Dedit, Map Making Q's

[HangmanEXE]

Greetings Programs

I have been messin around in Dedit to see what Ican figure out how to do. Since I am green at Dedit, and I dont want the community to hate me for being a constant pain askin Q's... I completed the teaching steps on that one AvP2 Dedit site. from TronFAQ's page links. I am just now starting to browse the glue factory NOLF 1&2 Forums now for things ppl have asked relating to Dedit.
...I am gonna learn all that I can myself off-forum, so that I can do my best not to be a pest, lol. I figure its the least that I can do considering how many hours of fun the community has given me with their custom projects.

Please check back in often as I will prob have new Q's regularly tho...saddly.


My map Project Related Q's...
I have figured out how to animate my map background as well as my planes to make my data beams. The data beams has a problem tho, I cant seeem to figure out how to make the plane and textures look partially transparent.
I added my SoundFX object for my recognizers soundfx an finally foud the sound file I needed. Prob is nothing that do on the object properties seems to help fix the fact that it cant be heard when testing the map. I have it set to start true.
On AI spawners how can you select and use the new KMX skins? - in particular, a white kernal unit

-Help?

Thanks For Reading
Hangman.EXE

[xistence]

Transparency
Step A)
(I'm telling you the more efficient way, there are other ways as well) Create a texture in a graphic editing program of your choice, but which must be able to export to the TGA-Format. Set a mask on the image, this mask is used as 'alphamask' later on if you export this image into TGA. If your program cannot offer this, you need a different one. These programs are known to be able to do this, tho they might be different in some setting and use: Corel Photopaint, Adobe Photoshop, Gimp. Other programs might be able to handle this as well, but you'll need to check this.
Import the exported TGA in Dedit, an alphamask will be automatically set on the imported texture. You can check this if you open the properties/preview dialog for a single texture. In the end,the preview must show two texture: the coloured one, and a grayscaled one, which is defining the visibility of the texture (white==opaque, black==transparent, gray==something between).
Step B)
Create the brush which should use the texture containing the transparency. Bind it to a 'Worldmodel' and configure it: Set 'BlendMode' to 'Transparency' (more glass-like) or 'Additive' (more energy-like/glowing), as long it is 'None', no transparency will be used. You can control a global, overall transparency via 'Alpha' (1.0 == opaque, 0.0 == fully transparent/invisible). The control of partial transparency is set by the alphamask (see Step A).

SoundFX
For sure you need to activate such an object, you can do this via 'messages' (internal, script-like event-system in Dedit/Jupiter) or you set it being active right from the start of the map via the properties of the SoundFX-object (you could turn it off tho, with a message later on).
You want to set up the 'Outer/InnerRadius'-property of this object, as well as you can define/modify the 'Volume'-property, which might need to be higher, as your imported sound could be to silent as expected by the engine.
InnerRadius is where the sounds is started to be heard, OuterRadius where it should 'fade' out. You will need to test this out, to find the right values, so it sounds nice and the range is correct.

[zook_one]

On AI spawners how can you select and use the new KMX skins? - in particular, a white kernal unit

hmmm not sure you can do this with needing all the source files for the Killer App + Your map would need to be Mod I think. You basically need to create a new Character in the MODELBUTES.TXT file which creates a MOD at that point. Unfortunatly there is no way to just swap a skin in Dedit of CAI.

Guys would including the White Kernel Textures in his REZ file named the same as the red Kernel textures overide the red skin for players? Or will the game not look in that directory at all?

-Z

[TronFAQ]

Guys would including the White Kernel Textures in his REZ file named the same as the red Kernel textures overide the red skin for players? Or will the game not look in that directory at all?

The map will definitely have to be turned into a mod in order to change the way the Kernel looks. Putting new textures in the .REZ with your map to try and replace existing textures won't work if it's not a mod.

If Hangman's map is Single Player, then it won't really require too much careful preparation. But if it's intended to be Multiplayer, he then has to be careful in what he does or else his map/mod will break Multiplayer.

[HangmanEXE]

Greetings Programs

TY VERY much for the help on how to do transparent textures, I very much app the reminder.

