stay func_usable, stay... good boy

[ioshee]

Map type: MP

Game type: FFA

Program I am using: jk2Radiant

 

Hello,

 

I searched the forums for about an hour and didn't find my answer so I thought I would start a new thread. Please feel free to let me know if this has already been covered.

 

I want to be able to stand in a specific spot and have a texture appear to change. Specifically I want a blue brush to turn red.

 

This is how I've tried doing that:

-Made a trigger_multiple

-Made two func_usables (one red, one blue) both with the same targetname

-Set the red one to start off

-Targeted the trigger to both usables

 

What I get is halfway what I want. While standing in the trigger brush it switches back and forth between the two brushes at whatever wait time I assigned it. I kinda' like this although that's not what I had originally intended. The only thing I really want is to get it to always go to blue when I EXIT the trigger_multiple brush. As it is now, It just stays on whichever color was active when I left the trigger (sometimes red and sometimes blue.)

 

I’ve also tried targeting the trigger to an invisible door and then targeting the door to the usables, but I get the same basic effect. I tried making a door without using a trigger at all (so it would stay down while I was in it’s “personal space”) and then targeting it at the usables, but the usables kept switching back and forth while the door stayed down.

 

Thanks for reading this rather lengthy post. And thank you in advance for any helpful words you could share.

[Leslie Judge]

This is not a real solution just a kind of workaround.

 

You can make 1 unit thick (or thin? ) triggers around the area where your trigger is now. This way if you pass through the "walls" the colour will change to red, leaving the area will change the colour back to blue. OK, they will not keep changing colours while standing in that area.

[ioshee]

Thanks Leslie,

 

I did try putting a thin trigger at the edge of my big trigger but while standing in the big trigger it still changes it back and forth. Then, when I exit the big trigger and pass through the thin trigger it changes one more time.

 

The problem is, If I leave the big one when the func_usable is blue, passing through the thin trigger changes it to red.

 

If I leave the big trigger when the usable is red, passing through the thin one changes it to blue. But the results are are still unpredictable. So it’s not too different then what I’m getting with just the big trigger.

 

Is there a key and value I need to add to the trigger_multiple to get it to stay "fired" while the player is in it (and not keep firing?)

 

Thanks again for your help.

[wedge2211]

Try using one trigger_multiple with a long wait key. That way, players won't be able to reactivate the switch for quite some time (assumedly enough time for anyone to move out of the trigger area).

[ioshee]

Thanks Wedge,

 

Is there a way to make it wait indefinitely, or until it gets fired again by the other brush instead of setting a specific time? I saw a toggle setting for a door entity. Is there something like that I could use for my setup? I’m not even sure how to set the toggle setting for a door (as in, what the key/value pair would be.)

 

Also I need for it to stay red (or keep blinking) while anyone is still in the brush and only turn back to blue (or stop turning back and forth and end on blue) when everyone has vacated the big trigger_multiple.

 

Sorry to be such a pain.

 

I might just make two textures that are similar enough so that it doesn't matter which one it ends on. That way I could get it to change between the two of func_usables while anyone is in the trigger (kinda’ like it’s flashing), and then just stop changing when everyone leaves the area. I’m still open to any other suggestions, but I will play around with the wait value to see what I can come up with.

 

Thanks so much for all you guys do here on the forums. It seems like the two of you answer most of the questions hehe (no offence to all the others that answer questions, I just haven’t seen you as much as Leslie and Wedge yet because I’m new.)

[Leslie Judge]

Originally posted by ioshee

I did try putting a thin trigger at the edge of my big trigger

Misunderstanding here we have.

 

I ment you make only the thin triggers and not use the original one. In that case the color will not change when standing at the place of the original (but deleted) big trigger.

[ioshee]

ahhh, Now I get it Leslie. That would work perfect, except say I'm standing in the "area" (of the original trigger) and I'm just hanging out there (dueling and what not [it's a big area]) and then another player enters that area. Wouldn't that change the color again?

 

I'll try it though. Thanks again:)

[wedge2211]

Uh...you have me confuzzled. What exactly do you want this setup to do?

[starunner]

This is just a stab in the dark, but would you be trying to make a map that shows --in real time-- which parts of the level are populated by players? There was a map for half-life that did something similar I think...

[Leslie Judge]

Yes, entering of an other player will change the color. I told you this is not a real solution.

 

Wedge: if I understand then he wants one color displayed if anybody is in that arena (number of players doesn't matter if greater than 0) and an other one if there is nobody.

 

In this case I have no idea how to do it in MP.

[wedge2211]

I have a random idea that might work, but is a rather clunky solution.

 

func_doors will open when a player comes near them, but will not close if a player is still standing nearby. Also, they have trigger events for (I think) door open and door close (called target2 or some such thing). You *could* put a thin clip brush on the floor, make it a func_door, opening downwards, with no sound. For "target," make it trigger the sign to change from blue to red, and for "target2" make it trigger the sign to go from red to blue. That way, when a player walks in, the door will open and switch the sign, but the door won't close again (and switch the sign back) until all players leave the room.

