn't know what to display, either because there's no brush or because part of your map isn't covered by a sector. If this happens, your card is surely not totally hermetic or a sector is badly placed or missing.
Blinking textures problem
If in game a wall blinks suspiciously or switches from one texture to another, it means that two brushes are superimposed, turn into one or adjust their sizes to correct this. If it's a whole section of wall that has a dirty display, it's probably a Hall of Mirror due to a sector stuck to your wall.
Correctly laying out the sectors of a map
First of all, a basic notion: you MUST have sectors on your map! They indicate in-game which portions of the map to display. To gain memory, and therefore fluidity, the sectors must be glued as well as possible. To create them, use Sector from the right-click menu. Place them so that they cover all visible parts of your map in play. They should not be adjacent to the walls, but slightly inside them. Two rules: two sectors cannot penetrate each other and a sector must never stick to the edge of a brush.
Make a sky
Nothing is simpler than a sky. First of all make your brush representing it and use a texture that you will not take for anything else (any texture). In the surface inspector, check sky for the brushes of your sky. Then open the scene editor window (Shift+S) and in the sky tab click on set default sky. Save by the scene editor and close its window. In vampire export, check moon/sunlight by putting a dark blue light color and an intensity of 50 to 200 (you manage). And it's settled.
Other skies exist, but are not super useful. Their list is on mapdepo if you are interested (like the red sky of Vyserahd in Prague).
Applying fog (under Embrace only) and other bad weather
For fog, open the scene editor window and click on the render tab. Choose the linear to z-fog (the others don't work). The first 3 boxes are for color (red, green, blue) which you can 25 each for a gray like in London. Distance 1 is the distance in bytes at which the fog begins to obscure the view, distance 2 is the distance at which the fog completely obscures the view. Zclip distance marks the end of the fog, and is usually distance 2+100. For a fog like London, put 50 in d1, 2000 in d2 and 2100 in zclip.
Rain and snow, accessible in-game via the console, are in the Things & Templates window; go to Global>Particles you will find snow, rain and lightrain. Click twice without applying and a square will appear. You can place it anywhere.
Place your ceiling correctly
It's a piece of advice, but for rooms where the movements of the camera are not hindered in game by details on the ceiling, it is better that it be at a height between 320 and 450 bytes (5 large square).
Objects and Playerstart placed incorrectly
To change the orientation of objects, scenery and playerstart, go to the Things & Templates window in the main tab and change the angle accordingly.
Issue: sarcophagus cannot be used
To place a sarcophagus or safe in a map, go to the Things & Templates window in Global>items,magical>haven. What you are looking for is there.
Problem: my map crashes in test
You have just finished your map and by launching it via the Run de vampire export the game crashes: do not despair there are 3 possible reasons. First of all you may have forgotten to put sectors (it happens to everyone). Then one of your scripts may be badly put: review your doors with switches, exits and other stuff a bit complicated to adjust. Finally, your computer may not be able to launch vampire from Embrace. All you have to do is make a chronicle with your card (with ChronDir) and test it in Lan.
Don't forget to redo the export each time you modify your map to test it. And especially save often (at worst, you have an autosave).
