The RichDiesel University Tutorial Questions Thread.

[RichDiesal]

I made a brush, copied it, put it right on top of the other, covered it with trigger, made it a trigger push, made another bush and made it a target whatever it was, then linked it with the ctrl k, the line even showed up to show that they were linked, but when i tested it no luck. Any ideas?

That should work just fine... Are you sure that the trigger_push brush can be walked into by the player? The player needs to be able to physically touch the trigger brush for it to throw him.

 

oh, and do you know wha tthe opengl lighting feature in GTK does exactly? I cant notice any real difference when its selected and not...

That switches the rendering in the 3D View between Direct3D and OpenGL drivers... if you have an nVidia card, you should be able to browse the 3D View in OpenGL faster than in D3D.

 

I am having problems with Gtk Radiant

Sorry, I don't use GTK. Does it do it in JK2R?

 

how do i make a certain that when someone crosses it they die. ( like when they fall off the side of the building into the pit of darkness)

It is in my tutorials at http://richdiesal.jedioutcastmaps.com/tutorials/ ... the servers are down at the moment, but they should be back up soon.

[simarilius]

Rich, any idea why I'm getting this in my level? the patches are all lined up perfectly in the editor.

 

http://members.lycos.co.uk/simarilius/pics/speeder/wtf.jpg

 

thanks for the tutorials by the way, you've done a really good job explaining complicated stuff in a simple way.

[RichDiesal]

Well, you need to first realize that patches aren't technically curves... they are just highly triangulated (that's probably not the right word) surfaces. Thus, in the game, sometimes two patches up next to each other won't have their triangles matched up to each other.

 

The only way to make sure that they are perfectly lined up is to make sure that the vertices (not the curves themselves) in Radiant are perfectly lined up. Even a fraction of a grid unit will cause problems.

 

Just a random guess, but you didn't use bevels for your curve and then make an endcap cap did you? And you made sure to add the cap after you'd manipulated the vertices? Failing either of those would cause a problem like that.

[WhiteShdw]

Hey, Richdiesel. Thanks for the tutorials. They've been a great help so far. I do have some questions though.

 

1. I created a small hallway for Kyle to crawl through and i put a door at the end that leads to another room. I put an area portal brush inside the door, like in your tutorial. Now when the door opens i get the HOM effect. In another part of the map i also created a door with a area portal in it and that worked fine. I'm not sure what i'm doing wrong. The only difference is that one door is a lot bigger than the other one.

 

2. I'm trying to get the vacuum of space effect that Raven put in some of their SP maps. I got a big room with a force field. I made a button/trigger which activates and deactivates the forcefield. I was trying to use trigger_push for the vacuum effect, but i want it to activate and deactivate with the forcefield. Is it possible to activate/deactivate trigger_push, or am i doing this all wrong and is there another way to make this work.

 

3. Does MP use the same lighting engine as SP? I loaded up my map in Sp and Mp and the lighting looks a lot better in SP.

[Shadriss]

Ok, Rich. I join my thanks to the countless others doubtlessly already expressed. Those tuts have gotten me off to a great start. But since I design for MP exclusively (and duel maps for that matter) there are a couple areas that I'm not to clear on.

 

First off, they both have to do with PK3's (I think...)

 

Like, for example, how to get music to play in your level? Architecture, lighting and gameplay are all great, ,but hey, you gotta have tunes!

 

Second, I HAVE to know how to do BOT routing. I mean, as you said, it's the right thing to do. I have a duel map ready except for those elements (may not be GREAT, but Hey, *I* like it!) so I'd REALLY like to finish it off before moving on to another map.

 

Anyone else with these answers, feel free to let me know - I've searched all kinds of forums, and no clear answers. And as yet, no tuts! (nudge nudge, Rich...)

[Shadriss]

Oh, ,and I had one more question - and this one isn't related to editing as such. Have you considered making the tuts downloadable? If I could get a printed 'bible' to work from, MAN would that ease my on-line time. Especially with the server down times.... Thanks again!

[RichDiesal]

I will likely make the tuts downloadable when they are all complete. I am going back and revising them fairly often, so this will likely be a good distance in the future.

 

I will be making tuts on all the things you described, but I am going to finish my current mapping project first. Once I have it done, I'll be able to write some tuts on scripting too, and I know a lot of people are antsy for some of those.

 

For music, select worldspawn, add the key "music" and set a value. Done.

 

For bot routing (for the time being), read http://jk2ed.jediknightii.net/botroute.htm

 

As for the door... hmm... your door completely blocks off the hallway, right? If it doesn't, an areaportal won't work (you'll get a HOM).

 

As for the triggerable trigger_push effect, that is done via scripting (and thus will only work in SP).

