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How to Create Musical Tomb Triggers

bunbunnynybunbunnyny Posts: 3,678 Member
edited March 8 in Nominated Threads
This tutorial will teach you how to set up a tomb trigger that is activated when your Sim begins playing an instrument!

screenshot_original.jpg"width=650"

In the picture above, there is a Floor Switch hidden in that room. As soon as my Sim starts playing the piano, the hidden switch will appear!


To make this, you'll need:

•The World Adventures Expansion Pack.

•The [testingcheatsenabled true] cheat activated.

•The [buydebug on] cheat activated.


Read the second post to learn how to require your Sim to play an instrument for a certain amount of time to activate the trigger, and to add a maximum time limit to playing!


If you want to learn how to add multiple instruments to the same lot, or how to create a workaround for any instrument being able to be played on the lot and activate the trigger, read the third post!



1) First, you'll need to place down any instrument in the room, such as the piano shown in the picture!


2) Then, if you're building on a community lot, go into the Community Lot Objects section of Build Mode and place a Public Sounds Stereo.

If you're building on a residential lot, you may find the stereo in the [Miscellaneous] subsection of the [Debug] category. The [Debug] category can be found once the cheat has been activated, and you sort out items by function in Buy Mode.


3) Now, place down the object that you want playing the instrument to activate.


4A) If you can see the stereo, then you can turn it off in Live Mode. So, we need to hide it! You can do this in several creative ways!

First, place the stereo in a place where you can see it and not inside the tomb.

You'll need to make sure that the stereo isn't placed on a community lot that closes down at any time during the day or night!

You'll also need to ensure that there are no stereos that you can see whether or not you're inside the tomb! If you can see it in Live Mode, you can turn them off, and that would ruin the musical trigger if you can do that!


4B) If you don't want anybody to hear the music at all when playing through the tomb, go into Live Mode and set the volume of the stereo to [Low]. Then, go into Build/Buy Mode and Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo, and change the channel to something quiet, like the [Classical] channel!

Now, place it somewhere that the player wouldn't be likely to hear the music, like in the farthest corner of the lot in a basement 4 stories deep! (Make sure you fog out the room!) You might not be able to completely hide the music, depending on how much tomb you have. However, you can still try and do your best to keep it as far away from the walls of the tombs without letting the player see the stereo!


4C) If you want the player to hear a mysterious music in the tomb, go into Live Mode and set the volume to whatever you want! Make sure it's not too loud or too soft for where you want the music to be heard!

In the picture shown at the top, there is a dark hallway, and at front of the hallway, you can't even hear the music! However, as your Sim and the camera move closer and closer to the room where the music is coming from, the music will get louder and louder, but it's still muffled!

Now, go into Build/Buy Mode, Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo, and change the channel to whatever channel you want! If you're using a piano, I recommend putting it to the [France] channel, since that channel has music that most resembles piano music!

Now, place the stereo in a small room (1x1 - 1x1.5 sized room) that is touching the walls of the room that you want the music to be coming from. Make sure that the room that the stereo is in will never be "unfogged," or entered into, unless you can enter that room only after you've played the instrument. Also, make sure that there are no windows in the room that the stereo is placed in, too!


5) Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo in Build/Buy Mode, and select [Add the ability to add triggers and activated behaviors].


6) Now, Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo in Build/Buy Mode, and select:
[Link Triggers...]»[Turn Off]


7) Ctrl+Shift+Click the item that you want activated by playing the instrument:
[Link To Activated Behavior...]»(Whatever you want it to do)


8) Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo, and select:
[Make unusable by NPCs]

Do the same for the object(s) that the instrument activates.

That way, just in case an NPC comes into the unfogged room and they start playing the piano, they can't activate the object!



And you're done!

Unfortunately, this only works for one instrument. Playing any other instrument on the lot will activate everything that playing the original instrument activates.

However, this could come in handy! If you have a portable instrument with you, you can start playing on say, an abandoned stage or an ancient campground, and you will reveal a secret door that wasn't there before!


