Frost_Salamander
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Joined
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Days Won
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Posts posted by Frost_Salamander
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@TarhielFYI you CAN blackjack all these guards. Just because they have a helmet doesn't mean you can't KO them. They are only immune to KO when they are alert, so you have to be careful not to alert them while sneaking up on them. However, I see now that the perception seems to be that 'has helmet = no KO' as you're not the first person to think this so will keep that in mind for future missions.
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I've just noticed that the 'timescale' console command only works if you have 'uncap FPS' set to 'off'. Is this something that is common knowledge? Are there any other settings that affect it?
Either way, it should be in the Wiki page where the command is mentioned as my first thought was it must be a 2.09 bug because I used it quite a few times before I switched. I'm happy to update the Wiki - how do I go about getting an account?
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23 hours ago, Frost_Salamander said:
Is there something weird about the origins of projectile entities? I'm trying to determine the origin of a rope arrow after it has struck something, but the value I'm getting back is in a completely different part of the map (quite far behind and below where the entity is actually sitting).
I'm doing something like this, and it's called from a trigger_touch when the arrow hits it:
void checkArrow(entity ent) { string className = ent.getKey("classname"); if (className == "atdm:ammo_ropearrow_stuck") { vector entOrigin = ent.getOrigin(); // this is waaaaay off } }I've figured this out - I think the arrow had a bind parent, so using getWorldOrigin() instead gave me the proper origin.
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Is there something weird about the origins of projectile entities? I'm trying to determine the origin of a rope arrow after it has struck something, but the value I'm getting back is in a completely different part of the map (quite far behind and below where the entity is actually sitting).
I'm doing something like this, and it's called from a trigger_touch when the arrow hits it:
void checkArrow(entity ent) { string className = ent.getKey("classname"); if (className == "atdm:ammo_ropearrow_stuck") { vector entOrigin = ent.getOrigin(); // this is waaaaay off } } -
41 minutes ago, NeonsStyle said:
Just finished this awesome mission. It was a complete delight to play. The story was very good, and drew you
in as it should. The architecture was perfect; I especially loved the manor detailing. A very well put togethermission that had me fully engaged for the entire time. Quite challenging which is fun, though I did run
into some problems with AI sensitivities, but they are addressing that as we speak.The Daltons, Twistledones guards, street guards, the guy at the window above the entry
street all were overly sensitive. The Daltons could detect me in pitch darkness, from 4m away behind their back lolAbsolutely recommend this mission and can't wait to play Part 2.
Thank you so much, been a while since
we've had a new idea for story.Thanks @NeonsStyle!
Just a word about the AI for everyone - the only modification we did was bump up the light gem sensitivity by a value of 1 for hard and expert. This applies to all AI in the map. I will add this to the original post so it's clear what's happening
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2 minutes ago, jonri said:
@Frost_SalamanderJust started playing this one last night - great job on the intro! Before I got too far into playing it, though, I did remember seeing your comment on collecting things for a future update. I've been noticing a handful of minor geometry issues here and there and I'd be happy to collect them as I play though, if it would be of value to you. Nothing I've seen is super-obvious or gameplay-breaking, but just smaller things I've become accustomed to looking for in my own mapping activities.
Certainly, that would be great if you don't mind! Hope you enjoy the rest of the mission
Oh, and I can't take credit for the cinematics - that was all @Kerry000!
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On 4/12/2021 at 2:30 AM, demagogue said:
And then they should be combined into a func stat since they aren't separating geometry.
What is the primary reason for this, besides being able to set things like 'noshadows' on the func_static? Is that the only reason? Does is 'hurt' to just leave them as worldspawn somehow? I mean, I've started doing this as well without really understanding why, just that we 'should'.
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3 minutes ago, Bienie said:
It was actually more of a general thing in the Inn and bottom of the apartment house, which could have been a conscious choice. I'll show you a few pics of what I mean.
The stairway up to the rooms of the Inn. The stairway is made of a single slab of wood, not boards, and the floor is the same but looks polished. There is also a texture misalignment in the middle of the stairs.
Compare that to this one in the apartment of the bird-man afficionado. The sides are made of boards and panels and this particular floor texture looks at least like it is kind of made of boards.
This is probably the worst offender of the floors. The texture looks like a single slice of wood, and it looks quite magnified. There are many rough-looking board textures that would fit better here imo.
Here in the Inn kitchen the roof textures are misaligned. If the textures continue into the next rooms and you don't want to change it you could hide the seam with a roof beam going through the center of the room.
Here's an example of items clipping into geometry, this is in the bedroom with a girl sleeping that you can mantle into at the end of the street (opposite the starting point).
Ok thanks.
The boards on the stairs I think were just the skin choice. As with the floorboards, yes those were conscious choices that I didn't really think looked too bad (esp. the inn, as it was supposed to be a bit of a dive).
