Section 3 - Triggers

Triggers cause events to happen and ultimately have everything to do with how much fun your level is to play! Triggers activate when Lara moves onto a square that has been designated as a trigger. Any trigger placed under Lara at her starting position will activate as the level begins (as illustrated by the torches in the first room). Triggers appear as pink squares and make the square(s) as well as the vertical space above, an active zone. This way, Lara cannot jump to avoid a trigger (unless it is designated as a “Pad trigger”). For a complete list of Triggers and their special features, refer to the Advanced Skills Section.

In the “First Room” of the demo model, locate the pink trigger on the raised platform. This was Lara’s starting position before you moved her into your “First Room”. The triggers were set beneath her in order to light the torches automatically at the beginning of the level. In the PLAN VIEW window left click twice on the pink trigger square that was Lara’s starting position. The yellow box tells you it is the trigger for “Flame Emitter2”. Each successive click will display the trigger for the other Flame Emitters (as well as a CD trigger for an audio track). You can place more than one trigger on a square, although there are some special rules that apply when stacking triggers…but you don’t need to know about those yet!

Lighting the Torches

1. In your “First Room X” select one of the “Flame Emitter2” nullmesh objects you placed over the torches.

2. Next, select the square Lara is standing on then go to the Room Edit Buttons and click on the pink trigger button. Notice the pink square both in your model and in the PLAN VIEW grid. Now look in the text window next to the pink trigger button…it should read “Trigger for Flame Emitter”.

3. Set a trigger for each remaining “Flame Emitter2” nullmesh object by clicking the object, clicking the square on the raised platform, then clicking the pink trigger button.

4. Now check your triggers from the PLAN VIEW window….each click should bring up four separate trigger listings (the number following the “Flame Emitter” will be different with each click).

Opening the Doors

1. Look in the demo model “First Room” and click on the zone of pink triggers in front of the doors. You can select a group of squares to act as a trigger. In this case, a “zone” has been created to insure that no matter from what angle Lara approaches the door, she will trigger it to open. If you click twice, you will notice another zone of triggers. Each side of the door requires it’s own trigger since each
door is a separate object.

2. Setting these triggers is a little trickier because the doors are located in a different room than the triggers, and in order to select an object you must be in the room where it has been placed.

3. Go to your “Hall 1 X” and select one of the doors.

4. Next, with 2Dmap button on, click on your “First Room X” (or use the ALT + Z to get there). The editor will remember the object you selected and is ready for you to select the squares and set the trigger. Now, right click and drag to select the zone of squares in front of the door, then click the pink trigger button to set the trigger.

5. Go back to your “Hall1 X” and select the other door. Repeat the above process, selecting the same zone of squares.

6. Check your work by clicking on the trigger zones in the PLAN VIEW window. You should have two separate triggers – one for Door_type1 and the other for Door_type2.

7. Finally, go to “Hall 2 X” and place the doors and set the triggers.

Giving Life to your Baddies

The cast of bad guys (well, sometimes they’re friendly) in Tomb Raider games is diverse. Part of what makes each enemy unique is his AI (artificial intelligence). In most cases, individual baddies have unique AI as well as the capability of having a particular kind of AI assigned to them (guide, guard, patrol, etc.). For more details on AI check the Advanced Skills section.

There are many things to consider when placing enemies in your level:

First of all, you need to know what a particular enemy can do…(can he climb walls, jump/climb up on platforms, etc) You wouldn’t want to give Lara too many advantages or there would be no challenge involved…

In some cases you will also need to decide what kind of behavior you want to assign to an enemy. Should he be a friendly guide who will only turn hostile if you shoot at him? Do you want him to guard or patrol a specified area?

Never place a baddy in such a way that you will see him appear from
thin air (unless this somehow works with your story line!).

Animations eat memory, so you are limited in how many enemies you can trigger at one time. Finding these limits is sometimes a matter of experimentation. You will know you have pushed the limits if your game starts chugging or enemies don’t trigger properly. A good rule of thumb is to consider how the experts have done it! Examine their levels before you try to push the limits!

Check the triggers for BADDY_1 in the demo “Dome Room”. A trigger zone has been created on top of the platform where Lara will pick up the small medi pack. The AI of BADDY_1 tells him to look for a medi pack or ammo before attacking Lara. By triggering him on the platform, you know he will run towards Lara in search of the medi pack she is standing next to. Instead of firing at her as soon as he is triggered, BADDY_1 will run towards Lara as she bends to pick up the medi pak, thus building some suspense! Later you will set up a camera to catch this action from a bird’s eye view.

To save on computing power, the bad guys don’t show up until they are triggered (and they disappear shortly after their demise!). Setting simple triggers for baddies is just like setting a trigger for any other object:

1. Go to your “Dome Room” and click on the BADDY_1 you placed in the room earlier.

2. Now select the zone of squares on top of the raised platform then click on the pink trigger button. That’s it!

TAKING A LOOK

It is probably a good idea at this point to check your work “in-game,” just to make sure you’ve set your triggers properly and that everything is still working the way it should. Save your project, output the WAD, use the Level Converter to create the TR4 file. (If your triggers don’t work, before you try to figure out what went wrong, confirm that your TR4 file actually got updated by viewing in detail mode the files in your data folder.) Sometimes when checking your work it is convenient to use the FLYCHEAT mode. Press ‘DOZY’ then use the control and arrow keys to move through your level. Later, when you learn how to modify the script, you can disable this mode if you want to.

Traps

Traps are set to add challenge and a bit of suspense! The only limit (besides technical) is your imagination. Take a look in the popped up alcove of “Hall Up” in the demo model. There are two rolling spike balls waiting for an unsuspecting Lara. The triggers are set just inside the doors at the bottom of the sloped hall so they will be released the moment she steps through the doors.

1. Find the spiked balls in the “Rollingball” slot in your object menu and place them in the popped up alcove.

2. Check the demo model for the location of the triggers, and set yours accordingly.

Now, back to the business of modeling…