Moving Colour Column

[Jannik]

Hi,

this is my first step into the world of custom elements, a Moving Colour Column.

It's a stack of arbitrary height, containing four different types of elements, let's take , , and .

At top and bottom are switches, if you switch the top, all colours will move one step down, if you switch the bottom, all colours will move one step up.
The most difficult problem is, that the last element has to become the first one.

Example:










I needed 32 CEs, does anyone have an idea, how to make it easier? With less CEs?

Here's my level (for v3.2.0rc8): Moving Colour Column

[Francesco]

Well, it doesn't work with 3.1.x. I bet it has been made with a pre-release.
If it doesn't need the new features, you could make a 3.1.x version of that level.

I would start working on this task, as it is interesting, but the match Germany-Italy is about to begin, so I'll wait until the end of the match

[Tomi]

I haven't looked at the level itself yet, but try looking at my Improved scrolling text - there's a CE called "move things left", which moves all letters it touches to the left - maybe it would be possible to make some "move things up/down" elements in this level.

By the way, I like the idea, it's interesting and original.

I bet it has been made with a pre-release.

No need to bet, he wrote it at the bottom of his post. (*EDIT*: or it wasn't yet there when you were replying?) (*EDIT*: seems that you've replied to this post just while I was editing it the first time.)

[Francesco]

I bet it has been made with a pre-release.

No need to bet, he actually said it at the bottom of his post.

It seems a nitpick to a nitpick, but he added that specification only after my post - look at his editing time.

By the way, since I'm already off-topic, I didn't had the time to work on this thing, yesterday, I was too busy partying on the streets In any case, honour to the German team, they all played a fantastic match, I feared for my heart, for all those attacks and counter-attacks...

[Holger]

> I feared for my heart, for all those attacks and counter-attacks...

Yeah! I wrote an answer to your whole comment in the "Football WM" off-topic thread, so that Jannik's thread does not die out due to crazy football fanatics... ;-)

Please continue it there everybody who's interested, and write more about the "Moving Colour Column" thing here! :-)

[Zomis]

I needed 32 CEs, does anyone have an idea, how to make it easier? With less CEs?

Hmmm... how important are the various things: CE amount, speed, size? It's probably possible by using a lot less CEs... but that could mean that the speed would be slower or that one extra column is needed for some kind of "transport element". So, how important are the speed and size?

[Tomi]

Good question. I've already recommended the transport element:

I haven't looked at the level itself yet, but try looking at my Improved scrolling text - there's a CE called "move things left", which moves all letters it touches to the left - maybe it would be possible to make some "move things up/down" elements in this level.

[Jannik]

Hmmm... how important are the various things: CE amount, speed, size?

For my initial project I would need several moving columns next to each other, so I don't think it would work with a transport element and the high speed could also be important ...

The problem with my current solution is, that the four main elements (the gems) are not independent from the column.
It would be great, if I could use the same 4 main CEs for several columns.

Currently I need 16 CEs for one column and 16 transporters, which are independent from the column:

HOW MOVING COLOUR COLUMN WORKS:

"->" means "change to"

4 main CEs (the gems):

• A, B, C, D
• 20 changepages:
  • 16: if touching transporter -> transporter (B touching CD -> DB)
    
  • 4: if touching starter -> transporter (B touching SC -> CB)

16 transporters:

• AA, AB, AC, AD,
  BA, BB, BC, BD,
  CA, CB, CC, CD,
  DA, DB, DC, DD
• 1 changepage:
  • 1: -> corresponding (= 1st letter) main CE (BC -> B) with 1 frame delay

4 top buttons:

• TA, TB, TC, TD ('containing' the bottommost type of gem = 2nd letter)
• 17 changepages:
  • 4: if touching main CEs -> itself (will trigger the "change by page of" event of the starter at the bottom)
  • 12: if touching transporter -> corresponding top button (CD -> TD)
  • 1: if touched by player -> corresponding starter (TB -> SB)

4 bottom buttons:

