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() < 0.4Challenge
MediumIn 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)
This lesson includes a short quiz. Start the lesson to answer it and track your progress.