New Box Droppers
Since the instances for droppers in instances/gameplay are so cluttered that there is a VDC page dedicated to listing their properties, I was thinking that they could be simplified.
With these new droppers, there are several "dropper" instances (dirty, clean, underground...), each of which takes as a parameter the name of the template. Those templates are in different instances, each of which holds one instance of that cube or whatever and a point_template in a nodraw-box.
So to make a default PTI-like cube dropper, you would place a copy of instances/itemdropper/dropper_clean.vmf, then somewhere in your map a copy of instances/itemdropper/weighted_cube.vmf, then pass @weighted_cubeas the parameter to the dropper. For multiple droppers, you would only neeonee weighted_cube.vmf instance. This would also mke it easy to add, say, Reepblue's repulsion cubes--it only needs one instance, not a dozen or so for various droppers.
It's almost working now. I'll post sample instances when I'm done.
Do you think that this is a good idea?
what are you trying to say?
clarify.
I don't quite understand it yet either.
When I read "new droppers" I thought you meant the new dropper instances that came with the PTI and fit into a 128x128x128 block. They are slightly smaller than the common droppers. Only downside seems to be that their model apparently doesn't have the rusty skin for destroyed chambers.
If you really wanted to: you could have the dropper instance different from the entity spawner instance and just link the two together by using a filter which will open and close the dropper (pass the type of cube or the name of the cube to the dropper instance as a filter for the trigger that plays the dropper's aperture animations).
In an instance I made that spawned different types of gel, I used names of relays that enabled or disabled based on the $values you put into the instance.
Gel Dropper instance
This might be handy to look at if you want to spawn custom cubes or by using names instead of numbers.
Sorry, clarifying (they work now):
When you make the instance, it has a replace parameter. You give it the name of another instance (holding the cube) which you have elsewhere in your map. Through a bit of magic it spawns the template inside that instance.
I'll upload it shortly.
Uploaded.
Right now I only have the various types of normal weighted cubes, and the normal and rusted droppers. I'll add more soon, such as custom cubes and underground and Portal 1 droppers.
Quick question: why would this be better then TSL Dropper AnnyCube v1.4 (FIXED) ?
I don't know, haven't tested them yet.
Don't those ones just pass parameters to a prop_weighted_cube? 7Zip doesn't like the RAR so I don't know how those work. But these ones use an external point_template, separate from the instance, in a different file.
I think this is a great idea. It significantly reduces the number of redundant entities.
It's easy to rack up many unneeded or redundant entities in a map nowadays, because those generic instances are, well, generic, and contain a lot of stuff that is not used (*cough*global_ents.vmf*cough*), or could be shared between multiple instances, like the cube templates.
I already made a set of "whatever-droppers" that drop anything that has a certain name, but sticking the templates for common cases in an instance is even better.
Other Portal 2 maps: Medusa Glare
Portal 1 maps: Try Anything Twice | Manic Mechanic
Sorry, what is a great idea? Bit hard to follow when so many people post :S