• ZA, ZB, ZC, ZD ('containing' the topmost type of gem = 2nd letter)
• 17 changepages:
  • 4: if touching main CEs -> itself (will trigger the "change by page of" event of the starter at the top)
  • 12: if touching transporter -> corresponding bottom button (BC -> ZC)

4 starters:

• SA, SB, SC, SD
• 32 changepages:
  • 16: if "change by page of" top buttons (for each one "pages 1-4") -> corresponding bottom button ("page" defines the type)
  • 16: if "change by page of" bottom buttons (for each one "pages 1-4") -> corresponding top button ("page" defines the type)

Here the example for the first step (player touches TD) in my 1st post:

Code: Select all

TD > SD   SD   SD   SD   SD   SD   SD  1  SD > SA 
B    B  > DB   DB   DB   DB   DB   DB     D    D
B    B    B  > BB   BB   BB   BB   BB  F  B    B
C    C    C    C  > BC   BC   BC   BC  r  B    B
A    A    A    A    A  > CA   CA   CA  a  C    C
D    D    D    D    D    D  > AD   AD  m  A    A
ZB   ZB   ZB   ZB   ZB   ZB   ZB > ZD  e  ZD   ZD

Overall 360 change pages, that's why I'm too lazy to create it again for v3.1.2 , I'm sorry, Francesco ...
I would definitely prefer a text based editing of change pages, I think that would be more comfortable than this clicking orgy ...

[Tomi]

I agree - making 32 (or more) similar CEs is a nightmare. That's why I really want some CE scripting tool (even tried to create one, but it seems that RNDDB wants to become one, and I haven't yet tried ConfEdit and its scripting capabilities, because I don't play in Windows).

Another idea: it may be possible to somehow reduce number of CEs using 3.2.0-8 "CE values".

[Zomis]

I agree - making 32 (or more) similar CEs is a nightmare. That's why I really want some CE scripting tool (even tried to create one, but it seems that RNDDB wants to become one, and I haven't yet tried ConfEdit and its scripting capabilities, because I don't play in Windows).

Yep, that's one part of what I have planned for RNDDB... I just hope it comes reality one day (i.e., when I have time enough...). Unfortunately, RNDDB is also only avalible for Windows. Discussion about RNDDB, ConfEdit and CE scripting goes on in the following thread: viewtopic.php?p=6970

I'm also thinking about using CE values for this... the main problem then is that the elements has to be moveable in two directions... but I'll try..

[Jannik]

I found a way to reduce the number of additional CEs for each new column to 9 (104 change pages) and make the main CEs independent from the column!
Now let's see if I can realize my project ...

Here's a new problem:
Imagine 2 CEs, one looks like a rock, the other one like empty space.
rockCE: can fall
spaceCE: passable over unprotected from all directions




Why does the rockCE not fall into the spaceCE? How can I do that?

[Zomis]

Why does the rockCE not fall into the spaceCE? How can I do that?

You can't do that. There's an engine limitation so that 2 CEs can't be at the same place.
However, what you can do is to set "Can dig spaceCE" for the rock (on config page 2), that will make it possible for the rock to eat the spaceCE - which will then disappear unfortunately.
But maybe it's possible to use CE values a little here... by setting the ce value for rockce to the element value of spacece (when digging element, set ce value = [element] trigger), and then using "can change it to <ce value for current element>" (found on config page 2)

[James]

Jannik, I think this should help you fix your prolem:
1. Make the spaceCE diggable and walkable over from all directions
2. Make the rockCE dig spaceCE and change it to spaceCE.

That way the rockCE can go through the spaceCE and the player can walk over the space too. Hope it helps.

[Jannik]

With digging spaceCE and leave behind spaceCE it works to move the rockCE down, but my problem is, that the rockCE has to move RIGHT AND DOWN. But there's no option to move a CE into these directions.
I tought I could get it to work with move right and fall down ...

Edit:
I found a workaround:
rock1CE: move right, digging spaceCE, changes to rock2CE after 1 frame
rock2CE: move down, digging spaceCE, changes to rock1CE after 1 frame

Now let's see, what the next problem will be ...