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Newbie DarkRadiant Questions


demagogue

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Ignore the warnings about chest lids not being in a valid AAA area - they are simply doors not within AI pathfinding. I suppose strictly speaking we should add ai_should_not_handle 1 to all those chest lids that would probably get rid of the warning.

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I've also noticed archers throw arrows at you, is this intended? Im sure I've been shot by one before who wasnt just throwing the arrows at insane velocity :P

No, sounds like a problem. You mean they are not using their bows? Can you confirm they have a bow but are not using it but throwing the arrows instead?
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Are you sure it's not AI throwing bottles at you? If the AI has a quiver and bow on his back, then he should be using it during missle combat. Other AI do throw things at you (not arrows though).

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I have the following set up:

 

A wall with an archer patrolling ontop of it, he faces towards the streetlights a few feet below waiting for you to step into the light pools. Once he spots you he starts to fire, he aims the bow but then throws the arrow as if he was throwing a bottle, the arrow moves at what I would say is 'arrow speed', faster than 'bottle speed', the aim is usually good either hitting upper body or head if you're moving slowly. There is no way for the AI to pathfind to the street level (should he not have a bow etc), which I think might influence this.

 

He does have a bow, and a quiver (which I only just figured out you could liberate arrows from, awesome ;))

 

Now with screenshot goodness

shot00002l.jpg

shot00001le.jpg

Edited by Serpentine
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Hmm, you may have found a good bug there. It's possible that when the archer realizes he can't reach you, the bottle-throwing behaviour kicks in even though he has a bow.

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I got a few questions about performance, I did read the article on the wiki too.

 

1) I have 700 brushes now and I am sure that there are 1200 or more faces that will not be seen (not ones closing the void of course). So before I spend all day painting faces with caulk. I would like to know if it is worth the trouble? I read the small caulk page on the wiki, but it didn't really tell me much.

 

2) I have a couple of arch models, and want to know if I can make a visportal between the brushes on either side of the arches, but which will also be going through the models? I don't know if visportals can go through models or not.

 

3) If I have some trim, say buttresses on a wall supporting the roof, and I make them func_static with noclipmodel 1, can i build a collision brush around them just in case a arrow hits them? Instead of 15 brushes or patches with built in clipping, I would put in noclipmodel 1 and just put 1 brush around the entire thing and put a collision, or player clip texture on it.

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1) I have 700 brushes now and I am sure that there are 1200 or more faces that will not be seen (not ones closing the void of course). So before I spend all day painting faces with caulk. I would like to know if it is worth the trouble? I read the small caulk page on the wiki, but it didn't really tell me much.

It might make a little difference (depending largely on your mapping habits and experience). Doom 3 can effortlessly push the poly-count, unlike the dark engine which sputters when too many tris are drawn.

 

I've discovered that the benefit of optimizing faces by hand is so very minor because the dmapper takes care of a lot of those for you. I now only use caulk-optimizing on the hidden faces of "decoration" brushwork (like building facades). I'd worry more about visportaling properly, as that affects performance more than poly count.

 

2) I have a couple of arch models, and want to know if I can make a visportal between the brushes on either side of the arches, but which will also be going through the models? I don't know if visportals can go through models or not.
That's absolutely fine. Visportals do not depend on or interact with anything except worldspawn brushwork (not patches or entities).

 

3) If I have some trim, say buttresses on a wall supporting the roof, and I make them func_static with noclipmodel 1, can i build a collision brush around them just in case a arrow hits them? Instead of 15 brushes or patches with built in clipping, I would put in noclipmodel 1 and just put 1 brush around the entire thing and put a collision, or player clip texture on it.

I guess that's okay. You're not helping performance a ton (it's just CPU physics), but sometimes every tiny bit can help. Turn all those patches/brushes into a single func_static. Give that func_static the key "solid" "0". For collision purposes, use common/nodrawsolid_wood or whatever is the most appropriate (_stone, _metal). Collision should be reserved for models.

yay seuss crease touss dome in ouss nose tair

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1. My understanding is that hidden surfaces on worldspawn are not processed so don't affect performance but those same surfaces on a func_static or other entity *are*.

