When I posted my original message below on http://www.dosgames.com I got the following answer. "Bio Menace uses the Commander Keen engine, so the fairly active Keen: Modding forum is probably going to get you the quickest answer."
---------original post-----------------------
I downloaded Ted5 editor to make a few small changes to level 3 ant town level map in Bio Menace 2. Every time I save the level and start the game. The game stops before the main menu and out to the DosBox c: prompt with the error message "RF_NewMap: Map to tall!" Why is this happening?
Steve
kc7byp@msn.com
re: using Ted5 on Bio Menace
Oh man, you're just in time!
Hello, I'm Fleexy, creator of the Keen:Galaxy level editor Abiathar. Just recently, I've been expanding it to work with Bio Menace; I have been testing specifically with Bio Menace 2. The version that adds support for Bio Menace is not quite done, but it should be sufficient for your purposes. Keep in mind that, as this is not a stable release, it has not been fully tested and may have bugs.
Download Abiathar v1.5 beta
Abiathar requires Windows XP or higher.
Once you get it extracted and running, click "New" under File or just press N. Follow along with these images to fill in the dialogs for Bio Menace 2.
Choose "Enter settings manually."
Choose "TED5 MapTemp/MapHead."
Check "Configure direct EGA reading." Press "From GFXINFOE", navigate to the Bio Menace folder, and select the appropriate GFXINFOE file. After you do this, the numbers are filled in.
These are filled in automatically by the previous step. Press Next.
Browse to the folder containing the Bio Menace resources (EXE, levels, and graphics).
Choose "Start from existing level files."
Choose the MAPTEMP and MAPHEAD resources in the resource directory.
Choose "EGA resources."
Check "Compressed EGA." Choose the EGAGRAPH, EGAHEAD, and EGADICT resources in the resource directory.
Infoplane Override is a feature that is still in extensive testing. Do not check "Enable." Press Next.
Choose "With the map header."
Choose "Load existing file or map header."
Press Finish. The New Project Wizard will close and Abiathar will open your files.
You'll find the controls to be very similar to TED5. To access tile palettes, use 7-9 instead of the business with the spacebar (or just click the selected tile images). You can also get to the palettes and back to the level in the Tileset menu.
To save your levels, choose "Save" under File. Save the dependency file in the same directory as your Bio Menace resources. Abiathar automatically saves all resources with it. To continue working on your levels later, you can Open the dependency file; Abiathar will locate the resources from it.
Happy modding!
Fleexy
Hello, I'm Fleexy, creator of the Keen:Galaxy level editor Abiathar. Just recently, I've been expanding it to work with Bio Menace; I have been testing specifically with Bio Menace 2. The version that adds support for Bio Menace is not quite done, but it should be sufficient for your purposes. Keep in mind that, as this is not a stable release, it has not been fully tested and may have bugs.
Download Abiathar v1.5 beta
Abiathar requires Windows XP or higher.
Once you get it extracted and running, click "New" under File or just press N. Follow along with these images to fill in the dialogs for Bio Menace 2.
Choose "Enter settings manually."
Choose "TED5 MapTemp/MapHead."
Check "Configure direct EGA reading." Press "From GFXINFOE", navigate to the Bio Menace folder, and select the appropriate GFXINFOE file. After you do this, the numbers are filled in.
These are filled in automatically by the previous step. Press Next.
Browse to the folder containing the Bio Menace resources (EXE, levels, and graphics).
Choose "Start from existing level files."
Choose the MAPTEMP and MAPHEAD resources in the resource directory.
Choose "EGA resources."
Check "Compressed EGA." Choose the EGAGRAPH, EGAHEAD, and EGADICT resources in the resource directory.
Infoplane Override is a feature that is still in extensive testing. Do not check "Enable." Press Next.
Choose "With the map header."
Choose "Load existing file or map header."
Press Finish. The New Project Wizard will close and Abiathar will open your files.
You'll find the controls to be very similar to TED5. To access tile palettes, use 7-9 instead of the business with the spacebar (or just click the selected tile images). You can also get to the palettes and back to the level in the Tileset menu.
To save your levels, choose "Save" under File. Save the dependency file in the same directory as your Bio Menace resources. Abiathar automatically saves all resources with it. To continue working on your levels later, you can Open the dependency file; Abiathar will locate the resources from it.
Happy modding!
Fleexy
Thanks Fleexy. I will download Abiathar and keep you updated on how the editor works.
Fleexy wrote:Oh man, you're just in time!
Hello, I'm Fleexy, creator of the Keen:Galaxy level editor Abiathar. Just recently, I've been expanding it to work with Bio Menace; I have been testing specifically with Bio Menace 2. The version that adds support for Bio Menace is not quite done, but it should be sufficient for your purposes. Keep in mind that, as this is not a stable release, it has not been fully tested and may have bugs.