Hmm, (map halted for moment-well not really, lol) maybe the DOS/UNIX VS MCP idea wont work then. I had hoped to set up all my spawners (1 Kernal, 6 ICP-var type,an a few loitering civ bots) on the Monochrome side to be in the white skin....hmm.
Well if that is gonna be a major issue I could just go with gold instead since I planned to incorperate the GBA TRON Killer App Recognizers which always come in red or gold in the GBA game. -already begun work on their model today since I lost my old one, no biggie tho.
But as for my map snag....hmm, there is always the tied n true MCP Red vs Blue era colors, or MCP vs virus green is a option...thoughts/ideas regarding problem?

Dedit Q's for this post
Spawner Issue- my civ bots spawn with black faces what am I forgetting? - an yes I KNOW faces. duh, lol but how to fix this... As soon as I get my GBA Recognizers done in Dedit I will post them for all to DL.
I have looked over a few posts regarding glass/crystal... but they didnt help, I am kinda Dedit stupid regarding the use of that. BUT,I assume they are like doing a transparent brush texture with blue-ish textures but on a box instead of a plane, or am I wrong?

-EDIT- making a post 4 the GBA Recognizer progress, untextured pics of 1 I just threw back together will be available there as well as finished recognizer file.

See you next Update Post -w- Q's

Hangman.EXE

[TronFAQ]

Is your map going to be Single Player or Multplayer, Hangman? Based on that, we can advise you better.

As for black faces, I replied to someone about that over at Tron-Sector back when I still bothered to answer questions there.

http://www.tron-sector.com/forums/defau ... &id=357860

[xistence]

I have looked over a few posts regarding glass/crystal... but they didnt help, I am kinda Dedit stupid regarding the use of that. BUT,I assume they are like doing a transparent brush texture with blue-ish textures but on a box instead of a plane, or am I wrong?

Maybe you could form a more precise question, but if you are relating to a 'reflecting'/'transparent' effect: this can be done by defining a texture using alpha mapping (as describe above already) plus adding an environment mapping. You do this as you set a 'CommandString' in the Property-Dialog of a texture. The command string will be 'EnvMap <tex>', where '<tex>' must be a relative path pointing to the texture acting as 'faked reflection'. Relative path means: you start from your 'game'-folder as root,so you would have a path like: 'TEX/MyTextures/MyEnv/Env001.dtx' (this is just an example path). Don't miss the '.dtx' at the end and case is not relevant.
Important: if something is fishy with your path, so it would not point correctly to the texture, you'll notice as the map might crash if you try to start it. If this might be the case, check the path.

[HangmanEXE]

TY FAQ, I looked over that post not long back, but had forgot.

If dir lighting is the prob then no biggie.

As for the map , I had wanted it to be a normal derez/T derez map. The faction sides are on the far ends of a long tube animated skybox(think that rainbow cave the sailer went thru in TRON, but with a more of a being in a download-kinda feel).
I "hope to allow players to traverse the gap between their starting areas via an open tug on the left and right sides the constantly move back and forth.... but like I said, "I hope"....lol. (Which would allow in flight fighting on the tugs or as two pass each other till they reach the other teams area).
The exits from the transports will be "again hopefully " defended by tanks or IC-(once color issue is decided on 4 best course of action now to make map completable.)

The map/play area isn't going to be huge, it just has aLONG skybox with animated textures.

[HangmanEXE]

Greetings Programs

TY Very much X, that was it!
An my apologies about my posts, I am typing via PS3 controller ...so I tend to get ahead/behind/beside of myself as I try to keep everything that I want to post in my head as I scroll slowly around the popup keypad an input each letter one PAINFULLY SLOW letter at a time, MAN I cant wait to have my PC online again.








NEW POST MAP Q
__________________________
Ok, new issue.
How can I create a tron switch for my map? (just like the prefab one) I would just use it but its permissions an display msg seem unchangable.

I dont mind making one I just need to know exactly how. Is creating a switch done like making the tanks, by using a model link an textures files? If so what are the files.

I went thru the remaining Dedit webforums (that I could find still active), but nothing I found seemed to cover this problem. I found a few references mentioning SPYDAVEs tutorials on switches but I could not locate this site to check them, so I assumed it was offline now. I even went back thru the tools documentation in case I had forgotten it was in there.
...do I have to build one in model edit from scratch?

...help, I am stumped.


-EDIT- I am going to post pics of the work on my sniper tugs section of my map project that I have so far with my next reply post. Getting time for some feedback refining help.

