Archive: 12 posts

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I have had a lot of problems hooking up player proximity switches to dissolve material - I use this combination frequently to trigger one-time and one-way events in my levels. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Often, a switch will go haywire and trigger the dissolve material on its own without me being anywhere near it. Before today I wasn't able to figure out exactly why, but now I have a better understanding of the issue. So, here's a couple of quick tips that will hopefully help some of you with your levels. Never attach a player proximity switch to a dynamic object. This seems to be the single most reliable way to make proximity switch freak out. Put more simply, every proximity switch I have ever put on a dynamic object has eventually glitched out on me. The fact that a proximity switch is on a movable object seems to "refresh" the proximity ring and causes accidental triggers of the switch. Stick to static and you'll be fine. Never move a static object with a proximity switch attached to it. This is similar to #1 but not as reliable. Attaching a proximity switch to an object and moving it somewhere else doesn't always seem to cause glitching, but when it does occur it does so at a random time. This is almost more scary than #1 because you'll think you fixed everything only to find later that you have big problems. Avoid editing an object that has a proximity switch attached to it. Corner editing, material changing, lethalizing/unlethalizing and sometimes just selecting an object has a chance to haywire any attached proximity switches. This is even less reliable than #2 but just be aware of the risks. Avoid "Change to Play Mode" and "Change to Edit Mode". Although selecting these options don't seem to cause any problems on their own, I have noticed that potential glitch candidates will be pushed over the edge this way. Even though the game is not supposed to be saving data when you switch modes this way, it seems that something is being recorded that can break proximity switches. For best results, from Create Mode always select "Save Level", "Return to Main Menu", then "Discard Changes". To test your level, only use the "Play" option from My Moon and always "Return to Main Menu" when you are done. Once a switch has gone haywire it can never be fixed. If you run into a broken proximity switch, the only thing you can really do is delete it and attach a new one. Sometimes a particular object will continue to break switches no matter how many times you replace them, so a better solution is to delete the object entirely and make a new one. If your object is particularly complex, consider attaching a proximity switch on a small floating piece of material hidden on the back layer. The easiest way to do this is corner edit a large "V" in your object, create your floating switch behind it, then delete the V. That's my 5 cent tip for the day. Happy creating!

2010-01-09 01:39:00 Author: Taffey Posts: 3187

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To summarise: Once you've placed a sensor switch, DON'T EVER TOUCH IT AGAIN.

2010-01-09 01:43:00 Author: jackofcourse Posts: 1494

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To summarise: Once you've placed a sensor switch, DON'T EVER TOUCH IT AGAIN. Bingo! I hate it when I accidentally select a large background piece... It makes me grind my teeth waiting to see if any attached proximity switches go nuts. Interestingly, magnetic key switches seem to have none of these problems. So far I have found them to be remarkably reliable.

2010-01-09 01:50:00 Author: Taffey Posts: 3187

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The problem is not limited to dissolve material. I have observed that sensor switches have a general tendency to be on when they should be off, and vice-versa. Since it is preferable to have moving parts be off while they are offscreen, this causes problems. My assumption is that the sensor switch can get activated when Sackboy is around it in Create Mode as a result of undoing or coming back from play mode (or maybe even playing around with the object/switch) and the switch is not reset until Sackboy goes back into range and then leaves properly. I have found that detaching and placing the sensor switch generally resets it, but it can get activated again once it is placed back.

2010-01-09 01:58:00 Author: Gilgamesh Posts: 2536

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Excellent post Taffey! I just lost an hour of work last night because after finishing what I was doing I looked around the level to see some dissolve material attached to a proximity switch had disappeared and set off a perm switch that ended up causing a chain reaction of switches to go off. It was a great doomsday scenario for the level, but fortunatly I caught it before saving and I'll just have to make up that hour today. Anyway, I've experienced this issue many times, and I'm glad to see you have compiled a list of what may be causing it because I can see if I can avoid problems in the future.

2010-01-09 02:13:00 Author: amazingflyingpoo Posts: 1515

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I just noticed this was for PSP but when I first read it and didn't realise I said "Yes, that's exactly what happened a couple of days ago in my Sheriff Sack 2 level" I had some sensor switches hooked up to emitters and while flying around in create mode I noticed they had activated even though I was nowhere near them and they were a long way apart. I also had this problem with ones in my Arabian adventure level many months ago with some hooked up to pistons on doors. They simply stopped working in play mode even though they were perfect in create mode when unpaused and tested. So I can tell you this has been and still is a very long standing problem on the PS3 version aswell.

2010-01-09 02:31:00 Author: mistervista Posts: 2210

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The problem is not limited to dissolve material. I have observed that sensor switches have a general tendency to be on when they should be off, and vice-versa.Actually, I have noticed this as well - primarily with sensor switches hooked up to emitters. Those generally seem to be "fixable" by running into the sensor radius and leaving again... which you also mentioned: My assumption is that the sensor switch can get activated when Sackboy is around it in Create Mode as a result of undoing or coming back from play mode (or maybe even playing around with the object/switch) and the switch is not reset until Sackboy goes back into range and then leaves properly.And there you go. However, I have not been able to make this work with dissolve material. Entering the radius (and re-dissolving something) and then exiting doesn't seem to make it work, probably because whatever it was attached to has been destroyed. The game seems to have a problem with this in general, such as when you dissolve something attached with a rod. I have found that detaching and placing the sensor switch generally resets it, but it can get activated again once it is placed back.I have found this as well. However, I have yet to find a proximity switch that always behaves properly after being reset - they invariably break again and usually in fairly short order.

2010-01-09 04:57:00 Author: Taffey Posts: 3187

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This is really good to know! Had such problems too.

2010-01-10 10:10:00 Author: Arrestor Posts: 363

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Excellent post.. thanks for the heads up. Perhaps an update may fix this problem

2010-01-22 10:19:00 Author: Tanuki75 Posts: 172

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This has definitely been a constant plague for me in both my levels (my first level and the one I'm working on). My solution? I just try to A. Use as little dissolve material as possible and B. Try to make any dissolve material I do use be easily replaceable. But yeah, no matter what it's still annoying and so far this has been the most consistently annoying bug I've faced.

2010-01-22 13:59:00 Author: SirPaper Posts: 150

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Thanks, Taffey, for useful post and all others for adding their experience and ways to avoid bugs. Last week I spend many hours on fixing many bugs on my already completed level. But bugs with switches don't let me publish it. I hope that I finished all fixes on next week with keeping in mind your efficient advices! Thanks for interesting posts!

2010-01-22 15:04:00 Author: Domik12 Posts: 838

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I really look forward to see a level from you Domik. You are giving much great and helpful feedback here and i just realized, that i saw nothing of your work yet.

2010-01-22 15:13:00 Author: Arrestor Posts: 363

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