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Flicker

Lesson 11 of 20 in Coddy's Roblox Game: Escape the Dark course.

A warning: lamps near the monster flicker. That is for the eyes only, so it belongs in DarkClient, the LocalScript in the HUD, and here something useful happens: a LocalScript that changes a server's part changes it only on that player's screen. The server's lamps never change.

Every tenth of a second, for each LampLight in the rooms, a lamp within Settings.FlickerDistance of the monster is on 40% of the time; any other lamp is on:

light.Enabled = not near or math.random() < 0.4
challenge icon

Challenge

Medium

In DarkClient, get Players and Settings, and start a loop with task.spawn: every 0.1 seconds, find workspace.Shadow's root (if it is there), and for every LampLight among workspace.Rooms' descendants, set its Enabled as above, near meaning within Settings.FlickerDistance of the lamp's part.

Press Play, then Check.

Try it yourself

local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local ServerStorage = game:GetService("ServerStorage")
local Lighting = game:GetService("Lighting")
local TweenService = game:GetService("TweenService")
local PathfindingService = game:GetService("PathfindingService")
local Settings = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.Settings)

local rooms = workspace.Rooms
local lastRoom = rooms.Lobby -- the newest room
local count = 0 -- rooms made so far
local monster = nil

-- Night falls: no sun, a little light everywhere, and fog
Lighting.ClockTime = Settings.ClockTime
Lighting.Ambient = Settings.Ambient
Lighting.OutdoorAmbient = Settings.Ambient
Lighting.FogColor = Color3.new(0, 0, 0)
Lighting.FogEnd = Settings.FogEnd
print("Lights out")

-- A tool a player carries: in their hand, or in their Backpack
local function findTool(player, name)
	return (player.Character and player.Character:FindFirstChild(name)) or player.Backpack:FindFirstChild(name)
end

-- Swing a door open on its hinge
local function openDoor(door)
	door:SetAttribute("Open", true)
	door.Panel.Prompt.Enabled = false
	local hinge, panel = door.Hinge, door.Panel
	local goal = hinge.CFrame * CFrame.Angles(0, math.rad(90), 0) * hinge.CFrame:ToObjectSpace(panel.CFrame)
	TweenService:Create(panel, TweenInfo.new(0.6), { CFrame = goal }):Play()
end

-- The nearest living player within MonsterSight, and how far
local function nearestCharacter(position)
	local best, bestDistance = nil, Settings.MonsterSight
	for _, player in Players:GetPlayers() do
		local character = player.Character
		local root = character and character:FindFirstChild("HumanoidRootPart")
		if root and character.Humanoid.Health > 0 then
			local distance = (root.Position - position).Magnitude
			if distance < bestDistance then
				best, bestDistance = character, distance
			end
		end
	end
	return best, bestDistance
end

-- Walk toward a point: straight when the way is clear, else along a path
local function walkToward(shadow, goal, path)
	local root = shadow.HumanoidRootPart
	local params = RaycastParams.new()
	params.FilterDescendantsInstances = { shadow }
	local hit = workspace:Raycast(root.Position, goal - root.Position, params)
	if not hit or hit.Instance.Parent:FindFirstChildOfClass("Humanoid") then
		shadow.Humanoid:MoveTo(goal)
		return
	end
	path:ComputeAsync(root.Position, goal)
	local points = path:GetWaypoints()
	if path.Status == Enum.PathStatus.Success and points[2] then
		shadow.Humanoid:MoveTo(points[2].Position)
	end
end

-- The monster's mind: every quarter second, after someone
local function runMonster(shadow)
	local humanoid = shadow.Humanoid
	local root = shadow.HumanoidRootPart
	local path = PathfindingService:CreatePath()
	while shadow.Parent do
		local character = nearestCharacter(root.Position)
		if character then
			walkToward(shadow, character.HumanoidRootPart.Position, path)
		else
			humanoid:MoveTo(root.Position)
		end
		task.wait(0.25)
	end
end

-- The monster comes in behind you: at the entrance of the room two before the newest
local function spawnMonster()
	local behind = nil
	for _, room in rooms:GetChildren() do
		if room:GetAttribute("Number") == count - 2 then
			behind = room
		end
	end
	if not behind then
		return
	end
	monster = ServerStorage.Shadow:Clone()
	monster:PivotTo(behind.Entrance.CFrame + Vector3.new(0, 3.1, 0))
	monster.Humanoid.WalkSpeed = Settings.MonsterSpeed
	monster.Parent = workspace
	task.spawn(runMonster, monster)
end

local addRoom -- written below: a door adds a room, and a room has a door

-- What a door does when a player opens it
local function setupDoor(door)
	door.Panel.Prompt.Triggered:Connect(function(player)
		if door:GetAttribute("Open") then
			return
		end
		if door:GetAttribute("Locked") then
			local key = findTool(player, "Key")
			if not key then
				return
			end
			key:Destroy()
			door:SetAttribute("Locked", nil)
		end
		if door.Parent == lastRoom then
			addRoom()
		end
		openDoor(door)
	end)
end
setupDoor(workspace.Rooms.Lobby.Door)

-- Walking into a room: it becomes the player's Room, and their checkpoint
local function setupEntry(room)
	room.Entry.Touched:Connect(function(hit)
		local player = Players:GetPlayerFromCharacter(hit.Parent)
		if player then
			local number = room:GetAttribute("Number")
			player.leaderstats.Room.Value = number
			player.RespawnLocation = room.Checkpoint
		end
	end)
end
setupEntry(workspace.Rooms.Lobby)

-- A new room at the exit of the newest one
function addRoom()
	count += 1
	local name = Settings.Order[(count - 1) % #Settings.Order + 1]
	if count >= Settings.RoomsToEscape then
		name = "Exit"
	end
	local room = ServerStorage.Rooms[name]:Clone()
	room:PivotTo(lastRoom.Exit.CFrame)
	room:SetAttribute("Number", count)
	room.Sign.SurfaceGui.Number.Text = "Room " .. count
	room.Parent = rooms
	lastRoom = room
	setupDoor(room.Door)
	setupEntry(room)
	-- a locked room keeps its key inside
	local keySpot = room:FindFirstChild("KeySpot")
	if keySpot then
		local key = ServerStorage.Key:Clone()
		key.Handle.CFrame = keySpot.CFrame
		key.Parent = room
		key.Handle.Prompt.Triggered:Connect(function(player)
			key.Handle.Prompt.Enabled = false
			key.Parent = player.Backpack
		end)
	end
	-- keep the newest room and KeepRooms behind it
	for _, old in rooms:GetChildren() do
		if old:GetAttribute("Number") < count - Settings.KeepRooms then
			old:Destroy()
		end
	end
	if count == Settings.MonsterFrom then
		spawnMonster()
	end
	return room
end

-- Every player: Room on the leaderboard, and a flashlight every life
Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(player)
	local leaderstats = Instance.new("Folder")
	leaderstats.Name = "leaderstats"
	leaderstats.Parent = player

	local room = Instance.new("IntValue")
	room.Name = "Room"
	room.Parent = leaderstats

	player.CharacterAdded:Connect(function()
		local flashlight = ServerStorage.Flashlight:Clone()
		flashlight.Parent = player.Backpack
		local beam = flashlight.Handle.Beam
		flashlight.Activated:Connect(function()
			beam.Enabled = not beam.Enabled
		end)
	end)
end)
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