Custom key polling from clients
After some experimenting, I've discovered how to use a new feature in the game, as of 1.7: custom key polling from client stations! Here is what you do:
First the server has to start listening, to do this use the <start_getting_keypresses_from> command, like so:
Now the server will start listening for keys, but another command is needed: if_client_key, which has a similar syntax to if_gm_key:
In this example, I've started polling from the science console (S), listening for key "X". Something will happen when the player at Science presses the X key. To stop polling, use the <end_getting_keypresses_from> command:
So an example use in your script might look like:
You can use this for triggering any custom event, including something that couldn't be done before without some wierdness. Now, you can have the captain's map "beam over an away team", or have use different keys for different responses to an NPC conversation over comms. Since we can now add and subtract variables in the scripting system, I'm looking forward to integrating some kind of trading with neutral NPCs in my mission scripts.
First the server has to start listening, to do this use the <start_getting_keypresses_from> command, like so:
<start_getting_keypresses_from consoles="S" />
Now the server will start listening for keys, but another command is needed: if_client_key, which has a similar syntax to if_gm_key:
<if_client_key keyText="X" />
In this example, I've started polling from the science console (S), listening for key "X". Something will happen when the player at Science presses the X key. To stop polling, use the <end_getting_keypresses_from> command:
<end_getting_keypresses_from consoles="S" />
So an example use in your script might look like:
<event> <if_timer_finished name="something" /> <if_variable name="prompted" comparator="=" value="0" /> <warning_popup_message message="Press the X key now" consoles="S" /> <start_getting_keypresses_from consoles="S" /> <set_variable name="prompted" value="1" /> </event> <event> <if_client_key keyText="X" /> <warning_popup_message message="You pressed the X key! Huzzah!" consoles="SH" /> <end_getting_keypresses_from consoles="S" /> </event>
You can use this for triggering any custom event, including something that couldn't be done before without some wierdness. Now, you can have the captain's map "beam over an away team", or have use different keys for different responses to an NPC conversation over comms. Since we can now add and subtract variables in the scripting system, I'm looking forward to integrating some kind of trading with neutral NPCs in my mission scripts.
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Thank goodness, I wasted like an hour on this.
May I ask how you figured this out? The ref doc is a bit unpolished at the moment.
Edit: Am I reading this right - it's impossible to have, say, the X button do one thing for Comms and another thing from Science? Furthermore, anyone I'm getting custom input from shares all custom inputs with everyone else I want to get custom input from? That's extremely disappointing.
May I ask how you figured this out? The ref doc is a bit unpolished at the moment.
Edit: Am I reading this right - it's impossible to have, say, the X button do one thing for Comms and another thing from Science? Furthermore, anyone I'm getting custom input from shares all custom inputs with everyone else I want to get custom input from? That's extremely disappointing.
[Last edited Jan 08, 2013 23:43:46]
I'm not sure, but I think the keypress listening ties up the network/server a lot. It's not a good idea to be listening all the time. I think it is intended to be briefly turned on during the right circumstances of your mission. In the Away Team example, you might set conditions of:
Away Team is aboard Artemis.
Range to ship being boarded < 1,000.
Artemis shields are down.
Artemis is moving at sublight speed.
Artemis has enough energy for transporters.
Under those circumstances start listening for the X key from the Captain's Map. Have a similar set of circumstances for beaming the Away Team back.
If you want the X key on Science to do something else, say launch a probe into the giant Space Ameoba, then set different conditions, preferably conditions that exclude the Away Team conditions.
Away Team is aboard Artemis.
Range to ship being boarded < 1,000.
Artemis shields are down.
Artemis is moving at sublight speed.
Artemis has enough energy for transporters.
Under those circumstances start listening for the X key from the Captain's Map. Have a similar set of circumstances for beaming the Away Team back.
If you want the X key on Science to do something else, say launch a probe into the giant Space Ameoba, then set different conditions, preferably conditions that exclude the Away Team conditions.
"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton!"
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
I experimented with this over the weekend and it works fine. Note that the keypolling does not happen constantly through every main loop. The delay is very short, almost unnoticeable, but it does mean that the keys should be used for toggle actions, not keypress duration actions.
In other words, suppose your mission script implements a tractor beam when the Engineer presses T. The Engineer pressing T to activate/deactivate Tractor will work fine. But having the Engineer hold T down to tractor and release T to release tractor will be unreliable. The tractor will flicker on and off constantly.
In other words, suppose your mission script implements a tractor beam when the Engineer presses T. The Engineer pressing T to activate/deactivate Tractor will work fine. But having the Engineer hold T down to tractor and release T to release tractor will be unreliable. The tractor will flicker on and off constantly.
"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton!"
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
I'm sorry I didn't update the mission docs as I should have for the 1.70 release. I'm about to release 1.701, and I'll update the docs then.
CaptZach and Mike Substelny have this right.
It shouldn't. start_getting_keypresses_from sends a message to the selected clients, telling them that they are ALLOWED to send key messages. after that, every time a key is pressed and released on that client, a key message will be sent. So unless you slap the keyboard like a monkey, those messages SHOULDN'T cause network congestion. Theoretically.
CaptZach and Mike Substelny have this right.
I think the keypress listening ties up the network/server a lot.
It shouldn't. start_getting_keypresses_from sends a message to the selected clients, telling them that they are ALLOWED to send key messages. after that, every time a key is pressed and released on that client, a key message will be sent. So unless you slap the keyboard like a monkey, those messages SHOULDN'T cause network congestion. Theoretically.
Creator of Artemis
So unless you slap the keyboard like a monkey, those messages SHOULDN'T cause network congestion.
I'm glad to hear that.
"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton!"
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
Hmm...I seem to be having difficulty with this very issue. I'm trying to offer the crew a "dialogue choice" (press "y" for yes and "n" for no), but I can't seem to get the server to read any keypresses. A dialogue tree isn't quite the same as a random mission, but I'm thinking it should be possible. (it should be noted that I'm no expert at coding and am feeling my way through the Artemis Mission Editor).
You must use upper case. Lower case is not recognized by the server.
Chris, can you post the code for the dialogue? A dialogue tree is totally possible, but your code might have a syntax problem.
Thanks for the tip RussJudge. Changing the statement in the editor to upper case solved the issue.
would this allow us to set keys for the Main Screen / Captain to control the main screen view.
Say an event like:
Action:
start listening on Main Screen
Cond:
Main Screen keypress: Numpad 8
Action:
SET MAIN_SCREEN_FRONT
Say an event like:
Action:
start listening on Main Screen
Cond:
Main Screen keypress: Numpad 8
Action:
SET MAIN_SCREEN_FRONT
Hosting a Mumble (Murmur) server @ tsnfenrir.no-ip.org
Having trouble connecting to the TeamSpeak channel: http://tsnfenrir.no-ip.org/ts3
Helm Script for Numerical heading input: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10193809/ArtemisHelmFSW.zip
Twitter: @lucas99801
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Having trouble connecting to the TeamSpeak channel: http://tsnfenrir.no-ip.org/ts3
Helm Script for Numerical heading input: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10193809/ArtemisHelmFSW.zip
Twitter: @lucas99801
Facebook: /lucastarnold
I don't think so. I wish the scripting language could control the main screen since many Captain keep the main screen on Long Range Scan all of the time and so the crew never gets to see generic objects, skybox changes, and other special effects.
"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton!"
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
Excellent! This should be added to the unofficial wiki: artemiswiki.pbworks.com
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