Floor refuses to lower 8 above highest floor.

[ViolentBeetle]

I decided to experiment with a gimmick: Bright light that hurts but can be turned off. I'm using Doom 2 format so I have somewhat limited options so I settled for a step-on button.

 

But that's not important. What is important is that Action 36: Floor lowers to 8 above highest floor doesn't trigger. Enclosed is a map I conducted test on - 2 identical buttons but with different actions on lindefs. Blue button will sink into the floor, but red button will not move instead of going 16 units down and staying 8 units above floor.

button test.rar

[Scypek2]

In vanilla, if you try to move a sector with double-sided lines inside it (lines with the same sector on both sides), the sector will also consider itself to be one of the "lowest/highest floor" candidates. In this case, the red button considers itself to be the highest floor so it won't move at all.

 

In your case, the button is made of three squares inside each other. You could turn the middle square into a separate sector, with no tag, floor deep below the surrounding floors, and no textures on the sides, so that the resulting hole is invisible. Then as long as the innermost and outermost square are still one sector, they'll both lower to 8 above floor. They're not touching each other, and the middle square is deep below, and that makes the surrounding floor the highest floor just like you wanted. I've used this technique many times already.

 

I really like your gimmick, by the way!

[ViolentBeetle]

25 minutes ago, Scypek2 said:

In vanilla, if you try to move a sector with double-sided lines inside it (lines with the same sector on both sides), the sector will also consider itself to be one of the "lowest/highest floor" candidates.

I suspected this, but what threw me off was that it didn't jump 8 units up either.

[Kappes Buur]

I'm also not a proponent on making the three sectors have the same sector number. Something like this can have unforeseen consequences.

 

I'm not a programmer, but just from how the line specials react there obviously is a difference in the movement code. What I would do in this case is to move the linedef out a bit, like this

 

 

to give the engine more time to complete the first action before triggering the next action.

 

Plus, it is not necessary to give all linedefs the specials.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Kappes Buur

[ViolentBeetle]

No, the problem was indeed with internal linedefs. By making separate sector in a middle band and sinking it low I made it work. The only conceivable point of failure is that 2 lines in the row affect the same sector (copy texture to stop hurting and kill the light) but both of those are instant.

 

10 minutes ago, Kappes Buur said:

Plus, it is not necessary to give all linedefs the specials. 

How is this supposed to work otherwise?

[Kappes Buur]

8 minutes ago, ViolentBeetle said:

How is this supposed to work otherwise?

 

Just attach the specials to the linedefs on one side, for example the lower linedefs.

 

 

Otherwise you trigger the same actions again when you run over the other three sides, which in this case is not detrimental but annoying when you hear something trigger but nothing happens.

[ViolentBeetle]

Well, sure, if I am to make other 3 lines inaccessible, that'll work. I'm not sure I want it to be like that though.

[Kappes Buur]

4 minutes ago, ViolentBeetle said:

Well, sure, if I am to make other 3 lines inaccessible, that'll work. I'm not sure I want it to be like that though.

 

Of course, it's your map and you can do what you feel is best. :)

 

It is limitations like this which drove me early on to ZDoom which can alleviate such 'problems' with scripting and the Tagwait special to separate the actions. Even better, one can now use Actor enters sector to eliminate this duplication of triggers on multiple linedefs.

 

 

[ViolentBeetle]

I see. I'm already committed to make a simple limit-removing wad and not getting into more advanced scripting until I'm fully comfortable, but I'll keep that option in mind.

[Scypek2]

On 5/17/2020 at 4:54 PM, ViolentBeetle said:

I suspected this, but what threw me off was that it didn't jump 8 units up either.

 

Good catch! The "lower to 8 above highest" actions seem to be an odd exception that just stays in place instead of popping up when the highest floor is equal or higher. There's a few really unexpected quirks like those in vanilla that you only really discover when you try to get gimmicky.