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UPDATE: Fan Mission: Briarwood Manor by NeonsStyle - First Mission (14/08/2018) UPDATE 1.93


NeonsStyle

Poll: Mission Rating  

37 members have voted

  1. 1. Gameplay:

  2. 2. Story & Text: story telling, briefing

  3. 3. Design: Aesthetics



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If I had to make a maximally reliable key drop by an AI which will make or break the mission:

The concept is that a temporary collision-free key object is spawned into position and moved down to the floor by a script.

Make these items in DR:
- key1: a fake unfrobable key on the steward's belt, give it the spawnarg: frobable 0
- key2: a func_mover which uses a key model, in the blue room, rotated as if lying on the floor. Give it this Stim/Response: when frobbed: frob key3, remove _SELF. Give it these spawnargs: frobable 1, move_time 0.3, accel_time 0.3 (for example)
- key3: the real key, lying in the blue room. This can be the old key, minus its bind spawnarg.
- speaker_key: a speaker with an impact sound, place it a unit above key2, give it a suitable impact sound for a key and give it these spawnargs: bind key2, s_waitfortrigger 1

Run this script when the AI should drop the key:
void key_drop()
{
vector key_position = getOrigin($key1); //determine where the key is right now
vector floor_position = getOrigin($steward); //determine where the floor is: the steward's origin is on the floor
float fall_distance = key_position_z - floor_position_z - 0.1; //compare the z-positions of key and floor to see how far it needs to fall, including a small offset of 0.1 because the key's origin is in the center
$key1.remove();
$key2.setOrigin(key_position); //put key2 where key1 has just been
$key2.move(DOWN, fall_distance);
sys.waitFor($key2);
sys.trigger($speaker_key); //triggers an impact sound
}

When the player frobs the func_mover key2 it'll disappear and the real key3 will be given.


[For the record, if you're seen by Ebenetzer in mission 2 of Down by the Riverside his key will drop to the floor and go up in flames. No clue how reliable that is, but that's not so important in this case.]

 

Edited by Dragofer
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Yeh I'm not the first to do the Drop Key, I remember playing a mission a long time ago that used it in TDM. I think ur right it is a physics engine

thing. We'll see.

 

New Update version 1.4, with all those fixes, is uploading now - it'll be available in the original post now. It's up to Goldwell, as to when he gets around

to putting it in game. He's probably busy, it'll be there when it's there lol.

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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Latest update is available now in game and on the original post on this forum

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I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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When I find a permanent solution to the sound issues in the Stewards room and DIning room/Lobby, and the drop key issue, I will release another

update. In the meantime, if you find any problems, please drop me a message here, I'd love to know so I can fix it. :)

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just finished a day or so ago, some brief thoughts.

 

 

All in all it was pretty good. Most of what I'd point out (linearity, that dang Steward glitch, etc.) have already been pointed out in the thread already. I liked the atmosphere of the place, the secret room in particular. It was hard, but fair, since you can even get through it without knock-outs (which I did since I missed the armory). I don't object to the story as presented, but it got a little too melodramatic at the end there. I don't mind villains who are evil for the sake of evil, but Crowley was a little *too* self-aware, if that makes sense. The voice acting broke a bit as well, the actor sounded more like he was faking sympathy to get the Steward out of his hair, which may have been the point.

 

But on the whole I enjoyed it, even that grindy garden. :P Good atmosphere and gameplay, and you're aware of the flaws and looking to fix them.

 

Edited by The Dark One
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Because in mystery novels, the first suspect is almost certainly never the murderer. No matter how much unmovable evidence there is, it will all be smashed in pieces by the wrath of the remaining number of pages of the story.

 

-"The Evil Spirit of the Zushi Clan" from Virtual Carnal Pleasure by Yamada Fuutarou

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Thanks for that Dark One. New update coming out shortly that fixes the key drop issue (brute forces it lol). The steward issue should be fixed

as long as you don't bump into him which alerts him. He's not really glitchy, players have just been alerting him. Before, if he saw you, he'd

go on alert, and stop. However since he's neutral to you, he doesn't know what to do with you lol. That's all fixed now, he won't see or

hear you, but may feel you.

 

Yeh I have to agree about the melodramatic bit lol. It was my first time of telling a story in 3D so that's my excuse lol. Next one will be better, and

certainly not linear.

  • Like 2

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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I finally may have found a solution for the key-drop issue. It works with any entity that has been bound to an AI and is also somewhat forgiving about player collisions.
The method does not need any spawn args on the entity serving as item to be dropped or as carrier.

