Triggers

Trigger Tool

Trigger Data · Trigger Targets · Add & Delete · Descent 1 Types · Descent 2 Types · Properties

Triggers are actions that are carried out when a player passes through a specific wall or destroys/picks up a specific object. When added to walls, the trigger will only activate when flying through the wall from the segment the wall is on - it will activate if the player enters the segment the wall is on, even when flying through the wall.

The current trigger is either the trigger on the current wall if "standard trigger" is checked, or the trigger on the selected object if "object trigger" is checked.

Trigger Data

Text	Description
trigger type	Standard triggers are the most common type. They are attached to a wall and trigger whenever the player passes through the wall. Object triggers are a D2X-XL exclusive feature that activate based on an object, such as when a robot is killed, a power up is picked up, etc.
trigger #	The ID of the current trigger. The list allows changing the current trigger (which will also select another wall, and thus indirectly another segment/side).
strength	The "strength" of the trigger. The exact behavior depends on the trigger type.
time	The "time" of the trigger. The exact behavior depends on the trigger type, but in D2X-XL, unless otherwise mentioned, it acts as a delay for the trigger.

Trigger targets

A single trigger can have up to ten targets, which are each a segment,side combination (often pointing to a wall), or in D2X-XL can also be an object.

The "add wall" button may be used to add the other side and the "add object" button to add the current object.

Add & Delete

Text	Description
add	Adds a trigger on the given side. If a wall isn't present and "auto add wall" is checked, one is automatically added; either an open wall for an open side or an overlay for a closed wall. If there is no wall and "auto add wall" is not checked, adding the trigger will fali.
delete	Removes the current trigger.
delete all	Removes all triggers from the level.
copy	Copies the attributes of the current trigger into a separate trigger clipboard.
paste	Replaces the attributes of the current trigger with those on the texture clipboard.
add trigger: open door	Adds a "control doors" trigger (Descent 1) or an "open door" trigger (Descent 2).
add trigger: robot maker	Adds a "robot maker" trigger (Descent 1) or an "make robots" trigger (Descent 2).
add trigger: shield drain	(Descent 1 only) Adds a "shield drain" trigger.
add trigger: energy drain	(Descent 1 only) Adds an "energy drain" trigger.
add trigger: control panel	(Descent 2 only) Adds an overlay wall and an "open wall" trigger that points at the other side.

Descent 1 Types

Triggers in Descent 1 can do multiple actions at once; a single trigger can, for example, be both a "control doors" and "robot maker" trigger, in which case it will open doors and make robots for all targets that support that specific action.

Unless mentioned separately, the "strength" and "time" values have no effect, and the trigger target(s) do not matter.

Text	Description
control doors	For each target: if the target is a door, opens it (on both sides).
shield drain	Subtracts the "strength" value from the player's shields. Not used in the original game.
energy drain	Subtracts the "strength" value from the player's energy. Not used in the original game.
exit	Ends the level. The mission proceeds to the next normal level.
secret exit	Ends the level, and the mission proceeds to the corresponding secret level. Should not be used on secret levels.
active	Has no effect. Intended to disable the trigger if not checked.
one shot	Makes the trigger activate only once. This does not work due to a bug in the game, which is fixed in D2X-XL.
robot maker	For each target: if the target points to a segment that is a robot maker, activate it. The side of the target has no effect.
illusion off	For each target: if the target points at an illusionary wall, disables the illusion (makes it invisible) on both sides. Also plays a sound effect for that illusion.
illusion on	For each target: if the target points at an illusionary wall, enables the illusion (makes it visible again) on both sides.
open wall	(D2X-XL only; no effect in other versions) For each target: if the target points at a wall, converts the wall into an Open type on both sides.
close wall	(D2X-XL only; no effect in other versions) For each target: if the target points at a wall, converts the wall into a Close type on both sides.

Descent 2 Types

Triggers in Descent 2 can only have one type at a time. Some trigger types can display messages when activated, but they only do so if the trigger was activated by destroying a control panel or a monitor - fly-through open wall triggers never display a message.

Unless mentioned separately, the "strength" and "time" values have no effect, and the trigger target(s) do not matter.

