-=> Beginning Of File "_SPRITES.TXT" ....
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| SPECIAL SPRITES TUTORIAL |
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`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
Contents:
=========
Special Sprites Quick Reference
[01] SECTOR EFFECTOR
[02] ACTIVATOR
[03] TOUCHPLATE
[04] ACTIVATORLOCKED
[05] MUSICANDSFX
[06] LOCATORS
[07] CYCLER
[08] MASTERSWITCH
[09] RESPAWN
[10] GPSPEED
Duke Addict
--------------------------------------
This Tutorial will give you an understanding of all the special sprites
involved in Duke3D Level editing, such as the ACTIVATORs or CYCLERs. In this
section I will refer to _SPRITES.MAP which is similar to _SE.MAP. Teleporters
will lead you to the corresponding rooms with examples of certain sprites and
their usage. Each teleporter has a number and leads to the room with this
number. The descriptions in this section are numbered the same way as the
teleporters, so if you're looking for the ACTIVATOR example room step into
teleporter number 02.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.=================================.
| Special Sprites Quick Reference |
`================================='
SECTOREFFECTOR : Sprite #1
******************************************************************************
The SECTOREFFECTOR Sprite is used to create game effects and manipulate Sector
attributes. The SE is the main tool to create effects such as Earthquakes,
Explosions, and Lighting Effects. Place a Sprite with texture #1 in the sector
to effect.
Lotag : Set equal to the corresponding effect number (see SE reference)
Hitag : Set equal to other SE Sprites with same Lotag to activate together.
Note : In some cases the angle, the palette, the shading and the position of
the SEs have a more or less important meaning. Please read the _SE.MAP
Tutorial for more information on all possible SE functions.
******************************************************************************
ACTIVATOR : Sprite #2
******************************************************************************
The ACTIVATOR sprite is used with Switchs or the TOUCHPLATE Sprite to activate
the Sector Lotag function or any Sector Effectors within the Sector.
Lotag : Set equal to a corresponding switch sprite's lotag or TOUCHPLATE lotag
Hitag : Not used
******************************************************************************
TOUCHPLATE : Sprite #3
******************************************************************************
The TOUCHPLATE will activate an ACTIVATOR or a MASTERSWITCH Sprite when the
player walks on the sector floor with a TOUCHPLATE sprite on it.
Lotag : Set equal to a corresponding ACTIVATOR or MASTERSWITCH lotag
Hitag : If the hitag is 0 the touchplate is activated each time the player
enters that sector.
If the hitag is higher than 0 the touchplate will only activate this
many times, if the hitag is 1 the touchplate will only activate once.
******************************************************************************
ACTIVATORLOCKED : Sprite #4
******************************************************************************
The ACTIVATORLOCKED sprite will lock the sector's Lotag function so it can not
be activated by the player until it is unlocked with a switch.
Lotag : Set equal to a switch's Lotag which is used to toggle Locked/Unlocked.
Hitag : Not used
******************************************************************************
MUSICANDSFX : Sprite #5
******************************************************************************
Activation sound:
When used in a sector with a Lotag, it will play a sound when the
sectors Lotag function is activated respectively stopped.
Lotag : number of sound to be played when the lotag function is
activated (see sound reference)
Hitag : number of sound to be played when the lotag function has
stopped (see sound reference)
Ambiente sound:
When used in a sector with no Lotag, it will play an ambiente sound.
Lotag : number of *ambiente* sound to be played (see sound reference)
Note that not all sounds can be used as ambiente sound!
Hitag : Max distance the sound can be heard. e.g. 512 equals the
largest grid square in build.
Echo effect:
When used in a sector with no Lotag and the MUSICANDSFX lotag is
between 1000 and 1255 it will cause all sounds to have an echo effect.
Lotag : 1000 + the amount of echo (0-255)
Hitag : Max distance the echo takes effect on other sounds e.g. 512
equals the largest grid square in build.
******************************************************************************
LOCATORS : Sprite #6
******************************************************************************
LOCATORS define tracks for the subway or the PigCop Recon Car.
You actually _can_ have more than one track for subways but NOT for the Recon
Cars as they sometimes "change tracks". The subway and Recon Cars may share
the same track though.
They're also used as the two end points of the 2-way train (ST 31/SE 30).
Lotag : Set in an increasing order starting from 0 with no gaps in the count
for all the LOCATOR Sprites in the map. When the Subway or PigCop
Recon Car reaches the last LOCATOR Sprite, it will loop back to the
LOCATOR Sprite with Lotag 0.
