Polygon Types

Some New Information

Please note that Pfhorte 1.0d25 does not like you to double-click on any of the polygons. d25 is entirely palette-driven, and will crash if you double-click on a polygon, change something and then hit OK. For your own safety and sanity, use the Inspector palette. It can do everything that you used to be able to do by double-clicking.

You can set the polygon types by selecting it (clicking only once) and using the inspector palette.

Normal
Normal is normal; these are your typical boring polygons that you can walk around and find stuff on.

Item Impassable
If any objects are placed randomly, then they will not appear on polygons of this type.

Monster Impassable
If any monsters are placed randomly, then they will not appear on polygons of this type. Monsters will not go through these type of polygons on their own, but they seem to chase you through if you are battling them. Note that Bobs are considered monsters, and will be subject to the same constraints.

Minor Damage
These polygons cause the player and monsters (non-floating and non-flying) to endure minor damage while they are on the polygon. The screen becomes bright and orange, making it difficult to see, while you are on this type of polygon.

Major Damage
These polygons cause the player and monsters (non-floating and non-flying) to endure major damage while they are on the polygon. The screen becomes bright and green, making it difficult to see, while you are on this type of polygon.

Note: When monsters or players die on these types of polygons, their bodies completely disappear.

Note: If the player even passes over a pit of minor or major damage, the player may take some damage.

Note: The Invulnerability biochip will protect the player from damage, even though a weird frupp-frupp sound can be heard.

Platform
Platforms are walls that can move either up or down, depending on their origins. Depending on their options, platforms can cause damage, be controlled by the player, monsters, switches and other platforms. See the next section for more information.

Platforms must always have a floor height of the lowest value that it will go, and the ceiling must have the height of the ceiling. Even if the platform does not go all they way to the ceiling, the ceiling height is still the ceiling height.

Note: Platforms show up in red on the automap during gameplay. Usually, they do not appear as red until they have already been activated.

Light on/off
Walking on this type of polygon will activate/deactivate the lighting type specified in the pop up menu.

Platform on/off
Walking on this type of polygon will activate/deactivate a platform. To set the platform which is activated, option-drag a line from the trigger to the platform.

Teleporter
Stopping on this type of polygon will teleport the player to another part of the map. Just walking across it will not necessarily teleport the player; one must stop in order to be teleported

Set the destination by option-dragging from the teleporter to the destination polygon. You do not really have much control over where on the destination polygon you will appear. Pfhorte places the destination in the center of the polygon. If you want to have a player appear in an exact location, create a small polygon and make it the destination.

Teleporters show up in purple on the automap during gameplay.

Glue
Monsters that are placed on Glue polygons will not activate until the player steps on a Glue Trigger polygon (see below). Monsters will also be activated if they can see the player or hear loud noises, like grenade explosions and gunfire.

SuperGlue
Place SuperGlue polygons around Glue polygons to deaden the effect of the Glue Trigger.

Glue Trigger
Walking on these polygons will activate monsters that are on nearby Glue polygons. The effect will continue across every adjacent polygon until a SuperGlue polygon is encountered.

Must be explored
These polygons need to be walked upon before the player may be allowed to complete the level. Used on levels designated as Exploration.

Exit Level
These polygons determine where the player may exit the ship on levels designated as Exploration, after they have navigated the areas which must be explored. The level to jump to is determined by the popup menu.

Platform Options

When a polygon has been chosen as a platform, a button appears at the bottom of the polygon information screen which leads to a dialog box presenting the following options (please note that the interface for these options is not entirely accurate; though every option appears as a check box, some should in fact be radio buttons, and what happens to your map when using conflicting options can have unpredictable results. I will note this wherever I can):

Initially Active
The platform will be moving at the beginning of the level. The platform may be stopped by a switch or a platform off polygon.

Initially Extended
The platform will be in it’s extended position at either the height in the Max. Height field (for a platform with the Floor option checked) or the Min. Height field (for a platform with the Ceiling option checked).

Stops at each level/Stops at initial level
Marathon platforms operate in a cycle. All aspects of the cycle can be controlled by the editor, but one must understand what the cycle is. The cycle is: Initial-SecondaryInitial. The platform begins in its initial state (as set by the Initially Extended option). It becomes activated and enters its secondary state. The secondary state is associated with the maximum height of the platform (the Floor or Ceiling, when the Floor to Ceiling option is checked). The speed at which the platform moves is controllable, as is the time delay from when the platform reaches its secondary state until it returns to its initial state (if the Stops at Initial Level option is checked; see below).

