Oh yeah, that's used quite a bit in DP2. The non-eternally-looping version. After 15 minutes it kind of lost its effectiveness.Originally Posted by ZylonBane
Now I'm having problems again adding new schemas... they just don't play. I went through this a few weeks ago and thought it was an issue with the file format, but it turned out the new schema just didn't work. I had to hijack an existing schema I wasn't using in that case. Could I have too many schema IDs? Dromed hasn't thrown any errors about that at me. I seem to recall NV posting once a few years back about a range of archetype IDs that were invalid or cause problems like this.... searching...
Edit
Nah, NV's post was about metaproperties and my schemas aren't in that range.
I tried something drastic: I removed all unused original schema files from the \schema folder, used the destroy_sound command which deletes ALL schema and sound archetypes, then I did reload_schemas. The problematic schemas are now in a much lower number range than before (3000's vs. 7000's) but still won't play. I know the sound files are OK because if I change another existing schema which works to use one of the new WAV files, it will then work fine. There's nothing odd or special about the schemas that don't work, they're just like all the other schemas in the same file/category. I'm stumped... I may have to hijack other OM schemas for this. Bloody hell!
Last edited by Yandros; 18th Sep 2008 at 12:03.
There are times when I've found a schema won't play if the code is not in the 'correct' section of the file. I think I once tried to put some conv* schemas at the start of conv.sch, to make them easier to find, but they'd only work when I put them at the end of the file instead.
* It might have been for something else though
Well, I closed and reopened Dromed for other reasons and now they work, with the new names. That shouldn't have done anything, since the WAV files were present before I launched it the first time, and I did reload_schemas. Oh well, Dromed is a little bugger. However, that one that gave me fits a few weeks ago still doesn't work.
I'm tempted now to go back to the older save from before I did destroy_sound, because I'm terrified at what other problems that might cause down the road.
I have that schema problem all the time. I don't have a clue what causes it. Even if I copy and paste another schema and change the schema/file names. It just doesn't seem to work.
Sometimes I just re-name everything and it starts working again (I do as a habit always use short file names so it's nothing like that)
The most likely reason is that Dromed is a jerk.
Bring on DP2 buddy!
I've gotten about a third of the way through the tasks from the first round of testing. Probably this weekend you guys can start!
Last edited by Yandros; 18th Sep 2008 at 22:22.
I meant to come back and report that doing destroy_sound has a really nasty side effect: It also destroys all SoundDescription links in your mission! (Since it destroys all schemas, the links are removed.) So I decided to keep the bloated gamesys I have and hope for the best.
I also realized that I have quite some work to do with ambients. Will's preferred method of playing an ambient is to teleport in a marker with Environmental and OneShot set on it. It triggers because it's teleported within radius of the player for the first time. The Environmental flag also means it plays with uniform loudness. Unfortunately, it also kills the current ambient background music. So, I have to go change all those to a single marker with AmbientSounds, which plays as an environmental but doesn't interfere. It will save me an object per sound too (no need for the Teleporter). Luckily there probably aren't more than 15-20 of these.
It's a shame Dark doesn't support some kind of Microphone marker, that could be used to pipe sounds from one part of the map to another.
Right now I'm down to 27537 cells after fixing a lot of things, but also adding more decorations, so things would be alright if only I hadn't one area left unbuilt. It's important to the story, so I've decided to take drastic measures:
* Removing the sewers made the cell count go down to 19900, so that's what I'm going to do, since the sewers are the least important area. This will give me plenty of cells to build the last area. The sewers will be used in a later chapter.
I will also merge two chapters (if DromEd allows it (I think she might)), but that's another story.
Do consider replacing some detail, or inaccessible terrain, with objects.
e.g. object roofs
Thanks for the tip. I could perhaps replace one or two rooftops, but the rest will have to stay accessible (or may be too complex to create as objects, even if custom made). What other things than rooftops (or chimneys, pillars and railings) could I replace with objects?
I still have some aligning to do here (and textures may change), but I just wanted to show you what some of my rooftops look like. These rooftops don't have to be accessible, so, in theory, I could replace them with objects, but would that be possible in DromEd (and still have them look the same (and with attics removed))?
I really don't mind removing the sewers (or rather making them inaccessible (in the first mission)). It will bring some more variation to the missions, since I'm going to reuse parts of the first mission and the sewers can be made accessible again in the third mission (or second if I do the merge).
You should mention in that tutorial that you can get much nicer lighting on objects by subdividing large flat surfaces.
This is where most of my effort is going at the moment:
With the lights off:
Larger version
And with them on:
Larger version
It still needs most of the readables, stuff on the noticeboard, chairs, and the curved window over the door, and a few other things. It's using a placeholder map too, and you can't see the reason it's there on the pics
I probably also need to work out a way to make the light beam vanish when the lights go on... hm, I wonder if I can do it using a metaprop...
Last edited by The Watcher; 28th Sep 2008 at 07:44.
I LOVE that room, Watcher. Making the beam vanish should be simple using NVPhantomTrap. Just link the light switch to it and have it fade out on TurnOn andfade in on TurnOff. I also noticed the window shadow on the floor when the light's off, very nice detail. I did the same with the stained glass windows in Requiem for a Thief.
Fixed about 25 things, and have just gone part way through the changes. Only found 6 things so far, so I'm hoping I'll be able to give preBeta to the testers tonight.
Yep, that did the job perfectly, Yandros. Thanks
Now, back to more custom objects...
Beautiful work, Watcher
Nice work Watcher! I just noticed the projected image on the groundvery cool!
Here's another highly pixelated preview of what I've been working on featuring some of the new weapons/tools you'll see in Strain7.
These mainly feature the Forcefield Generator, Portable Transporter Pads and the new Cyclone Missiles (for those that remember Descent3).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6hjr5qQ4aI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVw98zaNVKE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edUEZthLM6s
Hopefully people can make sense of these. . .
Yes, I can make sense of it. It is wrong that I am glad you've been doing this and not Ashen 2 or First Project?
Wow
=[]
wasn't expecting that.
Looks fun.
How can it be wrong when it just feels so right
Glad you can make sense of it!
wow, those are some amazing particle effects (1st video)! The explosions look really good.
I've been putting in time trying to finish off Saturnine's horror mission. Let me tell you it was more than a little intimidating just getting started! There isn't a whole lot left to do....mostly unfinished detail brush work and updating some of the old objects for new ones that will sit better in the atmosphere Sat created. Every time I open it up I'm still amazed at how good this thing is. Definitely on par with Mission X in beauty and detail and in some respects above. I'm hoping for a Halloween release so that means I need to be done in 30 days.
I must admit I had a total ball making those explosion effects - glad you like them
@Slyfox - I can't wait man!!!
There is no part of this FM that doesn't leave me gobsmacked. The only concern I have is that the architecture will be as disorientingly repetitive as the first one.
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