How To: Create pop-up messages in CMx2

[WimO]

I am reworking some of my 82nd Airborne in Normandy scenarios and creating new variants for the purpose of 'trying' to assemble them into a single campaign. Along the way I decided to add some pop-up messages like, "I don't like this sir", and "I think we should fall back sir". I do this using 'Touch' objectives set to 'unknown to both' and type in the aforementioned message. Then when the player moves a pixel soldier onto or over that touch objective, the message will pop up. No guarantee however, that the player will notice it.

I wish there was an option to select the colour we want to use for text labels and messages. The red labels are horrific at times.

[Erwin]

It's good idea.  The CMBS TOC scenario (made in 2018) used that concept a lot.  But as you say, it would be more useful and noticeable if different colors were possible.  Also text sizes.  On my screen resolution it's hard to read those messages.

[Bulletpoint]

I think you can also do this by adding empty reinforcement groups and inputting the text in the group name. That allows the popup to be shown at a certain time.

[JM Stuff]

This could be very interesting, I guess is the same kind of pop up, that appear on the top, when we receive some reinforcement ?
So in this case we can writing ourself the message that we want?

Cheers

[CarlXII]

I belive these tricks are the best options avaliable currently. Sadly the textstring we can add in these messages is fairly short.

Having a simple way off adding in-game messages is one of many request for improvements to the editor. Perhaps even include an option to add a soundfile instead of a text message. 

Many of these small improvements ought to be doable within a fairly short time frame as they require pretty much nothing else than a slight remake of the editor UI. In some cases also a remake of the ingame UI.

But a whole number of these small suggestions will have no impact at all on FPS or put higher demands on the AI. An updated UI is all that is reuired.

Hopefully we will see atleast some of these suggestions included some day soon. They could add quite alot to the enjoyment and flexibility of the game.

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by CarlXII

[kohlenklau]

I have had fun with changing the touch objective completed/reinforcement arrival sound effect "chat squawk.wav" modtagged to be "other things"...

In a Kasserine Pass scenario it was changed to a short sound clip of the French national anthem because your reinforcements were French.

Lets see, in an Italian attack on free French at Bir Hakeim, it was changed to something Italian sounding as they got their touch objectives.

Ina Barbarossa scenario involving a bridge demolition, it was changed to an explosion sound I got from a video of The West Virginia Department of Transportation blowing up an old bridge. The arrival of a certain time triggered the sound clip as reinforcement with honor system scoring being that you had to have taken the bridge before the sound effect. Not quite the best way but all I gots to work with. Come on POWERBALL!

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by kohlenklau

[Erwin]

Really like the pop up messages in the KG Von Schroif campaign.  Am assuming that when one reaches a location it activates an enemy response and "intel" warns one that enemy units are on their way.  And then again when they actually arrive.

[CarlXII]

3 hours ago, kohlenklau said:

I have had fun with changing the touch objective completed/reinforcement arrival sound effect "chat squawk.wav" modtagged to be "other things"...

In a Kasserine Pass scenario it was changed to a short sound clip of the French national anthem because your reinforcements were French.

Lets see, in an Italian attack on free French at Bir Hakeim, it was changed to something Italian sounding as they got their touch objectives.

Ina Barbarossa scenario involving a bridge demolition, it was changed to an explosion sound I got from a video of The West Virginia Department of Transportation blowing up an old bridge. The arrival of a certain time triggered the sound clip as reinforcement with honor system scoring being that you had to have taken the bridge before the sound effect. Not quite the best way but all I gots to work with. Come on POWERBALL!

 

Clever man ! 

But this comes with limits i'm guessing...It will not really work with larger scenarios with multiple objectives will it ?...Neat trick though 

22 minutes ago, Erwin said:

Really like the pop up messages in the KG Von Schroif campaign.  Am assuming that when one reaches a location it activates an enemy response and "intel" warns one that enemy units are on their way.  And then again when they actually arrive.

Yepp...having a feature in the editor that would allow us to do this more easily and in a bigger way would allow for some cool things. Perhaps not a thing for every scenario but it would give the scenario designers some added flexibility to do different things.

 

 

[Bulletpoint]

3 hours ago, kohlenklau said:

Lets see, in an Italian attack on free French at Bir Hakeim, it was changed to something Italian sounding as they got their touch objectives.

[Erwin]

13 minutes ago, CarlXII said:

The arrival of a certain time triggered the sound clip as reinforcement with honor system scoring being that you had to have taken the bridge before the sound effect.

Presumably the player's units would have to take a particular action spot to trigger the sound FX...

[kohlenklau]

2 hours ago, Erwin said:

Presumably the player's units would have to take a particular action spot to trigger the sound FX...

No, the sound effect was connected to allied reinforcement arrival. That bridge scenario was like you as axis only had so much time to get down there to the bridge and "remove the charges and throw them in the river" (simulated by just getting down there). So, if you did and then the sound effect went off, it meant they went off safely down in the river or some such fictional ending. THE END

Edited February 20, 2023 by kohlenklau

[Erwin]

Ah...  good idea.