Hitag : If set to 1, then the Subway will stop the LOCATOR Sprite location for
5 seconds, then continue to the next LOCATOR. The PigCop Recon Car is
not effected.
******************************************************************************
CYCLER : Sprite #7
******************************************************************************
The CYCLER sprite is used to make the Sector Floor, Walls, and Ceiling pulsate
in brightness. It requires a GPSPEED sprite in the same sector!
Lotag : Defines offset of when it will pulsate
Hitag : Set to any unused tag number or set equal to a switch's lotag
Palette : Not used, change the sector's palette instead
Shade : Set the CYCLER's shade to how bright the sector will get. Set the
sector brightness to how dark it will get.
Angle : MUST BE NORTH!!! (1536 of 2048 degrees in Duke measurement)
GPSPEED Lotag: Set to how fast the light will pulsate.
******************************************************************************
MASTERSWITCH : Sprite #8
******************************************************************************
The MASTERSWITCH sprite is used to activate a Sector Lotag or a Sector
Effector Sprite after a variable time delay. This can be activated by a
TOUCHPLATE Sprite or a switch.
Lotag : Set equal to a TOUCHPLATE Sprite or Switch Lotag to be activated by.
Hitag : Set for time delay until activation of Sector Tag or Sector Effector
Sprite.
******************************************************************************
RESPAWN : Sprite #9
******************************************************************************
The RESPAWN sprite is used to Teleport in Actors and Items when activated by a
TOUCHPLATE sprite or a switch.
Lotag : Set equal to TOUCHPLATE Sprite or Switch Lotag to be activated by.
Hitag : Set equal to any Sprite Number that has a name with it in Build.
******************************************************************************
GPSPEED : Sprite #10
******************************************************************************
The GPSPEED sprite is used to define the rate of movement for such things as
Sector Tag 20 (Ceiling Door) and Sector Effector 0 (Rotate Sector), as well as
many other effects. It doesn't work on the subway or 2-way train though. On
the other hand it is required if you want to get the CYCLER sprite working.
Lotag : Set to speed rate, the actual speed depends on what type of ST/SE is
affected.
Hitag : Not used.
******************************************************************************
.=====================.
| [01] SECTOREFFECTOR |
`====================='
******************************************************************************
The SECTOREFFECTOR Sprite is used to create game effects and manipulate Sector
attributes. The SE is the main tool to create effects such as Earthquakes,
Explosions, and Lighting Effects. Place a Sprite with texture #1 in the sector
to effect.
Lotag : Set equal to the corresponding effect number (see SE reference)
Hitag : Set equal to other SE Sprites with same Lotag to activate together.
Note : In some cases the angle, the palette, the shading and the position of
the SEs have a more or less important meaning. Please read the _SE.MAP
Tutorial for more information on all possible SE functions.
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of SECTOR EFFECTOR sprites. You'll also get
a rough impression of some of the effects which you can create with the SEs.
Place a SECTOR EFFECTOR sprite by pressing S in either 2D or 3D mode and then
give it texture number 1 by pressing V twice on it in 3D mode.
The SEs are the most important thing in creating doors, earthquakes,
exploding walls, conveyor belts, flashing lights and so on. The name says it
all, they operate (create effects) on the sector in which they're placed
(they're handled and moved around just like any other sprite). What they
"effect" on that sector depends on their lotag (press ALT+T in 2D mode or '+T
in 3D mode to change the lotag) which assigns a certain function to the SE
sprite. See the SE reference for more information.
You'll notice that each function requires a different setup. For example the
random light SE (lotag of 4) requires that you shade the SE properly while
other effects like the teleporter (SE lotag of 7) require that you place the
SE correctly. The SE 4 to the left of the room creates randomly flashing light.
The sector (floor) shade is to be set to the darkest light value and the SE
sprite shade is to be set to the lightest light value. So the light will
flicker between those two shade values. If you would make it the other way
round there would be NO effect at all. So it is crucial to follow the
instructions with care. Usually those small things will get you into the most
troubles. You surely noticed that one sector has a red palette when the light
is off. This is due to the SE4 which has its palette set to 2 (red). The other
SE4 I've used in this example has a hitag of 20 to change the "randomness" of
the light. If I would also set the other SE4's hitag to 20 they would always
flash at the same time.
Don't worry too much about all the SEs used in this room, they will be
explained in the _SE.MAP Tutorial one for one.
