Archive: 7 posts

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Hey all, In the full-length level I'm working on, there is an object that must be with you at all times. Without it, you cannot pass many of the level's obstacles. But it's possible to lose the object where you can't retrieve it. It's very important that if they lose it, it gets removed from the game (otherwise it will be in the way when you try again). It's important that it be light and able to be grabbed. It's important that players don't have access to more than one at a time, but they will always need access to one at every checkpoint. What's the best way to accomplish this? I had a couple thoughts: - Use a single emitter with a max emitted of 1, attached to buttons at the checkpoints. Problem: I'd have to move the emitter around the level to each checkpoint, and that could be really, REALLY difficult to manage. You need the object throughout the entire level. - Use an emitter at each checkpoint, make the object completely out of dissolve, and put proximity switches on it that auto-destruct it when players are out of range. Problem: Sometimes I want the players to be somewhat far away from the object without destroying it. - Use an emitter at each checkpoint, use a pair of keys and switches so that if the object comes in close proximity to another object then it self-destructs. Problem: The orientation of the object constantly changes, so there are a lot of possible cases to consider... it's basically completely unpredictable and that makes this system useless. Right now I think my best option is #2 and doing my best to work around the distance limitation, but I thought some of you might have ideas that would improve on that and I'd like to hear them.

2008-11-19 14:26:00 Author: Risen Posts: 251

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Attach each emitter to dissolve material. At the start of a checkpoint place a switch that causes the emitter to emit one at a time. The next checkpoint have another emitter attach to another piece of dissolve material and another switch that cause the current emitter to emit one at a time and dissolve the original dissolve material which would cause the emitter to disappear as well. To make more you just contine the trend with the next switch disappear the previous emitter. Ahhhh but you only want one at a time. Well, the only thing I can think of is a mechanic that force use to use and dispose the key. Kind of like a box. You put the key in and the box closes. Which then cause the next part to unlock, where you can then get another key.

2008-11-19 14:54:00 Author: tribesofwar Posts: 15

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So if I'm understanding you correctly... You want the player to drag an object around, but if he loses the object to a trap, pit, bomb or something, he can backtrack to pick up another copy of the object at the nearest checkpoint? Quite the ordeal. You'll have to use multiple emitters, that's for certain. Unfortunately this means that setting the maximum emitted to 1 will only work individually for each emitter. For starters, you'll want to put a Magnetic Key on your emitted object. Each emitter near your checkpoints should be linked to both a Proximity Switch and an inverted Magnetic Key Switch (to detect that the object is NOT present in range). This will accomplish that if Sackboy reaches a checkpoint without the object in hand, a new one will be emitted, but if he DOES have the object with him, it won't be emitted. The only problem remaining then is how to make the current object disappear if the player goes back to get another one. Attaching an inverted Proximity Switch linked to dissolve material will work, but then severely limits your options of what you can do with the object. Unfortunately, the only other option I can think of is to somehow force all of the previous emitters to emit a new copy, thus poofing the current one out of existance. But this will be unbelievably complicated to set up and I don't recommend trying it. Hope that helps.

2008-11-19 15:08:00 Author: Gilgamesh Posts: 2536

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Thanks for the help, both of you. Ahhhh but you only want one at a time. Well, the only thing I can think of is a mechanic that force use to use and dispose the key. Kind of like a box. You put the key in and the box closes. Which then cause the next part to unlock, where you can then get another key. I'd thought of that, but I'd really like to keep the level flow going so you don't have to stop and get new pieces all the time. You're going to have the object for almost the entire duration of the level, so it's possible that there will be 6 or 8 checkpoints... maybe more. So if I'm understanding you correctly... You want the player to drag an object around, but if he loses the object to a trap, pit, bomb or something, he can backtrack to pick up another copy of the object at the nearest checkpoint? Quite the ordeal. Well, it's sort of big so the player doesn't actually drag and carry it around much, and it's more likely that the player will be left without any option except death if they do manage to lose it, but yes you are understanding my situation correctly. You're definitely helping... I think your last idea might actually have some legs to it. Instead of using a complex contraption to activate only what's been passed, though, each switch could trigger every checkpoint emitter in the level. The problem there is duplicate objects ahead of you. I don't want you to have access to those. I could set up a pit/drawbridge kind of mechanic at each checkpoint so the emitted objects ahead of you fall into the pit. When you near the checkpoint, you trigger something that puts the bridge down. For this to be flawless, each checkpoint must have the bridge reopen unless a player is nearby. That should be easily doable. Does that sound like it would work, or am I missing something?

2008-11-19 16:22:00 Author: Risen Posts: 251

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Does that sound like it would work, or am I missing something? It definitely could work, it'll just be a lot of fine-tuning work On a less related note, one of the three levels I'm currently working on also requires the player to use an object from start to finish to get past the level. Unfortunately, I have a switch on the object which is connected to another part of the level, so I don't have the luxury of using emitters in case the object gets stuck somewhere. Instead I'll probably rely on making a "safe" course for the object to go through while still being dangerous for the player. Hope you manage to pull it off though.

2008-11-19 17:03:00 Author: Gilgamesh Posts: 2536

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It shouldn't be a ton of fine-tuning. I'll make the checkpoint section once and copy/paste it for the rest of the map and not worry about the multiple objects when I build and test it. Then once the map is done I'll wire up the emitters to sync. Hopefully your idea will work out okay too. Perhaps you could use a thin plane in front or behind your object to serve as a 'track' it can ride on.

2008-11-19 17:20:00 Author: Risen Posts: 251

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You could set the checkpoints onto a piston which when activated rises to a separate area in which an emitter is set up to spawn a new item when the player is close. When playing the level without dying, the player never has access to the room, so there will only be one object available at any time. When the player dies they re-spawn at the checkpoints new location, and a new object is available to pick up. http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5591/ishot4lk3.jpg (http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ishot4lk3.jpg) http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/ishot4lk3.jpg/1/w640.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img217/ishot4lk3.jpg/1/) Of course this method only works if a player death is the outcome of losing the object.

2008-11-19 18:25:00 Author: accordion Posts: 76

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