[Solatar]

I was playing around with FRED the other day and noticed the mission-set-nebula SEXP. I played around with it, and with simply using SEXPs to detect where the player was, turned it on or off. I'm not sure what this SEXP was intended for (might have been this very thing) but the way I worked it the player can essentially fly in and out of nebula.

Code: [Select]

Toggle on
when
when
- >
 - get-object-z
      - Alpha 1
     - 2000
  - mission-set-nebula
     - 1

Toggle off
when
- <
 - get-object-z
      - Alpha 1
     - 2000
  - mission-set-nebula
     - 0


My problem is probably the same as everyone else who's done this (I couldn't find the answer by searching): Although I can fly into the nebula and out of the nebula, I can't see it first. Instead of flying into it, I just fly and it 'appears' around me without warning.

Does anybody have any ideas concerning how I might work around this? The idea I have currently is to texture a flat model with the nebula (so you can't see through the nebula to the background behind).

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum.

[chief1983]

Actually I thought it got used in Transcend a lot, it wasn't for flying in and out of a nebula, but almost for being transported between dimensions or something.  Or maybe they used another way, but it sounds like this could have done it.

[Solatar]

I remember what you're talking about, and they might have used this. Basically I'm just trying to see if there's a way to "fly into nebula" by having some sort of transitional zone. As it is, you can make a square area in your mission a "nebula". If the player flies into it, it'll turn into a nebula, and if he flies out it'll go back to normal. I'm just trying to figure out a way to make it so that you can see where the nebula is before you randomly fly into it.

[WMCoolmon]

You can set the nebula to a texture, right?

You could do something simple with scripting by making a function that returns the name of the appropriate frame of a 30-frame gradual transition to the nebula. The downside would be that I think the stars disappear automatically when the nebula is enabled, and you still wouldn't be able to see the nebula without some kind of SFX, but it would be a little bit more gradual.

[Solatar]

Well, for some reason when using the sexp that makes the nebula suddenly appear, the stars DON'T dissapear (you can even see the skybox I'm using, just not any background bitmaps). I rather like this actually, as it lets you basically add thick "fog" to a mission without making it a full looking nebula.

I'll give the scripting a look through, I've been meaning to learn to do some stuff for awhile anyway.