Category:Editing C-9 Effects

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 Some may be outdated, and some may be incorrect -- this page exists to get you started with the Level Editing and may not currently cover some of the additional features available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.

C-9 Canisters (Visible)

C-9 is what creates the majority of choreographed explosions in Duke,Nukem 3D. To create an explosive can, simply place a sprite where you want the can to be. Change it to either the C-9 sprite (#1247), the OOZFILTER sprite (#1079), or the exploding barrel sprite (#1238). If you want to place explosive underwater mines, place the BOUNCEMINE sprite (#940). If you own version 1.4 or 1.5 of Duke Nukem 3D, you can use the GUNPOWDERBARREL (#4360) as well.

Switch Activated Explosions

This effect allows you to choreograph explosions and set them off via a switch.

• STEP 1: Place a switch sprite somewhere in your level. This will be where you set off the explosion from. Give the switch sprite a unique lotag value.
• STEP 2: Place one Masterswitch sprite in *every* sector that you want an explosion to take place in. Give every single Masterswitch sprite the same lotag value that you gave the switch. If you want to create a delay between flipping the switch and the first explosion, give the Masterswitch a hitag value of the delay you wish to have.
• STEP 3: Place C-9 sprites (#1247) everywhere you want an explosion to take place. You can raise the sprites to where you want, creating some nicely choreographed explosions.
• NOTE 1: Placing a large number of C-9 sprites can cause your computer to slow drastically if you are running on a slower processor.
• STEP 4: Shrink each C-9 sprite as far as you can width wise. This can be done by using the [5]+[4] key combination on the *numberpad*. When the sprites shrink no farther, you know that you are as small as you can get.
• STEP 5: Give every C-9 sprite a hitag value equal to the lotag value that you gave the switch in step 1.
• STEP 6: Now give each C-9 sprite any lotag value that you want. The lotag value for each C-9 sprite is the delay that the C-9 will wait before exploding.
• NOTE 2: A lotag value of 0 on the C-9 sprites will cause these sprites to *not* explode. Make sure that the lotag value is greater than 0.
• NOTE 3: A lotag value of 96 is roughly one second. Experiment to find out what is best for your situation.

Touchplate Activated Explosions

To create Touchplate activated explosions, follow the exact same procedure in the above section (Switch Activated Explosions). The only change here is that you replace the switch sprite with a Touchplate sprite.

Cracked Walls

This effect is what allows the player to launch some sort of explosive at a crack in a wall, generally forming a hole in the wall in which the player can walk through.

• STEP 1: Create your "hole" sectors where you want the hole to be. They all should be valid player space. You can use as many sectors as you want, but the more sectors you use, the more work you will have to put into this construction. Make this hole look like you want it to look *after* the explosion has occurred. You can tilt the floor and ceiling as much as you want as well.
• NOTE 1: The floor and ceiling should fit perfectly when lowered together (i.e. - the slope amount for each should be the *exact* same). This is not required, but it certainly makes the effect look better. Definitely make sure that the firstwall of any sector that has a tilted floor or ceiling is the TALLEST part of that sector. The game will "close" the hole at run time by lowering the ceiling to the floor AT THE FIRSTWALL, so if there are any parts of the sector where the ceiling is further from the floor than that the hole will not close completely and leave a triangular gap.
• STEP 2: Place a crack sprite (#546, #547, #548, or #549) on the wall in front of the hole sectors. Give the crack sprite a unique hitag value.
• NOTE 2: It is recommended to make the crack sprite slightly transparent. This can be done by pressing the [T] key on the sprite while in 3D mode.
• STEP 3: Place one sector effector sprite in each hole sector. Give each sprite the same hitag value that you gave the crack sprite. Now give each a lotag value of 13.
• STEP 4: Place C-9 sprites throughout your hole if you want to have explosions when the hole is blown open. If you do not wish to have any explosions take place, skip this step. Shrink each C-9 sprite as far as you can width wise (with the [4]+[5] key combination on the *numberpad*). When the sprites shrink no farther, you know that you are as small as you can get. Give each C-9 sprite the same hitag value that you gave the crack sprite. Now give each C-9 sprite a lotag value equal to the delay that you want the C-9 to have before exploding.
• STEP 5: You are now completely finished! Take a look at the tutorial map if you do not fully understand.

Fixing The "Texture Problem"

This is a common problem that occurs when making cracked walls and it can make a level look very ugly. The problem is that, when a cracked wall is blown up, the textures above and below the hole misalign. To fix this problem, simply press the [O] (the letter o, not the number zero) key on the misaligned walls in 3D mode. The problem will correct itself, and will be correct in the game. The tutorial map shows the effect with this problem, and without this problem. Note that no aligning is needed on the textures at all.

Making the Ceiling Blow Up (And Enemies Fall From the Sky!)

First seen in Episode 1, Level 2, this effect is one of the coolest, and one of the most complex effects there is. When constructed correctly, this effect can look quite nice.

• STEP 1: Construct the sector that will explode. Make it look as if the explosion has already taken place. The ceiling for this sector should have a parallaxed sky, and this texture MUST appear in at least one other place on the map. If it does not, this effect will not work correctly! If you are not using parallax in your level, simple parallax the ceiling of the sector you will make in step 3.
• STEP 2: Place one Touchplate sprite in the sector that you want to trigger the explosion from. Do *not* place this Touchplate in the sector that will explode. Give this Touchplate sprite a hitag value of 1 and a unique lotag value.
• STEP 3: Create a small sector in an area of your map that will never be accessed by the player (i.e. - this sector should be by itself in the corner of your map or somewhere of the sort). In this sector, place one C-9 sprite. Give this C-9 sprite a hitag value equal to the lotag value of the Touchplate, and leave the lotag set as 0. Also place one Masterswitch sprite in this sector. Give this Masterswitch sprite a lotag value equal to the Touchplate lotag value, and leave the hitag value set at 0.
• STEP 4: Place 2 sector effector sprites in the sector that will explode. Give one of these sprites a lotag value of 33, and leave the hitag set at 0. Then give the other sprite a lotag value of 13 and a hitag equal to the Touchplate lotag value. Raise the sprite with the lotag of 33 as far up as it goes (press [CTRL]+[PGUP] to do this). Raise the sprite with the lotag of 13 to the height of the ceiling of the surrounding sector. This part can be tricky, as you must make the sector effector with lotag of 13 *exactly* as high as the ceiling of the surrounding sector, or it won't look right.
• NOTE 1: The angle for the sector effector sprite with the lotag of 13 should be straight down. If it is not, this effect will not work properly.
• STEP 5: Place a few Respawn sprites (#9) in the sector that will explode, giving each a lotag value equal to the Touchplate lotag. Give each a hitag value equal to the sprite number that you wish to spawn. Raise each sprite up to the ceiling level.
• STEP 6: Place one more sector effector sprite in the sector that will explode and give it a hitag equal to the Touchplate lotag. Also give this sprite a lotag of 8. This simulates the effect of light coming in through the hole, so make sure that the surrounding sector shade and the shade of the exploding sector is darker than 0. Leave the shade of this sprite set at 0 (it isn't required to be left at zero - just as long as the shade is brighter than the surroundings).
• STEP 7: Place some C-9 sprites in the sector that will explode. Give them a hitag equal to the Touchplate lotag, and a lotag equal to the delay you wish them to wait before exploding. Raise these to any height that you want. Be sure to shrink them all the way width- wise with the [4]+[5] key combination on the numberpad. You are now finished! Take a look at the tutorial map if you do not fully understand.