Mappin' lingo

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 1:19 pm

As yet another mp3 is being written to my hard drive (I only "have" mp3's of songs I actually own so put yer tar n' feathers down), I thought I'd take a minute or two and make a post listing some/all of the abbreviations, terms etc. used here and in FOT mapping in general.

Actor - Any character. Can be a PC, NPC, enemy, critter, etc. If it can move or attack, it's probably an actor :D

PI - Player index. A technical feature that lets the mapper do many, many things. A PI of 0 is the default for Scenery entities (i.e. doors, containers), and a PI of 1 is the default for PCs.

PC - Player Character. Any actor that is under the human player's control (i.e. has a PI of 1).

NPC - Non-Player Character. Can be an enemy, a prisoner/slave, townsfolk, neutral actors, etc. Any actor that isn't under the human player's control.

OSS - Object script state. Refers to the condition/action used in scripting triggers. Doors, containers, alarms, and switches all have OSS's. I think there some others, too... but it's freakin' 2 AM! Throw me a freakin' bone here, people!

Trigger - AKA script. Triggers/scripts have 2 parts - Conditions and Actions. When the condition(s) are met, the action(s) are executed, usually only once. "Preserve" is a special modifer for triggers that let the trigger "fire" more than once - usually, as long as the conditions are met, the actions will be executed until the conditions aren't met anymore.

Condition - Part 1 of a trigger. In order for any Action to happen, it must have a Condition. Conditions vary from variables, timers, "Quantity - X" conditions, and others. Multiple Conditions can be used in the same trigger, but bear in mind that there are "AND" statements "in between" the conditions - i.e. all the conditions must be met before any actions are executed.

Action - Part 2 of a trigger. There are MANY actions, from setting waypoints, setting speech, giving XP points to actors, and many, many more. "Blocking" is a special modifier for actions that tell the game to wait for all of the actions before the "blocked" action "goes off" before the "blocked" action goes off. "Wait" is the only action (that I know of off-hand) that REQUIRES "Blocking" to be enabled.

Waypoint (WP) - an invisible entity (i.e. it isn't seen in-game) that, when used in conjunction with an actor's PI, tells said actor to move somewhere and/or do something. WP's can also be used with a Move Unit action to move a particular unit (i.e. an entity with a Tag Name) to a particular spot.

Tag Name (TN or simply Tag) - Meaningless to the human player, the Tag Name tells the game, "Hey, this entity is special! I'm gonna call this entity something special, so you'd best remember it!" TN's are used for several things, but I'm too damn tired to tell you any of 'em right now! :P

Dat's all for now - bedtime fer MV! Feel free to add stuff! There's PLENTY more!

Forty-six & Two · Post by **Forty-six & Two** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 5:23 pm

Your posts are always so mentally sitmulating good sir Max

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 9:09 pm

Here's another important definition:

Entity: Anything that can be interacted with. This includes actors, but also containers, doors, lights and even scenery that does nothing more than give you mouse-over text. Basically, if it does more than sit there like a tile, it's an entity.

OTB

Red · Post by **Red** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 9:18 pm

One of the cool things about FO is that tiles were themselves entities... IE: every tile has a description (and some several, like the rocks

. This type of detail really added to the game...

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 9:41 pm

Yes, indeed it did. Between the descriptions of all of the items ("You must have too much time on your hands if you're spending this much time on a pile of rocks.") and the text log it really did add to the game. A firm reminder of FO's text-based heritage that, unfortunately, seems to be disappearing.

OTB

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 3:19 am

OTB: The way you defined entities shouldn't include lights. Yes, lights are entities, but you defined an entity as "anything that can be interacted with." True for actors, doors, and containers, but lights aren't really interacted with.

Map - A combination of tiles, entities, triggers and zones. A map is, for the most part, the game itself. No map = nothing to do. Multiple maps can be connected directly using campaigns.