If you want to learn how to require a Sim to play an instrument for a certain amount of time before the trigger is activated, read the next post!


If you want to learn how to add multiple instruments to the same lot, or how to create a workaround for any instrument being able to be played and activate the trigger, read the third post!


If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
Post edited by EA_Solaire on

Comments

  • bunbunnynybunbunnyny Posts: 3,678 Member
    edited October 2011
    This post will teach you how to require your Sim to have to play for a certain amount of time before the trigger is activated!

    You will need:

    •The World Adventures Expansion Pack.

    •The [testingcheatsenabled true] cheat activated.

    •The [buydebug on] cheat activated.


    If you want to learn how to add multiple instruments to the same lot, or how to create a workaround for any instrument being able to be played on the lot and activate the trigger, read the third post!


    1) First, you'll need to complete Steps #1) - #4) in the first post!


    2) Now, go into the [Tomb Objects] subsection of the [Debug] section, and find the Tomb Processor. Place it down near the instrument, or if you can, on the instrument.


    3) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Processor, and select:
    [Set Logic Mode...]»[Cycle (Crawling Ants)]


    4) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Processor, and select:
    [Set Clock Mode...]»[Disabled (Disarmed)]


    5) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Processor, and select:
    [Toggle Options...]

    Make sure that every setting is set to what it is below. Normally, all you'd need to select change is [Deactivate Outputs On Reset], but you should make sure all of the following match:

    [Clear Inputs On Reset (Enabled)]
    [Clear Inputs On Tick (Disabled)]
    [Clear Inputs On Deactivate (Enabled)]
    [Deactivate Outputs On Reset (Disabled)]
    [Deactivate Outputs On Tick (Enabled)]


    6) Now, you'll need to set the amount of required playing time.
    Ctrl+Shift+Click the Processor, and select [Set Clock Jitter].
    Now, enter in the number of Sim seconds that your Sim must play the instrument in order for the trigger to happen.

    Don't worry about all of that stuff that the menu says, I'll explain the Clock Mode to you at the bottom of the post when you're done reading!

    Remember...
    1 Sim second = 1/60 Human seconds
    60 (1 Sim minute) Sim seconds = 1 Human second
    3, 600 (1 Sim hour) Sim seconds = 1 Human minute

    The game keeps track of time by Sim minutes, not Sim seconds!

    Having the game fast forward will speed up Human time! (Ex: If you put the game into >| speed, then 3, 600 Sim seconds will be more like 10 Human seconds instead of a whole minute!)


    7) Now, Ctrl+Shift+Click the Processor, select [Set Clock Period], and enter whatever you entered for the Clock Jitter +1!


    8) Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo, and select [Add the ability to add triggers and activated behaviors].


    9) Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo, and select:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Turn Off]


    10) Link it to the Processor. Ctrl+Shift+Click the Processor, and select:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»[Arm]


    11) Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Turn On]


    12) Link it to the Processor:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»[Reset]


    13) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Processor:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Out 0]


    14) Link it to the object(s) you want the instrument to activate:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»(Whatever you want it to do!)

    If you want to link it to more than one object, you'll need to repeat step 13) every time you complete step 14) for every individual object.

    screenshot_original.jpg"width=650"


    15) Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo, and select:
    [Make unusable by NPCs]

    Do the same for the Processor and the object that the instrument activates.

    That way, just in case an NPC comes into the unfogged room and they start playing the piano, they can't activate the object!



    And you're done!


    Now, keep on reading the following steps to learn how to set a maximum playing limit! This means that if the Sim plays for too long, the object will unactivate whatever it did!



    16) Place down a second Tomb Processor near (but not on top of) the first one. Ctrl+Shift+Click the second Tomb Processor, and select [Toggle Options...]

    Make sure that every setting is set to what it is below. Normally, all you'd need to select change is [Deactivate Outputs On Reset], but you should make sure all of the following match:

    [Clear Inputs On Reset (Enabled)]
    [Clear Inputs On Tick (Disabled)]
    [Clear Inputs On Deactivate (Enabled)]
    [Deactivate Outputs On Reset (Disabled)]
    [Deactivate Outputs On Tick (Enabled)]

    (You may want to color-code the Processors so you can easily tell which one is which!)