You can find a minimal setup with a patroling AI that continously drops a key next to a barrel and gets it back at a later path corner in aiitemdroptest.pk4.
The interesting stuff starts at line 62 in maps/map1.script.
Most important is calling of disableAFPush on both, the carrier and the item to be dropped, to disable a part of the physics engine that otherwise may cause the well-known flying-item effect.

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I finally may have found a solution for the key-drop issue. It works with any entity that has been bound to an AI and is also somewhat forgiving about player collisions.

The method does not need any spawn args on the entity serving as item to be dropped or as carrier.

 

You can find a minimal setup with a patroling AI that continously drops a key next to a barrel and gets it back at a later path corner in aiitemdroptest.pk4.

The interesting stuff starts at line 62 in maps/map1.script.

Most important is calling of disableAFPush on both, the carrier and the item to be dropped, to disable a part of the physics engine that otherwise may cause the well-known flying-item effect.

 

That's pretty nice piece of work you've done there Abuseimplea. It seems to work every time, even on different map loads.

I think that's the nicest dropkey method around, cause all the other methods seem to cause the same problem I had.

 

So looking at the map, there's very little different other than the bind which I don't need. So what part of the script is handling

the drop key? Just the procedure of the drop key? I have other parts in the scrip that are used for the conversation part. So

could you paste your version in to my copy of the script and see if it works every time as it does on yours? I'm no scripter,

so I really wouldn't know where to put it.

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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Thanks for that Dark One. New update coming out shortly that fixes the key drop issue (brute forces it lol). The steward issue should be fixed

as long as you don't bump into him which alerts him. He's not really glitchy, players have just been alerting him. Before, if he saw you, he'd

go on alert, and stop. However since he's neutral to you, he doesn't know what to do with you lol. That's all fixed now, he won't see or

hear you, but may feel you.

 

Yeh I have to agree about the melodramatic bit lol. It was my first time of telling a story in 3D so that's my excuse lol. Next one will be better, and

certainly not linear.

 

I'm quite amazed and inspired that you continue to fix and update your mission.

 

It shows that you are serious about your craft, and also suggests a great spirit of collaboration in the forums.

 

Huzzah, man. I'll wait for your newest update and then try the mission as it was intended!

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I think that's the nicest dropkey method around, cause all the other methods seem to cause the same problem I had.

So looking at the map, there's very little different other than the bind which I don't need. So what part of the script is handling

the drop key? Just the procedure of the drop key?

The cause for the random bounciness of the other methods is the physics engine. I guess it adds impulse to colliding entities based on speed and weight and does that in a somewhat simplified way leading to absurd acceleration on small entities (in this case a key) bouncing off of heavy entities (in this case an AI). That effect is also observable on keys lying on the floor that get kocked around by skeletons...

The method i showcased depends on disabling that part of the physics engine for the (potentially) colliding entities so that they just slide along each other taking only collision meshes and gravity into account. As written, disableAFPush() and enableAFPush() switch the "bouncing" calculations off and on.

 

So could you paste your version in to my copy of the script and see if it works every time as it does on yours? I'm no scripter, so I really wouldn't know where to put it.

Just insert the following two lines before "$key_foyer2.setOrigin(keyDropOrigin);" in your dropFoyerKey():

$steward.disableAFPush();

$key_foyer2.disableAFPush();

 

And then insert the following three lines after "$key_foyer2.setOrigin(keyDropOrigin);":

sys.wait(0.5);

$steward.enableAFPush();

$key_foyer2.enableAFPush();

 

It does not matter, whether the key gets positioned inside the AI's collision mesh as long as it is outside before the sys.wait timeout has passed (so if you experience any bounciness just increase that timeout). You could also skip the three lines at the end. But others might see that as a sign of sloppy coding style and it might render the AI unable to move obstacles out of the way.

 

 

P.S.: There might be a PlayerClip missing somewhere. Stumbled upon that thread while searching for bug reports related to the physics engine.

Edited by Abusimplea
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Thank you so much Abuseimplea. That completely fixed the problem. The key drop is perfect every time. :D

 

I can't thank you enough. Job well done. I've been trying to solve this problem for months. Only one more

thing left. Stopping the player getitng past the steward when he opens the Library door. Still working on that

one. As it blows the scene that's been carefully setup.

 

Also thanks for the note about the player clip. I went through the whole mission and fixed a lot of places

that I'd missed where the player could get stuck. I'd be really surprised if someone got stuck in this version lol

 

 

Thanks

 

Neon

Edited by NeonsStyle

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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Stopping the player getitng past the steward when he opens the Library door. Still working on that

one. As it blows the scene that's been carefully setup.

