Forum posts

• zhlt_strip and speedfactor should probably use AFTER_MACRO_EXPANSION, to ensure that they're working with final values (instead of raw values that may contain unevaluated MScript expressions), and to ensure that they also apply to generated properties.
• mtlx_decal_text.ted relies on an fgd-parsing fix/change that's only available in v1.2.3 (line 28, the help text/description part). Very cool entity - it makes me want real-time editor preview support for MESS...
• In v1.2.3, MScript has bitwise operators, so texture_scrollspeed_handler should be easier to implement correctly. I'll rewrite the scrollspeed handler logic accordingly.
• Also in v1.2.3, template entities can provide their own editor sprites/models, so mtlx_decal_text could have a model to help with orienting the text. Model pitch inversion is probably going to make that more complicated though...
• mtlx_trigger_sequential is an interesting one - it's like mtl_trigger_counter but with implicit count values and support for delayed triggering. Now I'm thinking, if I had to add something like this to MESS... maybe I'd do it as a single-target-at-a-time mode for mtl_trigger_sequence, or maybe by adding a new target pattern for triggering something with a delay. Actually, the multi-target pattern already supports delays ("target1: 0.5, target2: 1.5"), I could just extend that for single targets (e.g. "+door:0.5" would send an 'on' signal to door, after 0.5 seconds).

Changelog

Configuring the ammo amounts in ammo and weapon entities

Changes to the sample mod

• The new demo map is included in the sample mod - flyers_demo - for demonstration and testing of the osprey and apache.
• Previously missing models/blkop_tailgibs.mdl has been added to the resources.

New features in featureful_server.cfg

• door_rotating_starts_open_fix - when enabled, fix the bug with func_door_rotating becoming unresponsive after the first use if it has Starts Open spawnflag. This feature is currently left disabled by default just in case some existing map relies on this behavior.
• warpball_at_monster_center - if enabled, when env_warpball is used as a template effect for monstermaker, create the effect at the monster's body center by default, instead of monster's origin (which is usually at the monster's feet). The feature is enabled by default. If you want the old behavior, set the warpball_at_monster_center to false in your features in featureful_server.cfg.

Entities

• The values of the parameter Warp at monster's... of monstermaker now have a different meaning. Any positive value means to create a warpball effect in the center of the monster's body. Any negative value means to create effect at the origin. And 0 (default) means to create at the position depending on the warpball_at_monster_center feature.
• env_warpball now can define a second sprite that will be played along with the first one. sprites/xflare1.spr is provided as default second sprite in the fgd. You need to manually set the second sprite on existing maps if you want warpballs to create two sprites.
• Added Smoke position parameter for env_smoker.
• Added Instant spawnflag for multi_manager, multi_trigger and multi_sequence. By default targets with 0 delay will be triggered only on the next frame after the multi_manager has been triggered. With this flag such targets will be called instantly.
• You now can provide custom keyvalues for the monster spawned via monstermaker. In the editor toggle SmartEdit (like you do with multi_manager) and add keyvalues you want to forward to the monster prepending the key names with # symbol. This allows to set some parameters that can't be set via monstermaker otherwise (e.g. bodystate of monster_barney).

Bugfixes

• Fixed opfor grunts coming from osprey without weapons.
• Fixed osprey and apache sounds not stopping if they were replaced with a sound replacement system.
• Fixed flocking flyers sounds not being replaceable with a sound replacement system.

Codebase changes

• Added GetWeaponData and SetWeaponData functions for weapons to tidy and deduplicate some prediction code.
• ALLOC_STRING is now a function instead of the macro.

Repository changes

• The features/ directory is no longer included in the automated builds. This is to avoid situations when someone wants to try the latest version and rewrites their features/ directory with the default one by accident.

Contents

Links

• Github Gist (💾Download the whole gist as a ZIP file)

Requirements

• MESS 1.2.2 or above

Installation

1. Dump contents of gist/zip file to <mess 1.2.2+ install path>/template_entities/custom/
2. Run MESS once to update mess.fgd
3. Restart JACK/Hammer to load the updated mess.fgd

LICENSE

• MIT License

Changelog

Per-monster sound replacement

The demo map update

Captions changes

• Number of captions is virtually unlimited now (as opposed to maximum 256 in the previous releases). Note that you're still limited by the number of sentences depending on the engine (2048 on the modern GoldSource).
• The length of the caption is virtually unlimited (as opposed to maximum 599 characters in the previous releases).
• Added support for the forced caption duration (the hold time). See example in sound/captions.txt.
• Added more HL sentences to the sample sound/captions.txt.

New features in featureful_server.cfg

• gauss_fidget - allows to enable/disable the Tau-cannon fidget idle animation.
• medic_drop_healthkit - whether medic grunts drop healthkits upon dying.

Monsters

• New monster monster_civilian - generic friendly npc with scientist-like behavior. Doesn't have the healing ability. Suitable for making civilian npcs like construction workers or unarmed npcs from Condition Zero Deleted Scenes.
• Commented out monster_gus and monster_gus_dead in the fgd. This monster was from Cleaner's Adventures and wasn't enabled in the game code anyway.
• Customizable Fly Speed, Turn Rate and Check Distance for monster_flyer_flock.
• Added Alert friends and Friends can alert me parameters for talk monsters.
• Monsters with Tolerance level set to Absolute are now not alerted by friends death by default (it still can be forced via Friends can alert me parameter).

Entities

• New entity player_hasweapon - check if player has a specific weapon. Can be used as Master.
• New entity player_hasitem - check if player has a specified item (suit, flashlight or longjump). Can be used as Master.
• New entity trigger_skill_test - fire a trigger depending on the current difficulty.
• New flag Fade sprite for env_smoker to automatically fade smoke sprites (by default the entity relies on fading in the sprite animation).
• New parameter Scale unit type for env_smoker (historically the entity used tenths of the scale, i.e. 10 meant scale 1).
• New entity player_calc_ratio - calculate the absolute or fractional value of player's health, armor or ammo amount.
• trigger_compare has a new way to fire a target depending on the condition. Now you can define test type and triggers for pass and fail. The old triggers work independently from the new ones, but it's not recommended to use both approaches at the same time.
• trigger_compare now can be used as a master. The state depends on the evaluation of the chosen condition.
• The parameter Fire On Equal To of trigger_compare now uses a different internal key name. The old key is still supported, but considered deprecated.
• New entity env_extinguisher to produce a fire extintinguisher effect. Ported from Field Intensity.
• New parameter Starting frame for env_model. The negative value allows randomizing the starting frame.
• momentary_door now has an associted Calc Ratio value (like in Spirit of Half-Life).

Bugfixes

• Fixed player being able to pick up the same ammo item multiple times when the pickup policy allows picking up by pressing +use button. Thanks b0rdie for reporting.
• Fixed not being able to set custom model and custom model scale for monster_flyer_flock. Thanks 23-down for reporting.
• Fixed setting Gun State parameter with some custom Barney models. Thanks 23-down for reporting.
• Now if sk_rgrunt_explode skill is not defined, the hand grenade damage is used as a fallback.

Client input changes

• Windows version now uses SDL2 to handle mouse and joystick input when running on the engine version post 2013 update (when SDL2 was added to the engine). The old non-SDL2 input handling is still supported when running on the older versions.

Codebase changes:

• ARRAYSIZE is now a template constexpr function instead of the macro.
• The virtual function IsTriggered now returns bool instead of BOOL.