In some cases it matters at which height the SEs are placed, in the case of
the teleporter SE (SE7) it is a normal teleporter like in these example
teleport pads. But if you move the SE sprites off the ground there will be no
teleport flash and sound. This is used in tubes in which you can fall down and
come out at a different point of the map without noticing it. See the hole
in which you can fall down and soon thereafter come out of the hole in the
ceiling. Weird, ey? :)
In most cases a SE needs more than just a lotag, usually the SE hitag (press
ALT+H in 2D mode or '+H in 3D mode to change the hitag) connects the SE to
a switch or a touchplate (or other SEs to go off at the same time) which will
trigger the SE function if they also use the exact hitag number.
If your're still confused as to what SEs are take a look at the _SE.MAP while
reading the _SE tutorial, I hope this will give you an impression of how those
SEs work. For the moment just play around with the SEs and change whatever
you like to get an impression of how things work. Especially try changing
the angle of the conveyor belt SEs (SE24) or the palette and shade of the
light SEs (SE4).
.================.
| [02] ACTIVATOR |
`================'
******************************************************************************
The ACTIVATOR sprite is used with Switchs or the TOUCHPLATE Sprite to activate
the Sector Lotag function or any Sector Effectors within the Sector.
Lotag : Set equal to a corresponding switch sprite's lotag or TOUCHPLATE lotag
Hitag : Not used
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of ACTIVATOR sprites. You'll also get
information on doors, raising ceilings, certain switches and the TOUCHPLATE
sprite.
You will notice two doors in front of you when you come out of the teleporter.
I will start with them first as they're the mose simple effects in Duke.
As you can see in the editor both door sectors are tagged with a lotag of 20,
that actually makes them a door. In the game you will be able to open the left
door "by hand" while the right door requires you to press one of the switches
to the right of it to open and close the door. Let's take a closer look in the
editor. The left door is just a door with a lotag of 20 and nothing else in it.
The right door sector instead also contains an ACTIVATOR sprite with a lotag
of 100. You will notice that the switches which open/close the door also have
a lotag of 100.
Why did I use two switches? The answer is simple, the dipswitch (the circular
one) can be pressed all the time, even if you just pressed it and the door is
still moving you can press it again and the door will immediately change its
direction. The other switch can't be pressed again until the function connected
to it is finished. In this case it can't be pressed again until the door is
fully opened or closed.
There you are, this ACTIVATOR is connected with the switches to the right by
giving both the ACTIVATOR and the switch sprite a unique lotag, of course
it needn't be 100 but that's how I made it in this example.
Now we're ready to take a look at the darker shaped floor on the right half of
the room. Don't worry about the setup, it's just a raising floor with an SE
of 31 if you're anxious to look it up. In the contrary to the door this effect
won't even work without an ACTIVATOR sprite! The switches on the small pillars
trigger the raising floor because both the ACTIVATOR in the sector with the
SE 31 sprite and the switches have a matching lotag of 101. So when you press
the switch the floor goes up until it reaches the height of the SE31. If you
press the switch again the sector will lower again to the floor. Again, I've
created two switches to show you how differently they work. While the grey
switch can't be triggered again until the sector reaches one of the end
positions the dipswitch allows you to stop the moving sector. If you press it
again the sector will continue moving.
To teach you that a switch (it can be a TOUCHPLATE sprite as well, just to let
you know) can also activate two or more different functions with the ACTIVATOR
I've made another door, a small compartment on the left wall (which actually
is just another door) and a raising floor on the left side of the room. The
switches near the door on the left side of the room have a lotag of 102, thus
they will activate all ACTIVATORs with this lotag. Both the door and the
raising floor have an ACTIVATOR sprite in their respective sectors with a
lotag of 102, so whenever you push the switch both the doors will open/close
and the floor will raise or fall. And this makes the choice of switches most
important, because the grey switch can't be activated again until ALL actions
are finished thus they won't get "out of sync". By using the dipswitch the
player is able to mess the actions up, for example it can happen that the
door is closed but the small compartment is still open. In some cases while
editing a level this effect is to be avoided.
Last but not least I wanted to show that an ACTIVATOR can also be activated
by a TOUCHPLATE sprite. By placing this sprite in a sector this sector becomes
a touchplate which works like a switch but is triggered by the player itself.
When you move onto a touchplate sector the corresponding will be activated.
In this case the TOUCHPLATE has a lotag of 103 and activates the sector in
front of it. In the game the touchplate is the raised red sector and if you
step on it it will activate the function in the sector where the ACTIVATOR
sprite is, in this case the floor will raise/fall. More on touchplates in the
TOUCHPLATE section.
.=================.
| [03] TOUCHPLATE |
`================='
******************************************************************************
The TOUCHPLATE will activate an ACTIVATOR or a MASTERSWITCH Sprite when the
player walks on the sector floor with a TOUCHPLATE sprite on it.