The script reference mentions setOwner with "Sets the owner of this entity. Entities will never collide with their owner."

Try to place a solid but transparent func static blocking the door frame and executing $funcstaticname.setOwner($steward); before the steward should enter the room. Then, after the scene, $funcstaticname.hide(); or $funcstaticname.remove(); should let the player enter.

Maybe the physics engine interferes with the steward as it did with the flying key (although it should not) - then adding $steward.disableAFPush(); and $funcstaticname.disableAFPush(); before entering and $steward.enableAFPush(); after entering could potentially solve that.

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Hope this one gets updated. Too much lag in the outside area, perhaps too many light sources at the same time? Why would the guards carry torches if the patio is perfectly illuminated by torches already? Kind of redundant I think. The manor looks great. These are my favorite type of missions.

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Hope this one gets updated. Too much lag in the outside area, perhaps too many light sources at the same time? Why would the guards carry torches if the patio is perfectly illuminated by torches already? Kind of redundant I think. The manor looks great. These are my favorite type of missions.

 

It's already been updated 4 times, and is about to be a 5th time. However sadly, If you're experiencing lag on your PC from the level, that won't improve in any of the

updates much sadly, because I believe in making missions to see what the game can do on a high end machine. Inside the house should be fine on you're PC. It's

just the garden that's tough, mostly because of the fog. I'd suggest while you're in the garden drop all your video settings to the lowest until you get inside.

 

I guess if enough people ask, I could make a version for lower end PC's. That's easy, I could do that in a day or two.

 

@Abuseimplea I'll look into that idea thanks.

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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Well that's a shame cause the exterior area and the architecture outside seems to be the selling point of the mission.

 

I have gone through the map with the help of Bikerdude, and made it playable with good fps for players on low end PC's.

 

Sadly it won't look as nice. If you adjust your LOD settings in video/advanced you should get a good frame rate on it.

On my PC, the difference between Very High LOD and Low LOD is 15 to 20 fps. This is an update I am

working on atm, as soon as the last issue is fixed I will upload it.

 

Lowest LOD removes a lot of the trees in the distance and the fog

Low will give you the fog back.. and at Very High you get it all.

 

At Very Low LOD you get 4300-4500 Drawcells, and at Very High you get around 5000-5500 Drawcells.

On my computer, I get a small drop in FPS between Very Low and Very High, maybe 10 fps, but that

might be enough for a low end computer to handle it ok.

Edited by NeonsStyle
  • Like 1

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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At Very Low LOD you get 4300-4500 Drawcells, and at Very High you get around 5000-5500 Drawcells.

On my computer, I get a small drop in FPS between Very Low and Very High, maybe 10 fps, but that

might be enough for a low end computer to handle it ok.

"Allowing drawcalls to get higher than 4000 is usually a bad idea." (source)

As it is the outdoor area, that has performance problems, maybe the SEED system for foliage distribution might help.

 

Also "But the Shadowcasting calls (shdw) are far more significant to performance. In general, trying to keep the shadows below 80k is desirable." (source)

So disabling shadowcasting on small stuff might help too.

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Yeh you're right Abuseimplea, however I like to try to push the engine to see what it can do on a good machine.

I get clear 60 fps outside. I've made it now so it's playable for low end machines. Next map I do forest on, I

will use the SEED mechanic.

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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Regarding that switchable player_clip: It works when the brushwork that is covered with the material is made into a model (i used the ASE export). You can use common/player_clip for a barrier that only affects the player or common/collision for a barrier affecting all the things (including thrown objects) except a single AI that is set as owner of the model. Should also work with common/monster_clip (could be used for simulating the classic circle of protection holding back a horde of undead or a demon).

 

My test map contains the player_clip version. Replacing "player_clip" with "collision" in barrier_collision.ase and uncommenting line 90 in the script changes it to the collision version.

 

The relevant code is $barrier_collision_mesh.hide(); for disabling the barrier (that is what you need) and $barrier_collision_mesh.show(); for enabling it (not needed in your case). You have only one AI that needs to enter the forbidden area. So i recommend using common/collision on the barrier brush before exporting as ASE. Set the owner of the barrier with $barrier_collision_mesh.setOwner($steward); before he might try to pass it (do it in map script's main function or another already present script that gets called before the steward needs to pass).

