169 lines
8.8 KiB
Markdown
169 lines
8.8 KiB
Markdown
# Waypoints and paths
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Many objects need positions besides their own: a guard walks inside its boxes, a beetle jumps along a patrol path, a camera zone
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covers a box, a checkpoint stores where the llama respawns, a cut scene flies its camera along a
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route. The game stores all of these as **waypoints** – points linked into **chains**. This
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chapter explains how chains work and how to edit them with the **Waypoint paths** tool.
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## What waypoint chains are
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A waypoint (also called a *node*) has a position, a turn (yaw) and a tilt (pitch), plus a few
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fields whose meaning is not known yet. Every node can point to a **next** node; following these
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links from a first node gives a chain. An object refers to the **first node** of its chain.
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* One object uses at most one chain.
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* Several objects may share one chain (the original levels do this in places).
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* A chain without an object is allowed but does nothing.
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In the Outliner the chains are listed under **Waypoint chains**. In the viewport nodes are drawn
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as small markers joined by lines.
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## Chain roles
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What the nodes mean depends on the object type. The Inspector names the role in the
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[waypoint row](09-objects.md#waypoint-row) and in the Waypoint chain section:
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| Role | Used by | Meaning of the nodes |
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|---|---|---|
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| **patrol path** | JumpingBeetleBlue, Spider … | Points the character walks or jumps to; patrols wrap from the last node back to the first |
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| **camera positions** | Llama (first node), cut-scene cameras, CutSceneTrigger | Camera position; node yaw and pitch give the view direction |
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| **respawn point** | CheckPointPost | Where the llama reappears, and which way it faces |
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| **box area (two opposite corners)** | Secret, CameraSide, CameraLift, ObjectDontDropInBox, FallOffNoHurt, guards … | Two nodes span a rectangle on the ground (x and z only); some types use several pairs (guards walk inside their boxes and must start inside one) |
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| **point list** | ForcePlayerMovement, WaterReboundPoints | Target points |
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| **waypoint chain** | other types | Meaning unknown – keep the original layout |
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For types that are not decoded, the editor guesses: camera objects get *camera positions*, types
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whose originals always have exactly two nodes get *box area*.
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## Showing waypoints
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By default the viewport shows only the chains of the **selected** objects and nodes – a big level
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has hundreds of nodes. To see all of them:
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* **View → Show waypoints of all objects**, or
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* the **Show all chains** button of the Waypoint tool (it toggles the same setting).
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Two layers (options bar → **Layers**) control the drawing:
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* **Waypoints** – the node markers and connecting lines,
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* **Path directions** – arrows along the chain, a dashed segment from the last back to the first
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node for patrol paths (they wrap) and a short tick at each node showing its yaw.
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Click a node marker to select the node. Hidden or locked objects' nodes are not pickable.
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## Waypoint tool (N)
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The **Waypoint paths** button of the toolbar or key **N** starts the tool. It edits the chain of
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the **selected object**, or the chain the **selected node** belongs to. The options bar reminds
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you of the mouse actions: *Click: add node · Ctrl+click: insert before · drag: move ·
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Backspace/Del: remove*.
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### Adding nodes
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1. Select the object (click it while the tool is active – clicking an object selects it).
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2. **Click** on the ground. The new node is added **after the selected node**, or at the end of
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the chain if the object itself is selected. If the object has no chain yet, the click creates
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one with this first node.
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3. Keep clicking to add more nodes; each new node becomes the selected one, so the chain grows in
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the order you click.
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**Ctrl+click** inserts the new node **before** the selected node instead (before the first node
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if the first one is selected).
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The new node copies the pitch and the unknown raw fields of the last node of the chain. With **Follow
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floor** on it sits on the floor under the pointer; grid snapping applies (Ctrl inverts it – note
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that Ctrl+click therefore also inverts snapping).
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### Moving and deleting nodes
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* **Drag a node** to move it. With **Follow floor** on it keeps its height above the floor as you
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drag over hills and steps. Each drag is one undo step.
