Level Design Interactive and Dynamic Map Elements?

[CrashFu]

I think I'm interested in attempting a map one of these days; I've made something in the Hammer editor for TF2 once before, but never worked in UE .. are they fairly similar?

Before I decide for certain what I'd like to go for, I really must know what kind of elements are possible in a KF2 map. Specifically, I have a real fondness for maps with dynamic or interactive elements (and it kind of saddens me how static all of the official KF2 maps have been so far..) . So what is possible?

• Elevators and other types of Moving Platform?
• Automated vehicles like mine-carts?
• Environmental damage?
• Falling objects?
• Moving objects with a specific amount of weight or force output, IE something that would knock over a Clot but not a Scrake?
• Triggers that sense players or zeds, or weight?
• Displays that show a camera point in real-time?
• Displays that show a spectator cam?
• Moving or toggling on/off Zed and Player spawns?
• Having the Traders cycle in a pre-set order instead of randomly?
• Simple interactive panels (ie use button while facing panel)
• Complex interactive panels (individual buttons, require aiming precisely at one to use)?
• Interactions that give or take cash?
• Interactions that give health?
• Interactions that remember a player or target a specific remembered player?
• Conveyor Belts?
• Launch pads?
• Pre-set or On-Trigger specific weapon / item spawn?
• Custom BGM (overrides normal soundtrack)?
• On-trigger zed spawning?
• Spawning of zeds that don't contribute to wave total?
• "event-specific" pathing for zeds, IE making zeds walk a certain path or behave a certain way based on a trigger?
• Forced zed erase from areas or forced zed teleport?
• Water? (as in, does KF2 support it at all? I doubt there are swimming animations for anything.)
• Dynamic/Triggered changes to ambient lighting / environmental effects, IE fog, smoke, or weather?

 

[Mundgodt]

Hello, and welcome! I will try and answer as much as i can. If anyone finds any of my info to be wrong, please do correct me

Elevators and other types of Moving Platform?
Definatly

Automated vehicles like mine-carts?
If you mean controlled by a player, then im not sure. If you mean moving by itself, then yes its possible.

Environmental damage?
Not sure

Falling objects?
No sure what you mean here either. Yes theres dynamic objects that would fall if not supported if thats what you mean.

Moving objects with a specific amount of weight or force output, IE something that would knock over a Clot but not a Scrake?
I dont think thats possible.

Triggers that sense players or zeds, or weight?
Yes. Not weight though.

Displays that show a camera point in real-time?
I think thats possible, but im really not sure.

Displays that show a spectator cam?
Same as above, im not sure.

Moving or toggling on/off Zed and Player spawns?
Yes

Having the Traders cycle in a pre-set order instead of randomly?
I'm pretty sure this is possible too, im in the process of making a map where its almost needed. So i hope it is ^^

Simple interactive panels (ie use button while facing panel)
Complex interactive panels (individual buttons, require aiming precisely at one to use)?
Multiple buttons im almost completely sure that thats impossible. Single buttons should however be possible.

Interactions that give or take cash?
Interactions that give health?
Interactions that remember a player or target a specific remembered player?
No, i dont think so.

Conveyor Belts?
Yes

Launch pads?
No

Pre-set or On-Trigger specific weapon / item spawn?
Yes

Custom BGM (overrides normal soundtrack)?
Not yet afaik. But i think its planned.

On-trigger zed spawning?
Definatly

Spawning of zeds that don't contribute to wave total?
In the current Survival gamemode, i dont think thats possible. But for Objective maps i think its possible (Objective maps are unsupported atm).

"event-specific" pathing for zeds, IE making zeds walk a certain path or behave a certain way based on a trigger?
Yes

Forced zed erase from areas or forced zed teleport?
I dont think you can force it, no.

Water? (as in, does KF2 support it at all? I doubt there are swimming animations for anything.)
No swimming

Dynamic/Triggered changes to ambient lighting / environmental effects, IE fog, smoke, or weather?
Yes, lots of it


I hope this helps you to make a decision and gl with the map making!

 

[DirtySpartan]

Most of this is pretty doable via kismet but it would definitely influence the gameplay loop (which could be good if done correctly)

 

[CrashFu]

Thank you for the replies, guys! Btw, by "falling objects" I meant like.. an object that can be triggered to fall from its initial position, that will damage or outright kill a player / zed that it collides into, like a rock or some rubble.