Tile - The "non-interactable" part of the map, i.e. the scenery. Floors, walls, and rooves are all tiles. Stairs and Ladders are tiles, but they can be interacted with, although very fundamentally.

Zone - A rectangular area of the map used in triggers, i.e. "Player Human has more than 0 alive at 'Inner_Zone' " Zones can also be used for using ambient sounds - fire crackling, wind wooshing, rain falling, or thunder booming. Zones aren't seen in-game.

Entity - Any element of the map that isn't a tile, trigger, or zone

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 7:10 am

I said "rooves" as a joke! Just a joke! Granted, not a very GOOD joke, but still!

OTB: Yes, lights can be turned off, but they require triggers to do so. You don't need a trigger to be able to shoot someone

And, lights don't REQUIRE "active interaction" to work - it's just a freakin' light!

Oh, and I wouldn't use the FOT Editor Readme as a all-knowing source of info. We all know that it ain't nowhere NEAR perfect.

I'm not saying lights aren't entities ('cause the are), I'm just saying that the definition of an entity shouldn't comment on the interactiveness of the thing in question.

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 8:36 am

OnTheBounce wrote:Then again, I just threw it at you as a joke. :mrgreen:

Wasn't a very GOOD joke

Yes, lights CAN, and that's the key word, not require. A good definition of an entity would be:

Any object that can be interacted with that isn't a tile.

Technically, some tiles can be interacted with, i.e. ladders and stairs. Even floors (the actors stand on 'em!

).

Well, anyway, I would post some more terms, but my map won't finish itself (no matter how many times I tell it to... dern non-obedient youngsters...).

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 8:58 am

Max-Violence wrote:Wasn't a very GOOD joke

There goes the pot again... :mrgreen:

Max-V wrote:Yes, lights CAN, and that's the key word, not require. A good definition of an entity would be:

Any object that can be interacted with that isn't a tile.

Technically, some tiles can be interacted with, i.e. ladders and stairs. Even floors (the actors stand on 'em! ).

The "require" is the ReadMe's def., not mine. I said "anything that can be interacted with.

You really don't "interact" with a tile, though. Even if it's a ladder you're acting on it, but the ladder doesn't do anything in return. I just lays there. Sort of like a couple of girls I...er...nm...I forgot this was a family show. :oops:

BTW, if we're not careful, we're going to have some debates about the nature of mapping that will be reminiscent of the philosophical debates of various ancient cultures. Things like:

Mapper 1: Is the space on a map infinitely divisible?

Mapper 2: No, a World Unit is the smallest unit. It cannot be subdivided.

Mapper 1: Oh well, there goes Xeno's Paradox in the FO universe...

Max-V wrote:Well, anyway, I would post some more terms, but my map won't finish itself (no matter how many times I tell it to... dern non-obedient youngsters...).

I know what you mean. Remember when I said that The Fall of the Hub map was about 75% finished? ::LMFAO:: That was a bit...optimistic. I think I'm pushing 60% now, maybe less if you count all of the detailing. (Which will be exquisite so that Endocore doesn't gig me on it again. :mrgreen: )

OTB

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Fri Sep 27, 2002 9:27 am

Okay, here's the deal w/the lighbulb sprites:

They work if you use them as the image for a Scenery Breakable entity. Just use the standard OSS drill and you can turn them on/off depending on some condition.

I tried setting them up as a Breakable, but they stay in the "on" state (graphically) when they are destroyed.

Okay, now fuck around w/traps a bit... :twisted:

OTB

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Mon Jan 13, 2003 9:23 am

*cough*

UTU: Update Tiles Used. Used to automagically flag tiles the appropriate flag -- Climable for ladder tiles, Window for window tiles, Animated for animated tiles, etc. I think UTU has another use, but I ferget...

NOD: New Occulsion Data. Decides which tiles are drawn and when. Think "roof popping" and yer set!

Roof Popping: When an PC is in a building that has a roof the roof will "pop" out of view (that is, it isn't drawn). Same idea applies to floor, wall, and object tiles when going "under" them (i.e. underground, down a story or two, etc.). Note that Entities automatically "pop."

