Special Effects
UnrealED2 Tutorials by EZkeel

Deadly Lasers

Email :EZkeel
Accompanied files : Lasers.UNR

Tutorials you will need to have read are: Movers

For this we will create a vertical laser beam that can be switched on or off, and when the player walks into it they will get either hurt or killed.

Tutorials you will need to have read are: Movers, Triggers

1) First create a standard room (singleplayer game, a light and a player start) in which to put your player and the laser beam. Making a neat little platform for your laser would look good too.

2) Now create a mover that will act as your laser beam. The textures from XFX.utx can be quite usful. Make the mover from two sheets crossing over each other about 1024 high and 8 wide (it should look like a small cross from your top view, using 4 sheets inn the shape of a star would be even better). They ought to be unlit and transparent.

3) When your mover is made, position it off your map somewhere for its first key frame. Set its ambient noise to something that sounds like electricity (try Ambmodern.uax). Set the mover so it “ignores when encroached” has a mover speed of “0” and is “trigger toggled”. Set mover keyframe 1 so that it is positioned where you want the laser beam to appear in your room (remember it should be vertical and also remember to reset it to keyframe 0). Call it “laser” in its tag field.

4) Now we can add the triggers that do all the work. First add another mover or a trigger that will act as your switch to turn on the laser so that your player can easily see it and use it. Set its event to “laser”.

5) Now add another ordinary trigger right in the spot where your laser will appear. Set its collision radius so that the height and radius match the laser beam mover when it is in keyframe 1. Set its initial state to “other trigger toggles” and in its trigger properties make sure it set to be “initiallyon = false”. Call it “laser” in its tag field and put “frazzle” in its event field.

6) Now we need one more trigger. Place a “specialevent” trigger anywhere in your room, it doesn’t matter where. Call it “frazzle” in its tag field. Set its initial state to “damage instigator” and set the damage amount to whatever you like. In damage type write “burned”.

7) Now what happens when you play the level is this: At first nothing will be visible to the player within the room apart from the button that starts up your laser. The player pushes the button and the laser mover is triggered to appear in the room. The trigger where the laser is positioned, is also switched on. When the player collides with the trigger while it is on, it uses the special event trigger to hurt the player. Pushing the button again will move the laser off the map again and turn off the trigger that hurts the player.