 

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Just completed it. I kind of made a tiny sequence break. So I was going room to room just blackjacking everyone and then I ended up at the steward, I quickly found out I can't knock him out and then when I shot some arrows at him he started running and Garret said something about a key, I quick loaded and kept moving as intended until I found that final locked door and I doublechecked every single possible room until I remembered that steward and that key dialogue, well I did the same thing again by waking him up and shooting him with arrows, picking up the key and moving onto the final place with Crowley and overheard that fight with the steward and him and then blah blah blah boo hoo my daughter and then Garret told him about the fireplace secret room which I never found (speaking of which, where was that room mentioned? I read everything I found and never saw anything about that room) so I went there, then found that diary and finally placed it in the stewards room to "read" (even though he already killed Crowley) and finally escaped. I found it pretty funny that I managed to break it so hard and still complete it. Overall I liked the mission but it was way too linear.

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Just completed it. I kind of made a tiny sequence break. So I was going room to room just blackjacking everyone and then I ended up at the steward, I quickly found out I can't knock him out and then when I shot some arrows at him he started running and Garret said something about a key, I quick loaded and kept moving as intended until I found that final locked door and I doublechecked every single possible room until I remembered that steward and that key dialogue, well I did the same thing again by waking him up and shooting him with arrows, picking up the key and moving onto the final place with Crowley and overheard that fight with the steward and him and then blah blah blah boo hoo my daughter and then Garret told him about the fireplace secret room which I never found (speaking of which, where was that room mentioned? I read everything I found and never saw anything about that room) so I went there, then found that diary and finally placed it in the stewards room to "read" (even though he already killed Crowley) and finally escaped. I found it pretty funny that I managed to break it so hard and still complete it. Overall I liked the mission but it was way too linear.

 

All those issues are fixed now, and the patch is about to be uploaded. I'm guessing you no clipped your way through that door at the top of the stairs. lol There's no other way in there without the Diary.

There was mention of the secret. Upstairs in the room with the sleeping maid, is a note that refers to it. Notes that are important, are made so you can carry them. You might enjoy it again

once the new patch is uploaded today. Thanks for playing. :)

 

@Abuseimplea, thanks for that. We finally managed to solve the problem, buy moving the clip, rather than removing it. It all works great now. :) Thanks for your help, your

solution to the drop key was really elegant. You should submit that to the script library if there is one lol

 

Neon

Edited by NeonsStyle

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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No, I did it "legitimately" in the sense I used no cheats. I woke up the steward and then shot him with arrows (which made him flee) and then he dropped the key when he was leaving the room. I did the diary stuff AFTER Crowley was killed because it was a required objective. I didn't even know of the secret room until that final dialogue with the Steward after he killed Crowley.

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No, I did it "legitimately" in the sense I used no cheats. I woke up the steward and then shot him with arrows (which made him flee) and then he dropped the key when he was leaving the room. I did the diary stuff AFTER Crowley was killed because it was a required objective. I didn't even know of the secret room until that final dialogue with the Steward after he killed Crowley.

I think, he just touched the key drop trigger while fleeing. Harming the steward (by hitting him with arrows, the sword, boxes,...) is the foolproof way to break the current scripting.

 

 

@NeonsStyle:

I would recommend one or more of the following ways to mitigate the issue:

 

- Disable all steward-activated triggers at map start and enable them after the diary-drop.

 

- Disable the steward's AI's processing at map start and enable it after the diary-drop. I am working on a method to do that since some days and might get it working soon (or not - depends on the solvability of the a stimulus problem).

 

- Make the steward instantly die on any received damage and KO-able. Provide an alternative plot solution. Maybe the player could free that girl himself (that was what i tried first anyway). The player may also kill the molester or let the nearby city's mob solve that problem after the freed child testified...

 

The last one adds a bit of non-linearity and therefore is the preferred way to go ;)

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@Veeall, LOL well that's original haha. I didn't even know you could do that haahahaha.

 

@Abuseimplea, I'm sure that could be done. You can't have the player free the girl, as it screws up a lot of the dialogue stuff, and a lot of it would need recording. I've been

tossing that idea around all week, and in the end I decided I like the way the girl is handled as is, as it's a little different to the usual mission, though a little more melodramatic,

but I don't mind that.

 

Making the Steward KO-able might work, then its up to the player to know he's crucial to completing the mission. As Veela did above, if he was killed or KO-d it

would ruin the mission, especially if the player found out longer after he'd dealth with the steward that he was crucial to the mission.

 

I think the best way is to do the deactivation you mentioned. Though I'd have no idea how to even think about that.

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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You can make the steward immune to knockouts and immortal (just give him an enormous health pool). If you don't want the player to mess with the steward until he received the neccessary information you could leave the steward in a blue room and teleport him in his room once the it's time. A bit gamey, but should work.

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