Sequence Toolbar
Overview
Icons, Properties Window and Their Functionality
Sequence Properties
Sequence Properties Window
Name | Function | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
Autostart | Automatically starts the sequence on game start. | Only for testing purposes. |
NoSeek | Disables random seeking in a cutscene, such as jumping to a certain time. | |
CutScene | - Enables the Cut-Scene Toggles. | Required for all scenes that are camera-controlled. |
Update Movie System First | Normally the movie system update happens before the entity system update. | Use it to fix bone-attached entities that lag behind their parent's movement. |
Timewarp in fixed time step | Makes Timewarp modify the fixed time step value instead of modifying the time scale value. | Use it for capturing sequences in fixed time step that use at least one Timewarp. |
Cut-Scene Toggles
These only work if CutScene has been checked in the Properties field.
Name | Function | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
Disable HUD | Completely disables the HUD. | Only if the HUD isn't supposed to be shown at all. |
Disable Player | Disables the player. | Required for all camera-controlled scenes. |
Non-Skippable | Prevents the player from skipping the sequence. | Special cases (e.g. an important QTE event). |
Disable Sound | Disables all sounds not in the sequence. |
Track View Buttons
Each icon in the toolbar has a rollover hint that details what it does.
Icon | Name | Function |
|---|---|---|
Add Sequence | This is used for creating and adding new sequences | |
Delete Sequence | This is used for deleting an existing sequence | |
Edit Sequence | This is used for editing the sequence properties of an existing sequence | |
Add Selected Node | Adds a selected entity to the Track View | |
Add Scene Node | Adds the scene track to the Track View; the scene track contains the high-level components of the scene, like the camera that needs to be used | |
Find Node | Opens a window for finding and selecting a node in Track View | |
Go to start of sequence | ||
Play | It also has a drop-down list, using which the playback speed can be adjusted by selecting the different available values | |
Stop | ||
Pause | ||
Go to end of sequence | ||
Record | When active, an entity that is selected and contained in the Track View will have its position recorded at the current frame | |
Auto Recording | Specifies the record speed of auto recording | |
Loop | ||
Undo | ||
Redo | ||
Go to previous key | Moves the time slider to the previous frame on the track | |
Go to next key | moves the time slider to the next frame on the track | |
Copy all selected keys to the currently selected track | Copies a selected key to a selected track | |
Move Keys | Moves the selected key back and forth, when dragged | |
Slide Keys | Moves the selected key and all the keys proceeding it back and forth, when dragged | |
Scale Keys | Scales the selected key and all the keys proceeding it, when dragged | |
Add Key | Adds a key frame to the selected track; this can also be done by double-clicking the timeline track | |
Delete Key | Deletes the key; this can also be done by selecting a key in the track and pressing Delete | |
Current Time | Displays the current time position of the slider | |
No Snapping | Turns snapping on/off | |
Magnet Snapping | Turns Magnet Snapping on/off | |
Frame Snapping | Turns Frame Snapping on/off | |
Tick Snapping | Turns Tick Snapping on/off | |
Frame Rate | Opens the frame rate dialog box |
Input the frame rate here
Type the node name to find in Track View here
Standard Setups
Camera-controlled sequences. | Sequences without camera control. |
|---|
Changing Cut-Scene Toggles Mid-Sequence
Cut-Scene Toggles can be changed mid-sequence by starting another sequence that runs in parallel.
This is primarily used to briefly turn on camera-control in a sequence that allows free player movement. (Example: Opening the hatch at the beginning of the submarine intro in Crysis 2.)
Example setup
Main sequence:
Main sequence Track View sequence and its Sequence Properties.
The main sequence allows free player movement and will enter a loop at second 1. A Switch entity will make the sequence jump to second 2 later, which starts a short camera-controlled segment.
Sub-sequence:
Sub-sequence Track View sequence and its Sequence Properties.
The sub-sequence is only used to change the Cutscene-Toggles which will enable camera-control. Its length depends on how long camera-control should be active.
Flowgraph used to control both sequences.
Once the player uses the Switch entity, the camera-controlled part at second 2 will start.