Time for action – saving our work

Having moved some objects around, we might be happier with the new placement of them, or simply want to save the level for further modification. In order to do that, perform the following steps:

1. Go to the File menu, and select Save level as.

2. You will now save your .cry file. Name the .cry file as forest_myedit.cry.

3. Click Save, and the .cry file will be created.

4. To save to the currently loaded .cry file quickly, you can use the shortcut Ctrl + S.

What just happened?

We have just reviewed how to save our .cry file, which will, of course, be required if we wish to be able to load our modification again.

The .cry file that we just saved acts as a container for the level. This container can only be accessed by the editor application.

Have a go hero – free your mind

Already with just a few examples, we know enough to be all powerful within CryENGINE 3. As some of the greatest ideas have come about from experimentation, challenge yourself by trying a few things, for example:

• Use the rotate and scale tools on various entities. Access them using the shortcut keys 2 and 3.

• Create a prototype platforming game using just dock objects. If you place a series of them at different angles, varying heights, and distances, you can get some rudimentary platforming gameplay.

• Alternate between moving objects and then switching to game mode to try to jump from one object to the other. This is where the true power of the Sandbox toolset is shown and that's in speed of iteration. You can test your game play in full scale instantly after editing it.