Block path, then unblock it. (for OGR maps)

[RavenousNC]

Now that we can have objectives, it would be nice to be able to block the path of areas until an objective is cleared.

I already make sure that unit areas are not activated until an objective is met, but it still does not keep a player from wondering into other parts of the map. Even though these parts have no enemies because the objective is not met, they can get an overview of the map ahead of time, or just waltz straight to the extraction point in recon mode.

I could use vehicles, but if a user has a means of destroying them, then how would I be able to move them? I've tried SetIndestructable, but could not get it to work.

It would be ideal to be able to place a mover-helper wall, or something, that could block the player from going to parts of the map that they should not yet be going.

Has anyone been able to do this or anything like it?

Thanks,

Rav

[jubejoob]

Hi

Well I have not tried anything like this, while it may be possible to add the mover-helper wall, and use the script to remove it, they are in the world.xml as units, so it could work. The problem I see with this, is that if I try walking somewhere and I can't, later I am going to expect that I still can't go that route if some seeable object has not been moved to clear my path.

You can set the check extraction to false till the objectives are complete to take care of that part of the issue, but as for the people wanting to take a look around before the triggers are active in areas, you may want to be carful to use seeable changes so that anyone who downloads the map will be able to figure out that you are making a path orented map verse the more free movement maps that the game uses

[NoQuarter]

Sorry, no help on your question but...

It would be ideal to be able to place a mover-helper wall, or something, that could block the player from going to parts of the map that they should not yet be going.

While I understand what you are trying to accomplish with this, wouldn't it just be importing one of the biggest complaints with GR:AW (linear) to your custom maps? The game already has too many boundary restrictions (Bldgs, rooftops, etc.) to think about bringing in or using more. If a teammate is engaging/suppressing banditos on the objective and I want to roll their flank (wondering into other parts) the last thing I want to run into is an invisible fence. Set up more roving patrols or fixed weapons to cover that dead zone. Don't penalize a tactic.

Just a thought.

[Nutlink]

That was my only complaint about SP, and if it made it's way into [GR] Coop I'd be a little disappointed with the map.

[Johnny Hazard]

I could use vehicles, but if a user has a means of destroying them, then how would I be able to move them? I've tried SetIndestructable, but could not get it to work.

I'm not 100% sure but I think I tried that earlier when testing stuff and I'm pretty sure it should work. Another thought would to place a tank at a "bottleneck" and remove the zeus (anti-tank weapon) at starft up. Thu I haven't tried that, but GRIN have done that in the SP campaign.

I can check both thinks up. I'll report back here what I find out.

[IrishStout]

Not knowning anything about making maps.. or constraints.. I thought I read somewhere that you could dictate a section on the map as a trigger. I am thinking of more of a GR1 type mission. Have two or three objectives and have them completed by different triggers?

What i m thinking is..

If player goes to right side map then they tirgger a different event which leads then to objective 1. If they wonder back from the right to the middle of the map .. the triggers objective two even though objective 1 is not complete..

do the same for the left part of the map.. Only until all three triggers have been tripped will teh extraction zone become available? Not sure if I got my point across correctly?

[Buehgler_AS]

I believe you have access to the same (moronic) "you are leaving the mission area" stuff on GRAW:[GR] as is provided in GRAW:COOP. But I really must suggest that you start trying to think differently about how you are building maps/missions if you feel obliged to resort to such "techniques". One of the STRONGEST points in GR is that you are NOT constrained to follow a specific path. You can go accomplish whatever objectives you have avaliable in whatever order. Well made maps do not EVER spawn/teleport tangos, they are there doing there thing and their behavior changes based on what you do in the mission.

Now comes the sticky bit. This was all possible because you could change the plan that was assigned to an AI team, and you have internal script variables that you could use to keep track of what was done. Sadly both of these features are missing from GRAW I'm really not sure how you can overcome these deficiencies with GRAW -- that's why I'm still building missions with Igor and not GRAW. But you need to get past the notion of using where the player are as your only trigger to decide what tangos should be in game and what they should be doing.

[Johnny Hazard]

Well made maps do not EVER spawn/teleport tangos, they are there doing there thing and their behavior changes based on what you do in the mission.

Not sure what you mean here, but the problem with placing all tangos from the begining of the round is that the game would lag like hell. Then there's the option to reinforce if the ghosts takes out a group or vehicle. But I agree it would be better if one could change the tangos behavior after they spawned so they could respond on special actions. Where and when to spawn new tangos has to be very carefuly planned. I hate when tangos spawn rigt in front of you or in plain sight, it realy spoiles the gaming experiance.

@Rav - I haven't had time to test the things I wrote about earlier in this tread, but I promise I will look into it as soon as I can!

[GRIN_Wolfsong]

Well made maps do not EVER spawn/teleport tangos, they are there doing there thing and their behavior changes based on what you do in the mission.

Not sure what you mean here, but the problem with placing all tangos from the begining of the round is that the game would lag like hell.

No it wouldn't. You just have to do it like we did in GR1. Place multiple areas that detact the players movements and show the enemies only in the area that the player is heading for, but let the player "decide" which to show. And it's up to the scripter to make sure that those areas only show enemies in locations so that the player can't see the actual "spawn" point. Use buildings and other objects to cover it.

Now that we can have objectives, it would be nice to be able to block the path of areas until an objective is cleared.

I already make sure that unit areas are not activated until an objective is met, but it still does not keep a player from wondering into other parts of the map. Even though these parts have no enemies because the objective is not met, they can get an overview of the map ahead of time, or just waltz straight to the extraction point in recon mode.

I could use vehicles, but if a user has a means of destroying them, then how would I be able to move them? I've tried SetIndestructable, but could not get it to work.

It would be ideal to be able to place a mover-helper wall, or something, that could block the player from going to parts of the map that they should not yet be going.

Has anyone been able to do this or anything like it?

Thanks,

Rav

Vehicles can always be taken away with "RemoveVehicle". Should work on destroyed vehicles as well. Also remember that is you check "spawn sequence" for a vehicle in the editor it won't show until you use "ActivateVehicle", just like the humans work.

As for using props, they can be manipulated in the same way by using "UnitVisibility" to turn them on/off. I'm pretty sure you can walk through an invisible prop.

But I would go ith having enemies activate when you go there, just not all the enemies that will be there when the objective is there. Divide forces into smaller sub-groups that get activated depending on different conditions, and make sure they always get "spawned" behind objects to simulate that they come out of buildings and such things. Let the player walk around if they want before the objective is available, but don't give them anything that makes them want to go that way. Hence use only light resistance and noting else special in that direction before the objective comes along.

In my mission you get to run back and forth a few times over the mission05 map, all depending on what happened before. But if you go somewhere before you where supposd to, it's gonna be really empty.

[Johnny Hazard]

Wolfie ... not you realy confuses me. In the earlier post you want to spawn the tangos at start of match, but then you talk about trigger spawning out of sight. Well that was exactly what I wrote! And to do so one have to realy plan where to put triggers and spawn points. But enough on that.

I'm not sure a "invisable" prop would let you walk thru them. And using RemoveVehicle also would destroy the illusion of reality.

I'd better fire up the editor and test the "indestructable" switch ...

[Johnny Hazard]

Dang nab it! I can set a prop to Indestructable, but can't find anyway to set it to destructable. and instead using a vechicle like the hemtt and then trying to use ExplodeVehicle, nothing happens! And if it did it would still would block the way.

I've must have overlooked something because in Mission2 the fueltrailer first is set to indestructable, but later you can make explode. But I can't find any command for that in the script.

[IrishStout]

Can you script an enemy to blow it up?