Guild of Writers

This is using plugin 1.2.1 now, not the new one.

I'm using a sound region to trigger a sound on and off. Done this before in Camp Bravo, no problems.

However, this time, I'm having to shape the sound region. In Camp Bravo, I just used a box, and just scaled it.

This time, I'm having to scale it, and shape it. I put in a logic region, then scaled it as big as I needed it. Then I duplicated it, and moved the copy to one side, scaled that one down, then joined the 2 together, went into edit mode and removed the face between the two. So it looks like this:



I then recentered it, and used Cntrl-A. I set up my ALCscripting, just like it is in Camp Bravo.

However, it doesn't work. The link in point is inside this area, and when you link in the sound plays. However, when you leave the area, the sound doesn't stop, it keeps playing. Is this because of how I made the region?

EDIT: Little later

Ah! Just went back looking at my notes. In the tutorial Nadnerb wrote, if you set up a sound region, and you link in to it, crossing the boundry merely toggles the sound emitter, the first crossing of said boundry will turn it on.

So, what I'm trying to do won't work, sound will turn ON when I leave the area, not off

Hehe, messed up part is that the sound is starting when I link in too!

Looks like I'll have to go another route here.

Grrrrrr.....

Having a tough time with this one.

Okay the problem I'm having with this is the truth table for it!

1. I have a sound region for controling a sound.
2. The linkin point is in the region, and has to be there.
3. The sound starts to play as soon as you link in.
4. The sound "toggles" the moment I hit the boundry, but since it's the first time for it, it toggles "on"
5. The sound is still heard on the inside of course due to this.
6. When I leave, I enter the boundry again, toggling the sound "off" even though NOW I need it back on.

So, try setting up two regions. One around the inside just small blender units away from the other region. But now we have this logic:

1. I have a sound region for controling a sound.
2. The linkin point is in the region, and has to be there.
3. The sound starts to play as soon as you link in.
4. The sound "toggles" the moment I hit the boundry, but since it's the first time for it, it toggles "on"
5. You hit the second region controling the sound emitter, and it toggles the sound "off"
6. The sound is not heard on the inside which is the desired result.
7. When I leave, I enter the second boundry again, toggling the sound "on".
8. But then you hit the boundry of the first region right away, and it toggles the sound "off" again, leaving you outside with the sound off, even though you need it on.

Sigh. This is a good example of soft volumes being needed for sounds!

Perhaps you could create a bit-larger-than-avatar sized hole in your sound region where the avatar will link in?

We'd love to have softvolumes working for sounds too.

Complex-shaped regions work? I though only simple concave meshes worked for regions. From my experience at least it certainly seeem to work that way; and in Cyan's ages complex regions seem to be always divided into smaller simpler concave meshes.

I might try the hole thing. It's the only way I can think to get this to work. Too bad the regions don't look at the avatar as being IN them, that would solve the whole problem. But then again, I have no idea how you guys are making this all work in the first place. I just put region A where you tell me, and put scripting B where you tell me.

Aloys wrote:Complex-shaped regions work? I though only simple concave meshes worked for regions. From my experience at least it certainly seeem to work that way; and in Cyan's ages complex regions seem to be always divided into smaller simpler concave meshes.

this has been my findings too ... I tried making a complex (i.e. non convex hull) shaped foorsteps region .... but it wouldn't work... I hd to split it into several seperate "convex hull" shaped regions to encompass the whole area I wanted... ( see HERE

Oh don't even get me started on complex shapped footstep regions!

We're so close to the deadline now for the Age Competition, no reason not to let part of the cat out of the bag now I guess, besides, someone might know how to help.

The Age has a beach and water. Well you don't have square beaches of course, you have a shore line that meanders. Just about any water line meanders.

Now, try making footstep regions for both the water and the land. First time I tried this it was with Camp Bravo. I took the water surface, duplicated it, and then extruded it up wards, scaled it of course, and then moved it to the 2nd layer, and made it into a Logic Region with all the footstep sounds. Getting cocky about it, I took the ground of Camp Bravo and tried to do the same thing. One had dirt sounds, the other water.

The results were disasterous! Here and there, well away from the water, you'd hear splashing, and then in places on the water, you'd hear dirt footsteps!

I gave up after screwing around with it for days. Got rid of them both, put a large footstep region around the entire Age for dirt, and then put a smaller one around the water. I did edit that mesh and made it into a polygon, but very simple. Results this time: No splashing on land anywhere, but around the edge of the water, the splash sound was hit or miss.

Now jump up to this New Age we've made, called Zephyr Cove.
It has a beach and ocean, well I tried to do the same thing. AGAIN with horrible results! Splashing happening way up on the beach, and footsteps while you were swimming!!!!!

Not all Age's will have water that is in a swimming pool, and even then you have round pools or pools with complex shapes. Nature is complex, it's man made stuff that's simple.

Back to my other problem, making the outside sound go away when I go inside: I tried the hole idea that Nadnerb suggested, and I had thought of earlier. Mater of fact, I decided to make the link in point enclosed on 3 sides so you wouldn't traverse the other faces of the sound region accidently after leaving the linkin point.
Well, didn't work. Or rather, it worked, but what it did was work how I wanted the bigger region to work at the beginning.
This time upon linking in you hear the sound. The moment I took a step forward, the sound shut off. This goes against what Nadnerb said: The first time you cross the boundry, it will toggle the sound to "on". Instead it turned it off.

I'm about ready to say to hell with it and just put up with people hearing the sound inside too.

Again, it's a shame that the way this works is not some sort of Region Detect, meaning Plasma knows when you are in or out of a region. That way when I link in, Plasma knows to play the sound because of the area I'm in, not because I crossed a boundry. That way the sound would shut off when I leave the region, again, not because I crossed a boundry, but because my avatar is no longer in that region.

It's funny though....just remember that a couple of months ago we didn't have sounds at all and here we are griping about them! hehehe.

Andy, obviously I dont know the geometry of your age, but, assuming that the water is at the "edges" of the age... then it would be easier to make a large water footsteps region to emcompass the entire age... then make the "ground" footsteps regions INSIDE that one water footsteps region. Yes... to get the ground footsteps to match perfectly your areas you will have to make several ground footstep areas...(make sure they overlap slightly ... this is what I did with Sonavio ...



The large box is the "stone" footsteps region ...and all the other (pink) areas are "grass" ... to match the grassy areas on the land.

Yes, it's time consuming, but it works flawlessly...

You'll notice that all the smaller grass areas are convex hull shapes ... so they match the areas extactly

*ahem* sorry, forgot to mention that I already did what you suggested, it does work better.

Hey now, that's another question........speaking of regions and making them complex....just how complex can you make a swim detect region?

Also, how deep does the Avie need to get before the swim detect takes over? I asked this as I had put in a plane below my water and swim area to where the Avie was wading 2-3 feet, and not once did he start to swim, even though he was well within the swim detect region, not until AFTER I fell off the plane.

Can you break the swim detect region up like that?