1 - Beginner Stealth Zones

[moonsense715]

Author: General Havoc

Skill level: 1

 

 

Getting Started

 

This tutorial will guide you through making a working stealth generator zone on a map. After you have completed this tutorial you should have enough information to add a stealth generator zone to any map. I will guide you through each step of making a stealth generator zone. You may wish to skip some steps if you know what your doing. The stealth generator zone works using a custom script written by Dante that needs to be setup correctly for it to work.

 

 

1) Scripts

 

Here is some information about the scripts that are used in this tutorial:

 

TDA_Stealth_Generator_Zone - This script is attached to a scriptzone and defines the area where an object will be turned stealth. This zone will turn infantry and vehicles stealth whilst they are in the zone. The objects uncloak as soon as they exit the zone. There is a side effect to using this script, when the object exits the zone they will have inherited a stealth effect, similar to that of an uncloaked stealth tank or blackhand.

 

TDA_Stealth_Generator - This is the script that powers the stealth generator zone and is attached to another object. The script is normally attached to an invisible static object and then linked to the zone using the zones ID. This script can be attached to other things to give the desired effect. If it`s attached to a vehicle, then when the vehicle is destroyed the zone will no longer make objects stealth. When added to a building controller then when the building gets destroyed the zone gets disabled thus not making objects in the zone stealth anymore.

 

 

2) Setting Up The Map

 

Before we add the script to the map you will need to load up your terrain into Level Edit and check that your map is set up correctly and will work in the game. We will be adding the parts for the TDA_Stealth_Generator_Zone script to start with.

 

After you have loaded up your terrain into Level Edit we can start to add some of the required objects. The fist thing you will probably want to do is add an object to indicate where the stealth zone is. You will probably want to do this in the stages of your map making so that people know it will be a stealth zone. I have used walls to show where it is going to be on my test map. This is to tell the player where the stealth zone is because the script zones are invisible in the game.

 

The next step is to add a script zone that will indicate to the script the zone that any object goes within will be turned stealth for the amount of time it remains in the zone. You will find the script zone under Object > Script Zone > Script_Zone_All. Make this object so it appears on the map, move the zone so that it covers the area you wish the object to be turned stealth in. You can size the zone using the back dots in the corners, holding shift will allow you to drag the zone upwards. !t doesn`t have to completely cover the object or area, an it doesn`t need to be as tall as the object your turning stealth, just as long as the object can come into contact with the area.

 

The next step is to add the parts for the TDA_Stealth_Generator script. This script is like a "controller" for the zone. You will need to add an object for this controller to be attached to. See the information about the scripts at the top of the page for more information. If you want the zone to be always active and cannot be destroyed then use the arrow as I have above. If you want to make the zone so it can be disabled then you`ll have to use a building controller or a vehicle depending on what you want to use to disable it.

 

 

3) Setting Up The Scripts

 

The last stages are to setup the actual script so that it is linked to everything we have made so far. Go back to the script zone we made earlier and double click it. Then got to the scripts tab and click "add" this will bring up a box similar to the one in the picture below. from the "type" list you should see a list of different scripts, if you don`t see them then you have not installed the scripts into your mod folder correctly, follow the process at the start and check to see if you did everything correctly. From the list of scripts scroll down until you find "TDA_Stealth_Generator_Zone" select that then you should see the same as below.

 

You should see a section with the title "parameters", this is where you select the parameters. As you can see this script only requires one parameter, which is "Player_Type". The "player type" parameter tells the script which team it should activate the stealth for when an object belonging to the specified team enters the zone. 0 is "GDI", 1 is "Nod" and 2 is "Unteamed" or "GDI & Nod". Enter the number in the box according on how you want the zone to work. Click okay and return to the main level. Next double click on the controller, this should be an arrow, a vehicle, or a building controller. It can also be other objects, you`ll understand once you have used it. Go to the scripts tab and "add" script as we did before to bring up the box below. From the list of scripts scroll down until you find "TDA_Stealth_Generator" select that then you should see the same as below.

 

You should see a section with the title "parameters", this is where you select the parameters. As you can see this script only requires one parameter also, which is "Zone_ID". The "Zone_ID" parameter tells the script where the zone to generate the stealth is. This requires you to get the ID form the scriptzone we created earlier, do this by double clicking the object, it should come up with a screen and there should be a box named "ID" with a six digit number in. Type this number into the value box for the parameter. Click okay then your script is set up.

 

 

4) Testing

 

Congratulations, you have successfully added a stealth generator zone to your map. You can now save it and test it in renegade. You may need to adjust it if it is not working as it should. Follow each step carefully again if you think you may have messed something up. Good Luck!

 

 

5) Credits

 

This tutorial was written by General Havoc (Robert Hunt)

 

I`d like to thank Dante for getting this script working and originally writing the script and may others. Also John Wilson for working on the scripts.dll.

 

Also many thanks to the many people who help on the Westwood Mod Forums.

 

Finally of course Westwood Studios for the excellent series of C&C Games.

 

Let Westwood Live on!