ETF Mapping/Overview
Overview
[edit | edit source]Purpose
[edit | edit source]The ETF entities are intended to be an extension to existing entities rather than replacing the current entities (at least, as far as possible). Currently, they're both incomplete and potentially bug-ridden. Many features we'd like to add haven't yet been added, and some entity types will not coexist happily with the extensions.
Initially the entities info_notnull, func_goalitem, func_commandpoint and func_goalinfo defaulted to a 30 second wait when there was NO wait field given. This default wait has been removed since Beta1f to stop some serious issues and make the entities more logical. If your map was based around this default wait, a recompile is needed.
Some of the worldspawn fields have changed, to make them shorter. Q3 couldn't parse the long keys and gave errors on compile. Finally, the ammo_bullets is now called ammo_nails, which is more logical, too.
You can now use the mapinfo files to set atmosphere and class names, names, team names, allied teams, etc. throughout the whole map or for a specified gameindex.
Basic Principles
[edit | edit source]Essentially, each entity has a 'state', as follows:
| Invisible | This entity is not triggerable, nor is it visible (although this has some odd side effects, e.g. invisible doors still stop people from walking through them). |
| Disabled | This entity is not triggerable. |
| Inactive | This entity is idle (and can be thought of as 'touchable'). For goalitems, this means 'back at base'. |
| Active | This entity is active, and (depending on its settings), will go back to inactive after a set time. For goalitems, this means 'lying on the ground'. |
| Carried | This state only applies to goalitems. |
When successfully touched by a player, an entity will attempt to go to carried/active state. After a set time, active entities will automatically go back to inactive.
Entities can also trigger other entities in a 'cascade' of triggers, by using <state>target keys, e.g. on a flag entity you might have "carriedtarget" "alarms" - that would activate all 'alarms' entities when a flag became carried.
There are a set of criteria checked before an entity can be triggered (although triggers can also be 'forced' to ignore criteria, more on this later).
In addition to this, players can be 'given' bonuses, and teams can be given scores, as well as having messages and sounds played.
What it can do
[edit | edit source]- It can be used to create complex map effects and the like (think of Team Fortress), as well as some degree of 'scripting'.
What it can't do
[edit | edit source]- It can't be used as a language in its own right - it will maintain no variables, parse no scripts. This may become available in a future release, but not right now (also, there would be performance questions in a scripting language).