Lotag : Set equal to a corresponding ACTIVATOR or MASTERSWITCH lotag
Hitag : If the hitag is 0 the touchplate is activated each time the player
enters that sector.
If the hitag is higher than 0 the touchplate will only activate this
many times, if the hitag is 1 the touchplate will only activate once.
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of TOUCHPLATE sprites. You'll also get
information on the ACTIVATOR and MASTERSWITCH sprites.
The TOUCHPLATE sprite is used to activate a function connected to the
TOUCHPLATE (via a unique hitag). The sector which contains the TOUCHPLATE
sprite becomes the actual touchplate. When the player enters that sector the
corresponding ACTIVATOR or MASTERSWITCH function will be activated. See the
corresponding sections for more information on the ACTIVATOR and MASTERSWITCH
sprites. The only real differences between an ACTIVATOR and a MASTERSWITCH
are that the MASTERSWITCH can activate after a certain amount of time by
assigning it a hitag (amount of delay) and the MASTERSWITCH can only be
activated once.
In this example I've created three red touchplate sectors on the left side
with TOUCHPLATE sprites. Each TOUCHPLATE sprite has a different hitag (1-3)
and I've put the corresponding hitag number on the floor. While playing the
game you'll see that those touchplates will only raise/lower the floor that
many times. Note that there's a fourth touchplate with no hitag (actually no
hitag means that the hitag is 0). This touchplate will never stop activating
no matter what many times you step on it.
You will see though that the long touchplate on the right side will only
activate the raising floors once altough its hitag is 0. This is because it
works on MASTERSWITCH sprites (see above). After the timed delay of 40 the
first MASTERSWITCH function is activated (SE31 - raise floor) and after 60
the next floor goes up. This can be done because all MASTERSWITCH sprites
have the same lotag but only activate after the timed delay. A hitag of 18 is
approximately a one second delay.
.======================.
| [04] ACTIVATORLOCKED |
`======================'
******************************************************************************
The ACTIVATORLOCKED sprite will lock the sector's Lotag function so it can not
be activated by the player until it is unlocked with a switch.
Lotag : Set equal to a switch's Lotag which is used to toggle Locked/Unlocked.
Hitag : Not used
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of ACTIVATORLOCKED sprites. You'll also get
little information on ACTIVATOR sprites and ACCESSSWITCHes.
The ACTIVATORLOCKED sprite is used to lock a ST or SE function until a switch
has been flipped to unlock the function so that it can be triggered. The best
and easiest example is a door that requires a switch to be opened. Try opening
one of the two doors in front of you and you will have no luck unless you've
pressed the appropriate switch. Like the ACTIVATOR the ACTIVATORLOCKED can
also work on more than one function as seen to the left where you can lock and
unlock two doors at once.
I'm sure you tried the raising floor by now but I guess it didn't work as it's
supposed to. I tried to lock the ACTIVATOR function by using an ACTIVATORLOCKED
in the same sector. Although they are set up correctly it'll work only from
time to time. I assume that you'll get the same problems whenever you try to
put an ACTIVATOR and an ACTIVATORLOCKED in one sector.
Usually the ACTIVATORLOCKED is used for doors that require a keycard. I've
made one on the right side of the room. You have to use the ACCESSSWITCH
sprite to work with keycards. I gave the switch sprite a palette of 21 to
make it a switch requiring the red key. You can find the key behind the two
doors. Only if you have the correct key card you can activate this switch thus
enabling you to open the compartment besides.
.==================.
| [05] MUSICANDSFX |
`=================='
******************************************************************************
Activation sound:
When used in a sector with a Lotag, it will play a sound when the
sectors Lotag function is activated respectively stopped.
Lotag : number of sound to be played when the lotag function is
activated (see sound reference)
Hitag : number of sound to be played when the lotag function has
stopped (see sound reference)
Ambiente sound:
When used in a sector with no Lotag, it will play an ambiente sound.
Lotag : number of *ambiente* sound to be played (see sound reference)
Note that not all sounds can be used as ambiente sound!
Hitag : Max distance the sound can be heard. e.g. 512 equals the
largest grid square in build.
Echo effect:
When used in a sector with no Lotag and the MUSICANDSFX lotag is
between 1000 and 1255 it will cause all sounds to have an echo effect.
Lotag : 1000 + the amount of echo (0-255)
Hitag : Max distance the echo takes effect on other sounds e.g. 512
equals the largest grid square in build.
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of MUSICANDSFX sprites. You'll also get
little information on ACTIVATORs, TOUCHPLATEs and switch sprites.
