Is it possible to deactivate info_player_intermission?

[andrearosa]

NOTE: This question is related to classic Quake II patched to version 3.20, not modern source ports.

Is there a way, either via map editing or cvars, to disable or inhibit info_player_intermission in single player? I played Q2 when it came out (thus prior to the 3.20 patch) and I remember that the transition between units happened without info_player_intermission being triggered (you were brought directly to the end-of-unit cinematic). Indeed this entity was already present in the maps, but it was only meant to work in multiplayer: in single player it's pointless, and it also breaks immersion. Simply removing the info_player_intermission from the map (or changing its spawnflags so that it's only present in deatchmatch) doesn't work, since Q2 will automatically re-direct the intermission view to info_player_start.    

[grieve[Q2C]]

if you want to remove the info_player_intermission permanently, you can load the bsp file in Quark, find and remove it from the

entity list, and make an entity - only compile.

you will basically get a different map after that, you may encounter errors like *different version*, might have to rename the bsp.

[andrearosa]

Feb 24, 2023 13:13:31 GMT -5 grieve[Q2C] said:

if you want to remove the info_player_intermission permanently, you can load the bsp file in Quark, find and remove it from the

entity list, and make an entity - only compile.

you will basically get a different map after that, you may encounter errors like *different version*, might have to rename the bsp.

Yup, that's what I tried to do, but unfortunately it doesn't work: even in the absence of an info_player_intermission, Q2 will still execute the camera effect upon targeting a map which belongs to a new unit (for example, eou2_.cin+*jail1 at the end of ware2.bsp), but in this case it will automatically take the coordinates of info_player_start for said camera effect.

[knightmare]

Vanilla Q2 has always been hard-coded to use an info_player_intermission on unit exit (if it doesn't find one, it then uses an info_player_start). The only reason the initial retail release (3.05/3.06) didn't use them was because of a bug.

For example, here's the target_changelevel map command that exits from Q2's first unit:

"map" "eou1_.cin+*bunk1$start"
The release game code checked the beginning of the "map" string for a '*' to tell if it should use the info_player_intermission. This wouldn't work for the above string because of the cinematic specified before the map name.

One of the patches (probably 3.14) fixed that to check for a '*' anywhere in the "map" string. So after that patch, the info_player_intermission entities in a map were used.

So no, you won't be able to skip the intermission on unit exit without using custom game code.

[andrearosa]

Feb 24, 2023 22:41:08 GMT -5 knightmare said:

Vanilla Q2 has always been hard-coded to use an info_player_intermission on unit exit (if it doesn't find one, it then uses an info_player_start). The only reason the initial retail release (3.05/3.06) didn't use them was because of a bug.

For example, here's the target_changelevel map command that exits from Q2's first unit:

"map" "eou1_.cin+*bunk1$start"
The release game code checked the beginning of the "map" string for a '*' to tell if it should use the info_player_intermission. This wouldn't work for the above string because of the cinematic specified before the map name.

One of the patches (probably 3.14) fixed that to check for a '*' anywhere in the "map" string. So after that patch, the info_player_intermission entities in a map were used.

So no, you won't be able to skip the intermission on unit exit without using custom game code.

Well, that sucks, but thanks for your exhaustive answer, Knightmare.


I'm replaying the original Q2 campaign 18 years after my last playthrough (that is, shortly before I started making my own levels), and I had forgotten how much irritating those intermissions are (I mean, I've just abandoned this map, why am I still staring blankly at it?). I've also hunted down every issue in the original maps and fixed them, like the broken secret in Pumping Station 2 and the missing enemies in various maps, and I hoped I could do something to get rid of those annoying intermissions, but I guess I'll just have to live with them LOL