game_text
From Valve Developer Community
This is a point entity available in all Source games.
Contents |
Entity description
An entity that displays text on players' screens. This text can be defined directly in the Hammer editor (unlike the similar env_message entity which uses thetitles.txt file). This entity is suitable only for standalone bsp maps.
If your text is not displaying properly in a multiplayer game, try checking the "All Players" flag.
- See also point_message - A similar entity that displays a small custom message at a specific position in the game world.
- Customizable triggered HUD-message - How to create a new entity that is similar to game_text but can receive the message string via a triggered input.
\" characters). It will cause fatal errors with opening and/or compiling your map and may need to be fixed by manually editing the VMF in a text editor. Instead, use use detailed quotes (i.e. “ and ”).
In code it is represented by class CGameText, defined in maprules.cpp.
Keyvalues
Targetname:
- Name <string>
- The targetname other entities refer to this entity by.
- master
- <target_destination> Legacy support: The name of a master entity. If the master hasn't been activated, this entity will not activate.
- message
- <string> Message to display onscreen. \n signifies a new line in the text.
- x
- <float> Horizontal position on the player's screens to draw the text. The value should be between 0 and 1, where 0 is the far left of the screen and 1 is the far right. -1 centers the text.
- y
- <float> Vertical position on the player's screens to draw the text. The value should be between 0 and 1, where 0 is the top of the screen and 1 is the bottom. -1 centers the text.
- effect
- <choices> Text Effect.
Literal value Effect Description 0 Fade In/Out The whole text is faded in, and then faded out. 1 Credits
To do: Unknown - seems to act like Fade In/Out. Provide description.
2 Scan Out The text is scanned in letter by letter, and the whole text is then faded out.
- color
- <color255> Color1 - The primary color used by all the text effects.
- color2
- <color255> Color2 - The scanning color for the letter being scanned if the Text Effect keyvalue is set to Scan Out - usually a different shade of Color1.
- fadein
- <float> The time it should take for the text to fully fade in.
- fadeout
- <float> The time it should take for the text to fade out, after the hold time has expired.
- holdtime
- <float> The time the text should stay onscreen, after fading in, before it begins to fade out.
- fxtime
- <float> If the 'Text Effect' is set to Scan Out, this is the time it should take to scan out all the letters in the text.
- channel
- <choices> Text Channel. You can have up to four individual game_text messages onscreen at once, stored in channels. Select which channel this text should be placed in, which will overwrite any active message already in that channel.
Note:Only Channels 1-4 are displayed in the choice list.
Literal value Description 0 Channel 0 1 Channel 1 2 Channel 2 3 Channel 3 4 Channel 4 5 Channel 5
Flags
- 1 : All Players
Inputs
Targetname:
-
Kill - Removes this entity from the world.
-
KillHierarchy - Removes this entity and all its children from the world.
-
AddOutput <string> - Evaluates a keyvalue/output on this entity. It can be potentially very dangerous, use with care.
- Format:
<key> <value> - Format:
<output name> <targetname>:<inputname>:<parameter>:<delay>:<max times to fire, -1 means infinite> -
FireUser1toFireUser4 - Fire the
OnUseroutputs; see User Inputs and Outputs.
- Display
- Display the message text.
Outputs
Targetname:
-
OnUser1toOnUser4 - Fired in response to the
FireUserinputs; see User Inputs and Outputs. -
OnKilled(New with Left 4 Dead) - Fired when the entity is killed and removed from the game.

