MESS 1.2.3 is now available Created 1 month ago2024-07-14 15:04:54 UTC by Captain P

Now available: MESS 1.2.3!

The biggest new feature is a conversion mode that can convert between .map, .rmf and .jmf formats. This mode also supports TrenchBroom groups and layers, which can be useful if you're migrating to (or from?) TB. It also supports setting a cordon area, selecting specific VIS groups and setting the 'wad' property, so it can be used for automated .map exporting.

I also added two new template entities: one for switching different targets based on an on/off state, and one for generating brush-based text using Makkon's techdc fonts. Of course, you can also create and share your own templates entities and automation scripts.

Besides these big changes, there is also a large number of smaller improvements and bugfixes, which you can read about below. Please let me know if you encounter any problems or if you have suggestions - either in this thread, on Discord, or by creating an issue on Github.

Download links:

• MESS 1.2.3 downloads
• Check out the tutorials for example maps!

Documentation:

• Setup guide for J.A.C.K. & Hammer and setup guide for TrenchBroom - Read this to get started.
• Tutorials - Tutorials about covering terrain, using template entities and other topics.
• Configuration - Config files make it possible to create game-specific setups.
• Template entities - A set of entities that make complex things simple.
• Template behaviors - Scripts that automatically generate entities or apply bug workarounds.
• Macro entities - The workhorse entities of MESS that make the template instancing system work.
• Scripting - Use basic scripts for randomizing things, or write advanced scripts for generating levels.
• File conversion - How to convert between .map, .rmf and .jmf files.

Major features:

• Added a file conversion mode that can convert between .map, .rmf and .jmf files (including TrenchBroom .map files, with groups and layers).
• The file conversion mode also supports cordon areas and VIS group filtering, so it can be used as a .map exporter.
• Added a new special property for replacing textures: _mess_replace_texture.
• A new template entity: mtl_trigger_switch, which can trigger different targets when it's turned on or off.
• Another new template entity: q1_brush_text, which generates text using Makkon's techdc font textures.

Other changes and improvements:

• Template entities now have custom editor sprites (only works in J.A.C.K.).
• Entity definitions in .ted files can now contain MScript expressions (in strings), which enables custom editor sprites and models.
• Added delay properties to cs_trigger_roundstart.
• Target patterns now also support delays for single targets.
• Added support for v122 .jmf files (for the J.A.C.K. update that added background images).
• Macro entities can now insert sub-templates from other maps.
• macro_insert entities can now create instances with an absolute position and scale.
• The special _mess_merge_entity_master property now only marks an entity as master if its value is true (not empty or 0).
• The special _mess_allow_rewrite_rules and _mess_deny_rewrite_rules properties now use commas to separate multiple paths.
• MESS can now also read .rmx and .jmx files (backup versions of .rmf and .jmf).
• Added a -norewrite command-line flag that disables rewrite rules (for testing).
• In .ted files, @MESS; directives without a matching @MESS opening directive are now ignored.

MScript changes:

• Added bitwise operators (>>, <<, &, ^, |, ~).
• Added support for hexadecimal number literals.
• New first and last functions for taking the first or last item from an array.
• New incglobal convenience function, for incrementing a global counter.
• hasflag and setflag functions now available in rewrite rules.
• New trunc function for truncating numbers.
• New ted_dirs and ted_path functions, for accessing files from other template entity directories.
• The trace function is now also available in .ted files.
• Object literals can now use strings as keys, and objects can now be indexed.
• New upper and lower functions for strings.

Bugfixes:

• Fixed that attached templates weren't positioned correctly (related to the special properties _mess_attached_template_map and _mess_attached_template_name).
• Fixed that using cs_trigger_roundstart would cause MESS to fail.
• Fixed that an mtl_trigger_random without targets would cause MESS to fail.
• Fixed that mtl_trigger_periodic didn't support target patterns.
• Fixed that the behavior of the -config parameter didn't match the documentation (when leaving out the file extension).
• Fixed that _mess_merge_entity_master properties weren't removed from entities that didn't also have a _mess_merge_entity_id property.
• Fixed that J.A.C.K.-style help texts in .ted files could not be parsed.
• Fixed that the output was always written in .map format, even if the output path extension was .rmf or .jmf.
• Fixed that if no output path was given, and the input file was an .rmf or .jmf file, it would be overwritten (now, a .map file with the same name is generated).
• Fixed that a macro_brush could select the wrong texture if the first brush of a template brush entity had the ORIGIN texture.
• Fixed that duplicate targets in a multi-target pattern were ignored.
• Fixed that some MScript expressions that contained strings weren't parsed correctly.
• Fixed that a macro_template without anchor and selection_weight properties didn't use the documented default values.
• Fixed that mtl_env_model didn't take dynamically set flags into account.
• Fixed that the 'kill', 'show' and 'hide' target patterns didn't check the pattern keyword was followed by a space character.

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Again, special thanks to Windawz, Loulimi and kimilil for their feedback, and all the others that contacted me about MESS during the past 4 years.

Awesome, fantastic work! 🥳

map2prop 1.0 and mess 1.2.3 releasing within a week of each other is really something. good job to both of you

now to update my stuff with the power of the two combined >:D

What are you planning, Kimilil? 😃

Can "mtl_trigger_switch" be used to create a Battlefield like capture stronghold mode? I noticed this sentence: “It remembers its own state, so sending an 'on' or 'off' signal to this entity when it's already in that state won't do anything. "Maybe not implementing this game mode, Or maybe I have a problem understanding.

The on/off state refers to how it reacts when it receives an 'on' or 'off' signal from a trigger_relay.

Imagine a museum hall with multiple security lasers. Every laser is covered by a trigger_multiple, and all those triggers will trigger a door that has an automated turret behind it. When the player walks through a laser, the door opens, and the turret starts firing at the player. But what happens when the player walks through another laser? Normally, triggering an entity will toggle it, so by triggering the door again, it closes, and the player is safe again.

One way to solve this is to use an mtl_trigger_switch to trigger the turret door (as both its on target and its off target). The trigger_multiple's then need to send an 'on' signal to this trigger-switch (either by triggering a trigger_relay that sends an 'on' signal to the trigger-switch, or by using the +nameofswitchentity target pattern, so MESS will automatically generate a trigger_relay for you). If the player walks through a laser, it'll send an 'on' signal to the trigger-switch, which then triggers the turret door. If the player walks through a second laser, another 'on' signal is sent to the trigger-switch, but because it's already in the 'on' state it won't do anything, and the turret door will remain open. You can also add a security button for disabling the turret system, by making a button that sends an 'off' signal to the trigger-switch.

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I don't know whether this can help with making a stronghold capture mode - I assume you're talking about Counter-Strike, and I assume that you would need some way of differentiating between teams. I'm not familiar enough with CS to know whether there are any entities that can do that.

In other words: if you can make a capture mode with existing entities, then you can probably use MESS to simplify that into one or two template entities. But if it's not possible with existing entities, then MESS can't help you either.

Ok, I think I get it. Apart from func_buyzone, there are really no more entities that can be used to separate teams at the moment, but I can use the "choke point" of level design theory to alleviate this problem.