Some questions (linedef executors, things)

[Tyrannic]

Hi there!


I'm currently working on my first ever custom Srb2 singleplayer map that I plan to enter in the OLDC. I'm being a bit experimental and I want to try out how far I can go with the editors, so I'm trying to make some a bit more complicated setpieces. Because that's obviously not easy for a beginner, I've got some questions. I've checked the wiki on those things and haven't been able to find something or didn't understand it.


1. Is it possible to make a thing look transparent, meaning that it fully works and can be identified by the player, but can also be seen through?


2. I've been able to use linedef type 422 (Cut away view) and then linedef type 450 (trigger linedef executor (tag)) to permanently change the camera's view after the trigger linedef and trigger sector have been triggered. Now, I highly doubt this, but is it possible by any means to give the player full analog control (like pressing a = go to the left of the screen, w = go into the "background", s = go into the "foreground" and d = go to the right of the screen)?


3. If I use linedef type 436 (Shatter FOF) on a pretty large FOF, the "shatter"-sprites won't cover the whole sector the FOF is in. Is that fixable?


4. If I use linedef type 436 (Shatter FOF) on a FOF that's very high (about 1400 fracunits) over the ground, the FOF will (at least in my case) not teleport below the ground, but instead about 1000 fracunits below the FOF's initial height. Again, is that fixable?


5. After I've set a colormap for a sector, can I make it disappear? I've read using linedef type 409 (Change tagged sector's tag) doesn't work.


6. Thing type 1006 (Blue Crystal) was unaffected by brightness in 2.0, but it is in 2.1. Is there any possibility to revert it into how it was in 2.0? I wanted to use it as a shiny object in a cave that can guide the player.


7. Linedef type 414 (play sound effect) somehow doesn't work for me. The trigger works (I can identify that by using another linedef executor type instead of 414). I've specified the sound in the front upper texture, the linedef doesn't have a tag and no flags are checked. The trigger sector is a "No more enemies" FOF, the trigger linedef is linedef type 302 (Once).


I hope at least some of these questions can be answered. Thanks in advance!

 

[The Zero Team]

5. After I've set a colormap for a sector, can I make it disappear? I've read using linedef type 409 (Change tagged sector's tag) doesn't work.

This is the absolute dumbest suggestion ever, and probably can't be done in any way, but would it be possible to change the colormap back to white or something?

6. Thing type 1006 (Blue Crystal) was unaffected by brightness in 2.0, but it is in 2.1. Is there any possibility to revert it into how it was in 2.0? I wanted to use it as a shiny object in a cave that can guide the player.

Maybe you could freeslot a new object and a new state, and make it identical to the Blue Crystal, but with a different Map Thing number and with the sprite set to fullbright or something?


Dunno about the rest, I haven't started mapping seriously yet (since apparently everyone except me has the 2.1 compatible SRB2 Workbench and/or uses SRB2 Doom Builder 2, which I'm not going to use, or just ignore all the "can't see textures in-editor" bug things).

 

[Tyrannic]

@The Zero Team:
Thanks for your suggestions. I'm looking into the Blue Crystal one.

I don't think changing the colormap would work that way because there doesn't seem to be a corresponding linedef executor,if I'm not mistaken.

The 2.1 Workbench config files can be found here, by the way: http://mb.srb2.org/showpost.php?p=742076&postcount=2

 

[MascaraSnake]

State S_BLUECRYSTAL1
SpriteFrame = FF_FULLBRIGHT|A

Put this in your WAD's MAINCFG and the blue crystal should no longer be affected by lighting.

 

[Tyrannic]

Thanks a lot ;) Do I need Slade to edit my MAINCFG or is there a way in the editors to do this?

Does anybody else have some ideas/answers regarding the other questions?

 

[The Zero Team]

Spoiler: Semi-off-topic

The 2.1 Workbench config files can be found here, by the way: http://mb.srb2.org/showpost.php?p=742076&postcount=2

Yeah, that's the configuration for 2.1, but I don't see an actual update for Workbench there which makes it for example display 3D Mode when I hit 3, or maybe even... load textures.

Also, according to Sonic Team Jr., "SRB2 Workbench will be the only map editor to support 2.1's new custom texture system". For that I think the Workbench itself would at least need some update later than 2009, if I'm not mistaking. Maybe 2007. I don't remember when it was last updated.