But the misaligned ceiling texture - yikes! not sure how that got past us. That needs fixing, as well as the model clipping
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On 4/11/2021 at 12:13 AM, Bienie said:
Finished it, excellent stuff! Very high production values with the intro/outro videos, and a very engaging storyline with rich worldbuilding. Will definitely be looking forward to part 2!
I played the mission on the highest difficulty and it took me about 3 hours to finish and I enjoyed every minute! Ended up with a stealth score of 20, and I had to knock out a couple of people and extinguish a few lights. Only managed to scrape together about 4000 loot, so thankfully the loot objective was optional. I got 4 out of the 5 secrets, and some of them were quite clever. I never did figure out how to get the Dalton bros. in trouble, though I suspect it had something to do with the bottle of rat poison I found by the pyre. I was also able to mantle up to Twistleton's balcony and was left scratching my head as to how anyone can use that. It was only later I realized that there was a secret passage from inside haha. Had a bit of trouble getting into the attic though, the hole seemed very small and I kept falling back out and landing on the awning causing the guards on the street to have a fit. Is that the only way in? I couldn't find another. I didn't run into very many other bugs or issues, aside from a few things clipping into geometry here and there and some misaligned textures. I did react to the floors not being quite as detailed as the walls and ceilings in many places. It seems a flat wood texture was used and scaled up which looked a bit wonky. I'm also not sure if you meant for Hales to be completely mute, I know that AI is by default but it should be possible to give her a different voice.
I really enjoyed the story element of working for the Watch captain and leaving the evidence on his desk. It provided good flow and it just clicked somehow. The overarching theme of corruption and dark secrets was spot on. The abandoned mines connecting the inn and tenements really reminded me of the town of Hackdirt in TESIV: Oblivion, I wonder if that was an inspiration? ^^
Anyway thanks for making the mission, I had a blast playing it!
Hi @Bienie and thanks for the kind words and feedback. I'm collecting things for a possible future update - do you remember where you saw the 'scaled up' textures you mentioned? I wouldn't have done that on purpose so it must have slipped by us all.
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10 hours ago, Xolvix said:
Looks good, can't way to play it!
Quick question though - those soft shadows are some of the nicest I've seen in TDM screenshots. Which shadowing settings were they set on (stencil or maps, shadow quality) and is it playable or requires a beefy machine? I've been sticking with hard stencil shadows (i.e. Doom 3-mode) for ever so I'm wondering if it's time to take the leap.
For reference It was developed on an old Xeon workstation with a GTX 1060 (3GB), and ran totally fine. I also tested on a similarly old CPU with a 1050, which was also fine. The settings were medium-ish. I don't tend to bother cranking up the graphics settings because I can barely tell the difference, but that's just me
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4 hours ago, stgatilov said:
Speaking of licenses.
I think there is no reason to copy/paste TDM license, because it is huge and involves some third-party licences which your repos don't store.
It also has tendency to change, so your version would quickly get out of date.If you want to ensure that materials in the repos could be included into the core mode, then you should have:
- GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3 for scripts.
- Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 for models and prefabs (textures, etc).
Thank you @stgatilov this is exactly what I was looking for
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9 hours ago, stgatilov said:
There is betamapper SVN repo, which can serve as a place to share assets.
Although I'm not sure what is its access policy today.I don't understand why you suggest using GitHub as file hosting site.
How is it better than google drive and similar cloud storage?
What will you do if repos grow large? With textures, you can reach 1 GB after some time.By the way, there is long-standing plan to create official GitHub mirror for engine source code.
I'll have to create GitHub organization for TDM team, because the mirror repo should have several owners.
But it's not a problem to have two TDM organizations, of course.Hi @stgatilov
What I was looking for primarily is a code repository and also a collaboration platform. Google Drive or just plain storage don't give you that. As a mapper, something like this is precisely what I need: https://github.com/thedarkmodcommunity/models/tree/main/darkmod/lights/non-extinguishable/streetlamps/streetlamp_with_signs
As a consumer of It, it is:
- It is all in one place in a central, stable location (this is key)
- publicly available, viewable, and browsable
- it includes documentation about what it is I'm looking at
- I don't need an account, or need to understand how to use Git or any other oddity
- it has a 3D preview!
- It is discoverable: I don't have to download some zip file, extract it and load the files in some other program to see what is in there - it's all there in the browser
- I don't need to search a forum to find some link that may or may not work after someone decided to update/remove it. If something IS changed, there is always the version history to look at
- I can be notified of changes whenever someone updates it (we can do this with Discord or other methods)
As a contributor, it is:
- version controlled, so I am confident my stuff will always be safe on a resilient cloud platform. Despite the many arguments and claims to the contrary, this is absolutely fine for binary files as well.
