Newbie DarkRadiant Questions

[Obsttorte]

You don't have to pack up your stuff to get it working. The pk4 archives are just there to save some memory.

[MirceaKitsune]

You don't have to pack up your stuff to get it working. The pk4 archives are just there to save some memory.

 

How do I place it in a sub-directory however, for easier grouping? For instance, I don't want to pile up every entity I'm developing in darkmod/def, but rather darkmod/mymod/def. IIRC pk4dir is normally the way to go about that.

[Petike the Taffer]

Spaces might be a problem.

 

My darkmod folder is in C:/darkmod, and my settings are :

 

Engine path: C:

 

Mod (fs_game) darkmod

 

It's all right, the problem was actually an oversight of mine.

 

I've been following the A-Z tutorial since this morning, on-and-off learning some basic stuff. I'm still getting the hang of trying to build functioning doors, but I might pick it up eventually...

[Obsttorte]

 

How do I place it in a sub-directory however, for easier grouping? For instance, I don't want to pile up every entity I'm developing in darkmod/def, but rather darkmod/mymod/def. IIRC pk4dir is normally the way to go about that.

Why not putting it in an fm folder: darkmod/fms/myfm?

[MirceaKitsune]

I have a question about entity definitions, which hopefully still qualifies for this thread: Is it possible to have a custom cvar control a model or its skin? So for instance: If "g_mycvar" is set, entity "myent" will use the model "mymodel1.md5", otherwise it will use "mymodel0.md5". I noticed that if statements are possible in materials, so I pondered if they can control models and skins too.

 

Why not putting it in an fm folder: darkmod/fms/myfm?

 

Since I might work on FM independent mods as well, such as new entities or assets.

[Obsttorte]

I have a question about entity definitions, which hopefully still qualifies for this thread: Is it possible to have a custom cvar control a model or its skin? So for instance: If "g_mycvar" is set, entity "myent" will use the model "mymodel1.md5", otherwise it will use "mymodel0.md5". I noticed that if statements are possible in materials, so I pondered if they can control models and skins too.

This would normally be controlled via a scriptobject. But you would have to use a spawnarg on either the entity or worldspawn (if it should count for all) as new cvars have to be defined in the source code. And yeah, the question belongs here.

[MirceaKitsune]

This would normally be controlled via a scriptobject. But you would have to use a spawnarg on either the entity or worldspawn (if it should count for all) as new cvars have to be defined in the source code. And yeah, the question belongs here.

 

A spawnarg on the entity sounds good... it doesn't have to toggle in realtime, just when the map loads. What would I write in the entity or model definition however, and are there any existing examples?

[SteveL]

A spawnarg on the entity sounds good... it doesn't have to toggle in realtime, just when the map loads. What would I write in the entity or model definition however, and are there any existing examples?

Can't you just use the ordinary "model" and "skin" spawnargs in that case? The only reason to use a scriptobject or cvar would be to change it during run time.

 

If you decide you want a script, you can use methods setSkin() and setModel() to change them during play. There're examples in tdm_lights.script because lights often change skin and model when they are switched on or off.

[Obsttorte]

As steve said changing the model or skin on map load is handled via spawnargs. If , for whatever reason, you want to change it via runtime, you have to do it via script.

 

scriptobjects are added using the spawnarg "scriptobject" and the name of your scriptobject as argument (not the name of the scriptfile).

 

It would take too long to explain this here, but there are articles in the wiki that explain the scripting part of tdm.

[MirceaKitsune]

Spawnargs it is then. But I'm not sure how to define those either, to have models and skins controlled by cvars. I'd like an example if anyone can point me to one please.

[demagogue]

You change spawnargs on an entity with the function $entity_name.setKey(propery, value); in a script. Or there's a target_setKeyVal entity, make it target the entity you want to change, and give it the propery/value "target" "propery;value". Then it setKeys the entity when it's activated.

 

Edit. Search map .script files for the term setKey, or search .map files for target_setkeyval (Moonbo uses them) to see examples. You can open them like text files.

[SteveL]

Changing spawnargs during play will not change the model or skin. Those spawnargs are usually read once only, while the map is loading. You have to use setSkin() or setModel().

 

Why do you want a cvar?

 

There are 2 spare cvars built into the engine that are unused by the game, for devs to use in quick testing: r_ignore and r_ignore2. You can set them to anything you like, and read them in a script, then get the script to call setModel() etc. If you need a cvar for private testing, you can just go ahead and use them without having to recompile any c++ code.

