347 lines
12 KiB
HTML
347 lines
12 KiB
HTML
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<title>Q3Radiant Editor Manual: Page 8.1</title>
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<link rel = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" href = "../styles/q3rad.css">
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<h1 class = "MsoTitle">Q3Radiant Editor Manual</h1>
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<hr>
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<h1><a name = "tools5">Tools 5: Working with Entities</a></h1>
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The entities in <i>Quake III Arena</i> are limited to those
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defined by the game code. The editor can draws entity information
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from the game code, or from special definition (.def) files.
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Version 192 of the editor comes with a .def file developed from an
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original supplied by EutecTic. Mods made to Quake III Arena
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can add to and/or subtract from the entities used by a game. If you
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plan to work on mods, you should create multiple project files
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(copy and rename your project file) with the changes required for
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the mod.
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<p><img src = "../Q3Rad_Manual_files/image038.png" hspace = 2 vspace = 2 width = 293 height = 425 align = "left"><h2><a name = "entitywin">The Entity Window</a></h2>
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You make game design decisions about entities and modify their
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features within the Entity Window. The definition file that you
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select on the Project Settings… window determines what
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entities will be shown in the Entity List and what, if any,
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property descriptions appear in the Key Descriptions and Check box
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Spawn Flags.
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<p><div class = "subheading">Entity List</div>
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The Entity List is the field on the Entity Window. It
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contains the "classnames" of all the entities defined by the
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definition file in alphabetical order.
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<p>You can use the scroll bar to scroll through the entities or,
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after clicking on the field, type in the first letter of the class
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you want to use (e.g.; type in "T" to select "target", or "A" for
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ammo, "W" for weapon).
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<p>Double-click on the classname to select it and enter it on the
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first line of the Active Properties field.
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<p>The <a href = "../appndx/appn_b_1.htm">Entities appendices</a> of this document contain a complete listing of all the entities used in Quake III Arena.
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<p><div class = "subheading">Key Descriptions</div>
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The entries in the Key Description field are the "rules of use"
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for the hi-lighted classname in the Entity List field. You can use
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the scroll bar to scroll up and down through the lines, but
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the entries are not interactive. If you are using the .def file
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accompanying release version 192 of the editor (or Eutectic's
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original), all the key commands are described and their acceptable
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values (or value ranges) are listed. If you are using the
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descriptions in the .c game code file, they may be substantially
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less descriptive.
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<p><div class = "subheading">Check box Spawn Flags</div>
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Spawn flags are properties assigned to entities by use of check
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boxes. Check the box to set the feature for the selected entity.
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Many entities have only a single spawn flag property, while others
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have numerous ones. Note that the check boxes to the right are only
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relevant for Quake 2 single player games and will not work for <i>Quake III Arena</i>.
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<p><div class = "subheading">Active Properties</div>
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This field shows all the properties currently assigned to the
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selected (or newly-created) entity. Each property has two parts:
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key and value. Once created or assigned, they appear on the same
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line together. Only properties that are valid for an entity (that
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is, ones that appear in the Key Descriptions field) will function
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in game. Adding others may create error messages. You cannot
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directly affect the properties in this field.
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<p>Clicking on an active property hi-lights it and fills in the key
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and value fields below. You can edit both the key and the
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value in those fields, or use the Del Key/Pair button to delete it
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altogether.
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<p><div class = "subheading">Key & Value Fields</div>
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Keys (and their values) are assigned to entities by typing them
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into the fields. There is no spell check or auto-correction, so
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make sure that your typing is accurate. Start by typing in
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the name of the key. Then hit TAB or ENTER to change to the value
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field. This also clears the contents of the value field. Now type
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in the value for the key (the Key Descriptions list the acceptable
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value ranges for the keys). If you hit ENTER, the key and value
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appear in the Active Properties field. If you hit TAB, the
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cursor moves up to the key field. You can also click directly on a
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field to edit it. The cursor will appear after the last character
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in the field. Use arrow keys to position the cursor within the
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field.
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<p><div class = "subheading">Angle Buttons</div>
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The Angle Buttons (below the value field) are used to assign a
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facing direction (as is the case with player start spots or
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misc_models) or movement direction to entities (such as doors and
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buttons). Click on a button to create an Angle key with that
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button's value in the Active Properties field. Clicking on
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another key changes the angle value.
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<p>There are two clusters of angle buttons. The first cluster
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represents rotation around the Z-axis for entities like player
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start or spawn spots or misc_models. The entity will face in the
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selected direction. The buttons represent angle directions in
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45 degree increments. There is a direct correspondance between the
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angle that the entity will face (or move) and the position of the
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button in the cluster. If you select the 90-degree button at the
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top center of the cluster, the entity will face "up" on the XY 2D
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Map. If you select the 180-degree button on the left side of
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the cluster, the entity will face left on the XY 2D Map.
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<p>For entities like doors or buttons, it represents the direction
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that entity will move when activated.
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<p>The second angle button cluster assigns an up (-1) or down
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(-2) direction to the entity. Note that an entity can only have one
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facing direction. It cannot face up and 45 degrees. It can only
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affect one or the other.
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<p>It is also possible to directly edit the angle value in the
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value field. This allows for a much more precise angle
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selection.
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<p><div class = "subheading">The Other Buttons</div>
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<p>A third cluster of buttons sits to the right of the Angle
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buttons. Each has a unique function.
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<p><strong>Reset</strong>
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<br>Clicking on this button will reset all properties from the entity to the default values.
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<p><strong>Del Key/Pair</strong>
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<br>If you have selected an active property, clicking on this button
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will delete the property.
