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Title: testsync

Filename: testsync.zip

Author: esme

Contact info : hermione_beaverhausen@hotmail.com or pm me

Date of release: 25th April 2008

Description:

This is a example mission showing how to make one AI appear to follow another
using conversations to control the following AI's movements and keep them
synchronised, it's based on what I learned while trying to make AI follow each
other and is aimed at new designers who don't know all the ins and outs of
Dromed, which is the stage I am at now, so apologies if it's a bit "sesame street"
in places but I didn't know half this stuff yesterday.

If you haven't touched Dromed before I cannot recommend highly enough that you
work through Komags excellent tutorial (KomagTutvT2) available from
http://www.keepofmetalandgold.com/ before attempting anything like this

So this is how I did it, minus the banging head on tables and frantic pleas in
the editors forum http://www.ttlg.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=85

1 - Create a basic room with an air brush and apply some textures to the
faces, roombrush it, add a light source and two AI.
I used a MaleServ(-555) and called it "Walker" and a KeeperAgent(-2788) and
called it "Stalker", I went for human type AI's as the movement database
doesn't apply all movements to all creature types.
To name an object or an AI, select it, open it's properties, select the
first line with the little cube next to it and click edit, just pick a
sensible name that doesn't clash, I think Dromed will reject bad names but
I wouldn't bet on it.
Also to prevent them attacking Garrett I added the property
"AI->AI Core->Team:Good" to both AI's.
To stop "Stalker" returning to his start point after each of the moves
I wanted him to do I added "AI->Ability Settings->Idle:Returns to origin:FALSE"
I also threw in a bunch of barrels to give the illusion of cover
NB with barrels you should keep them away from walls and once you do the
'floor me' on them lift them up the Z axis slightly otherwise you'll find
the AI and you can walk straight through them, there are other ways to fix
this but thats what I did.

2 - Create a patrol using TrolPausePt(-2391) markers, you can use a mixture
of TrolPausPt(-2391) and TrolPt(-1291) markers but you can only trigger
activity in the patrolling AI on a TrolPausePt.
Put the first of these markers physically inside "Walker" and add the
property "AI->Ability Settings->Patrol:Does Patrol:TRUE" so "Walker" will
start to patrol the route you just made
I named each TrolPausePt as patrolpt1, patrolpt2 and so on so I could find
them again, I suggest you name objects you refer to as object numbers can
change during editing

3 - Add an AIWatchObj link from "Walker" to "patrolpt1" so you can trigger some
activity
Create a Button(-448) and name it "synchro1", then edit the AIWatchObj
link data as follows
Trigger radius: 3
Response Step 1: Frob object(synchro1,)
Response Step 2: Wait(7000,)
The wait is to allow "Stalker to catch up and may be tweaked as necessary later
Repeat this for each TrolPausePt on the patrol stepping the numbers up each time
NB I left the buttons in the room as an example, they can be put in a blue room
so the player can't see or hear them

4 - Create a Marker(-36) and name it "hidept1" put this at a suitable vantage point
where "Stalker" could observe "Walker" without being too obvious.
Repeat this for the same number of TrolPausePts you created
These will mark the locations "Stalker" will go to so make sure they are
accessible

5 - Create a Marker(-36) and name it "control1", select button "synchro1" and add a
ControlDevice link to "control1"
Select "control1" and add an AIConversationActor link to "Stalker" with the data
field set to 1, this identifies "Stalker" as ActorOne in any conversation started
from this control point
Open the properties of "control1" and add "AI->Scripts" set the first value to
"TrapConverse" and all other fields blank.
Also add "AI->Conversations->Conversation"
Then edit the "Conversation" (NOT ConversationS) highlight step 00 and click OK
use the fields to control the actions you want "Stalker" to do such as go to a
specific hidept
Repeat this for each button you made

Thats pretty much it

Now I wanted my "Stalker" to crouch at each hiding point stay crouched and walk
where there was cover and run where there wasn't any, to do this I had to create
a metaproperty which meant I needed to use a custom gamesys otherwise every
time I loaded the mission the metaproperty disappeared

So I opened the Object Hierarchy Editor and in the box labelled "Show Tree"
I selected "MetaProperties" clicked the "Add" button and gave the new
metaproperty a name of "crouchprop" I then edited this and added the
property "AI->AI Core->Motion Tags" with the value "player 0, crouching 0"
I closed the Object Hierarchy Editor and saved the gamesys as "testsync.gam"
in the thief root directory that I was using for dromed
Then in the command window at bottom right I typed in "set_gamesys testsync.gam"
without the quotes so this mission would now use the modified gamesys

I then modified each conversation to remove the crouchprop metaproperty to
"Stalker" and add it back when required

for example if there was cover available I assume that "Stalker" is crouched
already and make the conversation as follows

1 - Goto object( hideptname,normal, ) - crouching walk to next hidept
2 - Add/Remove Meta( Remove, crouchprop, Stalker) - stop him crouching
3 - Face( someangle, streetlamp object ) - make him face wherever walker is
4 - Add/Remove Meta( Add, crouchprop, Stalker) - crouch down

NB "Face" only works when standing upright

If there was no cover I wanted him to run so the conversation went like

1 - Add/Remove Meta( Remove, crouchprop, Stalker) - stop him crouching
2 - Goto object( hideptname,fast, ) - run to next hidept
3 - Face( someangle, streetlamp object ) - make him face wherever walker is
4 - Add/Remove Meta( Add, crouchprop, Stalker) - crouch down

so after each conversation he is in a crouched position

I also added "AI->Ability Settings->Idling:Should Fidget:FALSE" to his
properties otherwise he would stand up and fidget at random intervals

So thats it, no goals, no loot, no objectives and no way out just two AI
wandering round in circles, I hope it's useful

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Play Information
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Game: Thief 2: The Metal Age

Level Name: testsync

File name: testsync.mis

Difficulty Settings: No

Equipment store: No

Map: No

Automap: No

New graphics: No

New sounds: No

EAX Support: No

Multi language support: No

Briefing: No

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Requirements
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Leave this mission zipped and use DarkLoader to install

As far as I am aware this mission should run with standard "out of the box" thief, I'm
pretty sure I haven't used any extra scripts but I would recommend installing
GayleSaver & Telliamed's scripts anyway as an awful lot of thief FM's use them

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Credits
=======

Tom N Harris, Bj?rn Henke & Andrew Bednarz
- for Darkloader (based on Mr Bednarz Thiefloader)

Komag
- for the excellent mission tutorial KomagTutvT2
http://www.keepofmetalandgold.com/

Gaylesaver, Telliamed
- for their script packages

EmperorSteele, Fidcal, john9818a, Nameless Voice, R Soul, Yandros
if I missed anyone I'm really sorry just mail me and I'll add you in
- for endless patience in providing technical support and answering my endless and
probably inane questions in the Editors Guild
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=85

All the mission designers at the editors guild
- for asking and answering the questions before me so I could search for them and not
look silly for asking again

All the mission designers and builders who wrestled with dromed before me and produced
all those fantiastic FM's that have occupied me for the last ten years or so since I
discovered the thief universe, I'm now pennyless, homeless, jobless and chronically
addicted to Thief, but I'm happy

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* Copyright Information *

This level is (c) by Karen Challinor (esme)

Distribution of this level is allowed in any way as long as the mission is not modified
and I am credited as the author. However feel free to open this with Dromed to see how it
works

This level was not made and is not supported by Looking Glass Studios or Eidos
Interactive. All of the textures, objects, scripts, conversations, etc. are
original Looking Glass property except where otherwise stated.

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