    17) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Second Processor:
    [Set Logic Mode...]»[Cycle (Crawling Ants)]


    18) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Second Processor:
    [Set Clock Mode...]»[Disabled (Disarmed)]


    19) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Second Processor:
    [Set Clock Jitter...]

    Now, whatever you put here can be less than or more than the Clock Jitter for the First Processor.

    If it's less than the first Clock Jitter, than you'll need to get off of the instrument in a shorter amount of time than it took to get the object to appear!

    If you choose to make it the same, then you have just as much time as it took to make the object appear to get off of the instrument.

    And of course, if you make it longer, you have more time to get off than you had making it appear.

    I highly recommend using any amount of time higher than 120 Sim seconds, although you may indeed go below if you want!

    If you want to go below 120, by all means go below! However, you will most likely have an impossibly difficult experience while testing your tomb, so I recommend going above at least 30 Sim seconds if you decide to go below!

    600 Sim seconds = 10 Sim minutes


    20) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Second Processor:
    [Set Clock Period...]»{Clock Jitter +1}


    21) Ctrl+Shift+Click the First Processor, and select:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Out 0]


    22) Link it to the Second Processor:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»[Arm]


    23) Ctrl+Shift+Click the stereo:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Turn On]


    24) Link it to the Second Processor:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»[Destroy]

    NOTE: Please don't be confused by the word "destroy!" It actually means "disarm," and so this means that if you activate the object, but start playing the instrument again and pass the maximum amount of time you can play the instrument, the object will deactivate itself!


    25) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Second Processor:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Out 0]


    26) Link it to the First Processor:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»[Tick]



    And you're finished setting a time cap to your musical trigger!


    If you want to learn how to add multiple instruments to the same lot, or how to create a workaround for any instrument being able to be played on the lot and activate the trigger, read the third post!


    Clock Mode

    Basically, here's how the Clock Mode, Clock Jitter, and Clock Period work:

    The idea is pretty much a cycle where things activate on a "timer."

    The Clock Period is the maximum number of Sim seconds that the "timer" will last.

    The Clock Jitter makes it so that every time this many Sim seconds pass, something will activate or deactivate, but only if Clock Mode is armed.

    Setting the Clock Mode will turn the "timer" permanently off, on, or able to be turned on activation,

    If you set Clock Mode to [Enabled (Armed)], then Clock Mode will be on from the start.

    If you set Clock Mode to [Disabled (Disarmed)], then this will allow the Clock Mode to be turned on by activation.

    If you make an object activate the [Arm] trigger on the Processor, then the Clock Mode will be turned on.

    Setting the Logic Mode to [Cycle (Crawling Ants)] will automatically cycle through every Output action, but only if Clock Mode is armed.

    The [Destroy] action on the Processor is actually a [Disarm] feature, basically turning Clock Mode off, but still able to be turned on by activation.

    The Options in the [Toggle Options...] menu do exactly what they say. Deactivation is when the [Destroy] action is used!



    Hopefully, that will teach you all that you need to know about Clock Mode!

    If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
    Post edited by Unknown User on
  • bunbunnynybunbunnyny Posts: 3,678 Member
    edited October 2011
    This post will teach you a workaround for letting any instrument on the lot activate a trigger, and how to enable a specific instrument on the lot to activate a trigger! This will also let you let the player to bring a portable instrument and play in a certain location on the lot to activate a trigger!

    screenshot_original.jpg"width=650"

    In this situation above, the Sim must play the drums for 30 Sim minutes to unlock the abandoned stage doors, and he can't play any longer than 40 minutes!

    You will need:

    •The World Adventures Expansion Pack.

    •The [testingcheatsenabled true] cheat activated.

    •The [buydebug on] cheat activated.


    1) To start, you must complete steps #1) - #15) of the Second Post!