The MUSICANDSFX sprite can be used in three ways. The first is the activation
sound. You will have noticed that for example doors (ST 20) don't make any
noise if there's no MUSICANDSFX sprite. This has a big advantage because you
can assign one and the same door type different sound effects so you can
easily create space doors, prison doors, mechanical doors, etc.
All you have to do is to place a MUSICANDSFX sprite in a sector with a lotag,
like the doors or the raising floors I've set up on the left side of this room.
In the left door sector there's a MUSICANDSFX sprite with a lotag of 166. If
you open that door it will immediately play the door sound and it will play
the same sound again if you close the door. The door on the right side instead
contains a MUSICANDSFX sprite with a *hitag* of 27. You won't hear any sound
until the door reached the top. Assigning only a hitag to a MUSICANDSFX sprite
will play that sound only when the sector's lotag function is finished, in
this case after the door is fully opened or closed. Note that if you activate
the door while it is moving you can mess the sound up so it'll be played when
you open the door, just like the door to the left. To avoid this use an
ACTIVATOR sprite and the correct switch sprite, one that can't be activated
again until the function(s) are finished.
I've also made some raising floors which can either be activated by a
TOUCHPLATE or a switch, just for illustration. See the corresponding sections
on ACTIVATORs and TOUCHPLATEs for more information. The left sector will play
a lift sound (71) because the MUSICANDSFX sprite in that sector has a lotag
of 71 which is a lift sound. The raising floor to the right has the same
MUSICANDSFX sprite in it but this one also has a hitag of 73 which is a lift
stop sound. You will notice the difference if you activate the two raising
floors. The left one will play the lift sound each time it is activated. The
right one will play the lift sound each time it is activated and it will play
the lift stop sound each time the function stops (in other words each time
the sector stops moving).
The second usage of the MUSICANDSFX sprite are the ambiente sounds, sounds
that simply play all the time. Of course you don't want to hear these type of
sounds in the whole level so you assign the MUSICANDSFX hitag a value of how
far the sound can still be heard. Naturally the sound will fade out the
farther you're away from the MUSICANDSFX sprite. A hitag of 512 means you can
hear the sound from a distance of one (largest) grid square in BUILD. Usually
hitags of 2000 to 6000 will give the best results. The three small sectors
in the middle of the room with the light texture on the floor all contain
MUSICANDSFX sprites. Note that in order to get the ambiente sound effect the
sector in which the MUSICANDSFX sprite is placed must not have any lotag (in
other words the lotag must be 0). The first sector, near the teleporter, has a
hitag of 1000 so that you can hear it about when you enter the green sector.
Note that if you stand in the middle of the sector and then crouch the sound
will be a little louder. This is because the MUSICANDSFX sprite is the source
of the sound which is placed on the floor. Makes sense?
Ok, you'll see that better in the next sector, it's a smaller one with white
lights. Stand on it and you will hear nothing. Only if you jump the player
comes in range of the MUSICANDSFX sprite and you will hear a projector sound
as long as you're in the air. I've added a jetpack so that you can test this
out. If you have a look at it in the editor you can see that the hitag of the
MUSICANDSFX sprite is pretty low (750) and the sprite itself floats in air, so
you can't even hear it when you stand just right below.
The last sector in that row, the blue one, has a MUSICANDSFX hitag of 2500 so
you can hear it even if you didn't enter that sector. Imagine the MUSICANDSFX
sprite as the centre of a sphere and the hitag defines the sphere's radius.
Only if the player is within the sphere he can hear the sound, no matter if
he's on a different sector or even behind a solid wall. When you move closer
towards the blue sector you will hear a waterfall sound getting louder and
louder.
The last effect you can create with a MUSICANDSFX sprite is the echo effect.
It works just like the ambiente MUSICANDSFX and also requires a sector with
no lotag to work. The hitag of the MUSICANDSFX sprite defines the radius in
which all sounds will be echoed. It does not only work on player sounds (for
example shooting weapons) but also on other MUSICANDSFX sprites. If you would
place another MUSICANDSFX sprite in that red sector on the right side of the
room to play an ambiente sound this ambiente sound would be echoed as well.
The lotag of the echo MUSICANDSFX has to be a value between 1000 and 1255 to
create the echo effect. The amount of echo is defined by the lotag, a value
of 1000 will create no echoing, a value of 1255 will create a very high amount
of echo, 1125 would create a medium echo effect. In this example room the echo
is fairly strong (lotag 1200) and the range is 3000, high enough to have echo
effects up to the walls to the north and south. So if you pick up that
chaingun and walk around while shooting you'll hear the echo effect until you
get "out of range" of the echo MUSICANDSFX sprite.
