env_message

Class hierarchy
CMessage ↳CPointEntity ↳CBaseEntity
EnvMessage.cpp

env_message is a point entity available in all Source games. It draws a text message on player HUDs, predefined in the /scripts/titles.txt file.

Bug:Does not function in and .  [todo tested in?]

In code, it is represented by theCMessageclass, defined in theEnvMessage.cppfile.

Flags

Play Once : [1]
All Clients : [2]

Keyvalues

Message Text (message) <string>

Message to be shown. See above.

Sound Effect (messagesound) <sound>

When the message is shown, this sound effect will be played, originating from this entity.

Volume 0-10 (messagevolume) <string>

Volume of the sound effect.

Sound Radius (messageattenuation) <choices>

How big the radius of the sound is.

• 0: Small Radius
• 1: Medium Radius
• 2: Large Radius
• 3: Play Everywhere

Name (targetname) <string>

The name that other entities refer to this entity by, via Inputs/Outputs or other keyvalues (e.g. parentname or target).
Also displayed in Hammer's 2D views and Entity Report.

See also:  Generic Keyvalues, Inputs and Outputs available to all entities

Inputs

ShowMessage

Shows the message and plays the sound.

Outputs

OnShowMessage

Fired when the message is activated.

File format

Each message entry in titles.txt follows a similar structure as other Valve text files. Example: Title { Text Value }. The message can reference a localized string prefixed with #.

This text can be formatted in many different ways, according to the syntax provided. The resource/clientscheme.res is responsible for the font family, size and weight of the message. To change the size find CenterPrintText in the res file.

Variables can be defined which will affect all the messages below them, until overwritten with another value.

Varaible	Parameters	Description
$position	float, float	Position of the text onscreen, represented as a range from 0-1. The first float is horizontal, with 0 being the left; the second is vertical, with 0 being the top. -1 is centered. Bug:In most games, messages are constrained to being displayed in a 4:3 area aligned to the left side of the screen, making approximately the entire right third of the screen in widescreen mode unusable.  [todo tested in?] Fix:This is fixed in newer versions of Half-Life 2 and Portal, and can be fixed in mods for other games by increasing the width of the HudMessage panel in scripts/hudlayout.res.
$effect	integer	How it is displayed. 0 is fade in/fade out, 1 is flickery credits, 2 is write out
$fxtime	float	When using the write out effect, this is the amount of time the highlight lags behind the leading edge of the text
$color	R G B	Color of the text as red-green-blue between 0-255
$color2	R G B	Highlight color used for the write out effect as characters are appearing
$fadein	float	Fade in time of message or each character in seconds
$fadeout	float	Fade out time in seconds
$holdtime	float	How long to wait after fade in before fade out
$boxsize	float	If non-zero, adds a background behind the text (like the HL2 'Saved' message). The size of the border is calculated as this value multiplied by the font height.
$boxcolor	R G B A	Color and opacity of the text background
$clearmessage	string	Clears any existing message of the given name upon display. Set to 0 to disable.

If you make a standalone modification you can alter this file with your own entries. The default titles from HL2 are listed below:

Message Value	Printed Text
CR1	Testing 1
CR2	Testing 2
CR3	Testing 3
GAMEOVER_ALLY	ASSIGNMENT: TERMINATED SUBJECT: FREEMAN REASON: FAILURE TO PRESERVE MISSION-CRITICAL PERSONNEL
GAMEOVER_OBJECT	ASSIGNMENT: TERMINATED SUBJECT: FREEMAN REASON: FAILURE TO PRESERVE MISSION-CRITICAL RESOURCES
GAMEOVER_TIMER	ASSIGNMENT: TERMINATED SUBJECT: FREEMAN REASON: FAILURE TO PREVENT TIME-CRITICAL SEQUENCE
GAMEOVER_STUCK	ASSIGNMENT: TERMINATED SUBJECT: FREEMAN REASON: DEMONSTRATION OF EXCEEDINGLY POOR JUDGMENT
CHAPTER1_TITLE	POINT INSERTION
CHAPTER2_TITLE	"A RED LETTER DAY"
CHAPTER3_TITLE	ROUTE KANAL
CHAPTER4_TITLE	WATER HAZARD
CHAPTER5_TITLE	BLACK MESA EAST
CHAPTER6_TITLE	"WE DON'T GO TO RAVENHOLM..."
CHAPTER7_TITLE	HIGHWAY 17
CHAPTER8_TITLE	SANDTRAPS
CHAPTER9_TITLE	NOVA PROSPEKT
CHAPTER9A_TITLE	ENTANGLEMENT
CHAPTER10_TITLE	ANTICITIZEN ONE
CHAPTER11_TITLE	"FOLLOW FREEMAN!"
CHAPTER12_TITLE	OUR BENEFACTORS
CHAPTER13_TITLE	DARK ENERGY
GAMESAVED	Saved...
GAMETITLE	Half-Life

Files

1. scripts/titles.txt

See also

• game_text - Similar entity that lets you define a text directly in the Hammer editor.
• env_hudhint - Similar entity that displays predefined HUD hints about controls and other things.