And I have a big map pack thingie in mind (I didn't give out any plans about it, please don't give me an infraction), which would really need custom texture support, and a functioning map editor that loads textures and supports 3D Mode, like Workbench did pre-2.1. Again I won't use SRB2 Doom Builder 2.

On-topic: I wouldn't recommend you to do the MainCfg thing, as it would also affect the Blue Crystals outside your specific level using them.

 

[Tyrannic]

Spoiler: Semi-off-topic

Yeah, that's the configuration for 2.1, but I don't see an actual update for Workbench there which makes it for example display 3D Mode when I hit 3, or maybe even... load textures.

Also, according to Sonic Team Jr., "SRB2 Workbench will be the only map editor to support 2.1's new custom texture system". For that I think the Workbench itself would at least need some update later than 2009, if I'm not mistaking. Maybe 2007. I don't remember when it was last updated.

And I have a big map pack thingie in mind (I didn't give out any plans about it, please don't give me an infraction), which would really need custom texture support, and a functioning map editor that loads textures and supports 3D Mode, like Workbench did pre-2.1. Again I won't use SRB2 Doom Builder 2.

On-topic: I wouldn't recommend you to do the MainCfg thing, as it would also affect the Blue Crystals outside your specific level using them.

[offtopic] Oh, that's what you mean. No, I don't know where to find the current build either, sorry[/offtopic]

Well, the maincfg will only affect the wad, not the vanilla game, so I'm fine with it.

 

[The Zero Team]

Well, the maincfg will only affect the wad, not the vanilla game, so I'm fine with it.

I know, but if the wad is loaded, it will also affect levels outside your wad. But you may do as you want. If you actually want it to glow, though, you could also make several sectors around it, which are brighter the closer to the crystal it is. But yeah, well, you decide what you want to do. :P

Off-topic: Oogaland/Current developer(s?) of the Workbench. When should we expect a public release of the new update? Does Sonic Team Jr. even use the Workbench for SRB2 levels any more?

 

[MascaraSnake]

Better late than never:

1. Is it possible to make a thing look transparent, meaning that it fully works and can be identified by the player, but can also be seen through?

Add "|TR_TRANSX" (where X is the transparency in percent, must be a multiple of 10) to the "SpriteFrame" value of every state where you want the object to be transparent. See this article for more information.

2. I've been able to use linedef type 422 (Cut away view) and then linedef type 450 (trigger linedef executor (tag)) to permanently change the camera's view after the trigger linedef and trigger sector have been triggered. Now, I highly doubt this, but is it possible by any means to give the player full analog control (like pressing a = go to the left of the screen, w = go into the "background", s = go into the "foreground" and d = go to the right of the screen)?

Maybe with Lua (I don't know if the camera is accessible via Lua), but even then it's probably somewhat complicated.

3. If I use linedef type 436 (Shatter FOF) on a pretty large FOF, the "shatter"-sprites won't cover the whole sector the FOF is in. Is that fixable?

I don't think so.

4. If I use linedef type 436 (Shatter FOF) on a FOF that's very high (about 1400 fracunits) over the ground, the FOF will (at least in my case) not teleport below the ground, but instead about 1000 fracunits below the FOF's initial height. Again, is that fixable?

That's strange. It's actually not supposed to teleport anywhere, but disappear entirely.

5. After I've set a colormap for a sector, can I make it disappear? I've read using linedef type 409 (Change tagged sector's tag) doesn't work.

Not possible. The best you can do is add the colormap to an invisible, intangible FOF that covers the entire sector, and then make that FOF disappear.

7. Linedef type 414 (play sound effect) somehow doesn't work for me. The trigger works (I can identify that by using another linedef executor type instead of 414). I've specified the sound in the front upper texture, the linedef doesn't have a tag and no flags are checked. The trigger sector is a "No more enemies" FOF, the trigger linedef is linedef type 302 (Once).

Make sure there's nothing in your front middle and front lower textures.

 

[Tyrannic]

Better late than never:

Exactly! Thank you!

Add "|TR_TRANSX" (where X is the transparency in percent, must be a multiple of 10) to the "SpriteFrame" value of every state where you want the object to be transparent. See this article for more information.

I'll look into it.

Maybe with Lua (I don't know if the camera is accessible via Lua), but even then it's probably somewhat complicated.

Okay, I'm going to need to simplify that part. I was thinking to do something like the Security Cam view sections in Gun Fortress in Shadow the Hedgehog, if anyone remembers that.

I don't think so.

