A - Z Beginner Full Guide Page 5

written by Fidcal

Previous Page ... Next Page

Windows

Adding windows to rooms will really help them towards looking authentic. Windows can be models or textures; openable (like doors) or mere architecture. Older medieval gothic type windows might be mere shaped slits in the stone. There are many facets to making windows which cannot all be covered in this beginners' tutorial. A few points to remember...

• If both sides of a wall can be accessed then make sure there is a window on both sides and aligned.
• Consider if you use outdoor 'lit' windows, can the player extinguish the light inside then go back outside and see the window still lit?
• Consider the frame.
• Consider having a windowsill.
• Perhaps a support beam or stone is needed over the top of the window?
• Does the window need to be recessed into the wall?

In this old house we shall put a few simple recesses with window texture...

• On the west wall of the big room, between the middle vertical beam and the south wall, create a niche 80 wide by 112 high using the same technique as for the yard wall torch niche. Try to get it between courses of stonework (though this irregular stone makes that tough so don't worry.)
• Texture the back of it with textures/darkmod/window/largesquare02_dark
• Scale it Horiz 0.15 and Vert 0.2
• Shift the texture so the frame is equally half on one side and half on the other.
• Check the texture and alignment of the sides of the niche align with the rest of the stone wall.

• In the same way create TWO windows 56 wide by 80 high in the small room - one about the middle of the west wall and the other on the south wall and to the east.
• Position and rotate Creep so he appears to be standing looking out of the south facing window but stand him a little to one side. Place the thugs path_corner at his side. With a bit of tweaking later it might suggest the thug is coming and standing there looking out the window with Creep for a few seconds. We are trying to create opportunities for the player to sneak in!

Outside you cannot put a window on the west wall of the yard else it would show indoors which would need more thought. We might consider an openable window - another avenue for the thief to get in? Ideally we'd have a window or two to the yard but let's leave it for now and press on...

Chests and other Containers

Container are effectively an open box with a lid functioning like a door. There is to be a function that prevents anything placed within the container to be unfrobbable within that volume unless the lid is open. This is work in progress so is to be reviewed for this tutorial later. Meanwhile you can still create and use containers but there is the possibility of the player blind-frobbing an object out of a container without opening the lid at the moment...

• Create three models : darkmod > containers > bc_chest1, 2, or 3 and their respective lids.
• Place one chest in the little room against a wall.
• Position its lid exactly on top with the hinges at the back
• With the lid selected, in Entity Inspector, select the top line - class name
• Change this from func_static to atdm:mover_door
• Add a property (or change its inherited property) rotate (NOT rotation but rotate) with the value 0 0 -120. The -120 is the angle it will open; -120 looks about right to me.

Likewise put the other two chests in the big room. One or both them may eventually go upstairs or in the basement when finished.

Alternatively, chests, footlockers, safes, any container, can be made out of brushes and likewise the lid too. Yes you can add atdm:mover_door to it! See also Doors for details.

Locking the chest will be dealt with later under #Locks and Lockpicking.

Putting items into the chest is literally that - just position any item(s) in the chest. I suggest some other dummy items to pack it out rather than a single loose gold ring! Try a patch shaped like some blankets or junk with an appropriate texture. For now we shall just put single items in and this we shall deal with later under #Loot!

Locks, Keys, and Lockpicking

At time of writing using keys is still work in progress TO BE REVIEWED. Meanwhile, we can create a key...

• Create entity > prop_silverkey (don't use the one from the model list but the entity list)
• Place it on the table somewhere for now. You can rotate it to lie flat (modify menu)
• Change its name (NOT class name) to say, key_chest3. You can change the name of any entity you create. For most there is no need but here is an example where in a big mission you might have a lot of keys, and they are small after all. By naming them key_something they will all appear together in the alphabetical enitity list (keyboard L) so you can quickly find what you want. That list selects them for you the Ctrl+Tab through grid view in Dark Radiant centres on them to zoom in. Neat eh? (keys in inventories are not visible though.)
• You can also add comments to any entity if you wish so you might have 'Gate guard's key to be added to his belt' or something. See Comments for details

Now I think eventually the above will be linked to the chest with something like a 'UsedBy' property on the lid naming the key as its value but for now it is still work in progress.

We can however, lock the chest...

• Select a chest lid (not the chest itself) and add/set the property : locked, value 1.

Now lockpicking is not finalized yet but it is working so here goes with what I know so far...

To enable the locked chest to be lockpicked do this.....

• Add/Set these properties and values to the chest lid...

1. pickable 1 [enables lockpicking]
2. type c*b [type of pick needed for each pin, circular, bent, etc, * = any]
3. lockpins 3321 [pin sequence - TO BE REVIEWED]

To create the lockpicks for the above...

• Create entity atdm:playertools_lockpick_bent and put it on the table for now near the key.
• Do the same with atdm:playertools_lockpick_circle
• Add the property inv_map_start with a value of 1 to each of them which will put them in the player's inventory at mission start. (should disappear from the table eventually.) We covered inventory previously in Tools, Weapons, Equipment

Adding a lock and/or handle TO BE REVIEWED

Sounds

Add a global? or another atmospheric in the house?

Objectives

1. Break into Creep's House
2. Steal back the scepter he stole from you
3. Kill him (normal level)
4. KO him and lock him outside (hard level)
5. Drop the incriminating message. Don't get seen (Expert)
6. Creep is a thief and must have other loot worth stealing - take at least 500 (normal)
7. Creep is a thief and must have other loot worth stealing - take at least 750 (Hard)
8. Creep is a thief and must have other loot worth stealing - take at least 1000 (Expert)
9. Find his key and exit by the front door (expert)

Zipping up

link to zip up wiki

Your own Build Design

link to build design wiki

Previous Page ... Next Page