About using texts and timers in a hammer

[junior solar]

Is there any way to create a timer via game_text or smth same? I just need a cheap timer if it can exist.

[young fable]

In the output system, there's a option in the corner to delay a given ouput by an amount of seconds. You can also do more complicated timers using logic_timer.

[junior solar]

Yea, bro, I know about that trigger. But how can I edit text and what should I use to display a timer? Will game_text entity help me?

[young fable]

Oh!

I actually had that thought a while ago, and came up with an answer in the form of lua_run

When it comes to do annoying complicated stuff like this, I just slap a lua_run down and write a small piece of code to do it.

game_text seems to not be changable

Though I think I know a way to display it using chat

[junior solar]

Oh, that's bad

[junior solar]

I think I need the way to display it in current place of map

[young fable]

Technically if you were a mad scientist you could probably string together logic and a bunch of individual numbers on game_text to create a display, but that's silly.

[young fable]

You mean like, area triggered?

Or area specific?

[junior solar]

Nah, just like electronic clock

[young fable]

So, not the chat box?

[junior solar]

Not really

[young fable]

Maybe I can find a lua thing that essentially does what game_text does.

[junior solar]

Would be fine

[young fable]

https://wiki.facepunch.com/gmod/Player:PrintMessage

This has multiple settings.

PrintMessage(HUD_PRINTCENTER, 'hello world')

[junior solar]

Isn't it what I needed?

[young fable]

Add output exists to create new connections between entities on the fly

But it cant change internal variables (like the text contents) unless theres a method to output to

In the screenshot you can see me using lua_run to print a message to the screen

[junior solar]

This is a text on a screen, I still need it in a current place

[young fable]

Alright, where?

[junior solar]

In some place on map

[young fable]

You mean, floating in 3d space?

[junior solar]

On alarm clock prop for example

[junior solar]

Or like that

[young fable]

oh I actually have no idea how to do that.

Sounds like lua coding is required.

I don't know any easy shortcuts

[junior solar]

That's the problem, I don't know lua at all

[young fable]

What exactly is this timer doing?

Is it just cosmetic?

[junior solar]

Alr at least you tried 👍

[young fable]

Or does it need to be logical?

[junior solar]

Yea, maybe

[young fable]

It is technically possible if you make a mechanical clock.

[junior solar]

Like it has current time changing

[young fable]

So like, you take a wheel, put numbers on it, and rig it to rotate.

Something like that.

[junior solar]

Thanks for idea

[young fable]

If you want I can construct it and send you a prefab, since it seems really simple

[junior solar]

But I wud try to get it to electronic level

[young fable]

I think my brain understands what needs to be done

I've had a eureka moment.

[junior solar]

Nah thx, I know how to rotate props

[young fable]

But here's the thing.

You make it logical by having it be syncronized to a counter/timer that holds the value representing the clock's time.

And then using the counter/timer for logic.

[junior solar]

Yea

[young fable]

If you want it to stop, you stop both.

[junior solar]

Maybe? But idk what the entity is it

[young fable]

You could even reverse it.

[young fable]

That's why I offered.

[junior solar]

Sounds like what I needed

But where's to get a counter?

And where would it displays?

[young fable]

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Math_counter

Looking the exact names up on google gives you the helpful wiki page

[young fable]

That's the genius part.

See, it doesnt need to output a value to a display because the rotating number wheel would store it in parallel.

Since the number wheel is rotating, and mirrors it by being at an angle

1. turn on loop that increments counter
2. turn on rotation of clock
3. Both are now synchronized
4. the clock is the display
5. the counter is for logic

[junior solar]

That's about wheel solution. What about electronic clock? Could it be done with that entity?

[young fable]

Hmmm. Seems difficult.

[junior solar]

Hehe

[young fable]

Do you have textures for the display?

[junior solar]

Not really

[young fable]

That's probably the first issue lmao

Though I think there are sprites for it.

My answer would be "you need lua"

[junior solar]

😦

[young fable]

You could also compromise and just make a traditional clock with two hands.

That's straighforward.

Do you want me to make a analogue clock and send it to you so you can dissect it?

[junior solar]

No if we talking about classic rotating clocks cuz I can figure out by myself how to make it

[young fable]

The number wheel one

Same thing basically

[junior solar]

Here's the reason I'm here: I'm mostly needs electronic clock

[young fable]

Hmmmmm.

It is possible, but it will be ugly and tedious

Like, I can think of some really hacky ways to do it with hammer parts

[junior solar]

It's desirable to make it without using changing vtm :)

[young fable]

vtm?

Oh, like texture stuff.

I think it's possible.

[junior solar]

That's thelast way I'll go if there would be no other

[junior solar]

Yea, that's bad idea as you said

[young fable]

Would you be fine with a wheel-based clock but the numbers glowed?

[junior solar]

It's better to don't use that

[junior solar]

No 😐

[young fable]

UGHHH

Is this clock 4 digits?

If it's a low amount of digits we can start using more brute force methods.

[junior solar]

Ye, MM:SS; M is mins, S is secs.

Maybe even M:SS

[junior solar]

Ye, likely this

[young fable]

You could make an event output for individual digit changes.

That would leave you with probably 1 timer and 40 outputs to write.

[junior solar]

Oh hell

[young fable]

It doesn't seem too bad.

Actually depending on how its made it might need more

[junior solar]

The problem is that gonna load my map

[young fable]

I don't think that would be an issue

Many maps have a lot of I/O connections

Like I would guess that the average tf2 map has at least 100.