Happy modding!
Fleexy
Secret sauce!
But actually, there are a few things that it could be scared of. I did a VirusTotal scan of it which came up fully clean, except for the Heuristics thinking that it's possibly a PUP (see the "more information tab"). This is due to it packing executables (the updater, but mostly the DOS programs, especially CKPatch, in the File Emitter).
FMod.dll (FleexCore) contains a whole bunch of bit-twiddling methods necessary to open the graphics, levels, and tileinfo. It's doing low-level operations from a format spec standpoint, but from a managed environment, so this probably isn't the issue.
The new memory manager might also be causing trouble - there is a possibility that what I'm doing with the memory manager to throw out my cached view states is similar to the way some viruses get into protected memory.
Antivirus hates the updater because it is, in essence, a benevolent and non-controlling remote access trojan. It works by checking my Dropbox for a newest-version file, using that to find that version's update script, and then running that script according to some very specific and safe rules. The AV programs are right to be suspicious of such activity, but I promise that the updater only updates Abiathar.
The config files are probably disappearing because Avast likes to place (without telling you) suspicious programs in a "sandbox", which restricts their ability to create files.
Finally, it now comes to mind that by loading extensions (did I mention the program has an extension API?) from appropriately named dynamic link libraries in the residing folder, Abiathar transfers control out of my safely engineered code. Please don't install Abiathar extensions if you don't trust the publisher.
So, I'm sorry about this. There are a lot of things that AV can be paranoid about, but it's all quite legitimate. Please trust me :/
But actually, there are a few things that it could be scared of. I did a VirusTotal scan of it which came up fully clean, except for the Heuristics thinking that it's possibly a PUP (see the "more information tab"). This is due to it packing executables (the updater, but mostly the DOS programs, especially CKPatch, in the File Emitter).
FMod.dll (FleexCore) contains a whole bunch of bit-twiddling methods necessary to open the graphics, levels, and tileinfo. It's doing low-level operations from a format spec standpoint, but from a managed environment, so this probably isn't the issue.
The new memory manager might also be causing trouble - there is a possibility that what I'm doing with the memory manager to throw out my cached view states is similar to the way some viruses get into protected memory.
Antivirus hates the updater because it is, in essence, a benevolent and non-controlling remote access trojan. It works by checking my Dropbox for a newest-version file, using that to find that version's update script, and then running that script according to some very specific and safe rules. The AV programs are right to be suspicious of such activity, but I promise that the updater only updates Abiathar.
The config files are probably disappearing because Avast likes to place (without telling you) suspicious programs in a "sandbox", which restricts their ability to create files.
Finally, it now comes to mind that by loading extensions (did I mention the program has an extension API?) from appropriately named dynamic link libraries in the residing folder, Abiathar transfers control out of my safely engineered code. Please don't install Abiathar extensions if you don't trust the publisher.
So, I'm sorry about this. There are a lot of things that AV can be paranoid about, but it's all quite legitimate. Please trust me :/
I found after trying to download it on multiple computers chrome finally gave in and let me download it (CONSPIRACY THEORY! Chrome WATCHES ALL FILES, ANYWHERE and keeps track of them in a database)
Still throwing warnings, but changing from saying malicious to "not commonly downloaded" So... yeah... CONSPIRACY!
*goes back to using tor browser*
Still throwing warnings, but changing from saying malicious to "not commonly downloaded" So... yeah... CONSPIRACY!
*goes back to using tor browser*
re: using Ted5 on Bio Menace
Fleexy, Abiathar was working just fine when I edited "ant town" and the game played fine. I went to edit secret level 2. I made a cmd goof. I couldn't fix it so I shut the level down without a save and reopened again. Now Abiathar is giving me an error message and won't run. I tried replacing the dependency file, that didn't work. I wiped Bio Menace it self and reinstalled from the backup cd, that didn't help. Take a look at this Dropbox links https://www.dropbox.com/s/fh8qdke768rkd ... bility.jpg then https://www.dropbox.com/s/q61djspp9dcz7 ... orking.jpg and finely https://www.dropbox.com/s/mb8obm12dyy1q ... 0debug.jpg . What gives?
Fleexy wrote:Oh man, you're just in time!
Hello, I'm Fleexy, creator of the Keen:Galaxy level editor Abiathar. Just recently, I've been expanding it to work with Bio Menace; I have been testing specifically with Bio Menace 2. The version that adds support for Bio Menace is not quite done, but it should be sufficient for your purposes. Keep in mind that, as this is not a stable release, it has not been fully tested and may have bugs.
Happy modding!
