Introduction
This tutorial describes the difference between Events, Conditions and Actions.
I will show some examples along the way and help you to understand the effects and power of triggers.
We have many things to do, so let's get started.
To begin we must create a new blank trigger using WE’s Trigger Editor. Press F4 on your keyboard or select the lowercase “c” button on the toolbar. Now select New>Trigger from the trigger menu and…presto! A new trigger is born.
Untitled Trigger 001
Let’s give our triggers names to make them easy to identify. When new triggers are created, you always have the option to give them unique names. If you forget, in the left hand pane, double click on the trigger you want to rename and enter a name for it.
Events
Events are the functions that “trigger” your triggers.
For example, when you make a timed bomb, the event will activate the trigger when the timer reaches 0.
We can make simple events for triggers by right clicking on the event and selecting “New Event.” The
Configure Event window then opens and displays Map Initialization as the default event. We’ll chose a different event for our first trigger so scroll down the list until you find
Unit - Generic Unit Event and select it. The default event in this category is
A Unit Dies and this is the event that we want. Notice how the word “Dies” is colored and underlined? This means that you can change the value for that field to a variety of other generic unit events. For now, let’s leave it alone and proceed.
Unit Dies
This trigger will start every time a unit dies.
To create a timed trigger select the event:
Time - Periodic Event.
The default value for this event is two seconds. Let’s edit this value so that our trigger fires every minute. Click on the underlined and colored
2.00 and a window opens that allow us to change this value to any real number. Use the tiny arrow button or type in
60 to make the change.
Timed Trigger 001
This trigger will start every 60 seconds of the game.
For a region specific event use:
Unit - Unit Enters Region.
Unit Enters Region
This trigger will start when a unit enters a region (regions are made in Terrain Editor, Region Palette)
Conditions
Conditions are present to make your trigger run only under certain conditions. In the above example, the trigger would fire when
any unit owned by
any player enters Region 000. Say you wanted only certain units or players to trip the trigger?
Let's just add a simple condition to our trigger to make only certain unit types operate it. Again, right click on the condition to create a new one. Since the default condition is
Boolean Comparison, scroll down and select
Unit Type Comparison. This applies the condition:
Unit Enters Region
This is the trigger from above, the one where a unit enters a region. This time, the trigger will only be executed if the entering unit is a Footman.
Another simple condition would allow only a certain player (or players) to set off the trigger:
Unit Enters Region
Under this condition the trigger would affect only units owned by Player 1.
This condition would qualify our timed trigger:
We could also add a condition like this:
Unit Dies
This is the example we used before, the one where a unit dies. But the difference is that this time the trigger will only be executed if the Dying unit is an Archer.
Conditions are necessary for a trigger to work properly but that doesn't mean that you will be forced to use them in order to make the trigger work.
Actions
Actions are the main part of a trigger. If we take the example from before with the bomb, this will be the explosion of your bomb.
So when something triggers your event, it checks if it matches the conditions (if they exist). Then it runs your actions.
So here we have our trigger again. The one with the dying archer:
Unit Enters Region
This trigger will endlessly create 2 archers when one dies and could cause the game to crash because it will create archers all the time.
Unit Enters Region
This is another example, the one where a footman enters a region. This time it also has an action. When the footman enters the region, the trigger action kills it.
All my examples have only one event, one action and one condition. They could have an unlimited of each, like this more advanced trigger:
Unit Enters Region
Again the same trigger with the footman but this time the owner of the footman has to be player 3.
You could also make a trigger like this:
Unit Dies
This trigger is the same example with the dying archer again: it creates 2 archers. But now it also takes the last created unit, which is an archer, and changes the owner of it to the owner of the unit that killed your archer in the first place.
I hope you learned something about this subject and that it wasn't a waste of our time. I’m sure that you now realize that the question: "is it an event, a condition, or an action???" is unnecessary and you will always know just how to make a trigger. Beginning trigger editors should start simple, learn some of the many options available, and practice, practice, practice!
Events
Conditions
Actions
Unit - A unit Dies
Time - Every 60.00 seconds of game time
(Unit-type of (Triggering unit)) Equal to Footman
Special Effect - Create a special effect attached to the [u]origin/overhead/hand right/ hand left/foot right/foot left/head/chest[/u] of [u](Triggering unit) using [u]Abilities\Spells\Human\Avatar\AvatarCaster.mdl[/u]
Unit Group - Pick every unit in (Units in [u]No region[/u]) and do (Unit Set Rally-Point for (Picked Unit) to (Center of [u]No region[/u]))
Map initialization
Cinematic - Turn cinematic mode On for [u](All players)[/u]
Wait [u]5.00[/u] seconds
Linear Mode