Note that one should do a final UTU and NOD before one "ships" the map -- it pays to make sure nothing doesn't pop that should. Also be aware of Ruined City Type 5 window tiles aren't automatically flagged as windows by UTU/NOD, so if you use these tiles, you'll have to flag 'em manually after you do UTU/NOD for the last time (one of the two, don't remember which, removes flags that aren't defined for the tile by default, i.e. Window on a floor tile).

3:30 am... bed-eth time-eth for Max-eth Violence-eth...

'Nite.

Eth.

EDIT: Props go to OTB for discovering the Ruined City Type 5 window tile problem. *Applaud*

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Sat Jan 25, 2003 9:23 pm

Node Title: The title for a line of speech in the speech file. There can be up to 6 (six) lines of speech in one node. Naming convention/syntax as follows:

(Mission Number)_(Character Name and Action)_(Line Number) = {(text)}

For a single, standalone map, most Mission Numbers are written as M01.

Note that most line numbers start with A00 and go to a maximum of A05.

Examples:

M01_BobFloat_A00 = {Wassup?}
M01_BobFloat_A01 = {Hey!}
M01_BobFloat_A02 = {Yo?}
M01_BobFloat_A03 = {What's shakin'?}
M01_BobFloat_A04 = {Whooooooooooser daddy?}
M01_BobFloat_A05 = {Eh?}

M12_RuthClick_A00 = {I'm an old lady for Christ's sake!}
M12_RuthClick_A01 = {Ain'tcha got respect for yer elders?}
M12_RuthClick_A02 = {Bite me!}
M12_RuthClick_A03 = {I'll hit you with my cane!}
M12_RuthClick_A04 = {Don't make me blow my safety whislte!}
M12_RuthClick_A05 = {My dead grandma moves faster than YOU!}

M02_SamQuestIntro_A00 = {Hey, could you find my other shoe for me?}
M02_SamQuestNo_A00 = {Why the hell not?}
M02_SamQuestYes_A00 = {Thank you, kind sir. I await your return.}
M02_SamQuestDone_A00 = {Thanks! Here's a donut!}

Red · Post by **Red** » Sun Jan 26, 2003 4:08 pm

I'm fairyly confident in stating that there is no imposed limit. The reason they kept using six is because whoever asked the writers to come up with them specifically asked for 6 of them and that's what ended up in the game.

requiem_for_a_starfury · Sun Jan 26, 2003 7:37 pm

Red wrote:I'm fairyly confident in stating that there is no imposed limit. The reason they kept using six is because whoever asked the writers to come up with them specifically asked for 6 of them and that's what ended up in the game.

The editor only has space for you to assign 6 segments of text to each node, though you can have as many nodes as you can think up text for.

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Wed Feb 19, 2003 9:53 am

Entity Info: Simply the term for all of the name_ and desc_ entries in the map's speech file and/or generic txt's that define what the name and description of the entity the player sees in-game.

Speech file: The file with a .txt extention that contains everything the player will read when playing the map. Actors' float text, mission objectives, minimap information, entity info, mission briefing/debriefing, etc.

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Sat Jul 05, 2003 5:29 am

8)

Scriptingly: Of or pertaining to scripts/triggers. Shorthand/lazy for something such as, "Technically, Solution A would be easier." Instead of having to explain "technically," one can say "Scriptingly, Solution A would be easier." Can also be said as "Triggeringly," although I doubt a word with three G's is legal.

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Sat Jul 05, 2003 5:47 am

I'm more fond of the term 'trigger-wise' or 'script-wise' myself.

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Sat Jul 05, 2003 6:42 am

I'm in a goofy mood, Spazmo. Humor me.

Flamescreen · Post by **Flamescreen** » Sat Jul 05, 2003 9:56 pm

Oh, hush now, you big cute baby, you...

Why not scriptingly-wise?