    If you want, you may also complete steps #16) - #26) of the Second Post to set up a time cap to the playing limit! If you decide to do this, please follow steps #14) and #15) on this Post to make sure your Musical Trigger works properly!


    2) Now, place down another Tomb Processor near, but not on top of, the other Processors.

    You may want to color the Processor so you know which Processor is which.


    3) Place down several Hidden Trigger Panels.

    Ctrl+Shift+Click every single Panel:
    [Make unusable by NPCs]

    Place one down on top of and around the instrument.
    Place the Panels down as according to this picture below for every different instrument type!


    screenshot_original.jpg"width=650"


    4) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Last Processor, and select [Toggle Options...]

    Make sure that every setting is set to what it is below. Normally, all you'd need to select change is [Deactivate Outputs On Reset], but you should make sure all of the following match:

    [Clear Inputs On Reset (Enabled)]
    [Clear Inputs On Tick (Disabled)]
    [Clear Inputs On Deactivate (Enabled)]
    [Deactivate Outputs On Reset (Disabled)]
    [Deactivate Outputs On Tick (Enabled)]


    5) Now, Ctrl+Shift+Click the object or every object that your First Processor activates:
    [Clear all links to and from this object]


    6) Ctrl+Shift+Click the First Processor:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Out 0]


    7) Link it to the Last Processor:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»[In 0]


    8) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Hidden Trigger Panel placed in the middle or below the seat of the instrument:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Hidden Switch]


    9) Link it to the Last Processor:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»[In 1]


    10) Ctrl+Shift+Click one of the Panels surrounding the instrument:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Hidden Switch]


    11) Link it to the First Processor:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»[Reset]

    Repeat steps #10) and #11) with every Panel surrounding the instrument!


    12) Ctrl+Shift+Click the Last Processor:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Out 0]


    13) Link it to the object that you want playing the instrument to activate!


    And you're done! If you are using a playing time cap, please continue to follow steps #14) and #15) to set this up so that it still works for your setup!

    Although the Panels may take up a lot of room, you can bring the instruments closer together! Do this only after you have set up every instrument properly! Keep each Panel in their appropriate spot while moving the instrument over.

    Also, you may overlap the Side Panels, on top of other Side Panels or on top of Middle/Seat Panels! However, do not overlap Middle/Seat Panels with another Middle/Seat Panel!



    If you're using a time playing cap, please continue to follow these steps:


    14) Ctrl+Shift+Click each Side Hidden Trigger Panel:
    [Link Triggers...]»[Hidden Switch]


    15) Link it to the Second Processor:
    [Link To Activated Behavior...]»[Reset]

    Repeat steps #14) and #15) with every Panel surrounding the instrument!

    screenshot_original.jpg"width=650"


    You're finally finished with your Musical Trigger with a time cap!


    If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
    Post edited by Unknown User on
  • bunbunnynybunbunnyny Posts: 3,678 Member
    edited September 2011
    MAJOR updates to the First and Second Posts!

    Updates to First Post
    - Added a step in Step #5)'s place.

    - Added Step #8).


    Updates to Second Post
    - The Second Post now teaches players how to set a minimum amount of time to play an instrument to activate the object!

    - The Second Post now teaches players how to set a maximum amount of time to play an instrument to activate the object!

    - The Second Post now teaches players essential and useful information about Clock Mode, Clock Jitter, and Clock Period!


    Please ensure that functionality of your contraption hasn't been altered if you have already built or already in the process of building this device!
  • mikitta47mikitta47 Posts: 2,250 New Member
    edited September 2011
    You never linked to the instrument ... I am baffled how this works.

    God Bless,
    mik
  • bunbunnynybunbunnyny Posts: 3,678 Member
    edited October 2011
    MAJOR updates to the Third Post! Sorry for the really long wait, I've been sorta busy lately!

    Updates to Third Post
    - The Third Post now teaches players how to set a trigger from playing a single, specific instrument on the lot to activate the object!

    - The Third Post now teaches players how to set a maximum amount of time to play a single, specific instrument on the lot to activate the object!