- I can see diffs and change history for text-based files
- I can see diffs for image files and model files
- I can update the content any time I like, and present it in a way that benefits the community (readmes, previews, code comments, examples, etc)
- Anyone with a Github account can contribute, even if they don't want to be added to the organization. They can fork the repository into their own account and do pull requests from there. No need to ask for permissions, etc.
- Even as a contributor, you don't even need to know how to use Git. You can add files and create pull requests using the UI if you want.
As an administrator:
- as above, it is a resilient cloud platform where I can be confident the content will be safe
- it is easily managed by a community. You can delegate permissions to teams or individuals on individual repositories (this is why I did it as an organisation, not a single repository). See the current teams, or the docs: https://docs.github.com/en/organizations
- you have some control over the quality of the content. Using the pull-request model, you can review contributions and ensure they conform to some sort of standard or convention. I'm not suggesting some sort of stifling draconian controls, but the functionality is there for basic moderation.
- Unlimited storage. As I mentioned in the original post, individual file sizes can be up to 100 MB and repository size can be up to 10 GB. We can create an unlimited number of repositories. If one gets too large, you simply create another one. This can be mitigated somewhat by being organized about it (e.g. different repos for different texture types, etc). This is a total non-issue.
- It is not tied to someones individual account, like Google Drive. Sure, there are 2 of us that are admins right now, but anyone else is welcome to come on board to help manage it. If anyone gets 'hit by a bus', it is easy to take over. No need to transfer everything to some other account, etc.
I'm glad to hear there is a plan to have a mirror for the TDM source code in Github. I am one of the people that would love to help contribute to that, but the whole SVN thing has put me off (like many, many others I've seen over the years). However I don't want to get into that debate about SVN vs. Git here, that's a different story and has been done to death here.
However - there is no need to create a new organization just for that. I would strongly suggest we discuss this first. Why separate them? TDM is an open source project! Keep it all together. You mentioned you need multiple owners of the repositories. I have shown you can do that using the 'teams': https://docs.github.com/en/organizations/managing-access-to-your-organizations-repositories
You can have a 'core TDM' team which has admin or write access to the TDM source repositories - and keep these permissions separate from the other repositories.
It is not my intention at all to be the sole administrator of this - TDM is a community effort and there should be lots of people in the organisation, with multiple administrators. This is what Github organizations where designed for. All we need to is some volunteers, like any other community effort
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@datiswousyeah that's just a non-frobable pouch, it's not loot. Not everything in a container needs to be something interactable. However, if you look closely there IS some loot in that room....
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2 hours ago, Marbrien said:
I played this on Expert and really enjoyed it. I got all 5 secrets but even so, and despite checking round the map again, I could only get 4,941 loot so could not achieve the optional 5,000 loot objective. The total loot is only 5,081, so maybe the loot objective is set a little too high. That aside, I'm looking forward to the sequel(s)!
Yes the expert loot goal is probably a little high, but since it's optional I decided to leave it to keep the even numbers (3000/4000/5000). I also figured the loot-obsessive types would want to get all of it anyways
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For models, there is also a built-in 3D previewer, you just need to include an .stl file. For example: https://github.com/thedarkmodcommunity/models/blob/main/darkmod/lights/non-extinguishable/streetlamps/streetlamp_with_signs/lamp_sign.stl
and also a diff-viewer, if anyone would find that useful: https://docs.github.com/en/github/managing-files-in-a-repository/3d-file-viewer#diffs
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7 minutes ago, datiswous said:
Btw. Shouldn't this be listed under Arts Assets forum category?
Well, there is also a scripts repo, and that is all I originally needed. Too many places to post stuff - I'll never get it right
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FYI I wasn't sure what open source license to add to the repos, so I've just added the LICENSE.txt from the root folder of the TDM installation. If anyone thinks it should be anything different, please let me know.
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I've also added a 'models' repository. Here's the first addition: https://github.com/thedarkmodcommunity/models/tree/main/darkmod/containers/bucket_wood_vertical_handle
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5 minutes ago, freyk said:
but i know if we need a new location for code and other info.
Hi @freyk yes this is the goal.
Asking people to search the forums and wiki isn't ideal. The wiki is out of date and the forum search is terrible IMO (and I've seen plenty of others say the same).
This is primarily targeted at mappers who want to be able to find and re-use things quickly and easily.
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Hi all,
I've created a new Github organisation to host any sort of assets people maybe want to share: https://github.com/thedarkmodcommunity
A Github 'organisation' is a collection of separate git repositories that can store code snippets, assets (model files, textures, sound files, etc) or documentation. I know there is debate over the suitability of Git for binary files, but for small files and most things you'd use in a FM, it works totally fine. FYI the maximum file size for upload is 100 MB, and the maximum repository size is 10 GB.
