How To: Add Screen Overlays on only ONE (or more) players

[Yaki]

EDIT: See discussion below for an alternative method. This is just a guide for one method!!

So I stumbled across this when thinking about Lumberyard_Event and how Dan could implement the screen effects for when the player becomes Beamy.

Here is an example:

Spoiler

This screen overlay applies only to me.

All I did was replace one .VMT and apply addcond 106 to myself via console cheat.

What is addcond 106?

• Condition 106 applies the PASSTIME interception distortion effect for when a player steals the ball (I guess? I don't know enough about Pass Time). Regardless, this is just one overlay that works similar to when you are underwater, Jarate'd, etc...
• You know what that means! We can apply this condition to any player we choose.

How can this be achieved in my map?

• This file is replaced:
  • effects/dodge_overlay.vmt
• Once you have that, you need to apply the condition in Hammer using this brush entity:
  • trigger_add_tf_player_condition
• Additionally, you can remove the condition using this trigger:
  • trigger_remove_tf_player_condition (There is no VDC Wiki article on this one)
• Pack effects/dodge_overlay.vmt manually in your map (using programs VIDE or CompilePal)

Examples...

Here are two examples you can try yourself:
-> Overlay Examples.zip

• This includes two folders--Each folder contains one .VMT.
• Place ONLY ONE of the folders in the directory "tf/custom".
• Folder names are self explanatory.

Known Downsides...

1. This doesn't work in Pass Time (because the condition is used in this game mode)

• This still applies a "Bonk! Atomic Punch" effect on the player as any class.
• To fix this, add condition 14 (Bonk! phasing) with 0 duration. That'll remove the phasing.

 

[Yaki]

Figured out how to remove the phasing! Just add the bonk phasing effect (condition 14) and remove it the same second.

To do so, add the condition via trigger and make it a duration of 0.

 

[Zeus]

interesting and useful!

 

[Yaki]

interesting and useful!

Actually...Turns out we can use r_screenoverlay via point_clientcommand. It gives pretty much the same effect, and is more flexible.

Recently it was removed from the list of sv_cheats on servers, or something? I was told on the Discord about this. It won't work upon singleplayer testing (i.e. going to a map via console "map <mapname>") but it works on multiplayer servers (dedicated).

I guess the only benefit of this method I discovered is it's an addcond, which is removed on player death.

If you find this useful, thank you!