 

And the lightmap interpreter in the MP engine is much less complex and efficient than the one in the SP engine. That's just the way it works. *shrug*

[Winperator]

hi there...

at first:

great tuts they are very easy to understad (i am german and my english isn't the best ) and helped me a lot in working with the radiant...

 

here is my question:

bofer i tryed to map with the JK2R i mapped with Worldcraft for Half-Life...

in my JK2-Map i want to build a 360° arch... in Worldcraft i used the "arch-tool" but i don't know how to build this in Radiant...

 

any idea?

thanks...

[simarilius]

Originally posted by RichDiesal

The only way to make sure that they are perfectly lined up is to make sure that the vertices (not the curves themselves) in Radiant are perfectly lined up. Even a fraction of a grid unit will cause problems.

 

The vertices match up perfectly in GTK, as do the manipulation points, (the little purple ones)

 

 

Just a random guess, but you didn't use bevels for your curve and then make an endcap cap did you? And you made sure to add the cap after you'd manipulated the vertices? Failing either of those would cause a problem like that.

 

I used simple patches, moved the vertices then added the caps.

I did do a scale on the whole model tho, which i think must be the problem as it was ok prior to that. I've even tried deleteing the caps and creating new ones but there are still cracks. Its as tho one patch switches to a lower detail level before the other one, as at some distances/angles its fine, then all of a sudden the cap gos mad. ah well. thanks anyway, its just annoying to have something like this pop up when its essentially finished.

[DarkSkywalker]

Rich, any idea why I'm getting this in my level? the patches are all lined up perfectly in the editor.

 

Your speeder can be as perfectly lined up as you want it to be, but youll have to have your game settings all the way up not to see those leaks. This is also apparent in the garbage whatever MP map, where you get the repeater. Those leaks dont appear when you have your game settings cranked up all the way. Its just how the engine works...

[simarilius]

Originally posted by DarkSkywalker

 

Your speeder can be as perfectly lined up as you want it to be, but youll have to have your game settings all the way up not to see those leaks. This is also apparent in the garbage whatever MP map, where you get the repeater. Those leaks dont appear when you have your game settings cranked up all the way. Its just how the engine works...

 

I was puzzled by this as i thought i was running with them all cranked up so i just checked it, and I am playing on max settings. Interesting fact tho, i found when i turn geometric detail down to medium or low the cracks disappear. just bizarre.

 

thanks for the help

 

Sim

[RichDiesal]

Originally posted by Winperator

here is my question:

bofer i tryed to map with the JK2R i mapped with Worldcraft for Half-Life...

in my JK2-Map i want to build a 360° arch... in Worldcraft i used the "arch-tool" but i don't know how to build this in Radiant...

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to make, but I bet you can get an idea in my Curves 201 tutorials... if you mean an elongated hole, just use the Hole in the Ceiling tut and turn it on its side.

[Shadriss]

Regaurding the domed cieling tut -

 

I've encountered a couple of probs while following it, most of which revolve around the inverted bevel. You state in the tut that once the invert bevel is placed, you can shift-click the individual parts of the group to de-select them. When I try this, the editor selects whatever is OUTSIDE of the box. (IE if there is a wall behind the curve area where I'm clicking, it selects the wall, not de-selects the curve). So, is that a misprint, or am I doing something wrong?

 

Second, ,the one time I *DID* manage to get rid of the upper bevel (still not sure what I did differently... I'd have kept it but the editor crashed shortly thereafter...) I pulled the vertices as directed. Problem is this - You say drag the "other two" top vertices to make the dome. There's only ONE other top vertex that affects the curve, unless there's a way to placee another on the top row that you neglected to mention. THe only other vertex on the top row pulls the whole BOX toward whereever I drag it. SO again, ,what gives?

 

Ok, done complaining, and now awaiting an explanation. With, I hope, Patience.

[Shadriss]

Oh, and I forgot one other puzzling thing... When I get the caps in place, then try to deselect them all with ESC, they ALWAYS get deleted as if I'd pushed the backspace. Any input on THAT issue would be good too.

[Shadriss]

Ok, ,found the solution. I post it here only to answer anyone else's question.

 

In the tut, Rich notes that when you add the caps, ,they become a single function group. Well, just UNgroup them, and then delete the parts you don't want.

 

And I found that third vertex... was hiding behind the curve mesh, where I couldn't see it.

 

Sorry to take up valuable space on the thread.. but if it confused me, there's gotta be SOMEBODY else who got confused too....

[RichDiesal]

Oh hrm... still, those problems are just bizarre. You are using JK2Radiant and not GTKRadiant, right? GTK may handle these things differently (not sure though).

