func_areaportalwindow

I am contemplating of using func_areaportalwindow in my deathmatch map, but I don't know what would happen when the portal becomes closed and only the rendered window appears. If there is another player behind the window, can someone else in the distance still be able to see the player and shoot at him/her?

Basically, the question is that whether players would be rendered through a func_areaportalwindow when another player is farther than the max_fade_distance.

I am making one of my first deathmatch maps, and I am not sure doors are actually good for such map. I imagine they might get in the way of a good deathmatch gameplay because people have to wait for the doors to open to get from one place to the other.

I am asking this question because I wouldn't be able to use func_areaportal when no door is created in the map.

Thanks for any suggestion.

I can't test it myself, but I would assume that what would happen is that the far away player can't see past the area portal but the player in the window can see the far away player and shoot at him. If this is the case then it would be a good idea to avoid such situations. I would try to make it so the area portal doesn't face a large open area or that the blackness disappears before players can feasibly attack each other across it.

Also, doors suck ass in deathmatch, so don't use them. They probably wouldn't be as big a problem in HL2DM since everybody moves so slowly, but they do hamper gameplay and flow, and could get really annoying if they swing out. It's best to just not use them.

doors suck ass in deathmatch, so don't use them

Thanks for the advice. I suspected as much.

So does it mean that I would not be able to take advantage of the tools such as func_areaportal and func_areaportalwindow in a deathmatch map then? The windows are designed as sniping points, so they naturally face an open area of the map. I guess I would just do without them then.

If they function as I think, then they still can serve a purpose in deathmatch mapping, just not the purpose you're thinking. If you have done a half-assed job of visblocking or can still see a bunch of brushes behind the visblocker then you could use it to block off everything that should have already been blocked. I'm probably going to use three or four areaportals in my contest map as I've got a bigass area that is still visible from areas that can't see into it. I tried to block visibility but due to the design it's not very effective. I can just put an areaportal in the doorway and it'll work great. Basically as long as you can avoid the situation you've described then areaportals can be useful.

I can just put an areaportal in the doorway and it'll work great.

So do you actually implement a func_door or do you just use the
func_areaportalwindow with the customized distance setting instead?

Probably the latter, since you abhor doors in a multiplayer map.

You can use a func_areaportal without specifying a door...just set it
to always open. I know this is useful in some way, but don't ask
me how :smile:

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting satchmo</DIV>
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<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quote:</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>I can just put an areaportal in the doorway and it'll work great. </DIV></DIV>

So do you actually implement a func_door or do you just use the func_areaportalwindow with the customized distance setting instead?

Probably the latter, since you abhor doors in a multiplayer map.
</DIV></DIV>
Well, I haven't tested it yet so I may have screwed it up but I'm using a func_areaportalwindow. For my purposes it should work, as I'm only trying to prevent really long viewing distances instead of having a ton of models and brushes between areas.