[ioshee]

Yes basically I'm trying to make an occupied/not occupied sign outside the door to a room. Like a recording studio.

 

Thanks Wedge, That was an ingenious idea. I found a tute that said the keys are target and closetarget, only I can't get the closetarget to work right for some strange reason (user error I'm sure hehe)

 

I'll play around with it a bit more, but if it takes too much longer I’m scrapping the one color or another idea for a flashy/no flashy scenario. I can get that to work just fine.

 

I’m sad to hear there is a HL map that already did this. I thought I was being original. Oh well, you know what they say: there’s nothing new under the sun.

 

Can you tell me how they used it in the HL map you saw? I don’t want it to be exactly like it.

[wedge2211]

Originally posted by ioshee

I found a tute that said the keys are target and closetarget, only I can't get the closetarget to work right for some strange reason (user error I'm sure hehe)

 

Check the entitiy window description for a func_door, it'll list the available keys.

[starunner]

The map I was thinking of was Rustmill, a team Deathmatch matchmap by Valve. I think it was released in an official Half-life update or something. The concept there was slightly different though, the level actually featured an overhead diagram of the map in the "bunker" area. If a part of the level was populated by players, then a trigger would make the corrospoding part of the diagram blink. The clever part was that the diagram also doubled as a teleporter --a player in the bunker could teleport to any area on the map by shooting at the right part of the diagram. Anyway, I'm digressing a bit.

 

It seems to be roughly what you are trying to do, (only with lots of rooms as opposed to one) but as far as I know your take on the concept is still pretty original, and certainly not something that has been done in JK2 yet. It'd certainly be a cool feature if you can get it to work.

 

 

 

You can download the map here, though if you have an up-to-date version of Half-life you probably already have it:

 

http://www.halflifefiles.com/files/keypage.php?filekey=hlrustmil1

[ioshee]

LoL, Actually StarRunner that is almost exactly what I wanted to do (minus the warp thing.) Put a map in centralized spawn room that showed what rooms are currently occupied. I didn’t say exactly what I was trying to do because I kinda’ wanted to keep it as a surprise, but now I’m reconsidering it altogether.

 

Originally I had wanted a computer terminal that you could “use” to cycle through camera views of the different rooms, but as far as I’ve heard its not possible to do a camera in MP like they have them in SP (you know, where it takes up the full screen.)

 

I’ve never played Half-Life, but some of my good friends play it religiously (well TFC.) Like you said the idea may be new to JKII, but I would be sad if someone playing my map accused me of ripping off the idea from the HL map. I’d love to get some feedback on whether you think I should scrap the idea or not. Thanks for the info even though it destroyed my life. Hehe just kidding.

[wedge2211]

You can't really rip off IDEAS. And hey, people have ported plenty of stuff from other games into JKII. I say go for it.

[Dragarius]

Sounds to me like he has already formed the 'half-life' model.

 

If you abandon colors as an indicator of occupation, you can using a flashing light.

 

Make a trigger_multiple for the area connected to the light.

 

Anyone in the area triggers the light repeatedly making it flash. You can adjust how fast it flashes.

 

Everyone leaves, it stops flashing.

 

Note: Although I say 'light' you cannot turn lights on and off in MP mapping, so please don't ask me how you do this

 

It would, technically, be a flashing marker. Although a light emitting texture could be alternated with one which did not.

[Leslie Judge]

A dynamic light can be made by effects. And fx_runners can be turned on/off.

[ioshee]

Thanks Wedge. You make some good points (not to mention you saved my hopes and dreams.)

 

Dragarius, I have decided to go with the blinking/flashy custom texture idea, although I'm not really concerned about it emitting light. I will probably just put a light above the map table. Thank you very much:)

 

Leslie, as always, you rock.

[wedge2211]

Originally posted by Leslie Judge

A dynamic light can be made by effects. And fx_runners can be turned on/off.

 

THe newest q3map2 supports light styles, does it also support dynamic lights in MP?

[Leslie Judge]

I think if MP supports it, q3map2 will too. In compile time there is no difference in a SP or MP map file for the compiler.

[starunner]

Yeah, as Wedge said you wouldn't really be ripping anything off. That would be like saying you were ripping off Raven whenever you made a CTF map or something. In any case you've made it clear you came up with the idea yourself anyway, not that it would even matter if you did borrow the idea.

 

I'm sure it's a feature like that a lot of the JK community would find really cool, so yeah, of course you should go for it if you can get it to work.

 

I kinda feel like I ruined the surprise now, though...

[ioshee]

Hehe it’s all good Starunner. It wasn’t that big of a surprise. You are just too clever for me to have kept it a secret.

 

Thanks for your encouraging words.

 

Just wanted to thank you guys and let you know I got it working better than my original intent. I like this new way better. Instead of being two colors (which I was really only using for testing) I made two custom textures.

They are similar enough so as not to be too noticeably different when they are at rest, but you can definitely see something going on if it is blinking back and forth between the two.

 

The only thing I haven’t tested (which I will before I release the map) is what happens when two people are in the same trigger. Does anyone have any thoughts on that? Like whether you think it would trigger twice as fast or stop triggering altogether.