Visibility

[the_ideal]

So I'm struggling with this issue... and I've never seen it be a problem in a good map.

I'm making an RPG and I want people to be able to control their own camera (i.e. not have it locked), but obviously they can't be able to see the map, so I have black mask enabled. Unfortunately, when the players are exploring my exquisitely designed terrain, ( ) they miss out on some because there is black there, blocking their view and making it look ugly. (For example, trees and cliffs block line of sight, so you can't see the forest in front of you, you only see the first trees and darkness behind them.)

How can I fix this?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Moridin]

You could trigger certain panaromic views?

For example, let's say there's this one point in the game where you come across a forest, you pan the camera to give a nice top flat view of the trees, but obviously visibility is limited. So you use a trigger to enable visibility over that area as long as he's in that panaromic view region.

To enable visibility over an area you can use this:

Visibility - Create Visibility modifier region
Visibility - Create Visibility modifier circle

...and set the modifiers to variables that you can enable/disable depending on where the unit is. Hope this helps.

 

[futeki]

If you don't mind using a few regions for those areas, here's some quick and dirty triggers:

Enter region:

• Enter
  • Events
    • Unit - A unit enters Region<gen>
  • Conditions
  • Actions
    • Visibility - Create an initially Enabled visibility modifier for (Owner of (Triggering unit)) emitting Visibility across Region <gen>
    • Set VisibilityVariable[(Player number of (Triggering player))] = (Last created visibility modifier)

Leave region:

• Leave
  • Events
    • Unit - A unit leaves Region <gen>
  • Conditions
  • Actions
    • Visibility - Disable VisibilityVariable[(Player number of (Owner of (Triggering unit)))]

 

[Accname]

So I'm struggling with this issue... and I've never seen it be a problem in a good map.

I'm making an RPG and I want people to be able to control their own camera (i.e. not have it locked), but obviously they can't be able to see the map, so I have black mask enabled. Unfortunately, when the players are exploring my exquisitely designed terrain, ( ) they miss out on some because there is black there, blocking their view and making it look ugly. (For example, trees and cliffs block line of sight, so you can't see the forest in front of you, you only see the first trees and darkness behind them.)

How can I fix this?

Thanks a lot!

either go with the solutions given above or oben the object editor, select the trees you use in your map and change their "adsorption height" (havent gotten english editor right now) value to 0.
wont work this way for cliffs though.

 

[the_ideal]

I appreciate all the help given, but none of these really solve the problem

What if I put flying dummy units with vision over each unit's head? Would the fact that they are flying change anything?

I find it really hard to believe there isn't an easier solution...

 

[Azylaminaz]

A flying unit is exactly it...

To make it so you can see past trees you can set their occlusion height to zero, but cliff titles? Will need flying. Could also make height cliffs (via the raise tool). A tad long to do, though.

A system shouldn't be too difficult.

Sorry. >.<; I couldn't find any abilities that would work for this. >.< Locust Swarm, perhaps, but that is problematic and will need to be cast forever.

 

[the_ideal]

I'll try creating flying dummy units with vision, and constantly move each one to the position of each hero.

Thanks!

 

[Moridin]

If you don't want to create a dummy flying unit, another option is to create a visiblity modifier region (will let you see through trees, sight blockers, cliffs, etc) that you move with the hero? You can also just enable/disable the modifier, instead of having to delete / re-create the dummy everywhere.

 

[Accname]

If you don't want to create a dummy flying unit, another option is to create a visiblity modifier region (will let you see through trees, sight blockers, cliffs, etc) that you move with the hero? You can also just enable/disable the modifier, instead of having to delete / re-create the dummy everywhere.

you can simply move dummy units, visibility modifiers cannot be moved at all.
however flying dummys will only be needed for standard blizzard cliffs.

 

[the_ideal]

Once again, thanks for all the help.

I was avoiding doing the dummy unit thing because it seemed too complicated and too much work, but all it took was one simple little trigger and a few modification of my dummy unit for spells, and it works PERFECTLY!