Category:Editing Moving Sectors

NOTE: Much of information on this page is from around 1999. Some may be outdated, and some may be incorrect -- this page exists to get you started with the Level Editing and may not currently cover some of the additional features available in Mapster32.

Rotating Sectors (Gears)

Map Name: TUTORIAL.MAP (ROOM 2-H)

This effect allows you to create a constantly rotating sector, such as the gears found in the registered levels.

STEP 1: Create the sector to be rotated.

STEP 2: Place one sector effector sprite where you want the pivot point for this sector to be (it is usually placed in the center). Give this sprite a lotag value of 1, and a unique hitag value. Now change the angle of this sprite to one of the following:

Up - Sector rotates counter-clockwise

Down - Sector rotates clockwise

NOTE 1: This pivot point sprite is not required to be inside the sector that will rotate.

STEP 3: Place one other sector effector sprite somewhere else in your gear sector. Give this sprite the same unique hitag value that you gave the first sector effector sprite. Leave the lotag value set as 0. Then set the angle of this sector effector sprite. The following angles have the following related functions:

Up - All points of sector rotate around pivot point

Down - Entire sector rotates around pivot point

STEP 4: If you want sprites and the player to rotate with this sector, you must enter 3D mode and press the [R] key on the floor of the sector. This will allow sprites and actors to move with the rotating sector.

Using Rotating Sectors for Doors

Map Name: ROTATEDR.MAP

Rotating sectors can be used in combination with switches to create a very interesting type of door. The how-to is fairly complicated, so a tutorial map (created by Jack Gutzler AKA Captain Massive) has been included with this package.

Two-Way Trains

Map Name: ADVANCED.MAP (ROOM 1-D)

Two-way trains are very cool and a great addition to any level. They are, however, quite complex to build.

STEP 1: Create the track for the train (it should be straight), the train itself, and two rooms at either end of the track.

NOTE 1: The train sector should not be split into multiple sectors. However, the train can include white-walled (non-valid player space) sectors and nested red-lined sectors (take a look at the tutorial map to see exactly what is possible).

NOTE 2: The train should be made on the opposite side of the track from which the player will enter first. And the train should not be made right in front of where the player will board it (place the train in the middle of the track for now).

STEP 2: Place three switches on the map: one in the train, and the other two in both rooms at either end of the track (i.e. - one in each room).

STEP 3: Give all three switch sprites the same, unique lotag value.

STEP 4: Place one activator sprite in the train and give it the same lotag value that you gave the switch sprites.

STEP 5: Place one sector effector sprite in the train and give it a lotag value of 30. Give this sprite a hitag value of 1 added to the value you gave the switch sprites (so if your switch sprite lotag was 10, the hitag value of this sector effector sprite would be 11). You now must change the angle value for this sprite. Point it in the direction of the track where the train will start from (if your train starts from the left hand side, point the sector effector sprite to the left).

STEP 6: Give the train sector a sector lotag value of 31.

STEP 7: Place two locator sprites (sprite #6) on your track, one where the train will begin and one where the train will stop. Think of these two sprites as reference sprites. The sector effector sprite that you placed in your train sector is a fixed point on your train. When the train moves from point to point, the fixed sector effector on the train will move over top of the locator sprites. So place these in an appropriate place. Give the locator closest to where the player will first board the train a lotag value of 1 and a hitag value of 1. Do not give the other locator sprite a lotag or hitag value (both should remain at the default value of 0).

STEP 8: In 3D mode, press the [R] key on the floor of your train. If your train has a ceiling, do the same thing.

Optional Steps

STEP 9: Create door sectors on each end of the track where the player will board and exit the train. They should be regular Doom-type doors. Place one activator sprite in each door sector. Give the activator sprite in the door where the player will first board the train, a lotag value of two more than the switch lotag. For example, if the switch lotag (near the door) was 10, the lotag of this activator sprite would be 12.

STEP 10: Give the other activator sprite (in the other door sector) a lotag value of one more than the switch sprite lotag. For example, if the switch lotag was 10, the lotag of this second activator sprite would be 11.

STEP 11: Make sure that the door where the player will first board the train is in the closed position. The other door (at the other end of the track) should be open. If this is not set properly, the timing of the doors will be off.

One Car Subways

Map Name: ADVANCED.MAP (ROOM 1-E)

Subways are not difficult to master, but they do require patience and a great deal of work. But they can be done, and they can be a great addition to any level!