One of these should be checked if the platform will ever stop moving. If one of the options is checked, the other should not be checked. Stops at each level means that when activated, the platform will stop each time it reaches the initial and secondary states. Stops at initial level means that when activated, the platform will only stop when it returns to its beginning state, after the delay specified.

Example #1

Polygon: a closed door (a platform which retracts into the ceiling, initially extended)

Stops at each level - when activated, the door opens and stays open until the door is activated again. Next time the door is activated, it stays closed until activated again, etc.

Stops at initial level - when activated, the door opens and stays open for the length of time in the delay setting (see below), after which it returns to its original (initial) closed state.

Example #2

Polygon: an open door (a platform which retracts into the ceiling, not extended).

Stops at each level - when activated, the door closes and stays closed until the door is activated again. Next time the door is activated, it stays open until activated again, etc.

Stops at initial level - when activated, the door closes and stays closed for the length of time in the delay setting (see below), after which it returns to its original (initial) open state.

Floods
This option allows a platform to go below the surface of another texture. They will only flood if the adjacent polygons are Major or Minor Damage. These platforms are not visible when they are retracted.

Note: Platforms which flood cannot be activated as pressure switches.

Floor to Ceiling
This option makes the platform extend all the way from the floor to the ceiling (if the Floor option is checked) or from the ceiling to the floor (if the Ceiling option is checked).

Floor
This option means that the platform, when retracted (not extended) originates in the floor. These types of platforms are the kinds commonly used as elevators.

Ceiling
This option means that the platform, when retracted (not extended) originates in the ceiling. These types of platforms are the kinds commonly used as doors.

Note: If both Floor and Ceiling are checked, the door will open from the middle, as do all of the doors on the Alien Ship. Even though it may appear as though two platforms are moving, it is in fact only one.

Causes Damage
When this option is checked, players and monsters will be damaged when the platform ascends/descends and leaves less than 819 units of vertical room (for the player; other monsters have different heights) for the player or monster to be in.

Note: The invincibility biochip will protect the player from this type of damage.

Note: If the Safety option is checked, the platform will immediately retract after hitting the player’s head on the ceiling, allowing only a fraction of the damage.

No Activate Parent
This option prevents a platform from activating the platform that activated it. See the section below on “Activate/Deactivate Adjacent…” for details.

Example:

Platforms A, B and C are all in a row. Platform B is in between platforms A and C. A is activated, and activates B when it deactivates. B activates, and activates C when it deactivates. Since the platforms just activate “adjacent” platforms, why doesn’t B activate both A and C when it deactivates? Because the No Activate Parent option is checked; since A activated B, B does not activate A (its parent).

One Shot
This option allows a platform to be activated once and only once. This can be flexible when used in conjunction with the Stops at ... Level options and an appropriate time delay, so you could make a variety of different platforms can be set as traps or block off access to a room.

Note: When a platform is activated by a wall switch, this option also has the effect of disabling the switch once it has been thrown.

Example:

Have a polygon (platform, initially extended, origin ceiling, stops at initial level, player controllable, delay set to longest, one-shot, of type door) which leads to a room with a power-up. Pressing the action key opens the door, revealing the power-up. After activating the powerup and leaving the room, the door closes, forever sealing off the power-up!

Activates Light/Deactivates Light
The platform will activate/deactivate the light type chosen from the menu when the platform is activated. For instance, a door opens, turning the light on in the room. See below for more on lighting types.

Player Controllable
The platform can be activated by the player. This means by the action key, a wall switch, or running on top of a pressure switch. If this option is not checked, the player will hear the static-y sound when they try to open it.

Monster Controllable
The platform can be activated by monsters (including Bobs). Monsters cannot activate switches, but they can run on top of pressure switches and open doors with their “action” key.

Note: If neither of these options are checked, then the door or platform cannot be opened by anyone. This is similar to the locked door to the hangar in Arrival.

Note: In some cases (like G4 Sunbathing) the player can only open doors with wall switches. However, these same doors are set as Monster Controllable, so the aliens can open them by just walking up to them and thinking really hard at the door. This is a clever option that allows aliens to have access to doors for which the player must throw a switch.

Safety
The designers of the U.E.S.C. Marathon were smart enough to realize that some people like to stand underneath doors, even when they know they are going to close. Therefore, most of them have the Safety option checked, which reverses the platform whenever it encounters resistance. When Safety is enabled, the player can reverse the platform midway through its activation.

Note: If the Causes Damage option is checked as well as the Safety option, the player or monster will take slight damage while the platform reverses itself.

