Quote from xitooner on January 30, 2008, 6:59 pm

NykO18 wrote:

This has already been discussed in another thread, a few topics below this one :
http://forums.thinking.withportals.com/new-types-of-fizzlers-doable-t738.html
In my maps, I simply use a grate/fence to represent a place where you can't go but through which you can portal. It's somewhat intuitive and the texture already exists in the game... (plus, I saw a lot of people using this in their maps)

I tend to agree; the only reason for having an energy field instead of the grate is so you can trivially turn it on/off (as opposed to putting it on a func_door and simply opening the grate). Its NICE to have that option, but its hardly required; the grate texture works in 99% of all situations I can think of. You just have to be open to the idea of using it.

Quote from iamafractal on January 30, 2008, 6:59 pm

hm i don't really like the color as an indicator too much i think a grate like pattern is the most intuitive possible, so i say whoever can make this texture to put in the library here, please do it so we can start to see it in some maps

Quote from Nacimota on January 31, 2008, 12:57 am

It's all good, I swapped to a grate.

Personally the shield looked kickass IMO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIGJwgN3FCc [WIP]), but I've swapped to a grate to make everyone happy.

Quote from MrTwoVideoCards on January 31, 2008, 1:02 am

Video doesn't work for me.....

Quote from Nacimota on January 31, 2008, 1:31 am

MrTwoVideoCards wrote:

Video doesn't work for me.....

Me either... worked for msleeper fractal though.

http://www.nacimota.com/boxdropper.jpg

EDIT: deleted my internet files and cleared my cache... video works for me now xD

Quote from iamafractal on January 31, 2008, 6:38 am

wouldn't be end of world to have a ff that looks grate-like... would be hot...

Quote from NykO18 on January 31, 2008, 7:04 am

Nacimota wrote:

I've swapped to a grate to make everyone happy.

Hey, dude, that's your work and your maps, don't be so defeatist.
You can use anything you want as soon as its use is clearly explained.

Quote from Corion on January 31, 2008, 5:23 pm

You could still have grates that turn off.
Just make them part of a moving object and have them slide into a wall.

Personally, I don't really care much WHAT the thing looks like. What I'd prefer to have is CONSISTENCY - consistency from map to map, author to author - I don't want a forcefield in one map to allow me to shoot through it when I'm accustomed to not being able to and having to spend (half-)hours agonizing over what to do next. I don't mind having to learn things, but map authors aren't going to want to put a tutorial with each one of their maps on what the different surfaces do, and players aren't going to want to repeat the same basic tasks repeatedly.

The grate is pretty straightforward for a shoot-through-but-not-walk-through surface (B1) and so far it seems that the combine field (B2) is another solution identical in nature to the glass already in the game (also B2).

A1 (air) and A2 (fizzler) are already implemented, so I'm not quite sure why everyone is still discussing all of this.

If anything, we lack the ability to distinguish whether objects (cubes, cameras, spheres, chairs) go through these surfaces as well.

Let Y = "yes, objects pass through" and N = "no, objects do not pass through".

That gives us :

A1Y can walk through, can portal through (air)
A2Y can walk through, cannot portal through
B1Y cannot walk through, can portal through
B2Y cannot walk through, cannot portal through

A1N can walk through, can portal through
A2N can walk through, cannot portal through (fizzler)
B1N cannot walk through, can portal through (grate)
B2N cannot walk through, cannot portal through (glass, ff)

Perhaps the combine forcefield should be more typically used for one of the four categories not currently implemented? And I've seen two types used so far, a white one and a green one - which suits which better?

This is also assuming that you can see through all of the above 8 categories and that any wall you cannot see through you should not be able to portal/walk/pass objects through for the sake of sanity.

Quote from iamafractal on January 31, 2008, 6:32 pm

well there can be different force fields that demonstrate their properties by their looks... ones that are loud and buzz a lot and look strong and are bright, and have sharp textures with pointy lightning shapes and that have the telltale yellow/black striped paint around them, might hurt you.

ones that look like a combine field won't hurt you and you could even walk on them...

there are some fields that are soft like spider webs that i've seen here or there... like the magnetic ones...

if people think in terms of what is intuitive, then we get a nice consistent user interface and enjoyable game play.

to determine ahead of time what hasn't been done and then to devise audiovisual properties that make sense is a good thing. for the rest of us to adhere to that or agree with it later is good too.