 

You shouldn't need to ungroup the curve to do that. It's actually much more difficult to work with curves without func_groups (especially when you have very small caps/curves that are hard to select on their own).

 

As for the caps deleting when you hit ESC, no idea. Shouldn't do that.

[simarilius]

the thing with them deleting, check you havent got patches filtered in the view menu. If you have as soon as their not selected they'll vanish.

[Derisor]

RichDiesel,

 

If you could load up the map in radiant and look at that intersection and tell me if you can figure out where those sparlies are ocmming from, id be appreciative.

[Shadriss]

Yeah, I'm using JK2. Never did any mapping for Quake, so I never had GTK. ANd true, ungrouping them makes it harder to move them around (Gotta select'em each individually...) but as the old saying goes, if it works....

[Wes Marrakesh]

Rich, can you help me with my map's wierd problems?

Using: JK2 Radiant

Map: MoC(?) Skyscraper Level

MP

FFA, JM, H, CTF/CTY(?)

Problem one: I am using the window textures that are used in the emperor's throne room in the deathstar map, found in the carin texture set. I cannot see out of them, and they are detail.

 

Problem Two: How to do ladders that work? I made the physical brushes and I made a ladder brush that the ladder is in but it doesn't work in game unless i don't know how to do it.

 

Problem Three: My elevator. Neither of the buttons appear in-game, the bottom one works to bring the elevator up, but it doesn't go down while i on it, and the top button doesn't work at all. I used Rich's button tutorial.

[RichDiesal]

One: A texture is a texture. You need a shader, not a texture. I don't think Raven included a shader to make that texture transparent, so you'll hafta make one yourself.

 

Two: I've never gotten a ladder to work, so I have no idea.

 

Three: Switches/buttons can't be used in the same way with platforms as with doors... you will need to make your platform into a func_static and script it to get it to work.

 

And no, I've never tried it, so I couldn't tell you how. There are several such platforms, however, on kejim_post and you can find the scripts in SPscripts.zip.

 

I will also note that if you're making a MP level, generally speaking, you should (almost) never have any switches, because that somewhat interrupts the flow of a map. You'll notice that most switches (like the insta-death areas in some of Raven's MP maps) are all simple presence - not an actual switch - for that very reason.

[Wes Marrakesh]

hmm.... dang..... but the windows in the death star work! i tried the shader version of the window and i couldn't see out!

hmm... i guess you'll have to just jump up.

so what should i do instead? a bad staircase?

[XeNN]

Hey Rich? Nice tutorials man... I just have a few questions of my own...

 

1.) In my map your player has to escape from his cell, he has to find a vent to do so but he doesnt have any weapons to do so. And he starts off with limited force power... As he progresses through the stage he will find some more of course... But I want to know how to make a brush be destroyed by force push... I've tried breakables but it seems the only way is setting them to glass ^^*. Any Idea's?

 

2.) Is making a script (one that prints a message.) The same as Target_Print in Radiant? Does it have better features or...?

 

3.) I tried makeing a hover bridge... However my script seemed to make the bridge take off the far horizon! ^^*... LoL what's the deal with that? BTW im trying to make it Act like the abandoned hovercraft when you first get your lightsaber in SP.

 

4.) On that bridge I also want to make it so when you destroy the four generaters the bridge will fall to the ground shortly after... How would you do that?

 

5.) How do you manage to work on your map with all these questions?

 

Thank you

-----------

Sorry also forgot to mention... What do you and that other guy mean by 3fps? Area portals? In all the tutorials I've read I don't belive I heard anything about these...

[RichDiesal]

1) That would be best done by scripting... give a force_push activated script to the breakable that activates it when push is used on it.

 

2) Scripting muuuuch more complicated. Scripting can make in-game cutscenes. Scripting good.

 

3) What's the bridge do? You probably don't need to script it... would likely be much easier to make it a func_train with a few path_corners to give the illusion of free floating.

 

4) Ehhh... well if it's a func_train, that wouldn't work. You would need to make it a func_static and script it to move between navpoints on its own. You would then need the breakables targetted at a target_counter that, once the 4 breakables had been broken, would flush the original script and instead make it fall.

 

5) I don't. The problem is that when I run into problems, I have no one to ask, so I just sit and stare at it and get frustrated. I am current working on ffa_archives, though, and need some help with it. There's a thread in this forum (REQ: Information on Jedi Archives I think it's called) that it would be GREAT if you could help with the request there.

 

----

Read my tutorial on doors. It goes over areaportals.

[Anakin]

So you have finaly done it Rich, you have converted me to JKRad!!

Sooooo many things I did yesterday, getting NPCS to move were I want them to and Spawning them

 

All I need now it a trigger_once to activate a cutscene then I will be happy, any insights??

 

 

Anakin