General
Legends Website
Tutorial & Skiing
Legends FAQs
Player Configuration
Legends Teams List
How to Host
Server List Backup

Add-Ons
New Maps
New Skins
New Voices
Player Scripts
Server Scripts & Mods

Modding
Legends Mapping Guide
Legends Scripting Guide
Creating Team Skins
Creating Voice Packs

Gameplay Guide
Legends Guide

Linux
Installation Instructions
Installer Script
Package Creator Scripts
Legends Distro Status

Legends Tutorial & Skiing

This start-up guide was written to help you begin playing right away. If you already have LEGENDS installed, everything a beginner needs to know about playing LEGENDS follows the download and installation section.

III. “How Do I Play?” (icon shortcuts, joining servers, gametype rules for CTF) IV. “How Do I WIN?” (skiing, shooting mid air targets) V. “How Do I Host a Server?” (Running your own Legends server, command line options etc) VI. “How Do I Make a Mission?” (Using the Mission Editor, packaging files) VII. “I need more Help!” (Player contributed documentation,Wiki, FAQs and guides)

Download & Installation (Windows & Linux)

  1. LEGENDS may be freely downloaded (read Legends software license) from our website, http://downloads.legendsthegame.net. You can download via your internet browser or Bittorrent or Linux packages.
  2. Run the installation program (for Windows) and follow the directions that appear.
  3. For Linux either download the Loki installer package, or relevant distro package.

Getting Started

Main Screen (& setup)

Run LEGENDS using the shortcut created during installation. The buttons on the main screen are as follows:

  1. START - This brings up a list of included missions that you can load and begin playing right away.
  2. JOIN - This will let you join online, multiplayer missions taking place on other computers running LEGENDS throughout the world.
  3. OPTIONS - Here you can adjust many game settings to improve LEGENDS performance and enhance your gameplay experience.
  4. RECORDINGS - Any gameplay recordings you make while playing LEGENDS can be found listed here afterward, and you can play the action back exactly the way it happened before.

Video Options

Begin with the OPTIONS button. A new list of buttons will appear:

* VIDEO *

  1. The button “Get Display Info” will tell you what LEGENDS has detected about your video card and its drawing capabilities, in case you ever need this information to trouble-shoot LEGENDS on your system.
  2. The pull-down menu “Resolution” will let you choose the size of your LEGENDS game screen from standard monitor resolutions such as 640 x 480 pixels, 800×600, etc.
  3. The “Gamma” slide bar will adjust the “brightness” of the graphics used in LEGENDS.
  4. If you want LEGENDS to cover your entire monitor, select the “Fullscreen” check-box.
  5. If “Bump Mapping” is checked, the close-up detail of terrain textures in the game will increase.
  6. The “Vertical Sync” checkbox will discard attempts to draw more frames than your monitor's refresh is set to (e.g. Vertical Sync will limit LEGENDS to 60 frames for a 60hz refresh setting).
  7. You can choose between having LEGENDS use “Trilinear Filtering” or “Bilinear Filtering” as methods for smoothing out the transitions between 'mipmaps' (detail levels for game textures, seen at varying distances). Trilinear looks better, while Bilinear is faster. If you wish, you may also check the box for “Anisotropic Filtering” - an advanced method of smoothing distant textures that, though slower, will increase visual realism.
  8. Texture compression, if you choose to enable it, will change the way graphics are sent to your video card. Needed if your Graphics Card does not have much RAM.
  9. If you prefer a specific file type for LEGENDS to save your screen captures with, the pulldown menu for “Screenshot Format” will let you change it. JPG is smaller with less detail, while PNG is full quality but larger files and slower saving.

Game Options

* GAME *

In-game visual settings, including:

  1. The “Player View” pull-down menu will let you control what LEGENDS displays when you are viewing the game from first-person perspective.
  2. The column of sliders on this page will let you control the level of detail used in LEGENDS' game graphics. Less detail is faster, while more detail looks better.
  3. A few more specifics:
  • “Render OOB Grid” will cause LEGENDS to visually represent the edge of a mission's out-of-bounds border as a floating grid in 3D space.
  • “Environment Mapping” creates a reflection effect to give models an impressive shiny look.
  • “Sky Settings” lets you choose which sky graphics LEGENDS should draw.
  • “Dynamic Lights” checkboxes let you toggle advanced lighting such as the pulsing glow given off by flags.

Keyboard Setup

* CONTROL *

Use this screen to bind keyboard keys to various gameplay actions and to adjust your mouse settings. In general, your mouse will control your aim, weapon trigger, and jetpack, while your keyboard will control your movement and your inventory.

NOTE: Do not skip this step! Customizing and familiarizing yourself with the player controls is one of the most important things you can do before you begin playing for the first time.