STEP 1: Make the track for the subway. For this example we will be making a simple rectangle room. Later on, when you get practice with the Locator sprites, you will be able to have a track with a more realistic look (i.e. - Walls on both sides of the track. Here we are just using an open room which the subway will wander around in). Set your textures to whatever you want.

STEP 2: Make a sector off of this room (or anywhere else for that matter) to be a station for the train. Make sure the sector is valid player space, and raise it up from the floor of the track sector in 3D mode (this sector will be higher up than the track).

STEP 3: Make one other rectangular sector that will be the subway car itself. Do not make the car right next to the station, as a locator sprite will be needed for that. Raise the car up out of the ground, and make it valid player space. Choose appropriate textures.

STEP 4: In 2D mode, put the mouse cursor in the subway car sector and press the [H] key. You now will give that sector a hitag of 1. This number is an indicator for the cars, so if you had a second subway somewhere else on your map, the cars would have a hitag of 2.

STEP 5: Now insert a sprite in the subway car sector by pressing [S] in 2D mode. Now go into 3D mode and press [V] on the newly made sprite twice. Change the sprite into a sector-effector sprite. Place the sprite in the center of the car and change the angle of the sprite to be in the direction of the front of the car. The sprite's angle tells the subway in which direction it will go. Press [R] on the floor of the subway (and on the ceiling too if your subway has a ceiling. If it does not have a ceiling, leave it alone) in 3D mode. This makes the floor move with the train.

STEP 6: Go into 2D mode and press [ALT]+[T] on the sprite, and enter the value of 6. This gives the sector-effector sprite a lotag of 6 and it makes this car the "engine" of the subway. When you make a multiple car subway, this will be the lead car of the subway. It will pull all of the other cars behind it.

STEP 7: Now you must place the locator sprites all over the track. These sprites make the actual 'path' of the train. Place a locator sprite near the station and give it a hitag of 1, and leave the lotag at 0. The hitag of 1 tells the subway that it must stop at this point of the track and wait for five seconds.

STEP 8: Now put Locator sprites all around the track. Put the sprites anywhere in your track that you want your train to go. The train will go over all the Locator sprites you put down, so place them in the way you want your train to go.

STEP 9: You now must give the Locator sprites lotags that go in numeric order. For example, the Locator that the train will go to, AFTER visiting the station would have a lotag of 1. The next sprite will have a lotag of 2, the next a lotag of 3, and so on. This will continue until you get back to the station locator (the one with the hitag of 1). DO NOT GIVE THE STATION LOCATOR A LOTAG! IT MUST BE LEFT AT 0! Make sure that you make the track for the subway as accurate as possible, as the subway can sometimes disappear. You are all done at this point!

Making Multi-Car Subways

Map Name: NONE

Multi car subways are just as easy as one car subways, but it requires some work and time.

STEP 1: Make the first car, or "engine" of the train by following the instructions in the above how-to.

STEP 2: Make several more car sectors behind the engine of the train, make them valid player space, and choose appropriate textures for the car. The train cars should *not* be connected, and there should be some space between the two. When the train turns around a corner, sometimes the train sectors can overlap, causing some strange bugs to appear. So don't put them too close. Also make sure that the cars are raised out of the ground to the appropriate height (whatever you want it to be).

STEP 3: Give the car sectors a hitag of 1 (not necessary, but it is if you have more than one subway on your map. If you had a second subway, the cars hitag would be 2, and so on).

STEP 4: Put a sector effector sprite in the cars of the train and give them a lotag of 14, which means that these cars will follow the "engine" of the train.

STEP 5: You're done (the path for the train should have already been made, as you constructed that in the first how-to).

Notes on Subways

Map Name: NONE

Here is a short list of notes that might make your subway making problems disappear. Many problems can be solved with some of these notes, so read on!

1. The locators should _all_ be in the same sector (the track). It is not advised to split up the track sector, but if you must do it make sure the locators are all in the same sector.

2. The pixel height (height between floor and ceiling) of the train has to have a maximum of 104 in order to run you over. If the pixel height is more than this the train will pass through you instead of killing you (weird, eh?).

3. A train with cars behind it will travel slightly faster than a single train! So be aware that when you put 2 trains on the same track, after quite a while, they will have caught up with each other (I actually did this).