No External Activate
This option prevents a platform, once started, from being reversed through control of the player. It can and will reverse if the Safety option is checked and the platform encounters resistance.

Uses Native Heights
When a platform goes from Floor to Ceiling, checking this option allows you to enter 1 as the values for Min. and Max. height. Marathon then uses the polygon’s Floor and Ceiling Heights as the Min. and Max. values.

Delays before Activate
There will be a delay between when the platform is activated and when it begins to move. The delay is of the same length set in the delay menu (see below).

Contracts Slow
The platform, when returning to its initial starting point, will do so at about half the rate that the platform moves when extending.

Activating Adjacent Platforms

Marathon allows for multiple platforms to be in a row, with at least one side completely in common with 2 platforms. Examples of this are in Bigger Guns Nearby, where the staircase activates itself when you throw the wall switch, and The Wave in Cool Fusion, where there are 4 rapid platforms that are activated when the player walks on them.

Getting the platforms to move is easy. Getting them to behave the way you want them to is a little more difficult. The following should help you get through the options. Note the use of the terminology parent and adjacent. Parent refers to the platform which does the activating. Adjacent refers to the platform which is activated. Cycle refers to the cycle of a platform: initial-secondary-initial (see above).

Deactivate Adjacent on Activating
The adjacent will deactivate when the parent activates.

Deactivate Adjacent on Deactivating
If parent stops at each level, then the adjacent will deactivate when the parent reaches the next level in its cycle.

If parent stops at initial level, then the adjacent will deactivate when the parent completes its cycle.

Active Adjacent on Deactivating
If parent stops at each level, then the adjacent will activate when the parent reaches the next level in its cycle.

If parent stops at initial level, then the adjacent will activate when the parent completes its cycle.

Activate Adjacent on Activating
The adjacent will activate when the parent activates.

Activate Adjacent on Each Level
The adjacent will activate each time the parent reaches each level in its cycle.

Note that the parent is also considered adjacent to its adjacent. Therefore, when a platform begins moving, and has Activate Adjacent flags checked, the parent will also be activated. In order to get around this, check the No Activate Parent option, mentioned earlier.

Secret
Checking this option will prevent the platform from showing up on the map displayed in Communication Terminals. The rooms that it leads to will also be hidden.

Note: Platforms that are Secret will not show up in red on the auto-map.

Speed
The speed at which the platform moves. Some preset values have been provided, but you must enter a value, since the speed is initally set to zero. (within reason - I’m not sure what the limit is, probably 32767). The preset values are:

Slowest 30
Real Slow 60
Slow 90
Normal 120
Fast 150
Real Fast 180
Fastest 210

Obviously, the higher the number, the faster the platform moves.

Delay
The length of time that passes between when a platform moves from its Initial to Secondary state, or vice-versa. Some preset values have been provided, but you may enter any number you wish (same caveats apply). The preset values are:

Shortest 40
Real short 80
Short 120
Normal 160
Long 200
Real long 240
Longest 280

Note that if you enter your own values, the popup changes to whatever the closest number is. This is irrelevant, so don’t worry about it.

Max Height
Max. Height is the closest to the ceiling that the platform will go. If the origin is Floor, then this is the farthest the platform will extend. If the origin is Ceiling, this is the closest to the ceiling the platform will retract. If the platform goes from Floor to Ceiling, use the value -1.

Min Height
Min. Height is the closest to the floor that the platform will go. If the origin is Floor, this is the closest to the floor the platform will retract. If the origin is Ceiling, this is the farthest the platform will extend. If the platform goes from Floor to Ceiling, use the value -1.

Types of Platforms

There are 6 types of platforms you can pick from this pop up menu. The appropriate settings are not changed when you choose a different type of platform. This menu really only associates the proper sound with the platform.

Normal Door
This is the typical door that goes pffittt when you open and close it.

Silent Pressure Switch
This is the type of Marathon ship elevator that does not make any noise.

Noisy Pressure Switch
This is the type of Marathon ship elevator that makes noise.

Alien Door
This is the type of door used on the Alien Ship. Makes a cool noise that I can’t type.

Silent Alien Pressure Switch
This is the type of Alien ship elevator that does not make any noise. Therefore, it sounds just like the Silent Marathon ship elevator.

Noisy Alien Pressure Switch
This is the type of Alien ship elevator that sounds like a chainsaw.

Note: For pressure switches, simply passing over the polygon’s space will activate it. The polygon’s space is the entire vertical area from floor to ceiling of that polygon. Even if the player jumps across the space and never actually touches the floor, the platform will activate.