.===============.
| [06] LOCATORS |
`==============='
******************************************************************************
LOCATORS define tracks for the subway or the PigCop Recon Car.
You actually _can_ have more than one track for subways but NOT for the Recon
Cars as they sometimes "change tracks". The subway and Recon Cars may share
the same track though.
They're also used as the two end points of the 2-way train (ST 31/SE 30).
Lotag : Set in an increasing order starting from 0 with no gaps in the count
for all the LOCATOR Sprites in the map. When the Subway or PigCop
Recon Car reaches the last LOCATOR Sprite, it will loop back to the
LOCATOR Sprite with Lotag 0.
Hitag : If set to 1, then the Subway will stop the LOCATOR Sprite location for
5 seconds, then continue to the next LOCATOR. The PigCop Recon Car is
not effected.
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of LOCATORS sprites. You'll also get
some information on subways and 2 way trains.
You can only use the LOCATORS for three different "effects", they are the
subway (SE 6 & SE 14), the PigCop Recon Car (a flying enemy vehicle) and the
2-way train (ST 31/SE 30).
Let me begin with the 2-way train. This is simply one or more moving sectors,
they move between point A (defined by the LOCATOR with lotag of 0) and point
B (defined by the LOCATOR with lotag of 1). There are no other LOCATORS or
LOCATOR tags involved in this. The sectors which should move must have a lotag
of 31 and an SE 30 is used to define the direction of the moving sectors. Note
that the SE 30's angle should point exactly to the LOCATOR with the lotag of 1.
If the SE on the moving sector and the LOCATOR don't match at some point the
moving sector will miss the LOCATOR and never start moving. This also happens
if you set the SE 30 angle to point to the LOCATOR with a lotag of 0. To
activate the 2-way train I've used two switches and an ACTIVATOR which should
be pretty clear after you've hopefully read that section. Note that both
LOCATORS must be in one and the same sector and the moving sector should not
cross other sectors nor leave the sector with the LOCATORS in it.
The setup for the Recon PigCop car is a little more complex. You can place as
many LOCATORS as you wish to define a track for the Recon car. The track
begins with the LOCATOR whose lotag is 0, the next LOCATOR must have a lotag
of 1, the following must have a lotag of 2 and so on until you gave every
LOCATOR a unique and consecutive lotag value. If the Recon Car reaches the
last LOCATOR (the one with the highest lotag) it will move on to the lotag 0
LOCATOR and close the loop. By adjusting the height of the LOCATORS you can
adjust the Recon car's height while it follows the LOCATORS track. It's a good
idea to avoid LOCATORS on the floor or ceiling or too close to walls or else
the Recon Car might get stuck or flies like if it was driven by a drunken
pigcop. :) The LOCATORS for the Recon car need not to be all in the same
sector. If you teleport into this room for the first time you'll notice that
the Recon Car always flies to the 0 lotag LOCATOR first, this can't be changed.
Also, if there are more than one 0 lotag LOCATOR it will move to the 0 lotag
LOCATOR with the highest sprite number (use ALT+TAB on a sprite to see the
sprite number). Since this number will change every time you save a level it's
not a good idea to make more than one track if you use Recon cars. You might
see this effect if the Recon Car moves to the 2-way train LOCATORS instead of
the others. Of course, if you know what you're doing you might get it working.
Finally, the subway tracks. The LOCATORS are used similarly to the Recon Car
LOCATORS, in fact in my example room the Recon Car and the subway share one
and the same track. Note the CONEs, I've added them to visualize the track in
the game so you can see how the Recon Car and subways follow the track. Making
a subway is fairly easy, you just need to make a sector in a sector and put
a SE 6 on it, the angle of the SE 6 should point to the first LOCATOR, and the
hitag of the SE 6 defines the first LOCATOR to move to. The subway SEs in the
upper right corner have a hitag of 7 so they will start moving towards the
LOCATOR with a lotag of 7 and then follow the track as usual. The SE 14 on the
subway cars are very similar to the SE 6, they define the sectors as cars
instead of another engine. The height of the LOCATORS doesn't matter for
subways and you must make sure that all LOCATORS as well as all subways and
subway cars are in one and the same sector. They should not leave this sector
or cross other sectors. You will notice that two of the LOCATORS also have a
hitag of 1. That makes the subways slow down and stop right after that LOCATOR.
They will not stop immediately so you'll have to set the 1 hitag LOCATORS a
little before your supposed train station.