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<p><strong>Sound…</strong>
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<br>This opens a Windows directory browser in the directory that
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contains the map sounds. Double clicking on a sound file name
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in the browser window creates an active property with the
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appropriate key and the value as the path/name for that sound.
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<p><strong>Model…</strong>
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<br>This opens a Windows directory browser in the models/mapobjects
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directory. Double clicking on an .md3 file name in the
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browser window creates classname misc_model active property with
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the value as the path/name for that model.
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<h2><a name = "enttools">Entity Handling Tools</a></h2>
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These tools manipulate the in game entities. The map component
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handling tools that are described in the Working with Brushes
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section also work with entities.
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<p><div class = "subheading">Escape (ESC)</div>
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This is the all-purpose deselect key. Use it to back out of
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operations you don't want to complete or to stop working on an
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entity.
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<p><div class = "subheading">Connect Entities</div>
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<div class = "menu">(Menu: Selection > Connect Entities)
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<br>(Shortcut: CTRL+ K)</div>
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This targets one entity, typically an activating trigger, at
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another entity, usually a target of some kind. Some entities
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may be linked in multi-part chains, where each entity has some
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effect on the one(s) that follow it. To use, do the following:
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<ol>
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<li>Hi-light the acting entity (usually a trigger, or a button).
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<li>Hi-light the targeted entity (examples: target_position,
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target_relay, a door).
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<li>Select Connect Entities (or press CTRL + k).
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<li>A path is drawn between the two entities. The first entity
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selected always targets on the second.</ol>
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Troubleshooting: If the connection is not made check the
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following:
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<ul><li>Are both objects already entities? Sometimes it's easy to forget
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to make a trigger brush into a trigger.
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<li>Did you select ONLY two objects? If you accidentally click
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on something you don't intend to link, you have to start the
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linkage over.
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<li>Did you select the objects in the correct order?
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<li>Is the second object something that can be triggered
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remotely?</ul>
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<p><div class = "subheading">Ungroup Entity </div>
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<div class =- "menu">(Menu: Selection > Ungroup Entity)
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<br>(Shortcut: none)</div>
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This unbinds an entity made of brushes, and/or patches, and md2
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models back into separate map components. Once ungrouped, the
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entity is no longer an entity and loses any and all key value
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properties it may have had.
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<p><div class = "tip"><b>Design Note:</b> If you intend to rebuild an entity after
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ungrouping it, write down its key properties and values first.</div>
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<p><div class = "subheading">Moving Selected Entity</div>
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These keys move the Entity around the map in discrete map grid
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increments.
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<ul><strong>Move Selection Down</strong>
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<div class = "menu">(Shortcut: Keypad MINUS)</div>
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Each press moves the selected map component down along the
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Z-axis by one grid position (at current grid setting). Not affected
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by current 2D-map view.
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<p><strong>Move Selection Up</strong>
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<div class = "menu">(Shortcut: Keypad PLUS)</div>
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Each press moves the selected map component up along the Z-axis
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by one grid position (at current grid setting). Not affected by
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current 2D-map view.</ul>
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<p><div class = "subheading">Nudging the Entity</div>
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These keys move the Entity around the map in discrete map grid
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increments. The movement is in terms of the selected window, not in
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terms of XYZ coordinates.
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<ul><strong>Nudge Down</strong>
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<div class = "menu">(Shortcut: ALT + DOWN ARROW)</div>
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Each press moves the selected map component "down" the map view
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by one grid position (at the current grid setting). The movement is
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relative to the selected map view, not XYZ coordinates.
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<p><strong>Nudge Up</strong>
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<div class = "menu">(Shortcut: ALT + UP ARROW)</div>
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Each press moves the selected map component "up" the map view by
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one grid position (at the current grid setting). The movement is
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relative to the selected map view, not XYZ coordinates.
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<p><strong>Nudge Left</strong>
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<div class = "menu">(Shortcut: ALT + LEFT ARROW)</div>
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Each press moves the selected map component "left" the map view
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by one grid position (at the current grid setting). The movement is
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relative to the selected map view, not XYZ coordinates.
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<p><strong>Nudge Right</strong>
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<div class = "menu">(Shortcut: ALT + RIGHT ARROW)</div>
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Each press moves the selected map component "right" the map view
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by one grid position (at the current grid setting). The movement is
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relative to the selected map view, not XYZ coordinates.</ul>
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<p><div class = "subheading">Rotating Entities = BAD!</div>
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All the commands that rotate brushes and patches will work on
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entities. Unfortunately, what they do to some entities is BAD!
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Don't use free rotate or menu rotation commands to rotate
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Misc_models or any entity model represented by a wireframe model in
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your map. The movement will separate the model wireframe from its
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bounding box and will not actually change the facing of the
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entity.
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<p><div class = "subheading">Changing Facing = GOOD!</div>
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To change the direction that a misc_model or entity with a
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facing (such as a player start or spawn spot) faces, use Angle keys
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and values. You should "rotate" (change facing) entities with
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either the Angle buttons on the Entity Window or by entering an
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Angle key and giving it a rotation value between 1 and 360
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(inclusive).
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<p><div class = "subheading">Mass Rotations</div>
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If you are building a Capture the Flag map, or other map where
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you only build one portion and rotate it to make the others,
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consider doing the following. Change the display of all
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non-misc_model entities to bounding boxes only. Select the
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entities to be moved and clone them. Then rotate them using the
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menu rotating commands. Position them in the new map
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section. Next, move misc_models individually. Change
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their facing and set them in place.
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<p align = "center"><a href = "../ch07/pg7_1.htm">Back</a> | <a href = "../index.htm">Home</a> | <a href = "../ch09/pg9_1.htm">Next</a>
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