Disappearing elevators?

Hey all :smile: <br style="color: silver;"><br style="color: silver;"><span style="color: silver;">I'm having trouble with elevators. I have two in my map, one to go up and down, one to go back and forth. Both only have two path_tracks. I would like them to work in a way that requires no buttons; the player merely steps onto the platform and it moves until they get off.

When I first set them up, the brushes set as func_tracktrains would be there in the map, but wouldn't go anywhere. After scouring google and forums for elevator tutorials, I went back over their properties and fixed some things, and now they don't even appear when I run the map.

Here's the properties for the vertical elevator, that starts at the bottom..

func_tracktrain
Name: el1
First stop target: el1_bottom
Change velocity: Instantaneously
Height above track: 0
Inputs:
</span><ul style="color: silver;">[*] Source: el1_top
[*] Output: OnPass
[*] My Input: Stop
</ul><span style="color: silver;">I've also made sure that the path_track el1_bottom, where it starts, is in the direct center of el1, and that el1_top, where it stops, is exactly placed over it.

path_track
Name: el1_bottom
Parent: el1
Next stop target: el1_top
Orientation type: No change

path_track

Name: el1_top

Parent: el1

Next stop target: el1_bottom

Orientation type: No change
Outputs:
</span><ul style="color: silver;">[*] My Output: OnPass
[*] Target entity: el1
[*] Target input: Stop
</ul><span style="color: silver;">And here's the properties for the horizontal elevator..

func_tracktrain

Name: platform

First stop target: leftblock

Change velocity: Instantaneously

Height above track: 0

Inputs:

</span>
<ul style="color: silver;">[*] Source: rightblock
[*] Output: OnPass
[*] My Input: Stop
</ul>
<span style="color: silver;">path_track

Name: leftblock

Parent: platform

Next stop target: rightblock

Orientation type: No change

path_track

Name: rightblock

Parent: platform

Next stop target: leftblock

Orientation type: No change

Outputs:

</span>
<ul style="color: silver;">[*] My Output: OnPass
[*] Target entity: platform
</li>[*] Target input: Stop
</ul>
<br style="color: silver;"><span style="color: silver;">What could make them disappear? I've tried closing and reopening Hammer as well. And do I honestly have to have a button to activate the elevators? Is there a better method?

Thanks for the help. And sorry for the font color, I couldn't read it in the message box, and am not sure it'll show up on the dark background.
</span>

Hmm after a brief look over, I see that you have parented your path_tracks; why would you do that? Especially since you have parented them to the [color=limegreen]func_tracktrain, they will probably not show up because they have moved to some far remote location within the void; becoming a glitch, so try un-parenting them and that should probably solve a few problems...[/color]

EDIT: also another few quick fixes:

The "next stop target" keyvalue should list the name of the other path_track, that way the tracktrain knows which way to go.

The func_tracktrain should also have an input from the bottom path_track telling it to stop on pass.

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

Shouldn't you mark your post as a possible solution?

Yes, parenting the path_track to the func_tracktrain is probably what's causing the train to not appear. Since they both depend on the other to give them a location, they probably do without and don't show up in the first place.

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Also change the texture of the dock. Docks are rarely tile. -Facepunch
As I Lay Dying

I suppose so, but there could be other things wrong with the map or train that we don't know about yet, but I guess I'll mark it as such. All he can do is just reject it, or whatever...

[EDIT] (marked first post as possible solution to the problem...)

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

Thank you guys for your help!!

I've got the elevators to show up again. Unparenting did the trick. Other guides weren't very clear on this; in fact, one told me to parent them to begin with!

But alas, the elevators will not go anywhere. I've tried removing the 'stop on pass' inputs from the pathtracks where the elevators are meant to go, and that didn't work. I'm not sure how to get them to move just by having the player step on them.

With the exception of the pathtracks no longer using parents, the above properties I posted remain the same.

If you want them to move when the player steps on, simply make a trigger_multiple and parent it to the elevator. Then set its outputs as follows:

MyOutput: OnStartTouch
Target Entities Named: el1
Via This Input: StartForward

MyOutput: OnEndTouch
Target Entities Named: el1
Via This Input: Stop

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People its snarkpit.net not snarkpit.com! Be sure to check this when you add links!

Thank you Quanta!! Works perfectly. :smile: