Puzzle Creator Tech Info, Hacks, and Laughs
Just so you know, you don't actually have to edit anything to edit PTI maps in Hammer. There is a built-in command for just that purpose. Simply go to the console while in the PTI editor and type
- Code: Select all
portaleditor_export [mapname here]
Actually, if you know how to configure hidden logic items (aka lasers and laser relays), you can put a button on the floor which opens the panel as if the player had passed through a trigger.
The latest update makes hiding antlines MUCH easier. It is now possible to set the visibility of the connection between two items.
I have an extremely hard time that it isn't possible to change the dimensions/tabs on the editor. I will look into this.
portal2_dlc1/scripts/ has a file called mapautocompile.txt I don't have any way to test at the moment, but it might have to do with the compiling of maps...
Boy I love the mystery of this stuff. To clarify the part about "Voxels" on HMWs wonderful guide on editoritems.txt: Voxels appear to be attached to a specific side of the voxel, which makes sense considering that the whole editor is based on attaching stuff to the geometry of the test chamber. The "Normal" parameter appears to be the normal of the face that the voxel is attached to.
EDIT: "CollideType" is the collision group that this object is in, "CollideAgainst" is the collision groups that this object is not friends with. It is important to specify voxels, and maybe even a "CollideType" even if you don't have "CollideAgainst", just for compatibility purposes.
EDIT2: If a object should take up a whole surface, instead of a 3D space based on that surface, you can leave the "Pos" out of a "Surface" element.
Hi there! 
I created a new icons for HMW PTi items: http://i.imgur.com/RplTg.jpg (on the screenshot they are in a different place (1,4; 8,2; 8,3; 8,4), I like it more)
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?c5rol98e0a9b8po (sorry, I don't know how to attach files to messages)
I like those! Other-Felix and HMW, do you mind if I use these files in my PTI mod instead of the originals?
Sure, go ahead!
Those look very close to the ones I made for the next (soon to be released) version
Only the square light seems a bit too big.
Other Portal 2 maps: Medusa Glare
Portal 1 maps: Try Anything Twice | Manic Mechanic
Some interesting observations I made.
- If your lightstrip is ItemButtonFloor rather than ItemLightStrip, you can position it in _five_ different positions (center being the default) rather than four, per orientation. Previously I have used this feature intentionally in my test chamber design.
- However, if you set it as ItemButtonFloor, it will not block antlines. Antlines run through it.
- Using ItemLightStrip will also always use the first instance (VMF) rather than choose instance depending on type. This means that the ButtonType selection, if any, will do absolutely nothing.
- If you use CubeType instead of ButtonType, you can use five choices instead of three. You must then also use ItemCube for ItemClass, rather than using ItemButtonFloor. You must also provide a DropperEnabled property and set it to 0, or you will get a complimentary cube dropper.
- However, CubeType does not vary depending on whether it stands on portalable or non-portalable surface. For ButtonType, you can have effectively six different options (selected on compile time), by using a different VMF file for black and white surfaces. For example, you can extend Portal1 wall this way to provide six different textures (which I did). You can download the copy here. (Note that the different walls still appear identical in the editor, because I am hoping someone else will make the in-editor models...)
I apologize if this was all common knowledge to everyone already! But by using CubeType instead of ButtonType, you can e.g. have Choreo-boxes provide 5*30 distinct lines instead of 3*30 (unless you want to play with portalable/non-portalable surfaces and get 6*30).
Oh, and you can also add StartEnabled ($start_enabled), AutoRespawn ($disable_autorespawn), AutoDrop ($disable_autodrop) and StartReversed ($start_reversed) inputs, to multiply the number by 16, for a total of 5*30*16 (2400) options. Note that with the exception of StartReversed, you can only manipulate these inputs when the Dropper is enabled. Just enable dropper, manipulate the options, and then disable the dropper.
Note that if you change your ButtonTypes into CubeTypes (and ItemButtonFloors into ItemCubes), your existing puzzles will reset to using the default option for each element that depends on ButtonType.
To recap:
- CubeType: Five options on compile-time if you set ItemClass to ItemCube. You will need to remove the complimentary cube dropper.
- ButtonType: Six options on compile-time if you set ItemClass to ItemButtonFloor. However, you only select three options with the "button type" option. The other choice between three and three comes from whether it is standing on a portalable or non-portalable surface (also on compile-time).
- StartEnabled, StartReversed, AutoRespawn, AutoDrop, TimerDelay: All of these options are evaluated by run-time logic even though they are defined at compile-time, but you can do 480 different combinations with these options.
Oh, by the way, you can place an object that can only be placed on walls, such as an observation room, in the floor, by making sure there are no walls near the left edge of the screen when you pick the element from the palette. If you are so inclined, of course. The editor will then allow placing it on the floor.
Gotcha: No matter what your MovementHandle is, when you use CubeType, for the Reflective (third option) cubes the MovementHandle is forced as HANDLE_36_DIRECTIONS.