Movement

Moves Between Rooms

This is a TRUE or FALSE value, used to control allocation of texture map memory. Objects that are free to move out of the Room they start in must have this flag set to TRUE; all other objects should select FALSE. (For more information about texture layout, see "Textile".)

Movement Mailbox

This entry specifies a mailbox number; scripts can write to this mailbox in order to turn this object's movement on and off at any time. (For example, a pathed object can be made to move along its path only when some other condition is true.)

Mobility

This parameter has two possible values, "Anchored" and "Moveable". If set to Anchored, this object is fixed in place and will not move (this is useful for fixed objects like walls and floors). Note that an Anchored object will never be controlled by the Physics system, making most of the other values on the Movement OAD page irrelevant.

Step Size

This entry is a height, in meters, of the tallest thing that this object can "step over" without slowing down. For example, a player character with a Step Size of 0.25 meters will be able to run up a flight of stairs at full speed, provided that each stair step is less than 0.25 meters tall. An obstacle 0.30 meters tall would block the object (unless it chooses to Jump over, of course). The default value is 0.55 meters.

Path

At End This parameter is for objects that follow a preset path, and controls what the object will do when the end of its path is reached. Possible values are:

• • • Ping-Pong. This will cause the object to move back and forth along the path indefinitely.
    • Stop. At end of path, the object will stop dead and stay there forever.
    • Jumpback. This will cause the object to "jump" back to the beginning of its path and continue moving. For example, to make an object move in a continuous circle, a path is constructed with 3D Studio MAX. If the beginning point and end point of the path were put in the same location, the object would seem to pause. By leaving out the last keyframe (leaving a gap in the circle) and selecting Jumpback, the object's motion will be smooth and continuous.
    • Delete. At end of path, the object will delete itself entirely from the world.
    • Derail. At end of path, the object will switch to physics-based behavior. If the Movement page values are typical, the object will probably just begin falling until it lands somewhere.
    • Warpback. Much like Jumpback, except that the object will "teleport" from the endpoint back to the beginning without occupying any space in between. For example, say you'd like to create an object that moves across a room over and over again, such that it looks like a stream of objects moving past. If Jumpback were selected, the object would collide with anything that happened to be in the way between the end and beginning of the path. Selecting Warpback prevents this. Velocity This number is a speed, expressed in meters per second, determining how fast the object will move along the path created for. Initial Keyframe This number selects the keyframe number (assigned in 3D Studio MAX) to use as the starting point when this object begins moving. (Usually set to 0, for the first frame in the path.) Object To Follow This entry is a reference to another object (by name). This object will follow the object named. Follow Offset This entry is also a reference to another object. This object will follow the object named above (Object To Follow); the position of this object relative to the Follow object will be the same as the offset between the Follow Offset object and the Object To Follow object.

On Ground

Acceleration This number is acceleration, in meters per second squared, which is applied to the object in response to any of the four joystick directional inputs. The default value is 1.0. Deceleration This number is a coefficient which determines how fast an object slows down when the joystick is released. A value of 1.0 will make the object slow to a stop immediately, while 0.0 will make it "skid" for a long distance first. (Note that the Surface Friction of the object this one is resting on has an effect too: No amount of Running Deceleration will stop you from skidding on an icy floor!) The default value is 0.90. Max Speed This entry is a speed, in meters per second, which the object will not be allowed to exceed while running across a surface. The default is 10.0. Turn Rate This number controls how fast the object turns to face a new direction in response to joystick input. A large number, say 100, will cause the object to "snap" quickly to new joystick directions, while a value of 5 will cause the object to turn more realistically. The default is 5.0.

Crawling

Acceleration This number is similar to Running Acceleration, but is applied when the object receives joystick input and is in the "ducking" position to crawl under another object. The default value is 0.50.

Jumping

Acceleration This entry is also in meters per second squared, and determines how "hard" the object will jump upwards in response to a Jump input (from a physical joystick or from a script). The default value is 18.0. Momentum Xfer This entry is a coefficient that determines how much of an object's forward momentum will be translated into upward momentum when the object jumps. A value of 0.0 will cause a running jump and a standing jump to have equal height, while a value of 1.0 will cause the object to jump much higher when moving forward. The default is 0.50.

In Air

Acceleration This number is similar to Running Acceleration, but is applied when the object is freely falling through space. Some game designers like to give players the ability to "steer" from side to side while falling (even though this is impossible in real life). If you prefer to leave the player at the mercy of ballistic flight, just set this number to 0.0. The default is 1.0. Horiz Drag This coefficient determines how much drag the object will experience while flying through the air. A value of 0.0 will really extend the ground distance covered by those running jumps, while 1.0 will turn the air into a thick liquid. The default is 0.25. (Note: Air Drag can be tuned to be different in the horizontal directions vs. the vertical direction; see next entry.) Vert Drag As with Horiz Air Drag, this number affects drag in the vertical direction. A value of 0.0 will make objects fall freely, while 1.0 will result in an "I've got a parachute" effect. The default is 0.25. Max Speed This is the maximum possible speed for this object while moving freely through the air. The default is 10.0.

Falling

Acceleration This entry is a value in meters per second squared, which determines how fast the object will fall under the pull of gravity. (Note that this is assignable on a per-object basis, rather than a single number for the entire world.) The default value is 9.81, which is what Earth uses. Anim Threshold This entry is a speed, in meters per second, which is used for animation control. When the object has a downward velocity that is equal to or greater than this value, the object's FALL animation will be played. The default is 2.0.

Stun Threshold

This number is a speed, in meters per second. If this object collides with another at this speed or greater, the object's STUNNED animation will be played. (For example, you might want to penalize players for running headfirst into walls. This number is also applied in the vertical direction, so it can be used to determine how hard a player can fall to the ground before becoming stunned.) Note that if Stun Threshold is set to a value greater than Max Ground Speed, the player will never be able to run into anything hard enough to become stunned; similarly for Max Air Speed. The default value is 2.5.

Stun Duration

This number is a time, measured in seconds, which determines how long an object will remain in the STUNNED state after hitting something faster than its Stun Threshold (see above). While stunned, the object will play its STUNNED animation, and will not respond to joystick inputs. The default is 1 second.