New TDM 2.03 Features for Mappers

[grayman]

TDM 2.03 has a few changes that might be interesting to map authors. If you'd like to get started with these and perhaps create a small test map or two, we're in the middle of our public 2.03 Beta Test, and you're welcome to post a map there for others to test. When posting, please be clear about what you'd like folks to try or look at. (It's highly likely that mappers have access to the Beta Test Forum already, but in case you don't, contact Springheel for permission.)

If you have a chance to work with one or more of these features, feedback is welcome. We'll be glad to mildly tweak anything that isn't working as expected.

In no particular order ...


New Female Character

We have a brand-new character, AI->Commoners, Unarmed->atdm:ai_townsfolk_female. She uses a new set of female vocals from a new voice actor.

Savegame Mechanics

Mappers are allowed to alter the way savegames work. They will be allowed to disable quicksaves or even all kinds of saves, and trigger a save from within a mission. In addition, saves will also be limitable, and the stat screen will hold the information on how often a player saved.

Here's Obsttorte's Wiki article about this feature.

Searching

Rather than the sometimes chaotic behavior we've seen in the past, 2.03 provides a coordinated search behavior where one or two AI will actively search an area and other AI will guard the perimeter, posting themselves at doors, treasured items, or somewhere nearby.

AI will post themselves at visportals leading out of the area (which includes visportaled doors), and special "guard points". You can create a guard point by dropping a new entity into your map: Paths->path_guard_point. Place it where you want an AI to stand (i.e. in front of a treasure item or vault) and set the "angle" spawnarg to the direction you want the AI to face when he's standing there. However, guard points inside the search area will be ignored (as will visportals and doors), in the name of keeping the search area uncluttered so the primary searchers can do their job.

Menus Show Current Mission

The name of the current mission will now be shown on the Menu screens. This is taken from the "Title:" line in darkmod.txt, so make sure it's present.

If you're working on a campaign, please provide the following in darkmod.txt:

Title: Campaign Name
Mission 1 Title: First Mission Name
Mission 2 Title: Second Mission Name
Mission 3 Title: Third Mission Name
etc.

sys.emitParticle()

Here is SteveL's Wiki article about the World Particles System covering this feature.

countEntities

There's now a new console command that displays entity counts by class, to help people work out where they exceed the limit.

 

noFogBoundary

 

Set this to "1" on your fog lights to stop your caulk sky from getting fogged.

[Goldwell]

Also another big thing for mappers in 2.03 are the new prefabs, new models and new textures. All of which that are looking great!

[grayman]

Also another big thing for mappers in 2.03 are the new prefabs, new models and new textures. All of which that are looking great!

 

Do we know what the new prefabs and models are?

 

Listing new textures would probably take forever, unless someone already has a list to point to.

[Goldwell]

 

Do we know what the new prefabs and models are?

 

Listing new textures would probably take forever, unless someone already has a list to point to.

 

EDIT: Ok i'm pretty bored so I just downloaded 2.02 and compared the file structures between 2.02 and 2.03, here are the differences I found between the two

 

Prefabs: 7 new files

Models: 159 new files (126 of those new files are .lwo so I assume that means new models)

Textures: 415 new files (I removed all _local files when comparing the two & only used the darkmod&dds folders for comparing)

 

That might give a better indication of how much new stuff in is there

 

-Original post-

I don't know exactly whats new but off the top of my head I noticed the buildings were updated in the new prefab and there was another one added, there are a couple of new AI prefabs as well such as the leaning commoner and the townsfolk playing cards, there a new wealthy chest in the containers section, I think theres a new table in there too, wine bottles were added, a new clock as well which seems to have scripts attached.

 

In terms of models i've noticed new bowls, tables, beds (very cool new beds actually), new arched doors, new loot, etc

 

And as for textures there are just a whole heap of new ones I noticed while going through the list, adds more flavor and makes it easier to find just the right one when going through the list.

 

I'm not certain but if I remember correctly most of these new models,prefabs,textures are dumps from Melan, Springheel and Bikerdude

Edited January 12, 2015 by Goldwell

[Melan]

I believe that's most of the material from my texture packs, as well as the TTLG Canon Texture Pack project.

[SteveL]

Plus there's a noFogBoundary spawnarg for fog lights that stops your caulk sky getting fogged.

[Tels]

There are also new script events, which let you discover all currently existing entitites with certain spawnargs or classes via script.

 

Plus trigger_touch can now be set to not be checked every frame (making them faster and better scaling).

 

New languages have also been added, but that is not something important for mapping

[Anderson]

 

 

New languages have also been added

Hurray!

[grayman]

There are also new script events, which let you discover all currently existing entitites with certain spawnargs or classes via script.

Does someone have details?

 

Plus trigger_touch can now be set to not be checked every frame (making them faster and better scaling).

How?

 

New languages have also been added, but that is not something important for mapping

Which languages? That's more in the player's area than the mapper's.

[grayman]

Plus there's a noFogBoundary spawnarg for fog lights that stops your caulk sky getting fogged.

Added to OP

[Springheel]

Models: 159 new files (126 of those new files are .lwo so I assume that means new models)

 

Most of those are probably mine...I added a LOT of new models last spring along with LOD versions of many. I know I've forgotten half of them by now, but I wouldn't have guessed there were 126 new ones....

[Bikerdude]

 

• AI will post themselves at visportals leading out of the area (which includes visportaled doors), and special "guard points". You can create a guard point by dropping a new entity into your map: Paths->path_guard_point. Place it where you want an AI to stand
• countEntities - There's now a new console command that displays entity counts by class, to help people work out where they exceed the limit.
• noFogBoundary - Set this to "1" on your fog lights to stop your caulk sky from getting fogged.

• Sweet, I did wonder what that was for.
• Grand this will come in handy on obne of my WIPS.
• ah very very nice, we can now have T3 style "city fog" etc

[Bikerdude]

Quote

Plus trigger_touch can now be set to not be checked every frame (making them faster and better scaling).

How?

+1

[Springheel]

noFogBoundary - Set this to "1" on your fog lights to stop your caulk sky from getting fogged.

 

I'm quite excited by this one...subtle fog looks absolutely fantastic as atmospheric perspective.

[Springheel]

Here's where I was first trying to find a solution, with an image to show the effect:

 

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/15802-simulating-atmospheric-perspective/?p=332344

[SteveL]

A couple more things. I need to wikify some of this, but I *am* making progress with my wiki to-do list!

 

- Soft particles will make it easier to use particles, especially dust fog steam and light glares. Mappers have 2 new keywords for tweaking particles too: worldAxis and particle_depth.

 

- "inline" spawnarg for func_statics -- documented in DR

- Entity lights including torches can now be toggled by activation/targeting/switches

 

The particle keywords mentioned above are separate from the new world particle system mentioned above. In 2.03 you need to use a script to use the world particle system, because we discovered the capability at the last minute, but we'll work on making it more mapper-friendly soon and we can share the new entity defs in the editors' guild without making mappers wait for 2.04.

[RPGista]

I'm quite excited by this one...subtle fog looks absolutely fantastic as atmospheric perspective.

 

Hey, perspective fog is gonne make maps look great...

 

Really liking the post with all the features being discussed, it feels a lot closer and more detailed than the wiki changelog. Very cool work guys.