Newbie DarkRadiant Questions

[Byrgius]

Finally done it! Had to use 3 lights to do the job (one is spotlight that gives reflection on the floor).

 

 

I have a problem with fire flickering speed. By default is like having a strobe light. What's the property to adjust this?

[Goldwell]

Sotha I solved the problem... oh god I don't know if I should feel angry because I spent hours on such a simple mistake or happy because it's solved!

 

Basically I had my trigger_once targetting the waitfortrigger module... however triggeronce entity is meant to target the AI!!

 

Oh god.......... the happiness/frustration!

[Sotha]

Hah. Glad you figured it out. I didn't even remember whether it was the AI or the path-entity that was supposed to be triggered. Now we just gotta learn to read the entity descriptions properly!

[Moonbo]

Are you targeting the waitfortrigger node or the ai? I believe you need to tigger the ai.

 

Edit: glad you figured it out :-)

Edited June 30, 2013 by Moonbo

[Goldwell]

I'm a little bit confused in regards to AI sleeping and the wiki page doesn't really help. It's in regards to how far the AI slides once he is laying down. Now this wiki page http://wiki.thedarkm...tion_in_the_bed it says:

 

Sideways

 

The distance the AI slides across onto the bed can be controlled by

lay_down_slide_dist 16 (default)

(note this goes on the AI if the AI is using sleeping 1 BUT on the path_sleep if you are using a path_sleep)

 

The problem is though I can't find any arg/setting/whatever its called on path_sleep.. and I tried just applying "lay_down_slide_dist" to the path_sleep and nothing happens. Does anyone know where it goes? or how to control the slide distance when using a path_sleep entity?

Edited July 1, 2013 by TylerVocal

[Fidcal]

The path_sleep needs to be part of the path target links, ie, targetted from the previous path point. That is, the AI must be patrolling. Is that how you've got it? What value are you using for lay_down_slide_dist? If you are using 16 then that's the default anyway.

 

Make sure you've not got sleeping 1 on the AI or he'll just sleep at the start of the fm and the path sleep slide setting won't work.

[Obsttorte]

I think the slide spawnarg is set on the ai.

[Goldwell]

Does anyone know how to use the atdm:target_changetarget entity?

 

Basically I have an AI1 set for waitfortrigger->path corner .. once he reaches that path corner he initiates a conversation and the first thing in the conversation I do is activate this change target entity.

 

The change target entity is targeted at AI1 it also removes "path_waitfortrigger_1" and adds "path_waitfortrigger_2" then at the end of the conversation the conversation activates a trigger once entity which activates that AI1 and he SHOULD then go off and follow the path corner attached to path_waitfortrigger_2 but instead he just stands there doing nothing..

 

Am I missing something here?

 

edit: hmm maybe I over complicated it because I removed the change trigger stuff and basically just connected the first path_corner with the second and after he finishes his conversation he walks to that. I don't know if thats the solution but it seems to have fixed my current problems.

 

It would be nice to know how the change target entity works for future reference though

Edited July 3, 2013 by TylerVocal

[Lux]

Just from an overhead logical perspective it seems like it would work like a subroutine in code. You have an AI on a loop basically using pathcorners/waits/triggers and if something occurs you want to change that basic loop to branch off to a different path or target. Then at the end of that branch you could have another changetarget which would send him back to his normal patrol.

 

From your description it sounds like you are directing an AI using a trigger to a path_corner where he has a conversation and then after the convo he only follows one path towards another path_corner attached to path_waitfortrigger_2 so it sounds, at least from your description like you have done the correct thing to fix it, as there really is only 1 sequence of events you want the AI to follow.

 

I would think that you would only use a target_changetarget when linking to a 2nd possible outcome but from your description is sounds like there is only 1.

 

I'm interested to hear the responses on this.

Edited July 3, 2013 by Lux

[Obsttorte]

I'm not sure the entity is working, would have to test it. But if you already know where the ai should go after the conversation I don't get what you need it for anyways.

[Goldwell]

I'm not sure the entity is working, would have to test it. But if you already know where the ai should go after the conversation I don't get what you need it for anyways.

 

Yeah I thought I did at the start but then I tried it without it and it worked. I have never used AI before so it's a lot of learning and sadly I couldn't find much on it in the wiki so I will just stay away from it for now

[grayman]

Does anyone know how to use the atdm:target_changetarget entity?

 

Yes. In the North uses 23 of these.

 

Basically I have an AI1 set for waitfortrigger->path corner .. once he reaches that path corner he initiates a conversation and the first thing in the conversation I do is activate this change target entity.

 

The change target entity is targeted at AI1 it also removes "path_waitfortrigger_1" and adds "path_waitfortrigger_2" then at the end of the conversation the conversation activates a trigger once entity which activates that AI1 and he SHOULD then go off and follow the path corner attached to path_waitfortrigger_2 but instead he just stands there doing nothing..

 

Am I missing something here?

 

Nothing obvious. This method doesn't work. Instead, have the final step of your conversation trigger the change target entity.