I think I'm interested in making a map that explores the concept of upward-progress, something like the interior of a large hotel or office (with a fire raging in the lower floors, that is gradually consuming the building) or a trek up a mountainside (as the sun sets, bathing lower areas in darkness) or some sort of very artificial tower (the set of one of those physical challenge shows, perhaps? With lights being shut off or a smoke-screen rising gradually)

Whether by threat of environmental damage or just losing visibility, the players would be forced to gradually make their way upwards, losing the ability to defend (or even safely access) lower areas, at least not effectively or for very long). The highest level of the map would be designed to be the most intense to try and survive on, and by the boss level the players would be quite restricted to that area.

Once I actually start working on something and decide the specifics, I will of course share more. In the meantime, feel free to share any interesting things you learn (or are able to do) with the mapping tools regarding these sort of dynamic/interactive elements.

 

[mikkou]

• Elevators and other types of Moving Platform?
  - Possible but the pathing will fail for the specimens on anything that moves so I wouldnt recommend using these unless its an objective map of sorts where you have areas without any zeds
• Automated vehicles like mine-carts?
  - Depends what you mean by automated, but yes you can make carts that move around on their own or carts that move when player touches them but again specimens will have hard time tracking players in moving objects.
• Environmental damage?
  - Based on your last post you mean like fire or lava or w/e that causes damage to players? Yeah that is also possible and you can trigger more fires through the Kismet tool and possible activate pain causing volumes around it altho I havent personally tried this.
• Falling objects?
  - Possible through Kismet, using trigger volumes and interpactors (or w/e it was called).
• Moving objects with a specific amount of weight or force output, IE something that would knock over a Clot but not a Scrake?
  - Might be possible with some weird workaround, like having your object be affected only by certain specimen types? Depends what exactly you want to do.
• Triggers that sense players or zeds, or weight?
  - You can have a trigger check wether something is touching it or is inside it. Again cant say for sure because I dont know what exactly you want to do.
• Displays that show a camera point in real-time?
  - This was possible in the old editor so I would assume its possible in the new one as well, however it was extremely laggy when displaying real-time so unless theyve improved it I wouldnt recommend using it.
• Displays that show a spectator cam?
  - Dont think this is possible, without coding.
• Moving or toggling on/off Zed and Player spawns?
  - You can move player spawns with Kismet, TWI did this as well in their maps so players would spawn closer to trader. Im fairly sure you can also deactivate/reactivate regular zed spawns in the same manner, I did it with vent spawns on Subterrane.
• Having the Traders cycle in a pre-set order instead of randomly?
  - Only way I can think of is deactivating a trader with the Kismet tool again, and then reactivating another one, but Im not entirely sure if you can do this with traders.
• Simple interactive panels (ie use button while facing panel)
• Complex interactive panels (individual buttons, require aiming precisely at one to use)?
  - You can have a simple "press F here" type of buttons but something like keypads and other more complex things might require a coder?
• Interactions that give or take cash?
  - Afaik this is not possible atm, in KF1 I had to use a special set of coded triggers made by a friend of mine to make this work. You can probably spawn money actors though.
• Interactions that give health?
  - There is an action in the Kismet that says "actor -> modify health" but I havent been able to make it affect players so it could be it only works on destructable objects that have health?
• Conveyor Belts?
  - A simple decorative one can be done with an animated texture but I suppose you want one to interract with? I think this would require something like multiple platforms moving next to each other to give the illusion of a conveyor belt which would take quite a while to make with all the Matinee wizardy required.
• Launch pads?
  - These were available in the old editor so likely they are in the new one as well. If not you can probably simulate one with triggers and physics volumes.
• Pre-set or On-Trigger specific weapon / item spawn?
  - This was possible in the old editor as well, so you can probably do it in this one as well altho I havent tried it yet.
• Custom BGM (overrides normal soundtrack)?
  - I think this wasnt available yet but possibly supported in the future.
• On-trigger zed spawning
  - Yes, already been done in the testing map.
• Spawning of zeds that don't contribute to wave total?
  - Not possible afaik.
• "event-specific" pathing for zeds, IE making zeds walk a certain path or behave a certain way based on a trigger?
  - You can activate/deactivate pathnodes I think, so yeah.
• Forced zed erase from areas or forced zed teleport?
  - Havent tried this but you might be able to activate a pain causing volume in the said area which would kill all specimens.
• Water? (as in, does KF2 support it at all? I doubt there are swimming animations for anything.)
  - Nope. All water is currently just a static mesh with a water texture on it. Swimming wouldnt work very well in a game like this.
• Dynamic/Triggered changes to ambient lighting / environmental effects, IE fog, smoke, or weather?
  - You can trigger pretty much anything through the Kismet. Weather changes will be a bit more complex but something like Day/Night cycle has already been made, for example.

But keep in mind that any of these may change as Tripwire adds more features. Especially after objective mode is released, thats going to open a whole world of possibilities for w/e you are planning to do.