Thankfully I already have an idea to kinda nullify that problem.

That's strange. It's actually not supposed to teleport anywhere, but disappear entirely.

Then whats this here?
"When shattered, it generates the bustable block sprites, produces crumbling ambience (sound 43), and hides inside the floor of the sector it is in."

Not possible. The best you can do is add the colormap to an invisible, intangible FOF that covers the entire sector, and then make that FOF disappear.

I have another idea regarding this, but if it doesn't work, I'll use this here. Thanks.

Make sure there's nothing in your front middle and front lower textures.

That should be irrelevant. I was able to set up another sound executor with a specified front middle texture (Gfzrock). I think the problem is the trigger (No more enemies + Once), which works but somehow isn't compatible with linedef type 414.

Thanks for helping me.

 

[MascaraSnake]

Then whats this here?
"When shattered, it generates the bustable block sprites, produces crumbling ambience (sound 43), and hides inside the floor of the sector it is in."

IIRC the behavior was changed for 2.1. But since your FOF apparently just lowers itself, maybe not. In any case, it's a bug.

 

[Tyrannic]

I'm not sure whether that problem was in 2.0 or in 2.1. I started the level before 2.1 was released, so I may try it out again in 2.1.

 

[Tyrannic]

Sorry for double posting.

Not possible. The best you can do is add the colormap to an invisible, intangible FOF that covers the entire sector, and then make that FOF disappear.

Can anyone explain that to me in detail?
I gave the desired target sector a tag of 100. Then, I created the control sector and gave one of its linedefs a tag of 100 and an effect of 223. After that, I specified the height of the invisible FOF (-200, 2000) in the control sector and gave the control sector a tag of 101.
Following that, I gave another linedef in the control sector a tag of 101 and an effect of 606 and specified the desired color for the colormap in the front upper texture of the linedef.

Ingame, the invisible FOF appears (I can check that by changing the linedef effect to 221, I can see the translucent sides then), but there's no colormap.
Does anybody have an idea how to fix this or if this is possible after all?

 

[MascaraSnake]

Try a fog block. Colormaps aren't actually rendered inside an invisible, intangible FOF, it seems.

 

[Tyrannic]

It doesn't work. The colormap appears this time, but when I execute linedef type 445, the fog block disappears (again, verified by using a visible FOF), but the colormap strangely doesn't disappear.

Do you have any other idea regarding this? If not, I unfortunately will have to copy the entire room without the colormap and teleport the player to it.

 

[Liliam]

Use a half-light block and then bury it underneath the level when you want to the colormap to disappear.

 

[Tyrannic]

Yesh! It worked. Thanks a LOT Neo Chaotikal!

 

[Tyrannic]

Sorry for double posting/bumping, I know the thread is a bit old but since I sort of already asked this question here, I think it'd be better to ask again here for completion's sake rather than creating a new thread:

7. Linedef type 414 (play sound effect) somehow doesn't work for me. The trigger works (I can identify that by using another linedef executor type instead of 414). I've specified the sound in the front upper texture, the linedef doesn't have a tag and no flags are checked. The trigger sector is a "No more enemies" FOF, the trigger linedef is linedef type 302 (Once).

I didn't have to fix this back then because I removed the "No more enemies"-part entirely.

But now, I have this problem again, with the difference being that the trigger sector has a "Pushable Objects"-sector special (16) and the Trigger Linedef is a "Continuous"-linedef (300).
Once again the triggers work fine with executors like "Move tagged sector's floor" (403), but 414 doesn't work. Same with 434 (Award Power up). No tag is given and the texture fields are filled properly (DSALARM) and (PW_FLASH | ING), but nothing happens ingame.

 

[Liliam]

Have you tried checking the "play sound for everyone, from nowhere" flag? (whichever it was) It might be that the sector or mobj that is triggering the sound is actually something unexpected like a control sector, so you don't hear anything because it's playing somewhere you're not.

 

[Tyrannic]

@ Neo Chaotikal: That does not change anything, would've been quite strange too as 434 also doesn't work.

413 (change music) does work though, so it doesn't affect all of these types of executors.

Also, I was perfectly able to use 414 and 434 with a "Floor Touch"-Trigger and they stopped working only after using a "Pushable Objects"-trigger.

EDIT: I also variated between "Once" (302), "Continuous" (300), and "Number of Pushables: Continuous" (314). Didn't change anything, so it doesn't have anything to do with the Trigger linedef type.