Readable text - like in The Demon King

[MadGypsy]

You use right-shift to type capital letters. Just thought I would let you know that I know that. There isn't enough information to tell you which finger you use.

[damage_inc]

HUH? You sure... I use XP's virtual keyboard for ALL my forum postings, no keystroke loggers fuggin' getting ME! You're funny mon'!

[golden_boy]

Why are people spelling "mod" in all capital letters recently? Mod is short for modification, nothing more. It's not an acronym for Master Of Death, and it is not a cardinal sin to ship a progs.dat with your Quake maps either.

I also think the division of the community along camp lines (this is where mappers live, this is where programmers live, etc) is the root of many problems. This is a peculiarity of the Quake scene that I find pretty sad.

[MadGypsy]

This thread is kinda trucked anyway cause we all kept posting at the same time and missing the others inbetween posts.

[nahuel]

there is a function called trigger_command (in cutstent mod) that get cvars and stuff. to get messages using a button in my project "dead morning" first i defined a button called "use".



This button get a float in relation with time (similar to timmeattack) maybe an instant very short (time + 0.01), if you hit the button in that instant the new value appear. if you doesn�t touch anything wit the new value nothing happens.

.float use_time;

void () player_use =
{

if ( (self.use_time > time) ) {

      return ;

   }
   if ( ((self.deadflag || (self.health <= 0.000)) || (self.view_ofs == '0.000 0.000 0.000')) ) {

      return ;

   }
   self.use_time = (time + 0.1);
};

after i wrote a new message for that called "trigger_message" but the new function uses csqc stuff. So i redefined this function to work in vanilla quake:

.float tolerancia; // a number to get the "tolerancy" respect to the angles of the player and the trigger that you want display.



void() trigger_message_touch =
{

if ( ((other.classname != "player") || ((other.use_time <= time) && !self.use_time)) )
{
return ;
}


if (self.target)
{
local entity t;
t = find (world, targetname, self.target);
local float ret;


if ((t.angles_y - other.angles_y) >= 0)
{
ret =t.angles_y - other.angles_y;

}
else
ret =(t.angles_y - other.angles_y) * -1;


if (ret > self.tolerancia)
return;


}



if (self.message != "")
{
sound (other, CHAN_BODY, "misc/talk.wav", 1, ATTN_NORM);
multi_trigger ();
}
other.use_time = 0;



};

void() trigger_message =
{
if (!self.tolerancia)
self.tolerancia = 20;
precache_sound ("misc/talk.wav");
InitTrigger ();
self.touch = trigger_message_touch;
};

to work in a map you need to put a trigger called "trigger_message" with a solid brush. if you want some "orientation" (so the player doesn�t will activate the message iif is do not is in front og the trigger) you just to call an "orientation", a target (info_notnull maybe) and add angles to "info_notnull". So you will get an orientation. That angles is not necesary exacted. you can variate the angles with the new value "tolerancia". After you need to call in impulse_commands (in weapons.qc) the player_use function (maybe with impulse 12 or something).


I uploaded a mod of example called messages with two new triggers and qc stuff, and a map called newmap to test this triggers (in front of a book and inside of the empty room of the right)


http://www.mediafire.com/?03ysducg08qmhzv

[Darth_Stewie]

Hi guys! All your information is very useful. Delicious! I also work with the SITH engine (Jedi Knight and its expansion, Mysteries of the Sith). QC is to Quake what cog scripting is to Jedi Knight, it seems. I'll read over all your posts in detail and post the results of my chosen implementation. Thanks again!

[Darth_Stewie]

to work in a map you need to put a trigger called "trigger_message" with a solid brush. if you want some "orientation" (so the player doesn�t will activate the message iif is do not is in front og the trigger) you just to call an "orientation", a target (info_notnull maybe) and add angles to "info_notnull". So you will get an orientation. That angles is not necesary exacted. you can variate the angles with the new value "tolerancia". After you need to call in impulse_commands (in weapons.qc) the player_use function (maybe with impulse 12 or something).


I uploaded a mod of example called messages with two new triggers and qc stuff, and a map called newmap to test this triggers (in front of a book and inside of the empty room of the right)


messages.rar

After looking through all the thoughtful responses, I think this one most closely resembles what I'm looking for. I tried your map, nahuel, but the messages didn't show up. I haven't changed any of the trigger_message values. Do I have to do anything with the progs.dat you've provided, like move it into my id/pak1? Also, can you explain how I do this last step:

After you need to call in impulse_commands (in weapons.qc) the player_use function (maybe with impulse 12 or something).

Thanks.

[nahuel]

After looking through all the thoughtful responses, I think this one most closely resembles what I'm looking for. I tried your map, nahuel, but the messages didn't show up. I haven't changed any of the trigger_message values. Do I have to do anything with the progs.dat you've provided, like move it into my id/pak1? Also, can you explain how I do this last step:



Thanks.

you need to run the maps plus the progs.dat like a mod.

so you will have this structure in folders quake/id1, and quake folder will have also quake/messages (messages is the name of the new mod but you can change it if you want)
Do not run the maps alone because they will not work. Is a little mod with a specific change of porgs.dat to run the new message stuff. Run the mod quake -game messages +map newmap. Also is very important "to bind" a new button, the "e" key will "read" all the messages (do not worry about this because i added a autoexec.cfg that do the work). SO just extract all the content in the folder messages and run "messages" like a new mod (like the demon king or mission packs). Go to the book with the dope fizz and infront press "e".


PD: (you can not use impulse 12, for the work i use impulse 30)

[Darth_Stewie]

It works now, thanks! I just want to ask about modifications - would it be possible to increase the character count of the message, and have it toggle rather than be displayed for 4 seconds?

[Darth_Stewie]

I'm now playing around with trigger_multiple in triggers.qc. How can I increase the number of characters displayed in a triggered message on-screen using qc?

[Dutch]

I would look up the Intermission functions in client.qc. As you know, at the end of each episode, a good sized block of text appears telling you how you killed Chthon, found the rune, yadda yadda...it also doesn't go away until you press the fire or jump button. You can probably make a similar function that does the same thing, but only does so when the player presses the correct button (bound to Impulse 20 or 40 or whatever number you want that's not already defined) AND if the player has a close enough radius to the book entity.

I would have to sit down and play with this for awhile, so I can't offer definitive answers. If you are trying to add text but also make it look like pages in a book, you could look into CSQC coding for custom images/text for your books in-game. But that's provided you and your target audience play on DarkPlaces or FTE.

Just my thoughts. They're not always right or preferable, but at the end of the day I usually figure something out.

[MadGypsy]

I refuse to touch any programming for a couple week so, I can't go look in the QC for you but, this seems like a "nothing" type of question. In other words, it would be nothing and take nothing to achieve your goal. If you still need this question answered in a couple of weeks, I'll figure it out for you. You should probably also get your hands on the QC manual and read about the various print functions.

[Darth_Stewie]

Ok, think I am going to need a bit of guidance here. Something to do with the WriteByte or WriteString function? Any further guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks.