Busted Question #1: Sporkt.

Question: Sporkt has unexplained clipping errors, and I've tried everything. It doesn't make any sense. What's the problem?


Answer: This map has a problem which forge doesn't address very well. Hopefully it will in the next update. The problem is simple, but really hard to diagnose: there are too many sound objects.




As you can see, this area has a sound object for each polygon. When there are too many sound objects, some strange things happen in the engine; Marathon is unable to calculate all the collision and impassability data for the map, resulting in clipping errors and/or non-solid walls that should be solid.

Each of the sounds is slaved to lightsource #21, which makes the sound volume flicker with the lights in the area. To have ambient-like sound that follows lightsources in an area, four or five sound objects should be enough. If you have more, you run the risk of having impassability problems. If you have less, then the sound effect will be directional, when played in stereo they will seem to be coming from a particular direction.


This problem stumped Double Aught for an entire day on By Committee. A day we will never forget.

If you have any questions you would like answered, please direct your mail to the most humble Grendel, grendel@doubleaught.com.