VIS blocking in open + closed area

(Flippy) #1

Hey…

ive got a little problem here… My map consists of 2 parts at the moment, an outside part, and an inside part… (so blocking the outside part from being shown when you are inside will be no problem)

but i now made it that you can get on the roof of some things in the base (inside) so you can see about 90% of the outside part when you are standing just outside the inside part, behind a wall (and also many things of the inside part)…

although my map is’nt really large, im not sure if it will work with many players and/or bad systems…

so here’s my question…

how do i vis block a large outside area from being shown when you for example get on a wall that would usually block it from being shown…

pic:

the green part is the large outdoor part (duh)
the dark gray part is the roof of the base (indoor part)
the light gray part is the “floor” of the outside part inside the base (lol) (a bit like a courtyard where there are walls all around you)

the blue circle is a player inside the courtyard. He should not be able to see the outside part due to the wall. (the game shouldn’t draw it)
the red circled player is a player on top of a wall, he can see (visually on his monitor) the outside part

However, when compiled with VIS if you are in the courtyard the whole outside area gets drawn (r_showtris 2)

How do i VIS block this?

I thought about using HINT brushes (as that’s probably what i should do) but i couldnt get it to work… i dont know how to use them properly in an area that large… (all the tutorials i read only deal with small parts like a ladder hole) and i dont know whether to make it square, rectangular, triangled etc… :???:

(iwound) #2

or variation on that. just imagine that its like a corridor from the side view.

(Diego) #3

If the wall is structural, I guess I would try making a hint brush on either side of the wall that is flush with the top of the wall. If boths hint brushes are the same height and they are separated by a structural brush it should work. The outdoor hint brush may not cover all of your hills if they are taller than the wall. But any terrain lower than the wall should be ok.

But it looks like the angled way will probably work the best except when the player is at the right side.

(Flippy) #4

i dont exactly understand what you mean diego…

[]V[]'s picture makes sense though, but i dont know how this hint brush is drawn…:

  • a thin brush
  • a volume brush with it’s volume on the lower side
  • a volume brush with it’s volume on the upper side

1:

2:

or 3:

(Shaderman) #5

It doesn’t matter. A volume brush might be easier to handle than a thin brush.

(iwound) #6

Skip texture on all sides except the side you use. fig 2 will do. I saw an example where 2 were used in either direction.
Make sure you bury the hint side just in the wall and extend it to structure on either side.
Have you done a full vis compile yet as it might be ok as it is.How high is the wall, and what
blocksize are you using.

(carnage) #7

perhaps this “slightly” more artistic picture will clear things up

(obsidian) #8

I spent a lot of time explaining hints with pretty screenshots:
http://www.quake3world.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3620

V has the right idea. Vertical hinting works the same way as horizontal hinting. Just imagine the map as being turned on its side.

(Flippy) #9

wow that’s a nice article :slight_smile: i only just found out you need only one face with hint, i didnt notice this in any other tutorial :???:

anyway, i tried many different approaches, all of them with some succes, but i concluded that my wall was simply too small… the outside terrain was blocked only when you were within a meter of the wall, if you went farther outside the tops of the hills were already visible… i gave up :slight_smile:

i made this “courtyard” completely inside and now its blocking vis completely :slight_smile:

however, one problem area remains… i have a door on my “bunker” which “connects” the inside with the outside. Ofcourse VIS leaks through this door, so all the terrain gets drawn when you are in the (rather small but important) room. I read about areaportals but i didnt get them to work… (no errors or anything but vis wasn’t blocked at all)
is there any other way? or any vital information i need to know about areaportals (eg when they work and when they dont…?)

(obsidian) #10

http://fps.brainerd.net/Areaportals.htm

IIRC, areaportal sections need to be completely cut off from other sections of the map. If any other part (like another entrance) is exposed to the “outside” you will need to seal that section off with areaportals as well.

Either that, or create a small L or Z-shaped hallway leading up to the door and add hints.

(Flippy) #11

well i got 2 of the 3 too work now… but i have no clue why the 3rd doesnt work… its set up exactly the same as the other 2 doors + areaportals, the only difference might be that the two working areaportals are at doors leading from one room to another, and the one not working (gives HOM effect) is from a room to the outside terrain…

the only reason i could find for the AP to give a HOM effect was having it in a func_explosive or script_mover, but it’s a plain and simple func_door_rotating, just like the other two…

am i missing a “HOM effect cause” here?

(EB) #12

http://spyjuice.com/maps/tris_fps_vis.pk3

A tutorial map that helps to bring out the simplicity behind the complex idea. .map, .bsp and a readme file.

That map will help illustrate the ideas behind hint brush uses.

(]UBC[ McNite) #13

I agree with obsidian, areaportals are a very weak workaround. Just make the entrances with the doors bigger and give them a “S” layout with a small entrance room. That makes sure nothing from the inside is being drawn when someone stands outside. Simple and clean.