One possible (right-handed) set-up is as follows:

  1. Your right hand (your dominant hand) goes on the mouse, which will control the direction you face and where your weapon is pointed. Mouse buttons 1 and 2 should be used for “Fire Weapon” and “Jet.”
  2. Your left hand will stay over the keys W, S, A, D for movement forward, backward, and strafing left and right.
  3. Q, nearby, can be used for “Next Weapon” when changing weapons, but most people use the Scroll Wheel on their mouse.
  4. E is also close, and can be used for looking through your weapon scope (“Toggle Zoom”).
  5. G is close enough for use as a hand-grenade toss key (“Use Grenade”).
  6. A small stretch will let you use R as your “Use Module” key, this is also the key for Deploying Turrets.
  7. Health kits are important to survival, so “Use Healthkit” is comfortably close on key H.
  8. Attach your team chat hud to Y and your global chat hud to J. You type and send messages to just your team or to all the players with these two keys.
  9. To swap Armor, Weapons and Modules press I, select your loadout and then stand on an Inventory Station.
  10. Bind various alternate functions to the keys above with the use of the control key, which can be reached with your left pinky finger. For example, CTRL+Q could be “Previous Weapon” since Q by itself is “Next Weapon.” Another useful action could be dropping items. CTRL+A might drop ammunition, while CTRL+W might drop your current weapon so you can pick up a better one lying at your feet.

This is the default KeyBinds

Esc = Escape
~ = Console
F2 = Score List 
F3 = Start Recording Demo
F4 = Stop Recording Demo
F5 = Toggle Admin Menu
F10 = GUI Editor
Alt E = Map Editor
PNT SCRN = Take Screenshot

W = Move Forward
A = Move Left
S = Move Backward
D = Move Right
Space = Jump

T = Global Message to all
Y = Team Message

Q or Scroll Wheel = Next Weapon
CTRL + Q or Scroll Wheel = Previous Weapon
G = Use Grenade
B = Use Beacon
M = Use Mine
R = Use Module
H = Use HealthKit
I = Inventory Menu
V = Quick Chat Menu

CTRL + R = Throw Module
CTRL + F = Throw Flag
CTRL + W = Throw Weapon
CTRL + K = Suicide

PG Up = Message Hud Scroll Up
PG DOwn = Message Hud Scroll Down
P = Resize Message Hud box

Z = CycleZoom Size
E = Zoom in/out
X = Hold down to Freelook in 3rd person view
TAB = Toggle First/Third Person

"How Do I Play?"

  • Start a mission. The simplest way to do this is to press the “Start” button on the left of the main LEGENDS screen. This will let you load a map into Legends that you can move around in to practice. If you want others to join you, the “Multiplayer Mission” checkbox at the bottom of the map list will register your game with the LEGENDS master server so that other players can see it, as well as opening your game up so that others may connect to your game.

NOTE: The way to run a LEGENDS dedicated server is: Win32binary.exe -dedicated -mission see How to Host for more information

(e.g., Win32binary.exe -dedicated -mission legends/data/missions/CTF_sol.mis ) 

In Linux, you can use:

./lindedicated -dedicated -mission legends/data/missions/CTF_sol.mis 

You can also use ./runlegends -dedicated -mission but ./lindedicated is recommended because it uses less resources.

  • Join a server. The “Join” button on the main LEGENDS screen will let you refresh a list of servers kept by the LEGENDS Master server with the button “Query Master.” Local games on your network will appear in the list if you use “Query LAN.”

Servers with players right now (you can follow a link and click “Join Now” to join when Legends is installed)

    THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

    Game Type: Capture the Flag

    One of the interesting things about capture the flag games in LEGENDS is the great personality shifts that take place based on the size of the teams. A small game of 5 players on each team puts a lot of emphasis on individual team members, the plays they make, and their being in or out of position in various situations. A larger game with 10 or more players on a team more emphasizes each team as a well-oiled machine or a metamorphic unit with a changing presence on the battlefield as various needs arise.

    Capture the flag games typically take place between two teams with one flag each, although more teams and more flags are possibilities for expanding the game type. In a 2-team scenario, you can only capture the other team's flag if your flag is home. Because both teams are trying to capture the other's flag at the same time, there is no telling what kind of mayhem will ensue.

    If team Alpha takes team Omega's flag and manages to navigate it somehow all the way back to their own flag area, the unexpected may still happen. Right as team Alpha's flag carrier, the Omega flag waving over his head, goes to set down on his own flag and capture it, an Omega flagger may swoop in below him and snatch the Alpha flag before the Alpha carrier can touch it. This is often called a “safety” grab, because the flag grab prevented team Omega from falling behind. As long as Alpha team's flag remains off the stand, Omega team is safe from Alpha team pulling ahead on the scoreboard.

    Meanwhile, however, a lot of things are happening. Alpha's defensive players, whose job it is to protect their territory (and, more importantly, their flag), will have already set off in heated pursuit of the Omega flag carrier who just took the Alpha flag and prevented a flag capture. Ammunition will be flying everywhere in an attempt to bring the thief down. The Alpha flag carrier will have to find shelter, because the Omega offensive players will soon arrive in droves trying to find him and kill him. If he is killed, one touch from an Omega player will teleport the Omega flag back to where it started in Omega territory.