.=============.
| [07] CYCLER |
`============='
******************************************************************************
The CYCLER sprite is used to make the Sector Floor, Walls, and Ceiling pulsate
in brightness. It requires a GPSPEED sprite in the same sector!
Lotag : Defines offset of when it will pulsate
Hitag : Set to any unused tag number or set equal to a switch's lotag
Palette : Not used, change the sector's palette instead
Shade : Set the CYCLER's shade to how bright the sector will get. Set the
sector brightness to how dark it will get.
Angle : MUST BE NORTH!!! (1536 of 2048 degrees in Duke measurement)
GPSPEED Lotag: Set to how fast the light will pulsate.
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of CYCLER sprites. You'll also get little
information on switches, the palette and the GPSPEED sprite.
There are a few things you must take care of when making pulsating lights with
the CYCLER sprite. First, make sure the CYCLER sprite's angle is NORTH or it
won't work at all. Second the CYCLER requires a GPSPEED sprite in the same
sector or it also won't work. Of course, the GPSPEED's lotag must be higher
than 0 or you won't see any effect. Common lotag values for the GPSPEED sprite
range from 32 (very slow) to 256 (very fast). Higher values make the pulsating
light look like a flashing light. The third thing you have to pay attention to
is the CYCLER's hitag which must be set to any unused tag number. If you wish
to turn it on/off with a sprite then assign the sprite's lotag the same tag
number as the CYCLER's hitag. In my example the lights to the left can't be
switched, the CYCLER's hitags are simply unused tags. To the right I've made
three switches which correspond with the CYCLER's hitags to turn the light
"sequences" on and off.
You'll notice that two of the lights on the left side are colored (blue/red),
this is because the sector's floor and ceiling have a different palette number
of 1 respectively 2. Use ALT+P in 3D mode to change the palette number. Just
for illustration I've changed the palette of the third CYCLER sprite to red
but in the game the light appears white as usual, so the CYCLER palette has
no meaning. I've also rotated the GPSPEED sprites to show that their angle
and relative position doesn't matter whatsoever.
Now to the right side, you surely noticed that the lights pulsate in sequence.
This effect can be created by cleverly changing the speed (GPSPEED lotag) and
the initial offset (CYCLER's lotag). I will try to explain this referring to
the south row (the one near to the teleporter). All the CYCLER sprites have a
hitag of 151 so they can be switched on/off with the corresponding switch.
Note that they all do not need to have the same hitag in order to work in a
sequence but it makes sense because that way you spare some tags and of course
you can only switch them off all at once if they all have the same hitag.
The GPSPEED sprite has a lotag of 32 so that the light pulsates very slow. In
order to create any sequence all GPSPEED's in that sequence must have the same
lotag, no matter what but it must be the same to all, or the sequence will get
out of sync(hronisation). Finally, to make the sequence work, all CYCLER
lotags must follow the same interval, that means if you start with a lotag of
0 at the first CYCLER and give the next CYCLER a lotag of 500, the third
CYCLER's lotag should be 1000, the fourth's lotag should be 1500 and so on. I
guess you got the trick now? :)
Try experimenting with the different offsets and the GPSPEED sprite now and
see how it affects the sequences.
.===================.
| [08] MASTERSWITCH |
`==================='
******************************************************************************
The MASTERSWITCH sprite is used to activate a Sector Lotag or a Sector
Effector Sprite after a variable time delay. This can be activated by a
TOUCHPLATE Sprite or a switch.
Lotag : Set equal to a TOUCHPLATE Sprite or Switch Lotag to be activated by.
Hitag : Set for time delay until activation of Sector Tag or Sector Effector
Sprite.
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of MASTERSWITCH sprites. You'll also get
little information on the SEENINE and TOUCHPLATE sprites as well as switches
and raising floors.
In general the MASTERSWITCH sprite is the same as an ACTIVATOR with two
differences: it can have a time delay (MASTERSWITCH hitag) and it only works
once. The left of the two doors opens immediately because the MASTERSWITCH's
hitag is left at 0. So it works just like an ACTIVATOR with the exception that
you can't close the door again once it has opened. The same goes for the right
door which opens after a time delay of 35 (that's about two seconds). You can
also trigger other things like the SEENINE sprite (exploding barrel, usually
used for exploding walls). The MASTERSWITCH is in the same sector as the
SEENINE sprites and their hitag is the same as the MASTERSWITCH's lotag to
connect them together. Again the MASTERSWITCH has a hitag so the cans won't go
off immediately.