Text	Message	Description
open door	Door(s) opened!	For each target: if a target is a door, opens it (on both sides).
close door	Door(s) closed!	For each target: if a target is a door, closes it (on both sides).
robot maker	—	For each target: if the target points to a segment that is a robot maker, it is activated. The side of the target has no effect. In addition, in D2X-XL, for each target: if the target points to a segment that is an equip maker, it is also activated.
exit	—	If used on a normal level, ends the level, and the mission proceeds to the next normal level. If used on a secret level, teleports the player back into the normal level where they came from.
secret exit	—	Teleports the player to the corresponding secret level. Should not be used on secret levels. Does not function in multiplayer mode.
illusion off	Illusion(s) off!	For each target: if the target points at an illusionary wall, disables the illusion (makes it invisible) on both sides. Also plays a sound effect for that illusion.
illusion on	Illusion(s) on!	For each target: if the target points at an illusionary wall, enables the illusion (makes it visible again) on both sides.
unlock door	Door(s) unlocked!	For each target: if a target is a door, unlocks it (only on the target side), allowing it to being opened again.
lock door	Door(s) locked!	For each target: if a target is a door, locks it (only on the target side), preventing it from being opened again.
open wall	Wall(s) opened! Force field(s) disabled! (if at least 1 target is a force field)	For each target: if the target points at a wall, converts the wall into an Open type on both sides (playing an animation and a sound).
close wall	Wall(s) closed! Force field(s) enabled! (if at least 1 target is a force field)	For each target: if the target points at a wall, converts the wall into a Close type on both sides (playing an animation and a sound).
illusory wall	—	For each target: if the target points at a wall, converts the wall into an Illusion type on both sides (without an animation or a sound).
lights off	Lights off!	For each target: if the target is a closed side or a wall, and thus has a texture, and if the 2nd texture casts a light, turns off the light (makes it dark), including the variable light.
lights on	Lights on!	For each target: if the target is a closed side or a wall, and thus has a texture, and if the 2nd texture casts a light, turns on the light (makes it bright), including the variable light.
illusory wall	—	For each target: if the target points at a wall, converts the wall into an Illusion type on both sides (without an animation or sound).

D2X-XL exclusive

The trigger types in the following table are exclusive to D2X-XL levels.

Text	Message	Description
teleport	Teleport! (standard) Robot is fleeing! (object)	With standard triggers: Teleports the player to the center of the target segment, pointing towards the target side. There should be exactly one target. With object triggers: Used to make the robot teleport away. (TODO: how?)
speed boost	Speed Boost!	If the speed boost has one target, boosts the player towards the target, with the speed depending on the slider below the type selection. The boost will continue until the player hits a wall in the direction of the boost or flies through another boost trigger. If the speed boost has no targets, stops boosting the player.
camera	—	Adds a surveillance camera, with real-time updated screens. The targets of the camera are the locations of the "screens" for that camera. If used as a standard trigger, this should be attached to a side, and the camera will then display what is on the opposite direction from the side (as if it were latched onto the side). If used as an object trigger, the object should itself be a camera object. Unlike the stationary camera, this one will slowly turn around back and forth.
damage shields	—	Subtracts the "strength" value from the player's shields.
drain energy	—	Subtracts a certain percentage off the player's energy. The percentage is adjusted by the "strength" property. Note that the "strength" is not an absolute value, but a percentage of the amount of energy the player currently has.
change texture	Walls have been changed!	For each target: if the target has a texture (points to a closed side or a wall), changes the texture to what is set up below the trigger type option.
countdown	—	Starts the reactor countdown. The time is set to be the time of the trigger.
spawn bot	Robot is summoning help!	Must be used as an object trigger. Causes a robot to spawn new robots. If a target is set and points at a robot maker, the set of spawnable robot types is copied from the robot maker's data.
set spawn	New spawn points set!	Moves player spawn points to new locations. The number of targets should correspond to the number of players (1 on singleplayer, 4 on singleplayer/co-op), and represent (segment, side) pairs; the spawn point will be at the center of the cube, facing towards the target side.
message	—	Displays a hovering message to the player. The "strength" value is the message number, and the messages themselves are stored under a .msg file with the same file name as the level, in the format 1:message number 1 2:message number 2 3:message number 3
sound	—	Plays a sound to the player. The "strength" value is the sound number under an .snd file, stored in a similar format to messages that contains a sound file name.
master	—	For each target: if the target is a trigger, activate it.
enable	—	For each target: if the target is a trigger, enable it (allow it to activate again).
disable	—	For each target: if the target is a trigger, disable it (prevent it from activating until enabled).
disarm robot	—	For each target: if the target is a robot (object), disarm it (prevent it from firing).
reprogram robot	—	For each target: if the target is a robot (object), make it attack other robots instead of players.
shake mine	—	Causes the mine to shake. The "strength" controls how hard the mine shakes, and "time" controls how long the mine will shake (in seconds); set to -1 for a default of 10 seconds.

Properties

The following properties only apply to Descent 2 and D2X-XL levels.

Text	Description
no message	Some trigger types display messages when activated through a switch (a control panel, monitor, etc.). This disables the message that would otherwise be shown (fly-through open wall triggers never show a message).
one shot	Makes the trigger only activate once and disable itself afterwards. Applicable to fly-through open wall triggers (since switches are destroyed in order to activate triggers, they are by nature one-shot).
permanent	D2X-XL only. If the trigger is attached to a switch, make the switch not destroy itself, but still activate the trigger. This makes it possible to activate switch triggers many times. Mutually exclusive with "autoplay"; will be disabled if "autoplay" is enabled.
alternating	D2X-XL only: If enabled, once the trigger is activated, it is automatically converted to do the inverse action the next time around. This only applies to some trigger types.
set orient	D2X-XL only: Controls whether the speed boost trigger will turn the player around towards the target.
autoplay	D2X-XL only: Automatically activate the trigger (or start its delay) if or once it is enabled.
no sound	D2X-XL only: Prevents some trigger actions, such as opening walls, from playing sounds.