How to make 3D bridges in vanilla?

[Juza]

Hello. I've seen wads such as Kama Sutra and Hell Revealed 2 use this trick quite frequently; fake 3D bridges that you can pass under and walk on. I'd like to learn how to make this trick in vanilla format, as it is seen in those wads. This tutorial didn't help me at all, it's too confusing. Bonus points if anyone makes a video tutorial.

[Linguica]

Well for one thing that's the wrong page, you want https://www.doomworld.com/tutorials/fx8.php

[Mordeth]

5 hours ago, Juza said:

Edit: To make it clearer, I find that tutorial too confusing. 

 

Key in that tutorial is the red sector (number 3). It's a platform that's either raised (so you can cross the bridge) or lowered (so you can pass underneath). Try getting that to work first, without tricks: a platform that lowers / raises whenever you approach it, using floor up/down triggers 91/83 to do so. The platform gets it correct heights to go to by connecting it off-map to dummy sectors 5 and 6.

 

Once you got that working, it's time to implement the trick. You can see the platform, because the platform is linked to your playing field. Inspect the linedefs that make up your platform, and you'll notice one side has a reference to sector 3 and the other to the sector surrounding it (1). Now, set both sides to reference back to sector 3. Result in-game: an invisible platform. It still gets raised / lowered, so you can still cross the bridge or pass underneath. Except, it looks like you're walking on air.

 

Time to add some dummy textures. Insert some linedefs (e), like the wooden boards of a Indiana Jones rope bridge. Put a low height middle texture (usually STEPx), adjust its Y to make it look like it's suspended into the air. This is purely visual: player now thinks he's "walking" on STEP textures. Important: never connect these step linedefs to your red sector 3.

 

Your platform now ought to look and act like a 3D bridge. Except one snag: you can fall off the bridge. Time to insert some railings (c). This is just a lowered ceiling sector adjacent to your bridge. Except, you're using the same trick as with the platform. The railing is a linedef with sides that both reference to an off-map dummy sector (4). The player will bump into that when trying to fall off the bridge, but won't be able to actually see it. You put an appropriate middle texture on that linedef to let the player know there's a railing.

 

That's it, basically.

[Juza]

15 minutes ago, Linguica said:

Well for one thing that's the wrong page, you want https://www.doomworld.com/tutorials/fx8.php

That is too much for my (small) brain to take in, lol...

Edit: To make it clearer, I find that tutorial too confusing. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by Juza

[HAK3180]

This helped me.

 

Tip: set the playback speed to .75; he goes kinda quickly.

[Juza]

It'd be nice if someone made a quick video tutorial, I'm sure more people would use the trick if so. I ended up getting a friend to the bridges for me.

Edit: Yes, I know there are video tutorials, but they're badly executed, outdated, in bad video resolution and still use Doom Builder 2.

[Mordeth]

17 minutes ago, Juza said:

 I'm sure more people would use the trick if so.

 

This particular trick is outdated. GZDoom has its 3D floors; Eternity has portals. Both are superior in making 3D constructions. Worse: some ports (like GZDoom) can't handle some old-fashioned tricks.  So even if you want to make a vanilla compatible map, your players are probably playing it in a source port that may or may not support it.

[Juza]

Ok. But I'm mapping for vanilla and so are other people, and we just want some cool bridges. I don't know why you decided to tell me about what everyone already knows. Let's not turn this into a discussion.

[Linguica]

If that's the attitude you want to give to the Doomworld admin who WROTE that tutorial in 1998, then uh, have fun with that?

[Juza]

I've been considering apologizing. I'm sorry if I sounded rude. Mordeth, I must thank you for explaining the trick in great detail in your first post, however, previously I had mentioned that I attempted reading text tutorials but they were quite too confusing for me.