Readable text - like in The Demon King

[Darth_Stewie]

Hello everyone, new member but long time quake player! I'm making a map using worldcraft 3.3 with quakeadapter, and I want to have readable text in it, like in The Demon King. I've bound "impulse 12" to "r" in the config, but I think I need help to proceed with my idea.

How did the author of that mod get readable text in the game? Where in the resources is this text stored, and how is it called forth in in-game interaction? Is it a custom func_ or something?

Any help you can provide will be much appreciated! Thanks.

[MadGypsy]

Can you post an image of what you mean?

isn't impulse 12 - toggle weapons?

[Mindf!3ldzX]

I think he's talking about,like for example , standing in Easy entrance way and the screen flashing "This is easy mode" .
where is that text pulled from,and how do you at any particular section of a map,make text display while in that area of the map.

[Darth_Stewie]

Hi guys. What I mean to say is how do you make 'readable books' in Quake? The author of The Demon King mod managed to do it by binding impulse 12 to r, and by 'attacking books' dislayed their text, as in the screenshot below.

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=6320C...E42906C9%21155

[MadGypsy]

I believe those are centerprint()

still don't understand the impulse 12 part


Unless he wants to print something on the screen when someone goes backwards through their inventory.

Yo're gonna have to use QC if it is a keypress, if not, just use a trigger in your map.

[Darth_Stewie]

Thanks - I take it QC is a scripting application? The problem with triggers is that they only display a limited number of characters, and for a limited amount of time. Ideally I'd like a message being toggled on/off upon player activation.

[damage_inc]

Maybe the folks here >>> Func_Msgboard: Mapping Help <<< can help you a lil' more with this. It's the haven for active Quake mappers.

[MadGypsy]

His solution cannot be found in his map. He needs to learn a hair of QC.

open weapons.qc and scroll down to line 1240. change this

if(self.impulse == 12)
	CycleWeaponReverseCommand();

to

if(self.impulse == 12)
{
	CycleWeaponReverseCommand();
	centerprint(self, "you just pressed the key assigned to impulse 12");
}

of course you will want to change the actual message. You will also need to recompile your progs.dat.

You know what is more valuable than this information? How I found it. I am going to tell you and then you will be awesome.

1) I opened triggers.qc and searched for centerprint (yeah that's right, I didn't know how to use it - now I do though)
2) Then I opened defs QC and searched for activator. This is because activator was used in the trigger, but it wasn't defined anywhere in the class. I was tracking down its root declaration.
3) Then I searched defs.qc for impulse. There was a comment //weapon changes
4) I opened weapons.qc and searched for impulse
5) I gave you your answer.

I only know as much QC as I have had to do this to, to solve my own questions/finish a mod. Technically, I could know nothing about QC and still provide answers cause this method always works. EXCEPT when it's some pro stuff where there is an entire function that already exists and can be utilized. I don't know the entire scope of QC and every little spot where every little thing happens. I hunt down facts and make my own spot.

I may be wrong, but it would seem to me that you could just make up your own impulses. What's to stop you from changing 12 to 43 in the QC and then creating an impulse 43 in your .cfg? However, don't write that in stone. This may bbe one of those times where what is apparently true, is not actually true. You might want to wait for r00k or someone with a broader scope to reply. Or just try it and if it doesn't work, well, it doesn't work.

[damage_inc]

I'm pretty sure a fair amount of mappers there plenty well know a bit of QC! As an example, I see "sock" post over there frequently, and I know his mod "In The Shadows" does exactly what is asked in this thread...

Also. click the LINK and one of the first things you'll READ:

For questions about coding, check out the Coding Help thread: http://www.celephais.net/board/view_thread.php?id=60097

[MadGypsy]

I know. The point was that his map cannot provide him what he wants. I wasn't attempting to say anything at all about actual mappers. I just re-read it. It was a poor choice of words. I will edit it but, so that others wont wonder what it said:

Mappers will not be able to help him. He needs to learn a hair of QC

[damage_inc]

OFF TOPIC random thought

I always thought a "func_cvar" or "func_command" entity would be cool! If I made a MOD I would try to have that. Then you would have "use" of ALL the type-able console commands and cvars in the game play...

For instance... say you only wanted "transparent" water in a certain part of your level, as the player gets "close" to that area, there's a trigger - "func_cvar" entity, whose name is "r_wateralpha" and has a value of "0.5". When he leaves that area you set it back. This also wouldn't mess up users configs either.

I'm sure you can "see" other uses... gravity, temporary GOD mode etc. Of course you wouldn't use things that obviously ruin gameplay or crash the game.

[MadGypsy]

Oh snot! I missed that post about the books. My solution is not for that. What you want is far more QC and I believe textures. However, where I showed you that impulse 12 is, is where you will definitely need to add stuff. As well as other places. You will also need to add your books to your .fgd (worldcraft) .ent(Radiant) so they can be included in your map. You will have to create a function for these books in your QC as well. Really, what you want is not simple for a beginner.

model
animation
texture(s) - this is what will hold your readable text (i believe)
QC
.fgd

[damage_inc]

Looking through the decompiled prog's right now... so far this:

if ((self.impulse == 12))
{
NextMessageCommand ();

Still looking...

As 'Gypsy mentioned, it's a completely QuakeC dependent feature, I found the entire mods "text" in the buttons.qc file.

[MadGypsy]

That's some good hunting, bro, but before you get too deep maybe you want to go back one page and look at the reply that I made which you had criticized. I believe you read it before I was finished editing it. (I do not mean the bad choice of words edit - there was another one before that).

[damage_inc]

Went back a page: It's like we're both walking down the same path, only in parallel universes! Hehe