Quote from DaMaGepy on June 7, 2011, 5:01 pm

I Just made a tutorial youtube video about doors and buttons.
And in the beginning I use valve instances, then custom instance, then prefabs and I compare which one is the best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYUyDXmU_LU

Also showing a method to make a 3 button activated door, some indicator, and a timer button. Its without audio, only using screen notes. Also testing and showing everything ingame.

The tutorial was made mainly to show why instances are bad and hard (and takes more time) to handle compared to prefabs:
- First I make 3 door and 3 button (each button opens its paired door) only using official valve instances
- Then I use my custon door instance (its better but still not faster)
- Then I use custom prefabs. Its really 2-3 times easier and faster than using instances. They (prefabs) auto-number themselves upon placing if they have &i in their targetnames...

- Then I transform the buttons into ball-buttons and add 3 weighted edgeless ball
- After that I show a 3 button 1 door combo, when the door only opens if all 3 button is activated
- Then I add doorstate indicators for the 3 button and one that only activates when all 3 is yellow (when the door opens)
- Then I put down some indicator strip
- Then I place a vertical switch, that opens the door and closes after 4 second, with a timer sound. I also show how to prevent retriggering before the timer ends
- Then I show how to just open the door that stays open and the button can't be used again

In the "What the point is instances ?" thread I wrote down my opinion about instances:
Instances:
Instances are like includes in Php. Only useful if you add lot of similar thing into a map or other maps, and you want to modify the included thing, for example adding a light or changing the brightness of a light instnce or changing a custom sound etc in an instanced door. You only need to modify the instance and recompile the map (and the other maps if needed). Or when using rotated instances. You can insert an instance rotated, but if needed, you modify the original instance normally and there is no need to mess with vertex manipulation or rotate everything back like you must do with prefabs. Ah, and maybe because of the directory structure, its more organized. Thats all. (or actually you can pick prefabs faster, by starting to type in their names just like with entities)
If I think it over, I've never used instances just so I can modify them all at the same time later, and never rotated (inserted) them for example by 45 degree.
I usually end up collapsing inserted instances, because for example stock observation rooms dont have a door or have few objects, and I either just add them in the instance (I mean not by editing it, I just put them inside) or I collapse them.
Its pretty hard sometimes to control them and they cant be customized unless edited. proxies? i/o? prefixes? No thanks (even if I totally understand them)

Prefabs:
They can be modified freely, and modifying them dont mess up other maps. With instances, you neeed to save them with a different name so they do not mess up other maps using them.
Prefabs can be moved after insertion if they still grouped.
And about inserting multiple brefab doors:
If you use _&i in the prefab names, it will automatically number them (replace) so if I create a prefab door with a doorname door_&i and a triggername opendoor_&i, and I insert 2 of this prefab, they will be door_1,opendoor_1 and door_2,opendoor_2 etc, so after insertion you must set one button to trigger opendoor_1 the other to trigger opendoor_2. Ofc if you dont know this then yes, instances can be better. the output still need to be modified but its the same with instances too.

So for me pros and cons:

INSTANCES:
pro:
- well organized directory structure when browsing for instance vmfs
- can insert them rotated but edit them normally
- to change multiple ocurence of an insertedgrouped thing (instance) only need to modify one
- the main vmf is smaller
cons:
- sometimes hard to control them
- even if you get used to it (controlling), if you want to customize, you need to edit and save the instances with a different name or collapse them, but this way the instancing lose its purpose and becomes similar to prefabs
- need to include all used instance with the main vmf, and the map loads longer into hammer
- annoying tint around instances (even if it can be turned off if the instance is not selected)

PREFABS:
pros:
- doors buttons etc can be just inserted and they auto-name themselves if named correctly
- simple to control/trigger/edit, no weird triggernames etc.
- can modify anything, and they are customizable
- modifying one inserted prefab in the map will not mess up others
cons:
- larger main vmf size
- if you want to modify something in all inserted prefab, you must modify them all one-by-one

Example:
Adding 5 door and 5 button then setting them up individually (so button1 opens door1, b2 d2 etc) is like 30 sec for me in hammer (I have buttons having their triggered door names also numbered _&i so I just insert 5 door then 5 doorbutton and they work without modifying anything, only 1-1 number in the button output. Using instanced doors with instanced buttons... well, its a bit longer, and if you need to modify things like the open time or 2 button-1 door setup, or changing the paintdropper's density paintangle etc you must edit them and save with another name or collapse them into the main map.
If someone interested, I can post my custom door and custom button doorbutton prefabs for example. Ah, and if someone find it hard to properly insert/position prefabs (so if because of some entity its always off the grid), you need to surround it with a skip textured block that can stay around it after insertion or can just be removed later when doesnt needed.