Mapping with Martin - Issue 1: The Starting Point

Started by Martin Thompson, July 06, 2012, 01:29:18 PM

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Martin Thompson

As you might have read in the newsletter of July, the Mapping with Martin articles will contain a description of RPG-X entities and how to use them in your maps. I will post all issues of these articles here in the infosphere for quick acces to anyone who wants to read them at a later time.

I hope you'll learn something from these articles and can put the things you learn to good use in your maps. If you have any questions or comments, post them below, pm me or mail me at m.j.l.h.thomassen[at]gmail.com.

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Issue 1: The Starting Point


Entity Name: info_player_start

Dependencies: None

Expert Information:
Key:  Value:  Explanation:
angle  0-360  The direction the player will be facing when spawning in this spot.

   
An info_player_start as seen in GTK Radiant 1.5


The Starting Point of a map, called info_player_start. Without this entity, we wouldn't even be able to play on maps. This entity indicates where players spawn on the map. In RPG-X maps, this is often on top of one of the transporter pads but, of course, you can place this entity everywhere in the map you like. You can even place multiple of these on your map if you want, and often, if not always, you will need more than one of these. A classic example of what happens when you only have one of these on your map can be seen on rpg_runabout. I think you all know what I'm talking about, yeah, that's right, we all get stuck in the transporter when we switch maps! Suffice to say, without an info_player_start, we wouldn't even know where to begin!

What it does:
It tells the game where players should spawn on the map.

How to use it:
Just place it in your map where you want players to spawn, it's as easy as that.

Tips, Tricks and Best Practices:
Place multiple of these on your map, I can't stress this point enough (as explained above). Players will randomly spawn at a free location, thus if you have three on your map, and two people just spawned and haven't moved yet, you will spawn at the third point and not straight in one of the other players. Further, if you are making an RPG-X map, it is wise to place all of these in one spot. A transporter room, a beam-in point, whatever. The big advantage of doing this is that you always know where you spawn, and from there can find your way to the rest of the map. Also when switching maps during an RP, everyone spawns next to each other and you don't have to go search for everyone before continuing the RP.

Fallacies and Pitfalls:
There are only two things you need to pay attention to when placing these (besides from the best practices). NEVER place one of these inside a brush, even partially, and always make sure there is enough room above the entity for players to stand. A player model, especially in RPG-X, can be higher than the info_player_start box you see in your editor. If you don't do this, players will almost certainly get stuck inside the map, unable to move.