Tutorial: Mortar Madness Last edited 4 years ago2019-04-22 08:24:43 UTC

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Mortar fields. What are they?

Do you remember back in 'Surface Tension'? Right at the end, where you had to blow up the doors to the Lambda Complex and the walls surrounding it, and then finally blowing up the Communications Tower to make a path across? Well that was done using a func_mortar_field which was set to be controlled by a table (which I will later explain how to do). Also, when you reached the door, a seemingly random bombardment rained down upon you? That too was the func_mortar_field. In this tutorial I'll show you how to make the 3 different kinds of func_mortar_field, random, activator and table. Keep in mind that the func_mortar_field is a brush-based entity. Okay, let's start off with...

Random bombardments

Making a func_mortar_field perform random bombardments is easy. Just follow the directions below, which need to be set for the entity. Once you've got that filled in, you'll need to work on triggering it. Once a func_mortar_field on random is triggered, it only attacks once and then goes into an off-state. So, you'll need to build up a small network of triggering and re-triggering to make the continous effect you may be looking for. In the example map, I used a trigger_auto and 2 multi_managers, which work like this: As you can see, the func_mortar_field is triggered every 5 seconds, along with 4 as a repeat count. It makes for a very effective bombardment.

Activator bombardments

Simply make the trigger target the mortar field. Then, moments later: voila! Dead people. The only thing you'll need to edit from the random one is how you trigger it and of course, the settings in the targeting box, which you'll need to set to activator.

Table bombardments

Ahh, table bombardments. This is more difficult to set up then the others, simply because of the multitude of entities involved, not forgetting how accurate you would need to make your table in order to have your attacks accurate.

The entities I will use in the creation of the table to control the func_mortar_field are:
  1. func_button
  2. momentary_rot_button
  3. momentary_door
Your func_mortar_field should be set up the same as usual, except for the 3 below: Build up your table first. Make it as accurate to your map as possible (so your bombs land where you want them to), then begin with the momentary_rot_button's. Make 2 of them, with origins and everything. The following properties are for the x and/or y button: Everything else you can leave. Put these values in for both of your momentary_rot_button and your done with that for now. The next part is the momentary_door, which acts as your indicators to what part of your map you are targeting. You'll need 2: one for each axis. Input the following values into the properties: Use this for both your doors. Also, use the little compass in the properties menu to get your door moving the right way. You'll need them working properly before adding the button test with your momentary_rot_buttons. Now, let's make a button. Make the button out of anything - any texture will do, but I suggest using a button texture, for obvious reasons. Placing it somewhere in between your 2 momentary_rot_buttons is a good idea. Then, in the properties just make it target the func_mortar_field. Test it and see if it works. When it does, see how accurate your bombings are compared to the table. When your happy with it, you're done!

Final notes

The best place to put a table is in a rather large deathmatch map. It would be great fun to blast players and would also tempt players towards it, which could open up possibilities for traps and the like. I'd also like to add that the zip file has 2 maps: Mortar 1 has the random and activator, and Mortar 2 has the table. Happy mapping!

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