    Notice the difference here - team members teleport their own flag to safety by touching it, while enemy soldiers must physically carry stolen flags all the way from their starting position to their destinations. It doesn't matter where the flags are touched: if it's your flag, it goes back where it started, instantly. If it's not yours, you have to carry it wherever you're going, and whoever finds you with it will probably try to kill you.

    This mechanical difference allows for some rather sophisticated teamwork. Pretend that Alpha's flag carrier never made it home alive, but was killed out in the rough of midfield somewhere by the Omega pursuers. It would be tempting to return the stolen flag immediately by touching it, but veteran Omega players will invariably tell the rookies to wait. If the flag goes back to its stand, it might be immediately stolen again. Why? the rookies ask, not realizing that their enemies have same advanced waypointing system installed in their visors that they do. Everyone participating in a capture the flag game is aware of the important spots on the map. The Omega flag stand is where the Alpha flag carriers are used to finding Omega's flag, and they've all practiced stealing it there. If the flag is in the field, the Alpha team will have to improvise a way to try to get it before the automatic flag-return-countdown finishes.

    And they will, undoubtedly, try. The experienced players on the Alpha team know that if they allow the flag to sit in the field unmolested, an Omega player will teleport it to the Omega stand at the worst possible time for the Alpha team: right before the Omega flag carrier from earlier crosses over the stand carrying the Alpha flag for a “timed-return” capture of the Alpha flag, putting the Omega team ahead. The Alpha team does not want that to happen, and so the Omega team guardians of the lonely flag in the field will encounter some vicious attempts by Alpha warriors to kill them and take the flag further away from its home. If they succeed, and the Alpha offense returns the stolen Alpha flag, things may reverse into a scoring situation for the Alpha team instead.

    When the countdown to a Capture the Flag game reaches zero, both teams are free to begin their offensive, to put into action any plan they wish. An untrained team of random players is easy to spot, because its members will go about securing a win for their team in a totally disorganized fashion. One or more people will usually get themselves a sniper rifle and simply wait for enemy players to appear. Some people will attack the enemy immediately in various ways, but their efforts will be uncoordinated and easily beaten back by the enemy players milling around their base. Players will often change positions at random, sometimes defending their base and flag, sometimes “going offense.”

    When your own turn comes, consider how many players you think should stay back to guard your home turf and how many warriors you will need to overcome enemy defenses. Focus on teamwork, respond to friendly requests, and remember that capturing the flag is your real mission objective. Communicating with your teammates and working together with them will always get good results. By default, the communication short-cuts menu is bound to the V key.

    Game Type: War

    A War game is won by one Team capturing an enemy team's Base Switch. More than two teams can compete in a mission, dependent on mission design.

    Each Team has Switches to secure. Switches must be taken in order, see the Command Map (C key) to show which paths you can take.

    Try to claim as many switches as possible for as long as possible.

    Once your Team reaches the target score, you can capture the enemy team's Base Switch.

    "How Do I WIN?"

    Movement

    To fans of other first-person shooter games, LEGENDS' maps will appear imposing, even huge. However, the advanced capabilities of the warrior armors you will use in LEGENDS enable you to cover great distances at high speeds in very short amounts of time. The trick resides in learning how to ski.

    Skiing in LEGENDS is a complex topic. In brief, your all-terrain armor and its jetting capabilities will allow you to cruise along complex terrain like a rollerblader on an obstacle course. The important skill you need to learn is to capitalize on the nuances of the terrain rather than trying to muscle through them with your jetpack. On a downward slope, it is faster to hold down your “jump” key (default key is the spacebar) and let gravity propel you along rather than trying to fly across the empty space. The acceleration of gravity will actually cause you to gain speed, and the loss in height will more than be made up for by the altitude you will gain by cresting the next hill and jetting to supplement your gain in speed. Once in the air, you should be able to spot a new ramp to use to continue your journey.

    Combat

    Players with green indicators are friendly teammates, and you should not shoot at them. Players with red indicators are hostile, and may try to kill you!

    Combat in LEGENDS is different from other first-person shooter games, but not worse. The capabilities of pseudo-flight and the complexities of skiing add plenty of new variables to a traditional FPS combat situation. Don't assume that if you are good at other FPS games that you will automatically be good at LEGENDS, and don't assume that because you find LEGENDS combat challenging, even frustrating, at first, that it won't get better. At first the idea of hitting moving targets flying through the air at high speeds will seem unrealistic to you. Just try it, miss, and try again. Your reflexes will adapt, in time, to the new demands of LEGENDS and soon no one will be safe to fly around your head.

    Remember that there are multiple weapons to use. Going to an inventory station to change armor size and weapon arsenal will give you new things to experiment with. By default, pre-selected equipment sets can be chosen with the numbers on the keyboard numpad, and those “loadouts” can be customized on the inventory screen (default key for this screen is “I”). Don't be afraid to try new things. Each weapon in the game is very useful for certain things, weaker in other situations. But don't worry - if you experiment, you will quickly figure it all out.

    Have Fun! — Legends Development Team - 2008/01/30 08:29

     
    legends_faq/tutorial_and_skiing.txt · Last modified: 2008/07/03 16:09 (external edit)