Now that our level making is making progress, we need a fast way to get from place to place. What's more, I have a teleporter design from a previous project that is the perfect solution to this problem, as well as a useful tool for later if we decide to put them in the game. The only problem with them though, is that there is an odd bug attached to a key way in which they, and most other gadgets of mine, are made.

If I have something that relies on multiple locations, like a moving platform or a drop off point for a teleporter, I like to use vectors. Vectors can be wonderful tools, as making them into a visible widget allows you to move them around the level independent of the actor they are attached too! The only issue is that they are relative to their parent actor, not the world. And when you are trying to move the character to a specific point in the level, that can cause a host of issues.

Right now, we have a vector labeled 'Destination' in our level. This acts as the drop off point for our teleporter, hidden away in a secret developer room. But because the widget is relative to the teleporter, it thinks its location is X:10725, Y:1985, Z:640. So then where is it in the world? X:-24640, Y:-22450, Z:1185. What this means is that if the player walks into the teleporter, they will be transported clear across the map, roughly 42989 meters away from where they should be!

Funnily enough, this has been a known issues for some time, and I could not figure out what was going on. In all the levels I had used this method for, the level had been so small I had not noticed what the error actually was. But since this level was so massive, and I ended up so far away, the cause of the issue could only be one thing, thus leading me to check the relative position of the vector. The solution was a bit of a hassle, but by adding the location of the vector together with the location of the teleporter, I was able to solve the issue. What is more, is this find fixed a bug with the moving platforms as well! Now that I have a better understanding of how vectors work, a lot of the set pieces I get to work on next will be much easier.