Moving Platform and Texture Issues

[steven8]

Okay, multiple issues here.

1) I have four moving platforms I want to use as targets, since you can shoot them. The first I have auto-started, with bShoot set to true and the second is triggered next. It works fine, as the second doesn't trigger until you shoot the first. However, there doesn't seem to be a way to make the third one wait until the second one is shot. It naturally trigger as the nexttotrigger as soon as the second one starts moving. I even tried not using the nexttotrigger for the third platform, giving the second platform a name and using that as the trigger for the third, but it just sits there. I also tried both a logicgate and an independent trigger entity, without success.

2) There seems to be something wrong with how the engine is treating transparent texture. 255, 0, 254. Simple enough but isn't always working. Sometimes, if I reload the texture, it will be fine, then the same texture on a different surface of the brush will stop rendering invisible. I always keep a little 64 x 64 pink texture just to use on the sides and back of a brush where I want to use a face with an image I want 'cut out' with transparency around it. I get the transparency on the face, but my pink edges are showing up pink.

3) Texture misalignment. I have a texture with a centered image on the faces of my moving platforms. I centered them, texture-locked them, then animated them, and assigned the moving platform entities. Going into the level, the faces were misaligned. So I went out, straightened them up, and went back in. One remained in place, but two others were offset. I tried changing and replacing the textures, with the same result. In the editor, the textures look perfectly aligned. In game, offset.

Any thoughts on any of these issues would be greatly appreciated.

correctineditor.jpg

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offsetingame.jpg

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[steven8]

Oddly enough, when I switched to parent/child models, the texture alignment straightened out.

However, the transparency is still acting goofy. I have pink on every side but the front of my target models, and you can see them plain as day. Darkish.

[steven8]

Here is an example of odd transparency issues. I went to play the first level of my little game, and low and behold!, the engine was not reading the transparency on my background brush. I removed the texture in the editor and then re-added it without saving or anything...and it was transparent again!!

It just doesn't make sense. Here are the pics.

losttransparency.jpg

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regainedtransparency.jpg

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[Veleran]

Maybe it is the level editor of the last update maybe not,i do not know.
If no fix is found you can do what i like to use,use static mesh as model to display that is moving attached on clip type invisible moving platform model.

There s a bug some times that causes the staticmesh to flip vertically when the platform rotates and moves a lot but i hope you will be lucky and not have into any of these bugs.

I have not heard about the dark transparency since 2002-3,i thought the bug was gone.You cn use the tga that is better and see what happens.

Is that an alligator in the pic?I like the design ,it is colorful and pleasant,and the background building looks natural.

[steven8]

Thanks, Veleran! It's the exact kind of feel I was going for, but there is no alligator in there. Perhaps you mean the big button in the middle of the wall?

Now, here we go again this morning, in the next level. You'll see it. It's a model I use to trigger a message and a viewchange. All of sudden, not invisible. Remove and reload the pink texture...invisible.

Would the pink as a TGA by itself work better??

Pics:

notsoinvisibleplatform.jpg

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nowitsinvisibleplatform.jpg

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[Veleran]

I know statichmesh transparency can conflict with intersecting other transparent bsp and static entity proxies,but
do not know what could be causing the transparency bugging.
The tga has a grayscale alpha on it and you do not have to put pink anywhere.

[steven8]

I used the TGA for the background buildings, and it works great. However, though, how do you use a TGA for a whole brush that needs to be an invisible model? I tried just making a pink TGA file. It worked at first then quit like the pink bitmaps.

[Veleran]

You can apply a tga that has a mask all black,and all will be transparent.

[steven8]

You can apply a tga that has a mask all black,and all will be transparent.

Works like a charm! I guess black really is the new pink!!!!

Thanks, Veleran!

Next up, I'm making water for the first time since 2003...

[steven8]

Okay, I've got good news...and bad news.

Good news: I've got my water, it works just the way I want it - and I love it!

Bad News: My whole level is now water.

The level is just one big room, into which the player is flung, screaming, into the water far below. Then they have to climb out of the water. I made a ramp like in the tech dev, and it works fine - except for the fact that as you climb the ramp and reach the top - you keep going into the air and still hear the swimming sound of the liquid. I have then moved every side of the water model one texel from each side of the outer wall, but no soap.
What am I doing wrong?

[Edit] Sad thing is, I searched the forum and found my old advice to a user about keeping the model one texel away from other brushes to prevent the whole room from becoming liquid. I guess my advice sucked.

[steven8]

GOT IT! GOT IT! GOT IT! GOT IT! GOT IT!!!!!!

The model was just to darn big!!! After being so friggin' frustrated trying everything I could think of, I just started making the model smaller until it worked! Then I shrunk the room to match it, and scaled down my actor so the room is huge again!

HA!

[edit] Almost there. New screen.