 

If it still doesn't work, I'd have to see the map. I've already worked with another mapper doing this very thing.

[Goldwell]

Yes. In the North uses 23 of these.

 

 

 

Nothing obvious. This method doesn't work. Instead, have the final step of your conversation trigger the change target entity.

 

If it still doesn't work, I'd have to see the map. I've already worked with another mapper doing this very thing.

 

Thank you! If I run into this problem again I will try attaching the trigger to the change entity on the end of the conversation list.

[Byrgius]

How do you make ambient sounds and talking quieter if you're on the other side of the wall or when closing the door?

 

I have the same problem with light in some cases.

Edited July 3, 2013 by Aryx

[grayman]

How do you make ambient sounds and talking quieter if you're on the other side of the wall or when closing the door?

 

Not sure I understand what you're asking. Sounds are occluded (quieter) when doors are closed. Are you trying to control the sound volume of something specific?

 

And by 'ambient sounds' are you talking about sounds that the AI are making, including footsteps, barks, doors opening and closing, etc.

 

Or are you referring to the ambient music, which is always playing?

[Byrgius]

No ambient music doesn't fade away. What I ment is like you said, when doors are closed you can't hear footsteps, talking or any other ambient sound from the room (fire cracking, clock ticking, etc.), as clear as when they're open. Same thing with wall between.

 

How can it be made?

[Jesps]

You probably have some missing, or buggy visportals

http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Visportals

[grayman]

No ambient music doesn't fade away. What I ment is like you said, when doors are closed you can't hear footsteps, talking or any other ambient sound from the room (fire cracking, clock ticking, etc.), as clear as when they're open. Same thing with wall between.

 

How can it be made?

 

How can what be made?

[AluminumHaste]

Just make sure the room is visportaled properly so that when you close the door to the room, the visportal closes. This will attenuate the sounds from the other side almost completely. If you have holes for say transparent windows, then the visportal can't close and sounds won't be attenuated.

[Springheel]

If you've set up two separate loctions, and closing the door between them isn't having an effect on sound, then it probably means you have an internal leak between the two rooms.

 

 

Check the area:

There is a way to test an individual area for leaks. It sounds more complicated than it is.

1. Intentionally open a leak to the void somewhere in your map.

2. Dmap (it will indicate a leak), and then open the pointfile in DR. The red line that leads to the leak will always start at a particular entity (often the player start, but not always).

3. Once you have identified that "starting entity", move it into the area you want to test for leaks.

4. Select all the visportals that connect that area to other areas, and replace the texture with some regular, solid texture (use something that stands out, like a D3 texture). The area should be completely sealed by brushwork now.

5. Run Dmap again.

6. Open the pointfile. If there are any leaks in your area, the red line will travel from your "starting entity" through the gap, out to the leak to the void. Fix whatever gap the red line is traveling through, and repeat, until...

7. If the red line starts at a *different* entity this time, it means your area is perfectly sealed (and thus a direct line from your starting entity to the void cannot be drawn). Replace the textures on your visportals and move on to the next area, as needed.

[Byrgius]

Thank you for your answers!

[Byrgius]

I've been looking on how to make a light switch, that will turn them on/off. I've already set targets to the lights I want to set off with a switch but don't know what spawnarg to use to set the color black when switch is triggered.

 

Also how to control the speed of light (fire) flickering?

[Obsttorte]

Don't know if I get you right, but you just have to trigger lights to turn them on/off. You do not have to set the light color to black or anything like that.

 

Regarding flicering lights. You can set shaderParm4 on them with a value between 0...1 to create an offset to the flickering, but I don't think you can change the flickering speed via spawnargs. I guess this is part of the light definition.

[Lux]

I'm having an issue with patches. This is on the corner of a building.

 

First I created a tall rectangular brush in the corner and created a bevel, then thickened it to 16.

 

 

Then I did the same for the "Top" of the tower to fill in the open curved area. I clipped in the same place a 45 deg angle across the 8 thick "roof" brush. Then I created a bevel and moved all the vertices on the patches toward the inside of the tower along the 45 deg bevel line so it would fill in the gap. I also moved them to the center so it would completely close the bevel making more of a closed arch.

 

 

Then I selected all of the Patches, the building corner inside and out and the roof top and bottom patches and then brought up the patch inspector and checked the "fixed subdivisions" box and set the Horizontal to 10 and the Vertical to 1 which changed all the patches simultaneously and lined everything up.

 

The only issue is, after I texture using paste projected from a flat surface texture (not shown), there is a strange "shadow" on the bevel roof texture. Its on both the top and bottom of the roof though they're separate patches. Its highlighted in blue.

 

 

Is there any way to get rid of this? I've tried paste natural which produces an awful completely twisted texture. The only one that looks decent is paste projected.

 

Note: I'm not going to use 10 subdivisions, I settled on 5 so it looks decent, just showing that in the pictures above.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Lux

[Sotha]

Is the shadow just in DR? If it is not visible in game, it should not be a problem, right?