Navigate InfoSuite
Hosted At
Link to CGS
The Basics - Tags

Tags

Hi-Tags and Lo-Tags


There are only two kinds of tags. Hi-Tags, and Lo-Tags. These are usually difficult to understand at first, but they really aren't complicated at all. I think it's the unfamiliar terms that cause all of the confusion. A Hi-Tag and a Lo-Tag are just number values which can be assigned to any object (sprites, walls, and sectors). An object can only be assigned one Hi-Tag, and one Lo-Tag. Basically, you use a Hi-Tag and a Lo-Tag to tell an object what you want it to do. For example, if you gave a sector a Lo-Tag of 2, you're telling it to act like water, because 2 is the predefined number value for an underwater sector. The floor and ceiling of a sector share tags, so giving either one a tag affects the entire sector.

A Hi-Tag is most commonly used as a unique link or channel which objects share, such as a door and the switch that activates it. The reason I'm referring to this link as a channel, is because it wasn't until this term was used that I finally understood the concept of Tags. A channel is simply a unique number value (of your choice) which two or more objects will share. For example, if this hypothetical door and switch were both assigned a channel value of 7, it would be said that they operate on channel 7. No other functional object in the map should have this unique channel value or it will become part of the link.

Lo-Tags are handled in a few different ways, depending on the object which you are tagging. In some cases, it is used as a preset number which tells an object how to act. This number is hard-coded into the game, and will not interfere with channels. In other cases, it will be given a channel value just like a Hi-Tag. In the "Advanced FX" section, I will always let you know what the tags do and what values to assign to them, all you really need to know is how to assign the tags.


Assigning Tags


2D mode

T - Used to enter a sector Lo-Tag. Place the mouse cursor inside the sector first.

Alt + T - Has the same function as T, except used for walls and sprites. Highlight the object with the mouse cursor first.

H - Used to enter a sector Hi-Tag. Place the mouse cursor inside the sector first.

Alt + H - Has the same function as H, except used for walls and sprites. Highlight the object with the mouse cursor first.


3D mode

apostrophe ( ' ) + H - If a ceiling or floor is highlighted, this will set the sector's Hi-Tag. If a wall is highlighted, this will set the wall's Hi-Tag. If a sprite is highlighted, this will set the sprite's Hi-Tag.

apostrophe ( ' ) + T - If a ceiling or floor is highlighted, this will set the sector's Lo-Tag. If a wall is highlighted, this will set the wall's Lo-Tag. If a sprite is highlighted, this will set the sprite's Lo-Tag.


Special Sprites


These are the special sprites that are used to make the advanced effects in the game. They are simply placed in the sector to be affected, and then given tag values to determine how the sector should be affected. This list is cut-and-pasted directly from the "References - Special Textures" section, so don't be alarmed if it seems a little overdescriptive. You won't have to memorize any of this, but having a basic understanding of what these sprites are and what they do won't hurt.


TEXTURE# 1 SECTOREFFECTOR

The SectorEffector is used to manipulate sector attributes and create the game effects.


Lo-Tag : A preset number which tells a sector how to act. Check the "References - Sector/Effector Tags" section for the list.
Hi-Tag : Channel. Used to link another SectorEffector with the same Lo-Tag so they activate together.


TEXTURE# 2 ACTIVATOR

The Activator is used to activate the sector Lo-Tag function or SectorEffectors within the sector.


Lo-Tag : Channel. Set equal to a sprite's Lo-Tag used to activate it (such as a Switch, Access Switch, or Touchplate).
Hi-Tag : [0] = Default. [1] = Open door only (Sector Tag 20/21 doors). [2] = Close door only (Sector Tag 20/21 doors).


TEXTURE# 3 TOUCHPLATE

The Touchplate will activate an Activator, ActivatorLocked, or MasterSwitch when triggered by the player's presence.


Lo-Tag : Channel. Set equal to an Activator, ActivatorLocked, or MasterSwitch Lo-Tag.
Hi-Tag : [0] = Activate every time the player steps on the floor. [>0] = Activate this many times then never again.
Angle : [Down] = Activate when the player enters the sector. [Up] = Activate only when the player steps on the floor of the sector.
Height : If the Touchplate is above the floor of the sector, it will function as an "automatic floor rise" effect. The Touchplate height determines the floor's initial height, and the sector floor height determines where it will lower to when triggered. This does not require a Channel value to work. The effect is silent, but the Channel could be used to activate other effects with MusicAndSFX. All other attributes of the Touchplate will apply as usual.
GPSpeed Lo-Tag : If the automatic floor rise effect is used, this will determine its speed.


TEXTURE# 4 ACTIVATORLOCKED

The ActivatorLocked locks a sector's Lo-Tag function until the player unlocks it.


Lo-Tag : Channel. Set equal to a sprite's Lo-Tag used to unlock it (such as a Switch, Access Switch, or Touchplate).


