Falling through DIFs
by John Doppler Schiff · in Torque Game Engine · 06/04/2006 (9:08 am) · 7 replies
Hi folks,
I've got a strange bug that's cropped up. The mission I'm working on has no terrain block; the game space is composed of a checkerboard of square DIF blocks.
It works fine in a virgin copy of TGE, but with TLK installed, the player has begun falling through the floors of the DIF interiors and plummeting off into space.
If I insert a terrain block anywhere -- even far below the DIF structures -- the player no longer takes unexpected spacewalks.
Any suggestions on how to resolve the issue without using a terrain block? Having the perception of "limitless space" on all sides is key to the feel of the game, so I'm really reluctant to reintroduce the terrain block again.
Thanks!
-- JohnDopp
I've got a strange bug that's cropped up. The mission I'm working on has no terrain block; the game space is composed of a checkerboard of square DIF blocks.
It works fine in a virgin copy of TGE, but with TLK installed, the player has begun falling through the floors of the DIF interiors and plummeting off into space.
If I insert a terrain block anywhere -- even far below the DIF structures -- the player no longer takes unexpected spacewalks.
Any suggestions on how to resolve the issue without using a terrain block? Having the perception of "limitless space" on all sides is key to the feel of the game, so I'm really reluctant to reintroduce the terrain block again.
Thanks!
-- JohnDopp
#2
I'm not sure what's going on there, the TLK 1.4 collision system is identical to the TGE 1.4 system. Did you upgrade from TGE 1.4 or 1.3? And did you see the problem at all before?
06/05/2006 (8:07 am)
Hi John,I'm not sure what's going on there, the TLK 1.4 collision system is identical to the TGE 1.4 system. Did you upgrade from TGE 1.4 or 1.3? And did you see the problem at all before?
#3
As a side note, I got an error related to a decal projector about no sgDropDecal object found, or something along those lines... Unfortunately, I don't have access to my laptop at the moment, but I can look it up later.
No other errors were reported in the log. I can repeat the problem at will, but I'll be damned if I can figure out why it's happening. I've also swapped out the DIFs in question, and the same problem happens, although in different locations. Also, the problem is not at the boundary between the two DIFs; if I drop the player in the center of the affected DIF, they go through as well.
With the terrain block restored, everything works as expected under both TGE and TLK.
It's a head-scratcher!
-- JohnDopp
PS: I've been singing the praises of TLK all weekend... I can't believe the difference it makes in the look of my project! Awesome product, John.
06/05/2006 (8:37 am)
That's what I thought -- I didn't see any differences in the code. I'm comparing a fresh TGE 1.4 (from CVS) to the TLK 1.4, with no upgrades or modifications. The mission works in TGE, and always has, but under TLK, the character walks from one DIF object onto another, and suddenly, it's like they stepped in quicksand. The character drops halfway through the DIF, bounces around for a second, then plummets the rest of the way down.As a side note, I got an error related to a decal projector about no sgDropDecal object found, or something along those lines... Unfortunately, I don't have access to my laptop at the moment, but I can look it up later.
No other errors were reported in the log. I can repeat the problem at will, but I'll be damned if I can figure out why it's happening. I've also swapped out the DIFs in question, and the same problem happens, although in different locations. Also, the problem is not at the boundary between the two DIFs; if I drop the player in the center of the affected DIF, they go through as well.
With the terrain block restored, everything works as expected under both TGE and TLK.
It's a head-scratcher!
-- JohnDopp
PS: I've been singing the praises of TLK all weekend... I can't believe the difference it makes in the look of my project! Awesome product, John.
#4
Can you do me a favor? Try running the same tests using the TGE 1.4 installer (it should be using the exact same code as TLK, in case there are fixes in cvs).
Thanks!
06/06/2006 (11:11 am)
Hi John,Can you do me a favor? Try running the same tests using the TGE 1.4 installer (it should be using the exact same code as TLK, in case there are fixes in cvs).
Thanks!
#5
I did a fresh install from the installer, and whaddya know -- the problem occurs under the 1.4 installer too.
Maybe something did get fixed in the CVS!
If there's anything I can do to help ferret out the trouble, just let me know.
-- JohnDopp
06/06/2006 (5:31 pm)
Hi John,I did a fresh install from the installer, and whaddya know -- the problem occurs under the 1.4 installer too.
Maybe something did get fixed in the CVS!
If there's anything I can do to help ferret out the trouble, just let me know.
-- JohnDopp
#6
The that change *should* be in player.cc, if you can't find it we will release another TLK when GG packages up the next TGE (I'm not sure how big the problem is, or how soon that will be).
06/07/2006 (5:32 pm)
Hi John,The that change *should* be in player.cc, if you can't find it we will release another TLK when GG packages up the next TGE (I'm not sure how big the problem is, or how soon that will be).
#7
06/08/2006 (4:43 am)
No worries here; the invisible terrain workaround solved the problem quite easily, and I'm guessing it's not a widespread issue. =) 
Torque Owner John Doppler Schiff
I'm still not sure why my solid structures are turning to pudding without a terrain block, but at least it's working now. =)