Thanks to all for reading
Hangman.EXE

[HangmanEXE]

(bump for help)

[TronFAQ]

You can use the switch prefab. After you import the switch, right click the entry for the switch on the Nodes tab. Click on Disconnect Prefab.

This will break the switch prefab down into its individual components, so you can edit it.

[xistence]

How can I create a tron switch for my map?

Depends on what kind of 'controlig' you want to achieve, and how the switch should behave. Most interactive stuff in maps, is done by an event driven system, using messages (like a very simple kind of script language). Regardless if you use a Trigger- or a WorldModel-object (or any of their descent/extending objects), you'll have to deal with messages. So the first step for you, will be your intrest in the documentation for the tron editing tools, going to the chapter about 'commands/messages'. You'll will need that, to understand how objects are triggered and controled.

There are several possibilities to create a 'switch', so my question would be: what exactly should this switch do?

[HangmanEXE]

OMG!!!!!!....

(uploads Homer.sys)
.
Homer: Woo hoo!
.
.
(begins reinstall of HangmanEXE.sys)
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Homer: DOH!
.
(sys reinstall complete)


You both helped me SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH on that one that I cant stop grinning!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

That lil trick with the prefabs just saved me a TON of extra self model creation time, an headaches!

I will immediately load up the documentation an reread that section, as the last time I read thru the documentation was WAY back when I ORIGINALLY posted as KingKaddish at Tron-Sector.
...(ya that long ago FAQ, lol. Prob Y I am such a pest atm, lol. I think its time for a TOTAL tools documentation refresher read.)

BUT AGAIN THANK YOU SO MUCH BOTH OF YOU!

Back to moddin my map. TYVM again!
HangmanEXE

[HangmanEXE]

-EDIT-

Greetings Programs
g
FAQ... I went back an reread the tools documentation over, I WAS SO EMBARASED...the disconnect prefab is in the SECOND SECTION of the doc! - I am "SO MUCH" smarter than I read here, I just have a REALLY CRAPPY memory....lol

X... I went back thru the commands section again, (what I could get out of it, lol) But it didnt help me too much as I know ("slightly") how triggers work involving the msg commands..

msg ‹objectname> <command>
"but I get ALOT of errors atm" mostly invoving something it says about a <bool> entry following my command input attemps.
I am getting this one trying to setup my switch to control my forcefield wall. Here is how I have been trying to set it up..

ON entry- msg forcefieldwall001 ATTACH -( which dosent seem to work)

OFF entry - msg forcefieldwall001 REMOVE -(seems to work as the wall does vanish in game, but the on command never brings it back.



Since you asked...
Here is a list of what I am trying to do in my map that I still do know enough about commands yet to setup now...

1. An auto start trigger object to make my tugs start tracking back an forward on a set path, then have them stop at exit/entry points so players can get on off an platforms. - I assumed this done via patrol points somehow, with delay commands at the points on each end?

2.Recreate the Recog tug door opening effect on the transport when you are about to board the recognizer transport in the singleplayer lvl. - I have been following the commands list strings as best as I can to track this down from the singleplayer lvl in Dedit. But I got as far as transporttrig in the strings of commands in the nodes that I got so confused I had to stop, lol.- I am tryin my best to understand an get this down, I really am.

3. an making the tugs move back an forth. -EDIT- (found this post by FAQ, viewtopic.php?f=9&t=874 ,is this how I could also make my tugs move? )


....um, an there were a few other Qs but I forget them atm...(sigh), lol.


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HangmanEXE

[TronFAQ]

No worries, Hangman. The documentation for Tron 2.0 editing stinks. Once you get the hang of things, it can be useful as a reference. But for starting out? It's almost completely useless.

For a forcefield (or similar) you want to use:

Code: Select all

ON  - msg forcefieldwall001 (hide 0)
OFF - msg forcefieldwall001 (hide 1)

For the rest of your questions, it would take a long time to write out an explanation so I'll have to get back to you on those. The really short answer is:

If you want your Recognizers to move back and forth in a straight line, you might be able to use SlidingWorldModels for that. But if you want them to follow any kind of complex path, like a patrol route, you'll have to use Keyframe animation (aka Keyframers). Only AI use Node objects to define where they should go.