Fleexy
I am very sorry for this inconvenience. Keep in mind that this is a beta version, and things may work exactly as they should.
Can you send me the files that are giving you trouble? If Abiathar itself won't start up, try deleting editor.aconf and defaults.aconf. Also, what kind of "cmd goof" did you do before this happened? That information can help me find and fix the problem.
Can you send me the files that are giving you trouble? If Abiathar itself won't start up, try deleting editor.aconf and defaults.aconf. Also, what kind of "cmd goof" did you do before this happened? That information can help me find and fix the problem.
re: using Ted5 on Bio Menace
The cmd error was in not working the copy a square right and I couldn't fig out how to copy the same square from a dif location and past it in. So I dumped what I was working on without saving it. That was my bad. I did finely fig it out. Abiathar is working again. I download all the files for Abiathar again. It could have been a glich in my sys that messed up Abiathar. Other then my goof and the sys glich The prog runs fine. How do I figure out the setup for other DOS games that will work with this editor? I understand why the setup wizard has so many steps to it before map editing
can start.
can start.
Fleexy wrote:I am very sorry for this inconvenience. Keep in mind that this is a beta version, and things may work exactly as they should.
Can you send me the files that are giving you trouble? If Abiathar itself won't start up, try deleting editor.aconf and defaults.aconf. Also, what kind of "cmd goof" did you do before this happened? That information can help me find and fix the problem.
re: using Ted5 on Bio Menace
To Fleexy I managed to recreate the steps that I did that made Abiathar crash. I also screen captured every step and put them on Dropbox with notes on the side of each screen capture. If it turns out to be a bug I hope this helps to get ride of the bug. Here are the Dropbox links in order 1 to 5.
1. https://www.dropbox.com/s/8veg4xejeguw7 ... wn%201.jpg
2. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dkpd10n6kudrr ... wn%202.jpg
3. https://www.dropbox.com/s/1z0e23ehxl2me ... wn%203.jpg
4. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ej5a4qr6nraas ... wn%204.jpg
5. https://www.dropbox.com/s/fofc085cjxm2w ... wn%205.jpg
Steve
1. https://www.dropbox.com/s/8veg4xejeguw7 ... wn%201.jpg
2. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dkpd10n6kudrr ... wn%202.jpg
3. https://www.dropbox.com/s/1z0e23ehxl2me ... wn%203.jpg
4. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ej5a4qr6nraas ... wn%204.jpg
5. https://www.dropbox.com/s/fofc085cjxm2w ... wn%205.jpg
Steve
Thank you! With your help, I have identified and fixed a bug.
Download v1.5 beta 2 here
Since this is still a beta version, it may have bugs. Keep frequent back-ups of your dependency files and especially resources.
The problem actually was that Abiathar had been trying to open a file twice when performing the graphics reload, which caused Windows to throw a file-locked error. (I also corrected some visual glitches and cut down on executable size.)
You actually don't need to press Enter to do the copy (Enter tells Abiathar to reload the graphics files) or even do a copy at all. There's a much easier way to remove those spikes. (To be honest, I don't fully understand how what you were doing caused that black tile to appear.) Since you can pick up a tile with right-click and place it with a left-click in the Tile Tweaker, you don't have to do a copy to get single tiles. Here's what I would do to remove the spikes:
1. Right-click a spot with no foreground tile, like the one immediately below the spikes.
2. Disable the background plane by pressing the 1 key (to leave the background tile intact, keeping the existing pattern).
3. Left-click each of the spike tiles to overwrite the foreground tile with the empty tile you just picked up.
Also, Abiathar has an undo button! Press Control+Z or choose Undo under Edit to reverse the last action. :)
Happy modding!
Download v1.5 beta 2 here
Since this is still a beta version, it may have bugs. Keep frequent back-ups of your dependency files and especially resources.
The problem actually was that Abiathar had been trying to open a file twice when performing the graphics reload, which caused Windows to throw a file-locked error. (I also corrected some visual glitches and cut down on executable size.)
You actually don't need to press Enter to do the copy (Enter tells Abiathar to reload the graphics files) or even do a copy at all. There's a much easier way to remove those spikes. (To be honest, I don't fully understand how what you were doing caused that black tile to appear.) Since you can pick up a tile with right-click and place it with a left-click in the Tile Tweaker, you don't have to do a copy to get single tiles. Here's what I would do to remove the spikes:
1. Right-click a spot with no foreground tile, like the one immediately below the spikes.
2. Disable the background plane by pressing the 1 key (to leave the background tile intact, keeping the existing pattern).
3. Left-click each of the spike tiles to overwrite the foreground tile with the empty tile you just picked up.
Also, Abiathar has an undo button! Press Control+Z or choose Undo under Edit to reverse the last action. :)
Happy modding!