Payload Race Entity Setup

Sub

L1: Registered
Mar 4, 2009
31
3
Has anyone figured it out yet?

I've decompiled the map and there aren't any 'new' entities that I could see. Just looked like a different combination of logic_relays and logic_branches. I don't know, it's too early to start really thinking about it. :blink:
 
Apr 19, 2009
4,460
1,722
Get rid of everything but the enities and make a quick map around it to figure out what is going on without all the fluff. I think ABS is trying to figure this out too.
 
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Zeewier

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 20, 2008
619
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Look again :p

there is 1 new entity (forgot the name something like dual payload or payload race, it's on the bottom in entity report) and a lot new settings in the train_watchers
 

Icarus

aa
Sep 10, 2008
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It's managed by a a new escort entity, and assigning teamnums to 2 watchers per round
 

TheAnonymousMrP

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2008
12
5
In so far as I can find, they've added a couple of extra things to team_train_watcher - one to declare the team of the train (TeamNum, blu=3 and red=2) and one to declare whether the train can recede in what I assume is the "normal" fashion (train_can_recede, 0 in pipeline's case).

There's a "tf_logic_multiple_escort" which I'm not familiar with, that might allow the use of multiple team train watchers per round, perhaps?

Other than that, business as usual. The mentioned logic_branches basically do what OnTrainStartRecede usually does - if "n" is where you want payload to stop receding (like the bottom of a hill, for instance), when the payload passes path_track "n-1", it triggers the branch. At path_track "n", it sends value "1" to the branch, which sets the speed of the cart to a negative value (ie, it recedes), and activates sparks and such. When it reaches the "top of the hill" or equivalent, "0" is sent to the branch, which sets the speed of the cart to 0.

Valve also seem to like disabling path_tracks just before the bottom of the hill - I suppose that works just as well as sending more values to the logic_branch.

For example, the cap 1 branch:

When the cart passes path_track 25: The branch is triggered and enabled - the later on a 0.1 second delay (not sure why, but there you go).
When the cart passes path_track 26: path_track 24 is disabled, and a value of "1" is sent to the branch.
When the cart passes path_track 27 (top of the "hill"): path_track 26 is disabled, and a value of "0" is sent to the branch.

Of note: In area 3, they modify the base rate of the train to accommodate for the hills. They halve it, in case you're wondering.

The cross-sections use different branches, and lord knows how those branches end up shown beautifully on the HUD, but there you go.

The cap-areas also seems to have new outputs - there's now "OnNumCappersChanged2", used on both - different functionality to the original?

EDIT: Gosh darn it, I should spend less time writing.
 

TheAnonymousMrP

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2008
12
5
I'm pretty sure that's something on the new rails - those little lights are alight when the train is moving, I think. At least, I think that's the intent, the entity doesn't appear in Hammer. If you click near the lights though, they appear as a prop_static.

I ain't no Hammer expert so I ask, is there some way of grouping static props and altering something to do with how they appear?
 

Ezekel

L11: Posh Member
Dec 16, 2008
818
245
i noticed if you don't use the same group index as the ones in pipeline the progress bar doesn't actually show up when you run the map.

also, i dunno if this is cos i got it set to teleport to next path or not, but tf2 seems to crash whenever i try to move the func_train. (i'm trying to modify the HUD into2 health bars and 1st attempt didn't quite work. train positions correct, but HUD insists they are at start...)
 

Fire Tock

L1: Registered
Sep 14, 2008
21
0
im working on a plr map already. Working on the map itself. But when you get your new library out with how to make a plr map. Im gonna release it in half a second.
 

TheAnonymousMrP

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2008
12
5
Well, I've been working on a PLR map, particularly trying to get the entities to work in the last couple of days. I have been failing miserably at this task.

Besides my own flaws, I cannot for the life of me get the double-payload HUD to work correctly - only the Red component appears, and has an annoying icon indicating a control point at the start of the red line which shouldn't appear. I haven't even tried setting up receding parts.

Anyone else having any luck? It's driving me insane, and I'm beginning to wonder if something was lost in the decompiled Pipeline used as a basis for this information.
 

Ezekel

L11: Posh Member
Dec 16, 2008
818
245
Well, I've been working on a PLR map, particularly trying to get the entities to work in the last couple of days. I have been failing miserably at this task.

Besides my own flaws, I cannot for the life of me get the double-payload HUD to work correctly - only the Red component appears, and has an annoying icon indicating a control point at the start of the red line which shouldn't appear. I haven't even tried setting up receding parts.

Anyone else having any luck? It's driving me insane, and I'm beginning to wonder if something was lost in the decompiled Pipeline used as a basis for this information.

i was having the same problem as you. in the end i just copied the index and group index values from pipeline stage1's CPs, and that made it show blue as well as red.
seems odd to me, but my guess is that the group index/index values have been directly tied to the team in question.
 

TheAnonymousMrP

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2008
12
5
You are most certainly correct. It doesn't seem essential to copy the indexes (because it was being annoying, I just used 1-4 for BLU and 11-14 for RED), but differentiating between BLU and RED caps via group index is necessary for it to work.

What would appear to be a fairly arbitrary and unalterable detail is that the multi-watcher always puts RED first. I would guess that it's because the "TeamNum" is lower than that of BLU's.
 

Gundam

L1: Registered
Jun 22, 2009
34
18
I've been looking around for a payload race template and tutorial, and didn't manage to find a single one. So I've created these examples that demonstrate how to set up a plr game.

I'm relatively new to mapping, so I'll just leave these here. They're still a bit buggy, so hopefully some of the Pro's can give me some tips and criticism.

Simplest Possible Payload Race
plr_test_simple.vmf

Payload Race with Rollback
plr_test_rollback.vmf

Payload Race with Crossover Tracks
plr_test_crossover.vmf