UDMF Question (Alerting Dormant Monsters)

[Tracer]

I have yet to figure this out. I have a room started where it is pitch black except for a chainsaw on a platform under a light surrounded by meat. Naturally you go pick it up. Now, I have the platform surrounded by dormant imps that you obviously can't see. But when you step on the platform, red light fills the room revealing hanging corpses ans body parts strewn about, and the four imps. But I want to know how to get the alert monster action to properly work. I want them to be alert when the red lights come on. I have the "alert" linedefs set one pixel away from the "change light" linedefs...I just can't get the alert action to actually work.

[scifista42]

Dormant monsters need to be activated by Thing_Activate first. Also if you want to perform multiple actions at once, write an ACS script containing all of them in the correct order instead of putting them on separate linedefs close after each other. Not only it's more elegant, but if the player crossed those linedefs in the same tic, it isn't guaranteed that their actions would be executed in the same order in which the player physically crossed them and that might be important in some cases.

[Tracer]

^I know nothing about scripting. But let's talk about Thing_Activate. Is that a linedef action?

[scifista42]

It's an action special which you can freely use as a linedef action, thing action, script function or DECORATE function as you need.

And here is where you can learn basics of ACS scripting.

[Tracer]

Thanks, boss.