Setting up and using Radiant

[Seven]

Hello,

I am not sure if it was mentioned already, but you should defenitely read the detailed comments in the QuakeC code.

All the functions (especially the ones you mentioned for mapping) are explained together with their params.
So you will see what they do, how they work and understand it a lot better.

The comments there have been made with a purpose i guess.
I do not know the descriptions of your mapping tools for these func_xxx functions, but it will sure not hurt if you take a look at the descriptions in the QuakeC code.
They can be found mostly in QC files with self-explaing names:
buttons.qc, doors.qc, plats.qc, triggers.qc, ..

Just an example:

/*QUAKED func_door (0 .5 .8 ) ? START_OPEN x DOOR_DONT_LINK GOLD_KEY SILVER_KEY TOGGLE
if two doors touch, they are assumed to be connected and operate as a unit.

TOGGLE causes the door to wait in both the start and end states for a trigger event.

START_OPEN causes the door to move to its destination when spawned, and operate in reverse. It is used to temporarily or permanently close off an area when triggered (not usefull for touch or takedamage doors).

Key doors are allways wait -1.

"message" is printed when the door is touched if it is a trigger door and it hasn't been fired yet
"angle" determines the opening direction
"targetname" if set, no touch field will be spawned and a remote button or trigger field activates the door.
"health" if set, door must be shot open
"speed" movement speed (100 default)
"wait" wait before returning (3 default, -1 = never return)
"lip" lip remaining at end of move (8 default)
"dmg" damage to inflict when blocked (2 default)
"sounds"
0) no sound
1) stone
2) base
3) stone chain
4) screechy metal
*/

These explenations are always written directly before the function itself.

Have fun creating your map.
Seven

[talisa]

thanx seven for these short explanations

i been wondering for a bit what that 'lip' key did, and now i know. itll be very helpfull cuz itll allow me to make doors that dont open all the way
which ive been trying to figure out how to do since i started that map i am busy on.

[MadGypsy]

lol, the funny thing is, lip is already set to a default (of if you don't explicitly set it yourself, so none of your doors should have been opening all the way anyway.

[talisa]

@gypsy
true but what i meant is i was trying to make a vertical door which only opens partially, like 1/3 of the height.
and i was puzzled at how to make it open partially, and now i know i need to use the 'lip' key for that

[MadGypsy]

If you assign a lip, that will be the most the door ever opens. Meaning, the door you want to make, will never be a door that can actually be used. If you want to make it open a little at a time, you are gonna need a few doors and some mapping voodoo or you could simply write your own QC brush that does everything you want.

[talisa]

what i have in my map is a very tall wall which should open up upwards, but it shouldnt slide up the entire length of the wall, only the heigth of a normal door. and thats what i needed lip for, to make the wall move open upward but have it only move upwards partially and not its entire height.


if you still dun get it, here is the map i am talking about so you can see for yourself what i meant i needed lip for.
Zippyshare.com - invasion1.bsp
kill the first group of 8 hellknights, then another group of 8 will teleport in and after you kill those the big walls on the sides of the platform with SNG will rise up. before i used lip the walls would move up the entire length of the walls, now they only move up enough to open up the way to the part with LG.

[MadGypsy]

if you still dun get it

lol... I get it. I get it so emphatically that I could explain all of it to you backwards and completely reinvent it along the way.

don't confuse "dun get it" with tmi.

[talisa]

hum.... could i get some help on how to make enemies patrol along a path?
i need this for something i wanna do in the map i am making

[MadGypsy]

monster_any or func_train
target: spot1

//triangular path using 3 path_corners
path_corner
targetname: spot1
target: spot2

path_corner
targetname: spot2
target: spot3

path_corner
targetname: spot3
target: spot1

[talisa]

does the path have to be looped? as in does the last corner have to be linked back to 1st corner again?

[Seven]

Hello splitterface (yes, I know it is talisa now),

Isnt learning with practical examples easier ?
There are many many fan-made levels available in their original .map format. Even all id1 maps.

I dont know if the uncompiled .map format has all of these targets included if you open them in your mapping tool, but I think they should have.

Then why dont you look at them ?
As good as every map has patrolling monsters.

If you choose original E1M1, you know that 2 soldiers patroll in front of the exploding boxes.
They patrol in a square --> this results in a endless loop

And there is also this lonely soldier patrolling behind the 1st slime pool where the slope area starts.
He walks back and forth --> this results in a endless loop

Look at how these path_cornerīs are laid and this maybe shows you more than words. As practical examples always does.


Even from looking at the .ent file from E1M1 you can see that each path_corner has a target name.
The simplest patrolling path would be back and forth in a loop:

{
"classname" "path_corner"
"origin" "880 2048 -168"
"target" "t16"
"targetname" "t17"
}
{
"origin" "1232 2048 -232"
"classname" "path_corner"
"targetname" "t16"
"target" "t17"
}

A square patrolling path would be next:

{
"classname" "path_corner"
"origin" "248 1992 -200"
"targetname" "t19"
"target" "t20"
}
{
"origin" "-200 1992 -200"
"classname" "path_corner"
"targetname" "t20"
"target" "t21"
}
{
"classname" "path_corner"
"origin" "-136 1912 -200"
"targetname" "t21"
"target" "t22"
}
{
"origin" "248 1912 -200"
"classname" "path_corner"
"target" "t19"
"targetname" "t22"
}

As you see, the last past_corner calls the 1st again.

You can create any geometry you want I guess.

I am no mapper, but this is at least what the .ent files tell me...

Good luck
Seven

[talisa]

of course, i completely forgot about that the map sources of the original quake maps had been released, and i could just look into those maps to see how its done

thanx for reminding me the map sources of the original quake maps were released,
immediately searched for them and found them, will take a look at them later

[MadGypsy]

I agree that map sources could show you what you want to know, but that could end up confusing if you don't know what you are looking for, which if you did know what you are looking for you wouldn't be asking for help...see?

So, to answer your question, no they do not have to loop (per se) but you cannot ever have a time where there is no targetname to be found. So for instance, say you wanted to have a monster walk to the end of a line and stop. You would simply make the last path_corner have the same target as it's targetname.

What will happen in that situation is an endless process of the monster finding the spot it is already at.

If you want map examples, I don't believe opening e1m1 is going to help you. What you want is map examples of the various things that you can make specifically. I have such a compilation and as soon as I find it, I will upload it for you.

[MadGypsy]

this is what you want

doing it this way, you don't have to fish through a map to find what you need. With the exception of lights and wall brushes, everything in these map examples are whats needed to create whatever the example is "exampling" (lol)

technically, you could just hilight the walls and lights, delete them and resave the map. Then, open your map and import what you left behind in the example. See, quick and easy prefab cheat.

@Seven - you should "pick up" a Radiant and give mapping a go. I absolutely suck at mapping, but because of all my efforts, I could teach it (Q1 style) all day long without even having to think. You've already proven that you can pick up QC out of the blue and make something notable...I see no reason why you would be exempt from maps.

[talisa]

thanx for that pack with exmples of stuffs gypsy