Unreal Kismet for Night of Fear & Unreal Kart
Example: Item BoxesThe item boxes in Unreal Kart disappear and reappear based on the availability of the pickup they surround. Setting this up for weapon pickups, whose availability is tracked separately for each player, requires a custom Kismet event and a custom pickup factory to fire it.
The 'Pickup Status Change' Kismet event fires every time a pickup is grabbed, or respawns. Using this event to toggle visibility on item boxes works well for ammo pickups and special powerups (e.g. Shield Belt), since their visibility is the same for all players. However, when one player picks up a weapon, that weapon is still available (and visible) to every other player. In order to have item boxes on weapons only disappear for the player picking up the weapon, Kismet needs to know whether the local player picked it up. However, Pickup Status Change only provides this information via the Instigator, which provides a reference to the player. Kismet cannot determine whether or not this reference is the local player. This custom pickup factory extends the standard UT Weapon Pickup Factory to include a check to see whether the player picking up the weapon is the local player. If it is the local player, the pickup factory fires a custom client-side only Kismet event. As a result, this Kismet event only fires on the machine of the player picking up the weapon, and the item box only disappears for that player. Video clip of the behavior of item boxes in Unreal Kart. When the bot picks up the Rocket Launcher, the item box does not disappear, but when the player picks up the Rocket Launcher, the item box disappears.
|
This script controls item box visibility
This custom pickup factory allows item box visibility to vary from player to player
|
This script uses console commands to customize grenades
These grenades can start fires, but won't hurt a Locust
|
Night of Fear's grenades are meant for manipulating the Kryll by creating light sources, not for direct combat. Modifying the properties of the Frag Grenades in Gears of War requires the use of several console commands.
Since the Gears of War editor does not include access to the game's source code, console commands serve as an alternative method for modifying the default properties of the game's various classes. These console commands, run through Kismet, modify the properties of the Frag Grenades to do 0 damage, allow the player to carry more grenades, and allow the player to gain a full set of grenades from every set of bottles. |
|
Video clip showing Night of Fear's introductory sequence
|
|
|
Video clip from Unreal Kart showing a player starting on a hoverboard at the beginning of a match, but merely having access to it after dying
|
Example: HoverboardsUnreal Kart includes hoverboards to capture the racing aspect of its Mario Kart theme.
Giving players access to hoverboards in a Deathmatch, which does not support vehicles, is accomplished with the "Use Hoverboard" Kismet action, which fires for every player each time they spawn. It's useful for players to start the match riding a hoverboard, so that they know they have the option. However, it can be irritating and even disruptive to be forced onto a hoverboard on subsequent spawns. In order to remedy this, this Kismet sequence tracks each player's death, looks for their subsequent spawn, and forces them to exit a vehicle (in this case, their hoverboard) immediately after spawning. 
This script adds hoverboards to a Deathmatch
|
This script controls the burnable paper
The paper and bottles both glow periodically, ensuring the player notices them
|
Players can set fire to the paper on the ground in Night of Fear, driving off the Kryll.
Each burnable piece of paper consists of 4 elements: the paper static mesh actor, a fire particle emitter, a point light, and a Kryll repulsor. When the paper takes damage from one of Marcus' molotovs (grenades), the light, particle, and repulsor all turn on for a set duration, after which they turn back off. Additionally, the paper (as well as the bottles Marcus uses to create the molotov cocktails) uses a modified material that periodically glows, allowing the player to easily spot it despite the relatively dark lighting conditions. |