Progress Bar for Loading Screen

[Springheel]

I'm working on the loading screen and I'd like to do something other than the typical progress bar.

 

What I'd like to do is have a series of images that are revealed in sequence as the loading progresses. Essentially a series of if/then instructions. I'm not sure how to work in the "gui::map_loading" variable, however.

 

Is it possible to do something like the following?

 

if ("gui::map_loading" = 0.1) {
		transition "BlackFade::backcolor" "0 0 0 1" "0 0 0 0" "400";
				}

if ("gui::map_loading" = 0.5)	 {
		set "TextLoading::text" "LO";
	}

 

etc?

 

And what is the numerical range of "gui::map_loading"? Is it 0-1?

[greebo]

Yes, from reading in the existing GUIs the value is in the range [0..1]. Beware that you need to use the double == comparison operator, not the assignment operator =.

[Crispy]

Checking for exact equality in this case may not work how you expect it to, because the code is quite likely to skip over the value; one frame might be 0.09 and the next frame could be, say, 0.14. Skips right over 0.1. Instead, you could use a series of if/else statements with less-than comparisons, like this:

 

if ("gui::map_loading" < 0.25) {
//...
} else if ("gui::map_loading" < 0.5) {
//...
} else if ("gui::map_loading" < 0.75) {
//...
} else {
//...
}

[greebo]

Yes, good point. The values are most probably not exact during the loading process.

[Springheel]

Ok, thanks, I'll try that.

[Springheel]

I'm typing this out at work so I can't test it, but am I right in assuming that the if condition is updated every time the "gui::map_loading" value changes? In other words, if I include one statement like:

 

if ("gui::map_loading" < 0.5) { dance }

 

else if ("gui::map_loading" > 0.5) { sing }

 

the gui would dance until the map_loading value hits 0.51, at which point it would start to sing?

[greebo]

Yes, this should work this way.

[Ishtvan]

Cool, so we could probably put in some updating background readables in the loading screen to make the load time on low-end systems somewhat less soul-crushing? That was one thing I didn't mind about TDS.

[Springheel]

Yep, I've already started a bank of flavour text for that very purpose.

[Springheel]

Cool, I've got it working. Just have to finish the rest of the graphics and I'll be able to upload it tomorrow.

[Springheel]

Ok, I uploaded a loading screen for the release map. It could use a little tweaking here and there, but let me know what you think.

 

One thing I'd like to add is a 'drip' sound, but I don't know if it's possible to add sounds to a loading gui. I tried the following:

if ("gui::map_loading" == 0.25) {  set "cmd" "play sound/meta/menu/mnu_select";}


 else if ("gui::map_loading" == 0.35) {  set "cmd" "play sound/meta/menu/mnu_select";}

 

but got no result.

 

The other somewhat annoying thing is that the loading bar finishes LONG before the map is actually ready to start, at least on my system. Not sure what to do about that, unless the value of loading_gui actually does go higher than 1.

 

Oh, there will eventually be flavour text along the bottom.

[joebarnin]

Looks great! When I first realized what the "loading bar" was, it kind of freaked me out. I'm sure that was the intent.

 

There was a long pause after the loading bar finished on my machine too. It took about as long after the bar finished as before (about 2 mintues each way). Don't know if there's any way around that.

 

Your drip sound script, maybe you need to use the < comparison (not ==) like Crispy said.

[Springheel]

Your drip sound script, maybe you need to use the < comparison (not ==) like Crispy said.

 

I'm not sure how to make it sync up with the drips that way, however.

[Tels]

I'm not sure how to make it sync up with the drips that way, however.

 

Can you use something like "and" or "&&"?

 

Them make it

 

if ("gui::map_loading" > 0.25 && "gui::map_loadin" < 0.26) {  ... }

 

However, this has the same effect, if the map_loading var skips from 0.23 to 0.27, the sound is never played.

[joebarnin]

I would guess you would need the drip sound code in some sort of timer loop. The way it is now in saintlucia.gui, it only gets executed once, when the menu loads. I'll experiment.

[joebarnin]

Looks like sound is not permitted while a map is loading. I added a timer to the saintlucia gui, and verified that it worked by having the timer change the visiability of a background (just as a test). But when I had the timer try to make a sound, it didn't work. This makes sense -- if you start TDM and then bring up the doom command prompt, the music keeps playing. But as soon as you type "map <mapname>", the music stops. I suspect map loading shuts down all sounds. At least, that's my theory.

 

*edit* And the Doom3 SDK agrees with me . See http://www.iddevnet.com/doom3/, scroll down to 01/31/05 Map Loading:

 

" When you issue a "map" command, the following process happens:

• Mute Sound System
  
• ...
  

[Springheel]

Ah, ok. That solves that problem then.

[greebo]

If it is somewhat important, one could experiment with the idSoundWorld class during map load. The interface has a function like this:

// it is a good idea to mute everything when starting a new level,
// because sounds may be started before a valid listener origin
// is specified
virtual void			SetMute( bool mute ) = 0;

It may be experimental, but one could set a listener origin at the player's origin or 0,0,0 during map load, but it will be a hackish solution either way.

[Springheel]

Yeah, I don't think it's that important, personally.

 

Should I assume from the general lack of comments that people haven't loaded the map? Or is there just general ambivelence about the design?

[Tels]

Yeah, I don't think it's that important, personally.

 

Should I assume from the general lack of comments that people haven't loaded the map? Or is there just general ambivelence about the design?

 

I don't have net access on my main PC and the laptop has net but can't play D3, so, no, sorry, I haven't loaded it yet Hopefully can try on Friday.

[greebo]

I tried it and I'm loving it.

[SneaksieDave]

Should I assume from the general lack of comments that people haven't loaded the map? Or is there just general ambivelence about the design?

Do you mean specifically about the loading image(s)? If so, yep I've seen it quite a few times this weekend. Just to confirm: I only see one background image (it doesn't change), and the blood splatter progress is very cool, apart from the unfortunate fact that Doom3's loading progress is always woefully inaccurate ()... wish we could address that somehow. I think I recall someone saying it's more accurate when the PAKs are unpacked, but that doesn't seem to help here. And I see discussion of ambient sound/music during; that would also be cool, if it can be done. Maybe just ambient creepiness (e.g., chosen by map author) as opposed to the theme yet again.

 

Anyway just rambling thoughts.

[Springheel]

apart from the unfortunate fact that Doom3's loading progress is always woefully inaccurate

 

Yeah, I wish something could be done about that, but I'm not sure what...I tried the same loading screen on a smaller map and it didn't have all the extra loading time, so it's not the actual values in the gui that are the problem.

[Dram]

I haven't tried it yet, but synching now...

 

 

As for the loading screen, I wonder if it would be possible to do something similar to Assassin's Creed, where it loads the map essentially in the "background" and has a 3d loading environment where you can move around in normally etc. Dunno how we could do this apart from running another D3 process in the background and then switching to it. Either way it's probably too much time for little gain.

[Dram]

<accidentally double posted>