Skip to content

Gateway zones

WARNING: In Expeditions, custom Regions with multiple interconnected maps are currently not supported. However, they will be for sure supported later, in the next versions of the game. Currently, only mods of standalone maps are supported in Expeditions. (TBD)

(NEW) This feature is valid for Expeditions only.
For SnowRunner, see Settings of the Gateway zone.

Main Function: Gateways between Maps

Zones with ZonePropertyGateway prop allow you to create portals that transfer the player from one map to another map. The main principle here is simple: you create a Gateway zone on the first map and link it to the zone on the second map in the properties of the Gateway zone.

NOTE: Both maps of the gateway must be within the same Region.

The main field in the ZonePropertyGateway prop is levelZoneLink that links a gateway to a target zone the player will be transfered to. For a gateway, you need to create at least two zones: one on one map and another one on the different map of the same region. Both zones need to have ZonePropertyGateway props linking to each other in the levelZoneLink field.

WARNING: If one of the two gateway zones does not have a ZonePropertyGateway prop, there will be a crash during the transfer of the truck through this gateway. For locked gateways, this ZonePropertyGateway prop can be added as reward. I.e., this prop should be either added straight away to the zone properties, or (planned to be) added later – as reward for one of the objectives.

However, that's not all to make the gateway working. Along with these zones and correct levelZoneLink values, you also need to provide images for a gateway popup, non-zero values of cameraDir, and, if necessary, other settings.

Images for Gateway Pop-up

In Expeditions, when the player activates the gateway, they see the special pop-up that provides some details on the destination map this gateway leads to.

Particularly, this pop-up displays:

  • The description of the target map – It is specified in the uiDesc field of the level properties (in level_<name_of_level>.sso TBD).
  • The name of the parent Region of the target map.
  • The image of the target map – The particular image here depends on the state of the Gateway:
    • If the gateway is active, the image is taken from: level properties (TBD) > uiImages > Size_800x520.
    • If the gateway is locked, system uses another image: level properties (TBD) > uiImages > Size_800x520_Gray.

NOTE: Currently, both Size_800x520 and Size_800x520_Gray images must be specified for the correct work of the gateway. (TBD).

Main Rules for Gateway zones

The zone locator of a target gateway zone:

  • should not have models of any kind inside it.

  • should not contain any plants with enabled collisions.

Dimensions of this zone locator in the Editor (its Length... and Width) are made typically larger than the size of regular zone locators.

Extra Zones

SnowRunner was about long trucks and trailers, that's why gateways there typically required extra zones: Extra Zone Nearby and Extra Zone 40x9. The main function of these zones was to have large zone locators to provide necessary space for large trucks and trailers during gateway transition. If these zones were created and set up, they would be used only if the transferred truck does not fit the main gateway zone.

Expeditions works with much smaller trucks, so these zones are more or less optional. But, if necessary, you can configure them, or just one of them – Extra Zone Nearby – and make its zone locator larger than the zone locator of the gateway itself to fit large trucks.

However, please note that, as opposed to the zone selected in the levelZoneLink, these extra zones should be located on the same map as the gateway entrance, since they will be used when the player returns to this gateway (during the backward transition).

For example, if you are configuring the ZonePropertyGateway prop for the gateway_on_map_01 zone, which is located at level_my_map_01 and leads to the gateway_on_map_02 zone of level_my_map_02, your configuration of gateway_on_map_01 zone will be the following:

  • levelZoneLink – level_my_map_02 || gateway_on_map_02
  • Extra Zone Nearby – level_my_map_01 || gateway_on_map_01_larger_zone

Where the gateway_on_map_01_larger_zone extra zone is located at level_my_map_01, as the gateway_on_map_01 zone itself.

NOTE: Extra zones do not require any props in their properties.

For details, see Gateway Rules. Extra zone.

Locked and Unlocked Gateways

Locking and unlocking gateways is performed automatically, based on rewards configured for level objectives.

Particularly, if you want to create a gateway that will be unlocked and ready-to-use when the player finds it, you simply configure all required zones with ZonePropertyGateway props right away.

However, you can also configure a locked gateway that will become opened for the player after the accomplishment of the particular objective. To do this, add the ZonePropertyGateway prop with the same properties to the gateway zone using the ObjectiveRewardOpenZoneProperties reward type for the necessary objective.

In this case, the system will detect that the ZonePropertyGateway prop will be added to this zone as the reward and will initially display the gateway as locked to the player.

"Same Map" Gateways

If really necessary, you can configure a gateway that leads not to a different map, but to the same map.

The setup of gateway properties will not change, you will just create both gateway zones on the same map.

However, in this case, the pop-up of the gateway will be showing the information about the current map, which will not look very good.

Gateways and Objectives

If an object (e.g. a zone) mentioned in the configuration of an Objective is located not on the current map, the game will automatically move the focus to the gateway to the map that contains this object when the player selects this object in the map mode.

NOTE: In the current version of the game, all objects mentioned in an Objective must be located within one map. However, the player will be able to proceed to this map through the gateway, if necessary.

ZonePropertyGateway Prop Settings

Settings of the ZonePropertyGateway prop are the following:

  • Duration of transition – The duration of the gateway animation sequence, in milliseconds.

  • Delay at start – The delay before the playback of the gateway animation, in milliseconds.

  • Delay at end – The delay after the playback of the gateway animation, in milliseconds.

  • levelZoneLink – The target zone on another map to which the player will be transferred.

  • Extra Zone Nearby – (Optional) See Extra Zones above.

  • Extra Zone 40x9 – (Optional) See Extra Zones above.

  • zoneDiscoverability – Settings related to the zone discovery. See Discoverability of Zones.

  • cameraPos – The position of the camera at the start of the gateway animation. From this position the camera will fly to the starting point of the truck on the gateway zone.

  • cameraDir – The direction vector for the camera at the start of the gateway animation. You should specify the direction vector here. For example: (1, 0, 0). See Tip on cameraPos and cameraDir values for a hint on specifying this value.

    WARNING: If you leave the cameraDir field with 0 values, the gateway will not work (the player will see the black screen).