 

2. You can and should visportal right through entities and patches. You can actually use the filter menu to hide all entities and patches and then apply the visportal.

 

3. Dunno. Probably. But avoid large func_statics that spread through different portal areas. We had one FM where all the columns and trim in an entire building were one giant func_static and their polys could be seen everywhere.

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I wouldn't worry about making those trims non solid. The only way that would hel pperformance any is if a 100 things are bouncing off of it.

 

Like you said an arrow might hit it. In which case the computer only has to process one collision, so it might as well be an accurate collision. And you'll save time not clipping stuff that doesn't need it.

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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I wonder if there is a method to adjust lights on objects created as entities, e.g. a candleholder+candle combination. The light inspector dialogue does not work here.

Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum. -- Collected letters of the Smith-in-Exile, Civitas Approved

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Should I input this in the entity window? Nothing happens.

Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum. -- Collected letters of the Smith-in-Exile, Civitas Approved

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Should I input this in the entity window? Nothing happens.

 

The values you put into the entity (e.g. the light holder) will set on the spawned entity in game so it will not be visible in the editor (a preview of the spawned flame/light would be nice, but so far greebo didn't have time to add it to DR :).

 

So you might need to go in game to see your changes.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

 

"Remember: If the game lets you do it, it's not cheating." -- Xarax

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I guess that's okay. You're not helping performance a ton (it's just CPU physics), but sometimes every tiny bit can help. Turn all those patches/brushes into a single func_static. Give that func_static the key "solid" "0". For collision purposes, use common/nodrawsolid_wood or whatever is the most appropriate (_stone, _metal). Collision should be reserved for models

 

I guess this is close to how i should make a wooden beam i wouldnt want the player to be able to hit with rope arrows ?

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yea, i thought of those situations where i want to use wooden beams in the roofstructure of a boardering house of the scene but dont want the player to hop up there to see apples bouncing off the skybox on a smaller map with its ends around. Well i know it could be done more clever:) its just i am not yet that much into the tricks to seamlessly deal with all the boarders of the map.

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OK, n00b question for you. Probably a really simple one at that. I'm looking to texture one side of a wall with one texture, and the other side with another. How on Earth can I do this? If I select the wall, the whole wall is selected. Is there a way to select just one side of a wall?

"We were travelling in the night of first ages, of those ages that are gone, leaving hardly a sign — and no memories" - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

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OK, n00b question for you. Probably a really simple one at that. I'm looking to texture one side of a wall with one texture, and the other side with another. How on Earth can I do this? If I select the wall, the whole wall is selected. Is there a way to select just one side of a wall?

 

Hold down CTRL and then Left Click to select only 1 or more faces, then texture those faces. I would really suggest you go through the A-Z tutorial this is all covered I believe.

I always assumed I'd taste like boot leather.

 

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Hold down CTRL and then Left Click to select only 1 or more faces, then texture those faces. I would really suggest you go through the A-Z tutorial this is all covered I believe.

 

Yeah I'm working through the A-Z. Maybe I overlooked that part. Thanks anyway :)

"We were travelling in the night of first ages, of those ages that are gone, leaving hardly a sign — and no memories" - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

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I just wanted to tell you that I went and caulked all the unseen faces, and it did a help a little, but what helped mostly is not having 2 lights radius' overlap. I actually have more lights in the map, and i get better performance by keeping all the radius's separate.

 

Another question for later, does the darkmod do volume light.

 

Thanks guys.

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I have another question.

 

I am trying to get a ATDM:Mover_door_sliding to make a stone moving sound when opening and when closing. I have the sound picked out but when it opens it has the sound the entire 10 seconds (move_time 10) I want it to move, but the sound closing doesn't start until it is within ms of closing.

 

I don't Know how to get a stim/response working. I tried to put a frob stim to play a sound, but I don't have a clue what I am doing!

 

Does anybody have any ideas?

 

Thank You.

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