Tutorial Request

[Darth InSidious]

Could someone please make a comprehensive tutorial all about waypoints, what you can do with them, and how to use them, as well as what their various functions do, and how to tell what each one does in the module when opened with a GFF editor.

 

Much appreciated

[stoffe]

Originally posted by Darth InSidious

Could someone please make a comprehensive tutorial all about waypoints, what you can do with them, and how to use them, as well as what their various functions do, and how to tell what each one does in the module when opened with a GFF editor.

 

Much appreciated

 

A tutorial for what?

 

Waypoints are just invisible markers in an area, essentially an object keeping track of the coordinates and facing it has.

 

They have no inherent function of their own, they are used by scripts to keep track of (usually pre-set, though you can spawn new waypoints with scripts) locations in an area.

 

Their most common use is to define patrol routes for creatures, and to define locations where characters will be spawned or jumped for cutscenes. They are also often used to define the "home base" of a creature, a spot they will return to if they've wandered off during a fight.

 

They are also used to set map notes that show up on your map screen.

[Darth InSidious]

This is true, but nonetheless, I really need/would like a tutorial on how to use them/ identify what they are doing in a module.

 

For example, I have no idea how to identify which waypoint is linking to another module in a module.

[Darth333]

To add to the excellent description made by stoffe, this document describes pretty well what each of the fields you see when you open a .utw file with a gff editor

 

edit: as for linking modules, check this post: http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=1564376#post1564376

[stoffe]

Originally posted by Darth InSidious

This is true, but nonetheless, I really need/would like a tutorial on how to use them/ identify what they are doing in a module.

 

For example, I have no idea how to identify which waypoint is linking to another module in a module.

 

Don't know if it's possible to give step-by-step instructions for that since it really depends on what the scripts use them for.

 

You'd have to check the Tag of the waypoint, and then search for that tag in all the module scripts to see what it is used for.

 

 

The exception is patrolpoint waypoints, which are used by the global creature AI scripts. They (usually) depend on the tag of the creature that should walk them... like:

 

WP_ + <TAG> + _ + <SEQUENCE>

WP_DarthSion_01, for example...

 

The exception to this is if LocalNumber 2 is set on the creature, then this number will be used instead of the tag.

 

As for "home base" waypoints, they begin with POST_ followed by the creature's tag.

 

Waypoints used as targets for area transitions usually begin with FROM_, followed by the name of the area the transition is from. Like FROM_601DAN. The exception to this is the waypoint where you exit from the Ebon Hawk. This is always called WP_from_ebonhawk.

[Darth InSidious]

Uhm, Darth, the info you give there appears to be about linking the doors....also, all the "LinkedTo" things I've seen in-game are blank, and your first bulletpoint confuses me

[Darth InSidious]

Waypoints used as targets for area transitions usually begin with FROM_, followed by the name of the area the transition is from. Like FROM_601DAN. The exception to this is the waypoint where you exit from the Ebon Hawk. This is always called WP_from_ebonhawk.

 

And just doing that will make the waypoint link to another module?

[stoffe]

Originally posted by Darth InSidious

And just doing that will make the waypoint link to another module?

 

No. As I said, waypoints don't do anything by themselves (map notes being the one notable exception). They just exist to be used as position markers by scripts that are fired elsewhere.

 

To link to another module, you either need an area transition or a trigger or other object that runs a script that loads the new module.

 

The FROM_ waypoints mark the arrival destinations for transitions and scripts in other modules. And that's just a naming standard Obsidian decided to use to make it clear what their purpose are. Waypoints can have anything as a tag and still be usable for that purpose.

 

Scripts use the StartNewModule() function for this, where the first parameter is the name of the new module to move to, and the second parameter is the Tag of the waypoint to appear at.

[Darth InSidious]

Oookay....thanks! And I just attach the script to the waypoint..........

stoffe - you have just cleared up months of confusion!

[stoffe]

Originally posted by Darth InSidious

Oookay....thanks! And I just attach the script to the waypoint..........

 

No. As I said, waypoints still don't do anything by themselves.

 

A waypoint has no event script slots. Other scripts can use a waypoint, a waypoint can't run scripts on its own.

[Darth InSidious]

Ah. okay.

 

So the script would, in basic form, take you from the current module at waypoint X, and start your new module at point Y, yes?

[stoffe]

Originally posted by Darth InSidious

Ah. okay.

 

So the script would, in basic form, take you from the current module at waypoint X, and start your new module at point Y, yes?

 

If you are using a script to do the module/area transition, it will take you from wherever you happen to be when the script fies, and place you at the waypoint specified to the StartNewModule() function in the script.

 

(If no waypoint is specified, you'll end up at the module default starting location instead.)

[Darth InSidious]

Okay. How do I set the script to fire at a particular waypoint?

[stoffe]

Originally posted by Darth InSidious

Okay. How do I set the script to fire at a particular waypoint?

 

The easiest way is to draw a trigger covering that location, and then put the script in the OnEnter event slot of the trigger. You don't need a waypoint for that in the area you are about to leave.

[Darth InSidious]

Okay. So, in order to warp to another module I need -

 

A door with the linkedto and linkedtomodule stuff changed

 

A script

 

A waypoint

 

A trigger for the script and waypoint.

 

Yes?

[Darkkender]

Originally posted by Darth InSidious

Okay. So, in order to warp to another module I need -

 

A door with the linkedto and linkedtomodule stuff changed

 

A script

 

A waypoint

 

A trigger for the script and waypoint.

 

Yes?

 

That pretty well does it for you. Now if you are doing module to module editing, especially creating your own module then the GIT, ARE & module.IFO files actually have alot of built in placeholders for your various GFF files so that you can reduce the amount of scripting needed. I discovered alot of fun things when relating to this when I built the Tomb of Jesset Dal'Kest for Kotor 1. It uses 2 modules, You enter module one by clicking on a obelisk on korriban which is a utp(placeable) file. The utp loads the module via the use of a script. The script tells the game to load a particular module. Now the module has a predefined waypoint as it's starting waypoint. So in the script you don't need to define the waypoint that your being transported too. Later as you travel through the Tomb you hit a UTT(Trigger) file by passing a certain point. This trigger loads module number 2. Same routine as before loading the module in a specific spot. When you engage one of the phony partymembers in a dialogue it activates a script to make the entire lot of phony party members hostile then you have to kill them. After killing them all the second trigger in the module is allowed to activate. It then reloads module 1. However module 1's load script now calls upon a specific utw(waypoint) file in the module load script instead of the default. The module load script will automatically call the modules core 3 files for a default waypoint defined in the module itself. However you can also force the same script function to call a specific waypoint that also needs to be defined in the module.

[Darth InSidious]

Thanks!