point_energy_ball_launcher

 point_energy_ball_launcher is a point entity available in the Portal series.

Entity description

It spawns and launches a prop_energy_ball periodically.

Note:In Portal 2, the models, materials, and sounds for the actual balls are missing and must be copied from HL2.

Keyvalues

Ball Lifetime <float>

The time in seconds the ball will live before self-destructing. A negative value will give infinite life.

Min life after portal transition <float>

When energy balls created by this launcher pass through a portal and their life is refreshed to be this number at minimum.

Ball count <integer>

This is how many balls will be bouncing around inside the spawner

Min ball speed <float>

The minimum speed of balls that fly in the spawner

Max ball speed <float>

The maximum speed of balls that fly in the spawner

Ball radius <float>

The radius of the energy balls

Ball Type <choices>

Combine Ball Type ^[Clarify]

• 0 : Combine Energy Ball 1
• 1 : Combine Energy Ball 2
• 2 : Combine Energy Ball 3

Ball Respawn Time <float>

The energy balls respawn time

Targetname:

Name (targetname) <string>

The targetname that other entities refer to this entity by.

Entity Scripts (vscripts) <scriptlist> (in all games since )

Space delimited list of VScript files (without file extension) that are executed after all entities have spawned. The scripts are all executed in the same script scope, later ones overwriting any identical variables and functions.

Script think function (thinkfunction) <string> (in all games since )

Name of a function in this entity's script which will be called automatically every 100 milliseconds (ten times a second) for the duration of the script. It can be used to create timers or to simulate autonomous behavior. The return value (if present) will set the time until the next call.

Note:Try to avoid expensive operations in this function, as it may cause performance problems.

Parentname:

Parent (parentname) <targetname>

Specifies a movement parent. An entity will maintain its initial offset from its parent. An attachment point can be added to the end of the name, separated by a comma.

Origin:

Origin (X Y Z) (origin) <origin>

The position of this entity's center in the world. Rotating entities typically rotate around their origin.

Angles:

Pitch Yaw Roll (Y Z X) (angles) <angle>

This entity's orientation in the world. Pitch is rotation around the Y axis, yaw is the rotation around the Z axis, roll is the rotation around the X axis.

Global:

Global Entity Name <string>

Name by which this entity is linked to another entity in a different map. When the player transitions to a new map, entities in the new map with globalnames matching entities in the previous map will have the previous map's state copied over their state.

Flags

• 4096 : Start inactive
• 8192 : Combine power supply

Inputs

BallCaught  (New with Portal 2)

Ball this launcher created was 'caught'.

LaunchBall

Enable

Enable spawning of combine balls

Disable

Disable spawning of combine balls

Parentname:

SetParent <string>

Move with this entity. See Entity Hierarchy (parenting).

SetParentAttachment <string>

Change this entity to attach to a specific attachment point on its parent. The entity will teleport so that the position of its root bone matches that of the attachment. Entities must be parented before being sent this input.

SetParentAttachmentMaintainOffset <string>

As above, but without teleporting. The entity retains its position relative to the attachment at the time of the input being received.

ClearParent

Removes this entity from the the movement hierarchy, leaving it free to move independently.

Targetname:

Kill

Removes this entity from the world.

KillHierarchy

Removes this entity and its children from the world.

Note:Entities already remove orphaned children upon being removed, but this input removes all children on the same frame, being marginally faster than Kill.

AddOutput <string>

Adds a keyvalue/output to this entity. It can be potentially very dangerous, use with care.
KV Format: <key> <value>
I/O Format: <output name> <targetname>:<inputname>:<parameter>:<delay>:<max times to fire, -1 means infinite>

FireUser1 to FireUser4

Fire the OnUser outputs; see User Inputs and Outputs.

Use  !FGD

Same as a player invoking +use; may not do anything depending on the entity. Can also be invoked by firing an output that does not specify an input.

RunScriptFile <script> (in all games since )

Execute a VScript file from disk, without file extension. The script contents are merged with the script scope of the receiving entity.

RunScriptCode <string> (in all games since )

Execute a string of VScript source code in the scope of the entity receiving the input. String quotation may be needed when fired via console.

Bug: In , the code is executed in the script scope of the entity that fires the output, not the one receiving the input.

Warning: Never try to pass string parameters to a script function with this input. It will corrupt the VMF structure because of the nested quotation marks, which then must be removed manually with a text editor.

CallScriptFunction <string> (in all games since ) !FGD

Execute a VScript function in the scope of the receiving entity.

SetLocalOrigin <coordinates> (in all games since ) !FGD

Send this entity to a spot in the map. If the entity is parented to something, it will be offset from the parent by this amount.

SetLocalAngles <angles> (in all games since ) !FGD

Set this entity's angles.

Outputs

OnBallCaught  (New with Portal 2)

Fired when a ball this entity has launched has been 'caught'.

OnPostSpawnBall

Fired after the ball has spawned.

OnBallGrabbed

Fired when a combine ball is grabbed from the field by a mega physcannon

OnBallReinserted

Fired when a combine ball is reinserted into the field (only gets triggered when Combine Power supply is checked)

OnBallHitTopSide

Fired when a combine ball in hits the top side of the field (only gets triggered when Combine Power supply is checked)

OnBallHitBottomSide

Fired when a combine ball in hits the bottom side of the field (only gets triggered when Combine Power supply is checked)

OnLastBallGrabbed

Fired when the last combine ball is grabbed from the field by a mega physcannon

OnFirstBallReinserted

Fired when the first combine ball is reinserted into the field (only gets triggered when Combine Power supply is checked)

Targetname:

OnUser1 to OnUser4

These outputs each fire in response to the firing of the like-numbered FireUser1 to FireUser4 Input; see User Inputs and Outputs.

OnKilled  (only in )

This output fires when the entity is killed and removed from the game.

See also

• Creating an energy ball launcher and catcher