Sectors over sectors: sloped sectors
stairwells || elevators || sloped sectors 




Sloped sectors are probably the easiest to build to get between the levels you make. Making a sloped sector isn't difficult but lining it up so that it meets and joins smoothly is what most complain about.
Here's what you do:

First, decide which end of the sector you want to remain stationary, that is, stay put as you slope that sector. If you are going to slope the sector from a lower sector to higher one, then in 2D mode, bring the cursor close to the side of the sector that is the line between the lower sector and the sector you are going to slope, press and hold the right  Alt key and press the F key. If you have properly selected that side of the sector, then it is now the "first wall".

The "first wall" will act as the pivot point for the sector you want to slope. Now, in 3D mode, position the cursor on the sector you want to slope. (If you need to, press and hold down the left mouse button. This will ensure that the sector will remain selected whether the mouse cursor stays on or goes off the sector).
Now, press and hold the right  Alt key and press the  [  key once. This should make the sloped sector join evenly with the higher (or lower) sector. If it doesn't work, then perhaps I should mention this:

The first wall of the sector you are trying to slope has got to be on the side that is joined at or at the same height of the sector next to it. That is, the first wall cannot be between the sector you want to slope and the sector that is higher or lower. Change the first and try it again. If things go wrong, it is easy to start over by simply positioning the cursor on the sloped sector and pressing the  /  key. This will bring the sloped sector back to the original, flat position, then try it again. If it does not slope in the direction that you expect then in 2D make sure you have selected the side of the sector that should be the first wall.


 Sectors over sectors: sloped sectors
stairwells || elevators || sloped sectors 

 keys :  Alt [    Alt ]    [    ]    Shift ]    Shift [

Alternatively, you could use the Alt key and  [  key combination. It doesn't matter which one of these key combinations you use when you use this one shot method to make sloped sectors. Just remember that the sector will slope from the side of the sector that has been selected as the first wall (the pivot point) and then, either of the Alt [ or  Alt ] combinations will make the sloped sector join evenly with the adjacent sector.

Using this [ key or this ] key on their own will effect whether the sector slopes up or down. These keys are used without the Alt to slope a sector in increments. There is one more thing to mention:
Pressing and holding the right Shift key and using this [ key or this ] key will make the sector slope in even smaller increments in order to fine tune slopes. I only use this fine tuning key combination when making sloped sectors for sloped light effects because the one shot method works great for most sloped sectors.


 Slopes: when & why
stairwells || elevators || sloped sectors 


Back in the early days of Duke 3D, and even later in the atomic edition, one of the reasons for using sloped sectors opposed to stairs/steps was because adding sectors slows down the frame rate and frame rate is very important. Today more people have very expensive systems that are very fast and the number of sectors are not an issue as they once were but still, if you would like to have your map played by a larger amount of people, then you may want to be concerned about frame rate. One way to keep the frame rate high is to eliminate sectors where you can and using sloped sectors instead of steps is a good idea.

In the example below, I've done just that: I've used sloped sectors to get to the upper level of one area in my map. The screen shots I have to illustrate this example are taken from a map that's currently under construction. So the shots are rather dismal and there's not much to look at but they should be enough for this example.

In pic1, I've drawn in red lines to outline the doorway where the sloping sectors begin. The green lines indicate the slope of the first sector leading up, the floor of the first landing, and the first corner where the next sloped sector starts. I've used different colours to make it easier to see where each sector starts and ends.

pic1: the sloped sectors will lead up over the water tank you see to the left of the doorway pic2: lower level looking at the slope leading above pic3: standing on the first landing leading up to sectors over top.
pic4: standing on the second landing looking back toward the first landing to the left and the above sectors to the right. pic5: This hallway is physically higher than the room shown in pic1 and 2. The doorway is to the room directly over the water tank. pic6: same shot, slightly different angle, as pic5


There are three sloped sectors and two landings; a total of five sectors leading up to the level over top. If steps were used it would have meant a considerable number of sectors. It might have taken four or five sectors just to get to the first landing! A part from being concerned about the frame rate, using slopes not just for getting the player from one level to another but also for architecture can be very cool. Think about whether you really need steps and if sloped sectors won't suffice.

 Sectors over sectors: sloped sectors
stairwells || elevators || sloped sectors 



The image below shows the three sloped sectors and two landings (left side of image).
They lead up to the above sectors: hallway and areas over the water tanks (outlined in blue).
     pink lines are blocked walls on lower level (windows to the water tank)
     blue lines represent white lines but on the upper level
     yellow lines represent red lines on upper level






stairwells || elevators || sloped sectors