Tutorial hint?

[celery 8]

How does one call a hint box like the ones in the official missions? For example the one at the start of the SP mission Laser Show. I checked missions_e.pbo and the Laser Show mission folder was alarmingly ascetic with no trace of scripts beyond a few lines of init.

[AZCoder 921]

I think that's related to one of the BIS functions, advanced hints. Not 100% sure, I'm not at home to check.

[Acecool 0]

You can ParseText to add colors, images, alignment and make them look really good.

[Gekkibi 11]

	hint parseText format ["
	<t align='left' color='#e5b348' size='1.2'><t shadow='1'shadowColor='#000000'>Cargo Drop</t></t>
	<img color='#ffffff' image='BTK\Cargo Drop\Images\img_line_ca.paa' align='left' size='0.79' />
	<t align='left' color='#eaeaea' size='1.0'>You have to <t color='#fdd785'>get out</t> to load cargo!</t>
	<img color='#ffffff' image='BTK\Cargo Drop\Images\img_line_ca.paa' align='left' size='0.79' />
"];

All credits goes to BTK. :)

[celery 8]

I specifically mean this kind of hint, guys. How is it called or constructed without additional media?

[AZCoder 921]

Yes, advanced hints. Requires Functions module.

waitUntil {!isNil "bis_fnc_init"};

[] call bis_fnc_hints;

BIS_AdvHints_THeader =  "Tacos are good";
BIS_AdvHints_TInfo =  "Go buy some tacos.";
BIS_AdvHints_TAction =  "Take money with you.";
BIS_AdvHints_TBinds = "";
BIS_AdvHints_Text = call BIS_AdvHints_formatText;
BIS_AdvHints_HideCond = "[bIS_WP_Pistols] call BIS_checkptReached";
call BIS_AdvHints_showHint;

That codes creates this:

You can find this code inside the BootCamp shared folder for Arrowhead. I only changed the text because they use stringtable identifiers.

I left BIS_AdvHints_HideCond unchanged. Not totally sure how that works, except that when you reach a spot it will hide the advanced hint :)

bis_fnc_hints must be called first to initialize. Looks like this for the curious:

scriptName "modules_e\Functions\objects\fn_hints.sqf";
/*
File: fn_hints.sqf
Author: Jiri Wainar

Description:
Advanced hint system
*/

BIS_AdvHints_Path = "ca\modules_e\functions\hints\";
_system = "fn_hints_";

call compile preprocessfilelinenumbers (BIS_AdvHints_Path + _system + "main.sqf");
call compile preprocessfilelinenumbers (BIS_AdvHints_Path + _system + "functions.sqf");
call compile preprocessfilelinenumbers (BIS_AdvHints_Path + _system + "functions_animations.sqf");
call compile preprocessfilelinenumbers (BIS_AdvHints_Path + _system + "functions_navigation.sqf");
call compile preprocessfilelinenumbers (BIS_AdvHints_Path + _system + "functions_targeticons.sqf");

bis_fnc_hints_nav_helper = BIS_AdvHints_Path + _system + "nav_helper.fsm";

if (isnil "BIS_debugMode") then {BIS_debugMode = false};
if (isnil "BIS_MissionName") then {BIS_MissionName = "MISSING MISSION NAME"};
if (isnil "BIS_Objectives") then {BIS_Objectives = ["MISSING OBJECTIVES"]};

//set defaults
[] call BIS_AdvHints_setDefaults;

Edited January 19, 2011 by AZCoder

[Gekkibi 11]

Edit:

Nevermind. Someone replied before me. :)

[celery 8]

Awesome, thanks AZC! :)

[AZCoder 921]

Oh just to be complete, here's the flashlight code. I found it in mission.fsm of TE05_Night_ops.Zargabad. I like this one because it has more options, like getKeyBind and KeyPress.

call BIS_AdvHints_setDefaults;
BIS_AdvHints_THeader = localize "STR_EP1_mission.fsmFSM_States_Flashlight0";
BIS_AdvHints_TInfo = localize "STR_EP1_mission.fsmFSM_States_Flashlight1";
BIS_AdvHints_TAction = localize "STR_EP1_mission.fsmFSM_States_Flashlight2";
BIS_AdvHints_TBinds = [
localize "STR_EP1_hunt3",
{'HeadLights' call BIS_getKeyBind}
];
BIS_AdvHints_Text = call BIS_AdvHints_formatText;
BIS_AdvHints_KeyPress = "HeadLights";
BIS_AdvHints_Spawn = [] spawn BIS_AdvHints_showHintSpawn;

As before, it requires that call bis_fnc_hints is called first. BIS simply put that in a common shared folder for all bootcamp missions.

Edited January 19, 2011 by AZCoder

[Mr. Charles 22]

Looks nicer than the standard 'pling' wall of text^^

[Xero 10]

How do you make the hint that AZCoder provided go away? It stays on the screen and I don't know how to get it off.

Edit: Nervermind, I figured it out. Just change the "BIS_AdvHints_HideCond" (Hide Condition)

waitUntil {!isNil "bis_fnc_init"};

[] call bis_fnc_hints;

BIS_AdvHints_THeader = "Tacos are good";

BIS_AdvHints_TInfo = "Go buy some tacos.";

BIS_AdvHints_TAction = "Take money with you.";

BIS_AdvHints_TBinds = "";

BIS_AdvHints_Text = call BIS_AdvHints_formatText;

BIS_AdvHints_HideCond = "[bIS_WP_Pistols] call BIS_checkptReached";

call BIS_AdvHints_showHint;

Edited January 21, 2011 by Xero

[2nd ranger 282]

Addendum:

[] Spawn {
BIS_AdvHints_THeader = "Tacos are good.";
BIS_AdvHints_TInfo = "You should buy tacos.";
BIS_AdvHints_TAction = "Exchange legal currency for Tacos.";
BIS_AdvHints_TBinds = "";
BIS_AdvHints_Text = call BIS_AdvHints_formatText;
[color="DarkRed"]BIS_AdvHints_Duration = 5;[/color]
BIS_AdvHints_HideCode = "hintSilent '';";
call BIS_AdvHints_showHint;
};

With this code, the highlighted line obviously exits the hint after 5 seconds, displaying the little timer icon and duration bar that you see in OA missions. If you omit this line, a message is displayed at the bottom of the hintbox saying "Press Space to continue", and in so doing, you can hide the hint.

Has anyone used the HideCond thing successfully? I tried using getvariable and regular variables with it but nothing.

[carlostex 38]

Awesome, thanks AZC! :)

Is Celery gonna swap religions?? Could it be that he will become a member of the .sqf church? :p

[thetrooper 10]

I quite like the one AZCoder managed to produce. Any ideas how to get it to disappear over a set time though, or even show a clock timer?

[galzohar 31]

From post #12:

BIS_AdvHints_Duration = 5;