You can also assign more than one MASTERSWITCH to a TOUCHPLATE or switch. On
the right side of the is the well-known raising staircase, made out of raising
floor SEs. All the MASTERSWITCHes will be activated by the TOUCHPLATE with the
lotag of 163, but all MASTERSWITCHes have different hitags so they won't
activate all at the same time. The first MASTERSWITCH activates the raise
floor function (SE 31) after a delay of 100, the next after a delay of 115
(in other words 15 time units later than the first).
Although the original BUILDHLP.EXE docs say that a MASTERSWITCH can only be
activated by a TOUCHPLATE it works perfectly in my example room. See the
compartment on the left side, it is triggered by a switch. The switch's lotag
connects it to the MASTERSWITCH in the small door sector and the MASTERSWITCH
will activate the door after 30 time units. Isn't that great? ;)
.==============.
| [09] RESPAWN |
`=============='
******************************************************************************
The RESPAWN sprite is used to Teleport in Actors and Items when activated by a
TOUCHPLATE sprite or a switch.
Lotag : Set equal to TOUCHPLATE Sprite or Switch Lotag to be activated by.
Hitag : Set equal to any Sprite Number that has a name with it in Build.
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of RESPAWN sprites. You'll also get little
information on TOUCHPLATEs and switches.
Just like with the MASTERSWITCH the original BUILD docs are in error, the
RESPAWN sprite can also be activated by a switch. The RESPAWN sprite is quite
self-explanatory, the RESPAWN's lotag connects it to a switch or TOUCHPLATE
with the same lotag number, and the RESPAWN's hitag is the number of the
Item/Actor to teleport in the game. But not all numbers that have a name in
BUILD's texture list work, for example the SEENINE sprite 1247 can't be
spawned. You'll have to find out by try and error as to which things can be
spawned and which not, I don't have any "spawnable things" list (yet).
If you play this example room and press one of the switches or step on one of
the TOUCHPLATEs a thing or enemy will be teleported in the game, just in front
of you. Of course, some things just "happen". ;)
Note that by changing the RESPAWN sprite's height you could also spawn enemies
or other things right in the air. But there's no easy way to avoid the flash
when things respawn.
.==============.
| [10] GPSPEED |
`=============='
******************************************************************************
The GPSPEED sprite is used to define the rate of movement for such things as
Sector Tag 20 (Ceiling Door) and Sector Effector 0 (Rotate Sector), as well as
many other effects. It doesn't work on the subway or 2-way train though. On
the other hand it is required if you want to get the CYCLER sprite working.
Lotag : Set to speed rate, the actual speed depends on what type of ST/SE is
affected.
Hitag : Not used.
******************************************************************************
This sample room explains the use of GPSPEED sprites. You'll also get little
information on TOUCHPLATEs.
The GPSPEED sprite can be placed in a sector which either has a sector lotag
function or a SECTOR EFFECTOR. Note that not all STs/SEs are affected by the
GPSPEED sprite, one of them is the subway which will always run at the same
speed.
If you play this room you'll see the three raising floors, triggered by three
touchplates as seen in the TOUCHPLATE section. I simply added a GPSPEED sprite
to each sector. The lotag of the GPSPEED defines how fast (or slow) the floor
raises, 50 is very slow, 500 is just appropriate and 2000 is very fast. You'll
probably notice that the raising floor on the right side with the GPSPEED
sprite with a lotag of 2000 will not always reach the desired heigt. This is
because higher lotag values make the raising floors more inaccurate, so be
careful when using high GPSPEED values. But note that this does not affect all
types of moving sectors, floors or whatever. As you can see, the right door in
front of you has a GPSPEED sprite in the door sector with a lotag of 2048 and
still behaves correctly. You could even set this to 4000 or higher although
it wouldn't make much difference. Just to show you which GPSPEED lotag value
will produce which speed I've made two other doors. You'll notice that since
the doors normally move faster (without a GPSPEED sprite that is) than the
raising floors, they will also move faster if both the door and raising floor
have a GPSPEED sprite lotag of, say 500.
The "engines" on the right side of the room will teach you that the height of
the GPSPEED sprite doesn't matter, it just has to be in the same sector. And
they show that although one of them has a GPSPEED sprite lotag of 800 it moves
relatively fast compared to the door and the raising floor with GPSPEED sprite
lotags of 2000 and above. The same goes for the engine with the GPSPEED lotag
of 2, it's very slow but still relatively fast compared to the raising floor
with a GPSPEED lotag of 50. This is due to the fact that even without a
GPSPEED sprite the engine moves a lot faster than doors or especially the
raising floors.
-=> End Of File "_SPRITES.TXT" ....