TEXTURE# 5 MUSICANDSFX

The MusicAndSFX sprite can be used in a few different ways:

  1. Activation Sound
    When used in a sector with a Lo-Tag, the sound will play when the sector's Lo-Tag function is activated.
    Lo-Tag : Primary sound number.
    Hi-Tag : Secondary sound number.
  2. Ambient Sound
    When used in a sector without a Lo-Tag (although there are some exceptions), an ambient sound will be played.
    Lo-Tag : Ambient sound number.
    Hi-Tag : Maximum audible radius from center (1024 = The largest grid square).
  3. Random-Ambient Sound
    When used in a sector without a Lo-Tag (although there are some exceptions), and with a 'random-ambient' compatible sound, a user-determined range of sounds will be played in a random order at random intervals. The sound will be globally heard anywhere within the sector. A random sound will always be triggered immediately upon the player's first entry into the sector. If the player starts the game within the sector, the same initial sound will always be chosen (probably a byproduct of the methods used to randomize). Note that the range value is the consecutive range following the base sound, so a range value of 3 would actually include 4 sounds (the base sound, and the next 3 consecutive sounds).
    Lo-Tag : Base sound.
    Hi-Tag : Consecutive range of sounds (after the Base sound).
  4. Echo Effect
    When used in a sector without a Lo-Tag, all sounds will have an echo effect.
    Lo-Tag : 1000 + the amount of echo from 0-255 (0 being the least amount of echo).
    Hi-Tag : Maximum audible radius from center (1024 = The largest grid square).

TEXTURE# 6 LOCATORS

The Locator is used to define the series of points that a Pigcop RPV or a Subway Vehicle/Two-Way Train will follow. You can only have one Locator path set in a sector. You cannot have a Pigcop RPV and a sector vehicle in the same map.


Lo-Tag : Set in an increasing order beginning with 0. When the vehicle reaches the last point, it will loop back to the Locator with Lo-Tag 0. Two-Way Trains only use two Locators.
Hi-Tag : If set to 1, the Subway Vehicle will stop at that point for 5 seconds, then continue. The Pigcop RPV/Two-Way Train is not affected.


TEXTURE# 7 CYCLER

The Cycler is used to make a sector pulsate in brightness. It is often used with a GPSpeed to set the pulsating speed.


Lo-Tag : Sets the initial brightness offset.
Palette : The sector palette will be permanent.
Shade : Set the Cycler shade to when the light is on. Set the sector shade to when the light is off.
GPSpeed Lo-Tag : PulseSpeed value. Ranges from 1 (slowest) to 1023 (fastest).


TEXTURE# 8 MASTERSWITCH

The MasterSwitch activates Sector Lo-Tags or SectorEffectors. It is the exact same as an Activator, except it has a time delay ability and it only activates once (after which the player will have manual control, if feasible).


Lo-Tag : Channel. Set equal to a sprite's Lo-Tag used to activate it (such as a Switch, Access Switch, or Touchplate).
Hi-Tag : Set time delay until action occurs (32 = 1 second).


TEXTURE# 9 RESPAWN

The Respawn is used to spawn an actor or an item when triggered by an action, or when the player kills an actor.


Lo-Tag : Channel. Set equal to a sprite's Lo-Tag used to trigger it (Switch, Access Switch, Touchplate), or set equal to a FEM actor's Hi-Tag.
Hi-Tag : Set equal to the sprite number to spawn. Use any sprite number which has a name assigned to it (although some will not be compatible).


TEXTURE# 10 GPSPEED

The General Purpose Speed is most commonly used to determine the speed of an object.


Lo-Tag : Rate of movement.


Finishing Up


Unbelievably enough, Sector Effector is actually the appropriate spelling according to the dictionary, which is bollocks if you ask me. You don't Effect something, you Affect it! I had previously written a great little piss-take in the description, "The SectorEffector has also been promoting one of the grossest misspellings in history for over a decade." but now I suppose that's not true. Anyway, back to business.

In the "Advanced FX" section, I will use the following format to describe any object:

texture[Hi-Tag,Lo-Tag]

Usually, I prefer to list textures by their actual name as given in the editor. However, since these 10 special sprites will be mentioned especially often, I'll be abbreviating them to match their appearance in the images. For example, instead of saying "place a SectorEffector", I'll just say "place an S". So if I wanted to say "Place a SectorEffector with a Channel Hi-Tag and a Lo-Tag of 11", I would say it simply and concisely like this: "Place an S[Channel,11]". If any of these sprites are in brackets, it means that they are not mandatory, but are instead optional additions. For example, in "S[Channel,11] (Speed[0,Speed])", the Speed sprite is optional.

Sector and Wall Tags are referred to in the same format, although usually omitting the "texture" part, since it rarely matters. So if I wanted to say "Give the sector a Hi-Tag of 1, and a Lo-Tag of 15", I would say it like this: "Tag the sector [1,15]". As a reminder, floors and ceilings share tags. Assigning a tag to either one affects both, hence I refer to them as Sector Tags.


At this point, I would like to provide a quick list of the text colour-coding used throughout the guide. This is only for the sake of completeness, since all of the colours are quite self-explanatory when seen in context, as you may have already noticed.

blue Denotes a link.
lime green Denotes textures, and their tags if applicable.
yellow Denotes a keypress or a combination of keypresses.
cyan Denotes some form of troubleshooting or a question.
gray Denotes the input of prompt commands or configuration code.
orange Denotes a sound as being ambient compatible.
magenta Denotes a sound as being random-ambient compatible.
red Denotes an item as nonexistent or unavailable.

Occasionally, I also use colour-coding in images, but it's always explained above the image.


Hopefully, you haven't been overly confused by the concept of Tags. I have tried to refine their description to a very simple but effective form, in such a way that I wish had been presented to me when I was first learning how to use the map editor. This stuff will come to you with practice. When you think you have a basic grasp of the concept, then it's time to learn some Tricks.




Return to top