Max Payne :: FSM's and messaging

Version: 1.0

Content:

1. Introduction
2. Message basics
3. Sounds
4. Particle Effects
5. Breakables
6. Conclusion

1. Introduction

2. Message Basics

All messages must be sent to something, and whatever receives the message is the target. The most basic way to target something is by typing out its name. For example, New_Mesh_02-> would target the mesh with that name. Now MaxEd uses the object hierarchy in the left side of the screen for message targeting. If we want to target a trigger grouped to the same room as the enemy we’re using to send the message from, we would use a special target.

For example, parent::Trigger_00-> would target the Trigger_00, which is a child of our sender’s parent. It sounds a bit complicated, but let me give a real world analogy to see if it helps.

Say you have several sisters. You want to one to go make you some ice cream, so you need to send her a message. To send her the message, you need to make sure that you are telling the correct sister by using her name, but also that you are telling YOUR sister, and not someone else’s, by making sure she is a child of your parents.

If we were to send this message in MaxEd, it would look like parent::MySisterAbigail->GetMeIceCream();. Now let’s say you’re telling your cousin, who is a child of your parent’s parent’s child (sound complicated yet?). In MaxEd, it would look like parent::parent::MyUncleSam::MyCousinSarah->GetMeIceCream();.

Is it starting to make sense? One last step, let’s say that neither your sister, nor your cousin want to get you your ice cream, so you have to get it yourself. This would look like "this->GetMeIceCream();" in MaxEd. Hopefully this convoluted analogy helps you understand targeting where to send messages a bit more.

(remember, that messages has auto-complete with TAB, so if you write "c_anim" and press TAB, it will complete the message to "c_animate( );". Also, your basic editing-commands like ctrl-c, ctrl-v and ctrl-x works normally --mixuk)

3. Sounds

Once you extract it, it’ll create a large directory called \data\, filled with needed info for adding all sorts of special things in your level. We are going to add a sound, so we’ll be looking in the ‘data\database\sounds’ directory. We’re going to add a sound from an enemy, so open the enemy.txt file. I want a slightly more interesting sound, so we’ll skip over the junkies and go straight to the killersuit_alert tag.

Now that we’ve found a sound we want, let’s add an enemy so it’ll be appropriate.

Make a level (exit and all), and add an enemy entity. We want to make our enemy send the alert sound at an appropriate time, so let’s place a player_collide trigger in front of him. Group everything to your room. Now the message we need to send the sound is ‘A_play3dsound(a%,b%,c%);’.

What a% stands for is the .txt file that you found the info on which sound you want to play, in this case ‘enemy’. What b% stands for is the tag given before the sound, in this case ‘killersuit_alert’. What c% stands for is which bone to play the sound from, and since enemies speak from their heads, we want to use the ‘head’ bone.

Now we need to add the sound message to the trigger. Open the message dialogue for the trigger and in the top section add: parent::enemy_00->A_play3dsound(enemy, killersuit_alert, "head");.

Then we want our guy to do combat, so add the same target, but send ‘->c_setstatemachine(merccombat);’ as the message. Now disable the trigger itself with ‘this->t_enable(false);’ and you’re ready to go. Run your map and listen to your new sound.

4. Particle Effects

This is the only text file you need to search for you particle effect. We want to try and make a snowfall effect, so search for the ‘snowfall’ section. Now I suggest using ‘medium_snowfall_7m_loop’, since we’re just going to be making a small room.

Make a working room, then add a floating FSM to the ceiling. Edit its messages and place the message, this->PS_starteffect(medium_snowfall_7m_loop, "");. This tell the FSM to emit the snowfall particles. If you were having an enemy emit particles, like blood, you would need to alter the empty parameter to be whichever bone you want the particle to emit from. That’s all there is to particle effects!

5 – Breakables

First we need to figure out a way to get our box to know when to break. The best method I’ve found is to give your box hitpoints, and then have it break when it ‘dies’. To do this, add a this->C_sethealth(20); to the startup tab. It will now have 20 hitpoints.

Then on the ‘OnDeath’ tab, we want to add all the sounds and debris. Go into the message dialogue and add the sound you want (I’ll let you find an appropriate one, and write the message yourself). You can also create the needed box or glass debris with the particle effect message (I’ll let you find the best fit particle effect, and write this one on your own, too).

Now we have a box/window which will sound and look like it breaks, but it won’t disappear. We need to add one more message in the ‘OnDeath’ tab, which is ‘this->DO_hide(true);’. That will hide the box/window mesh, and will make everything work out nicely.

Now you can make breakables!

6. Conclusion.

Well, good luck with your future mapping.

slightly edited by mixuk

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