[junior solar]

Then you don't know really how many timers do I need lol

[young fable]

Not timers.

Outputs.

The timer would only exist so the clock could reset.

Assuming that's what you want it to do.

[junior solar]

Nah. I mean I need more than one

Like up to 10, please don't ask why

I'm about timers now

[young fable]

Oh.

Why do you need all of those?

Oh right you ask-

IM ASKING ANYWAY

TELL ME

I don't know why you'd need so many

[junior solar]

Alr bro I'm sorry I have to sleep

See ya later

[young fable]

Aight

[junior solar]

Ye I needed it to let people know when the next train, it should be located at the stations
That's the last message I'll send till I gotta sleep
BB

[young fable]

If you want me to come back some other time ping me, I'm letting myself forget this weirdness.

[junior solar]

Im here again and as I see nobody can help

sadly

[junior solar]

hello. I need some help with a filter_name. Can you help me?

[young fable]

Alright, what's the briefing?

[junior solar]

the doors aren't working as well

I'm using filter_name and trigger_mulltiple. in a second one I've used "lock" command

can it be angles problem?

[young fable]

For debugging these things, you can type developer 3 in the console to get a text readout of what your circuit is doing

That should also tell you if anything happens to go nowhere.

Try using that, and then triggering your setup

[junior solar]

yea man, it says doors are opening

(58.69) output: (trigger_multiple,) -> (r1rd,Lock,10.0)()
(58.69) output: (trigger_multiple,) -> (r1rd,Unlock)()
(58.69) output: (trigger_multiple,) -> (r1ld,Lock,10.0)()
(58.69) output: (trigger_multiple,) -> (r1ld,Unlock)()
(58.69) output: (trigger_multiple,) -> (r1c3,Resume,12.0)()
(58.69) output: (trigger_multiple,) -> (r1c3,Stop)()
(58.69) input : r1rd.Unlock() (x4)
(58.69) input : r1ld.Unlock() (x4)
(58.69) input : r1c3.Stop()

what's the problem then?

[young fable]

How exactly did you use this filter?

It would also be appreciated to screenshot the I/O windows

[junior solar]

please hold on a minute

r1c3 - tanktrain

i'm here

where are you?

bro I got few mins left

[young fable]

Hm.

Are you sure that r1c3 is supposed to go to the tanktrain?

[junior solar]

it's named r1c3

[young fable]

Yes

Does r1filt have an output that you can use?

[junior solar]

I'm not sure

[young fable]

I'll just look up the wiki for it I guess

[junior solar]

like I'm using OnTrigger output

[young fable]

filter_activator_name has an output for things that pass

Instead of linking it from r1c3 to the tanktrain, try r1filt -> "onpass" -> tanktrain

[junior solar]

I'm using it in trigger_muptiple, in Filter Name string

wait bro

that's what Im doing

[young fable]

Ohhhhh

Sorry, I misunderstood.

[junior solar]

there's an entity filter_activator_name

[junior solar]

but the only info it have is this

[junior solar]

that's the screenshot of that entity

[young fable]

Can you screenshot the I/O going from the trigger_multiple to the filter name please?

You're using the TestActivator input right?

[junior solar]

no?

[young fable]

How is your trigger multiple communicating with your name filter?

Explain maybe?

[junior solar]

all I got

[junior solar]

by name ig?

there's no I/O between multi and filter

[young fable]

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Filter_activator_name

Reading these helps.

[junior solar]

oh shoot

[young fable]

The name filter is supposed to rigged like a checkpoint.

[junior solar]

I'm not sure I understood what to do

[young fable]

Rather than a surrogate creature

You need to get the trigger to feed the name filter the entity you want to test, and then it will branch into pass or fail

Then you link the pass ouput to the input onwards

[junior solar]

da strange thing about that is that one part of trigger works and one doesn't

like the doors aren't opens but tanktrain stops

[young fable]

I would expect you to feed onstarttouch to testactivator

It isn't obvious that it passed the entity, but throughout this process, the original activator of any event is stored and can be read.

So the name filter can dig up the root cause of these events, and go "time to test your name, perpetrator!"

[junior solar]

Wait. What the difference between unlock/lock and open/close?

What inputs are for func_door?

It can be the problem

[young fable]

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Func_door

[junior solar]

There are both options

Hmm what does that means?

I've used lock and unlock

So maybe that's my error, maybe I want to use close/open

And maybe there we go

[young fable]

What is your ultimate goal here?

To make a security door?

[junior solar]

To make doors opens and closes

[junior solar]

Nah

Like I'm making a train

[young fable]

Right, I see.

[junior solar]

That's just the train doors

[young fable]

When do the doors need to open?

[junior solar]

OnTrigger ig

Alr lemme turn on my laptop and check the version about open/close

Btw why don't you want to chat in DM?

Map is compiling, it gotta take a minute to check

[young fable]

Setting compile modes to fast often makes it only a few seconds for me

Good for debugging

[junior solar]

Hell yeah

That works

[young fable]

You could just have the doors open whenever somebody touches them, and locked whenever the train is about to move

[junior solar]

Next time when someone asks how to make doors closes and opens just tell em to send you multi's outputs

[junior solar]

It's gotta be automatic

Wait

It's already works and automatic

[young fable]

There exists a simple flag for doors which makes them open when you bump into them

[junior solar]

Nah, that's not exactly what I want

Maybe I'll send you the map when I release it

[young fable]

Fair enough, I think I understand why you need the trigger now