    - The Third Post now teaches players how to create a workaround for any instrument on the lot being able to be played in order to activate the object!

    - The Third Post now teaches players how to designate any specific area on a lot to place and play a portable instrument to activate the object!


    Please ensure that functionality of your contraption hasn't been altered if you have already built or already in the process of building this device!
  • bunbunnynybunbunnyny Posts: 3,678 Member
    edited October 2011
    MAJOR update to the Second Post!

    Update to Second Post
    -An additional step has been added, step #17), leading to a total of 26 steps instead of 25.


    Please ensure that functionality of your contraption hasn't been altered if you have already built or already in the process of building this device!
  • PeterS1992PeterS1992 Posts: 1
    edited June 2012
    can you please tell me what I'm doing wrong?
    I placed a piano in a room, along with a public stereo thingy. Then I switched the stereo to the French channel and placed a lamp and linked the stereo to the lamp with link trigger switch off. Yet if my sim starts to play nothing happens. I just found out that the stereo does go off when I'm playing the piano in a community lot but not on my own residential lot, can you explain why it won't shut off automatically on the residential lot?
  • bunbunnynybunbunnyny Posts: 3,678 Member
    edited June 2012
    It's just a guess, but the Stereo, I believe, was originally designed for use in Community Lots only... Thus, when you leave a community lot, the music turns off...

    With the triggers not working, double check everything! Did you follow all of the directions? Do you have all of the needed Hidden Triggers? Did you set the Processors so that they have the correct options? I believe that this should work, given that you haven't forgotten anything or messed anything up!

    I'm not an expert on the Stereo, but this is my best guess! Sorry if this isn't what you were looking for! :oops:
  • tea_and_bluestea_and_blues Posts: 889 Member
    edited June 2012
    This was a very sharp thing for you the pick up on, the way instruments now trigger stereos, which are incorporated into the WA tomb tools.
  • bunbunnynybunbunnyny Posts: 3,678 Member
    edited July 2012
    Thank you! Can someone please let me know if this does not work for them?
    I want to make sure that this works properly!


    I would appreciate it if someone could test something in here, and see if everything still works properly after:

    • Playing a specific time length, and then stopping, and not doing anything with the activated behavior for a few Sim hours and see if anything happens

    • Playing and then stopping before the specific time length required is met, and see if anything happens after a few Sim hours

    • Playing for a specific time length that's required, and whether or not it will turn off if it is played for too long, continue playing the instrument for at least 9 TIMES the amount of time required for the longest time period to pass by, without stopping! Cheats may be required for this.


    Thank you guys if you can help out, and if you can find any other ways to test out the any of the many possibilities that an uninformed player playing through a tomb could take, I would appreciate that, too!
    If everything turns out fine, please let me know! :mrgreen:
  • HakiktHakikt Posts: 1 New Member
    Hello, happy new year and thanks you sooooo much for this tutorial.

    I am finishing soon Resident Evil house adaptation into a tomb recreating the game and i am coming to the very last bit, the "complicated" riddles, with a key one beeing playing the piano a certain amount of time to open a door. Thought that would be impossible as you can't link anything to the piano but you are a genius :smiley:

    Your tutorial on the "AND" processor should do perfect too for my 4 keys needed to open the garden access door.

    I will test both in the coming days.

    Last, in case you or anybody might know or know a link explaining it, i have still my paintings room to create and there i struggle : Creating a sequence for 7 floor switch.
    In detail there are 6 "standard" floor switch to activate in the right order so the "master" and last floor switch (n° 7) will reveal a wall hole with a key in it. Also, if they activate the "master" floor switch and did not the 7 previous "standard" floor switch in the right order, it trigger various traps and reset everything. (so the traps must be new again at every try)
    If someone knows the processor command i should use to create this kind of floor switch sequence i am super interested.

    Thanks for all your hard work.

    Best regards,
    Dante.

    PS : let me know if you are still looking for some tomb testing, once i have made my piano riddle i can consider helping.

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