 

You can also set up a simple script without having to use "script objects", which are powerful but require you to learn more syntax. Again, if you just want to do some experimenting rather than package a new asset for release, you can use a simpler map script. What's it for?

[Spooks]

Why not putting it in an fm folder: darkmod/fms/myfm?

Yeah I never quite got this when setting up my directory settings.

 

My game is TDM2.0 and my engine path is D:/Games/The Dark Mod/. Works fine but all my fm subfolders (maps, env, etc) are in the dark mod folder where the .exe is. Should be fine when it's time to pack my fm into a .pk4 (i'll just pick and choose the folders/files) but I already know it's gonna get messy if I work on more than one thing. Do I use the "mod" or the "modbase" box to setup a dedicated project folder?

Edited December 30, 2015 by Spooks

[Melan]

Might be an elementary issue, but something has gone wrong with DR, it seems. When I create a new brush, its faces are rendered with a single shade instead of the selected texture. The other brushes are unaffected.

If I restart DR, the problem persists. If I open another map, or create a new one, it persists as well. What's up?

 

[edit]Accidentally set the default texture scale to 0. Well.

[nbohr1more]

Might be an elementary issue, but something has gone wrong with DR, it seems. When I create a new brush, its faces are rendered with a single shade instead of the selected texture. The other brushes are unaffected.

tdm_brushfaces.png

If I restart DR, the problem persists. If I open another map, or create a new one, it persists as well. What's up?

 

[edit]Accidentally set the default texture scale to 0. Well.

 

If you are editing more than one map at a time, be careful:

 

http://bugs.thedarkmod.com/view.php?id=4138

[Goldwell]

I have an AI that I want to loop a specific animation and vocal bark continuously, I have it setup in game and it works great except the animation keeps skipping here and there.

 

I have the AI targeting a path_cycleanim_1 entity and I have a conversation target tied to a randomly triggered timer. What happens at the start of the conversation is that the animation goes back to frame 1 it seems and then continues.

 

Is there a way to fix this? as i've noticed this happens a lot with conversations where at the start of the conversation the animation of the AI's will jump a little bit.

 

Thanks!

[Aosys]

Having some issues with patch mesh whilst attempting to build a tent. The outside looks alright, but the lighting on the inside is messed up (even though it's the same patch, just moved slightly and with the matrix inverted). Any suggestions on how to fix this?

 

 

[Bikerdude]

Ive seen this, its a shadowing issue. I think self shadowing to be specific, so you have several options -

• make the patch a Func_static and apply "noshadows 1" - this is quick and dirty
• do the same as above but clone the patch and apply "shadow 1" texture
• make a customer material def of the above textures that include the line noself shadow (check the wiki for the correct spelling/usage)

[SteveL]

Having some issues with patch mesh whilst attempting to build a tent. The outside looks alright, but the lighting on the inside is messed up (even though it's the same patch, just moved slightly and with the matrix inverted). Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Hmm is there something in the scene that could be causing those multiple square shadows? If not you could use console command r_showShadows 2 and check it's definitely shadows, and see where they're ocming from. Judging by the guard's shadow, the sun shouldn't be lighting that wall of the tent at all.

 

Is your tent a separate visleaf? And/or is the light source more than 2 visleafs away from the tent? There are engine optimizations that can cause missing or crazy shadows from distant visleafs.

[SteveL]

NB the only surfaces that cast shadows in our engine are those that face away from the light, in case that helps explain anything. So if you have two patches back to back between you and the light, like your tent wall, the one that's facing you will cast shadows at your feet. The one that's facing away from you will be invisible to you and also will cast no shadows from that light, because it's facing the light.

[VanishedOne]

In my experience, Biker's right about it being a problem noselfshadow materials don't have. I've run into it on mutiple occasions when working with curved patches, sometimes when moving around them with the lantern on.

[Nico A.]

I want a speaker to play when the player moves into a trigger entity. But I doesn't get the sound to play. I did:

• a speaker
• a brush, and then made it an trigger_once entity
• set s_waitfortrigger to 1 for the speaker
• target the speaker in the settings of the trigger_once entity.

What am I missing?

[Bikerdude]

missing sound path on the speaker..? hard to say without seeing a test map.

[Nico A.]

Well, normally there should also be an arrow from the trigger to the speaker in this case, right? In one map, there is no arrow, in the other the arrow points from the speaker to somewhere in infinity. I tried with various sounds, none of which works.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Nico A.

[Nico A.]

Okay, got it. Stupid mistake in my minimal map (put the argument "trigger" instead of "target"...). In the real map it worked after deleting the speaker and trigger and creating them anew.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Nico A.