You don't need to know anything about Git to browse the repositories, or download files. You just need to be able to use a browser.
I've created a repository for script snippets: https://github.com/thedarkmodcommunity/scripts
and one for models: https://github.com/thedarkmodcommunity/models
and one for prefabs: https://github.com/thedarkmodcommunity/prefabs
For models, it even has a built-in 3D viewer (just need to provide an .stl file). It won't show textures unfortunately, but you can switch between solid, wireframe and 'surface angle' views. Example: https://github.com/thedarkmodcommunity/models/blob/main/darkmod/lights/non-extinguishable/streetlamps/streetlamp_with_signs/lamp_sign.stl
The models and prefabs are accompanied by a .jpeg preview image that is displayed automatically in the readme file. Example: https://github.com/thedarkmodcommunity/models/tree/main/darkmod/lights/non-extinguishable/streetlamps/streetlamp_with_signs
I did this to help solve the following problems:
- frustration with trying to locate existing code (searching through other FMs, searching the forums, having to ask)
- frustration with the frequently out-of-date wiki. There is some really great stuff on there but I would just like to be able to contribute and share in a central location without having to ask permission, or ask someone else to do it.
- hopefully people won't have to keep asking the same questions over and over again - they can just browse the repositories
- make updates easier - anyone with a Github account can create a pull request, or just send an admin the files they want added
TO BE CLEAR: this is NOT intended to replace SVN, or the Wiki, or the forums, but just to provide a central place for sharing assets, primarily for mappers want to easily share what they've done, or borrow existing stuff without having to reinvent the wheel.
So, if anyone wants to donate files, script snippets, whatever, please get in touch by replying, sending me a DM (here or on Discord), or by the 'normal' way and just create a pull request.
Also, if anyone else want to volunteer to help maintain this, please get in touch as well. These people would just need to be able to create repositories (if needed), or review/merge pull requests.
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The rest of the screenshots:
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I am pleased to announce the release of our new fan mission, The Hare in the Snare: Part 1
Mission type: City Missions + Inn/Tavern
Description: People are being abducted off the streets and a Watch Captain requires the services of a thief to help him find out why.
Download link (v1.0.2-release): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HYvM_u56wDB16uIlb7qgS_q3P24V69MO/view?usp=sharing
Credits:
Mapping and original characters: @Frost_Salamander
Story, readables, custom models, voices and cinematics: @Kerry000
Menu title track produced and mixed by @JackFarmer with selected gigagooga sound samples
Beta testers:
@Cambridge Spy
@Zerg Rush
@Amadeus
@Acolytesix
@Lzocast
@wesp5
@nbohr1more
@Kerry000
@ate0ateAdditional thanks:
- @Dragofer, @nbohr1moreand @peter_spyfor technical help
- @Springheel for the modules and tutorials
- @kingsalfor allowing @Kerry000to abuse his manbeast
- everyone else on Discord and the TDM forums who offered assistance
Requirements and notes:
- This mission requires TDM 2.09. Earlier versions will probably work but you might see one or two missing models.
- You may experience some FPS drops in some areas with lower-end hardware. Mid-range and above should be fine. If you have issues, I highly recommend you use shadow maps instead of stencil (settings -> advanced -> shadows implementation). It makes a big difference.
- For 'Hard' and 'Expert' the light gem sensitivity has been increased by '1' (meaning easier for AI to detect you).
Screenshots:
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I've tried to build in I18N support into my FM by running the perl script on it and putting all strings into a 'strings\fm\english.lang' file. I did this several weeks ago and it seemed to work fine. However we since changed all the readables and I wanted to run it again before release.
But now when I run it I get this:
c:\dm\I18N>perl I18N.pl --english hareinthesnare_v0.6-beta.pk4 I18N.pl v0.19 - The Dark Mod Fan Mission translation helper. Cannot read 'strings/english.lang': No such file or directory at I18N.pl line 1084.My .pk4 has a 'strings/fms/english.lang' file as mentioned - not sure why it's doing this?
Also, the other thing I was never quite clear on is how this works for the readables. For things like inventory names, the entity will have something like '#str_20018' for the inv_name spawnarg, but I couldn't see anything like that for readables (or did I just miss it somehow)?
Anyways, the way it is now I've got everything in english.lang and I can create the separate .pk4 for I18N, but it's missing the readables text (and there are quite a lot of readables in this FM). I'm not sure what I should do with this next to make sure I18N is fully supported?
Fan Mission: The Hare in the Snare, Part 1
in Fan Missions
Posted
Hi @Gerberox Finding the exit is pretty straightforward - would you like a hint? Also if you didn't finish the mission you'll miss out on the debrief video