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* **Backspace** (while the tool is active) or **Delete** / **Edit → Delete** removes the selected
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nodes and **relinks** the chain: the previous node now leads to the following one. The next
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node becomes selected, so you can delete several in a row.
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* **Esc** clears the waypoint selection; pressing it again (or **Q**) leaves the Waypoint tool
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and returns to Select.
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* Moving the owner object with the Place tool moves the whole chain along (option
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*Move waypoints along*).
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### Waypoint tool options
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| Option | Meaning |
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|---|---|
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| **Follow floor** | New and dragged nodes stay on the collision floor (on by default) |
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| **Orient new nodes** | A new node faces away from the previous node, i.e. along the path (on by default) |
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| **Reverse** | Reverses the order of the chain; the object then starts at the former last node |
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| **Show all chains** | Toggles between the chains of the selection and all chains |
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## Waypoint chain section
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When a single node is selected, the Inspector shows the section **Waypoint chain**:
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* *Node i of n*, the object(s) using the chain and its role – or *not used by an object*,
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* **Select object** – selects the owner,
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* **Edit path** – switches to the Waypoint tool,
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* **◀** / **▶** – select the previous / next node,
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* **Delete node** – removes this node and relinks the chain,
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* **Look through** – shows the view from this node (camera nodes, see
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[Look through camera](11-cameras-triggers.md#look-through-camera)).
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The node's position, yaw, pitch and raw fields are in the general properties below.
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## Linking chains to objects
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The waypoint row of **Object parameters** (see [Objects](09-objects.md#waypoint-row)) connects
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chains and objects:
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* **Create path** / **Edit path** – start the Waypoint tool for this object.
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* **Unlink** – the object no longer uses its chain; the nodes stay in the level (for example to
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give them to another object).
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* **Delete path** – removes the chain's nodes.
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* **Link…** – opens *Link <type> to a waypoint chain* with all chains of the level, nearest first:
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first node id, number of nodes, distance from the object and which objects use it (or
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*unused*). Choose one and press OK.
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**Edit → Duplicate** gives the copy its own copy of the chain. Deleting an object also deletes
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chains that no other object uses.
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## Chains must be stored in one piece
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The game does not really follow the *next* links when it loads a level: it links node number *i*
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to node *i + 1* in the level's node list whenever *next* is set. A chain therefore has to be
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stored **contiguously** – all its nodes one after the other.
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The editor keeps chains contiguous when you add, insert or delete nodes. Older projects or unusual
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edits can break this; then **Level → Check for problems** reports an error *Waypoint chain at … is
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not stored in one piece*, and building is blocked. Run **Tools → Repair waypoint chains** – it
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reorders the node list so every chain is in one piece (the status bar says *Waypoint chains repaired*, or *All waypoint chains are stored in one piece*
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when nothing had to be done).
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## Example: a patrolling enemy
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1. Click **JumpingBeetleBlue** (or another enemy with a patrol path) in the Objects panel and
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place it with the Place tool.
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2. Press **N**. The beetle stays selected.
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3. Click four points around the area the beetle should cover. Watch the arrows: the dashed
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segment closes the loop back to the first node.
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4. Press **F5** to try it: the beetle jumps from node to node.
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## Waypoint checks
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The Problems panel reports:
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| Message | Meaning |
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| Chain not stored in one piece (error) | Run **Tools → Repair waypoint chains** |
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| … needs n waypoint(s) (…), has m | The type reads more nodes than the chain has |
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| … uses only n waypoint(s), the chain has m (info) | Extra nodes are ignored by the game |
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| … box nodes come in pairs | Box zones need an even number of nodes |
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| … never appears: the game removes it at level start (error) | A guard without boxes, with an odd node count or starting outside all of its boxes; use **Box around it** in the Inspector |
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| … stays hidden until event bit n is set (info) | A guard waiting for an event; set Event bit to 0 to have it active at once |
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| … has no waypoints; all original … objects have a chain | Most likely the type needs one |
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| Respawn node is n cells away (info) | A checkpoint's respawn point far from the post |
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