New(er) flash deaths script

[Dragon]

I have a problem with using this script for a mod.
I copy-pasted script from wiki to deto-sct.tbm and placed .cfg files in data/scripts

Code:

Warning: Failed to initialize flashy deaths script
File: lua.cpp
Line: 7146


Call stack:
------------------------------------------------------------------
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c57e71()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c5f063()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c587c1()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c510ba()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c57536()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c58cb4()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c50fd6()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 007bdd7d()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 007be012()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 007bcd18()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 007be0e5()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00744718()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 007448d6()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00751783()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00982046()
------------------------------------------------------------------

Debug log ends with this:

Code:

Tried to release debris01a.dds that has a load count of 2.. not releasing
Releasing bitmap debris01a-glow.dds in slot 2532 with handle 2387032
Releasing bitmap debris01a-shine.dds in slot 2533 with handle 2391783
ERROR: Verify failure: Vbuf0 != NULL

File: 3ddraw.cpp
Line: 451
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00b5fbf0()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00b6445f()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00781103()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00b579e4()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 007833a5()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00b5869a()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 0077f3a4()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00cc749a()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00cc7132()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 007c9b79()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00baf938()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c57e71()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c5f063()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c587c1()
    fs2_open_3_6_11d-20090616_r5342.exe 00c510ba()

expl_flashes.cfg (that's only the first entry ,but I didn't made any typos in others)

Code:

==Terran==
Name: Breaker
Width: 80
Height: 100
Length: 200
Detonation Radius: 100
Detonation Effects: 2, 3
Flash Radius: 750
Flash Effect: 4

I'm sure that "Breaker" is a valid name ,the ship itself is around 100m long (it's a gunship).
exp_ani_flashes.cfg

Code:

Filename: EXP_flash
Filename: ExpH
Filename: energyH
Filename: FlashH

All of them are animations in data/effects.
EnergyH is in .ani format ,the rest are in .eff .
Can you tell me what i'm doing wrong?

[Wanderer]

Well... that is because i had placed the the 'search directory' for the script as the table directory. Either place the cfg files related to the script to the tables directory or better yet change all the "data/tables/" references in the script into "data/scripts/"

[Dragon]

Now it works and looks awesome ,thank you Wanderer.

[Dragon]

I really don't like to say it, but it again stopped working. (the same warning that I encouncered previously)
I'm using latest nightly build and I have moved the script to separate mod folder. (so I can easly toggle it on and off via launcher)
.cfg files are in data/tables ,as well as deto-sct.tbm ,effects are in data/effects.
I'm sure that "Slayer" is a valid name ,as well as effect names.

Code:

Filename: EXP_flash
Filename: FlashH
Filename: FlashH
Filename: FlashH

Code:

Name: Slayer
Width: 150
Height: 200
Length: 250
Detonation Radius: 100
Detonation Effects: 4, 4
Detonation Multiplier:  0
Flash Radius: 1000
Flash Effect: 4

I set "Detonation Multipiler" to zero, because I want only the final flash.
All effects are in .eff format.

[Wanderer]

Does the script (that you are using) point to data/tables or to data/scripts ?

[Dragon]

I didn't changed anything in it, it's the one copypasted from wiki.
It points to data/tables .

[Wanderer]

Hmm.. i'll try to find time so that i can take a look at what is wrong

[Dragon]

I swiched to most recent nightly and still get this message, this time a bit more extended:

Code:

Failed to initialize flashy deaths script
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! KiFastSystemCallRet
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! WaitForSingleObject + 18 bytes
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! <no symbol>
ĚĚĚôô"˙`}! RegisterWaitForInputIdle + 73 bytes

Maybe this can provide some more info.

[Wanderer]

Not really... i need to run it myself via debugger

[Dragon]

Maybe I will pack entire mod folder and send it to you?
Unlike other mods which sending I always postponed (mostly because I haven't mediafire account back then), it's nothing special, just recolored flash, .cfg files and deto-sct.tbm.
There were also some recolored explosion effects, but when $Explosion Animations: entry was introduced and turned out to give better effects, scripted detonation explosions became useless to me, so I have set all detonation multipilers to zero. Now I want only final flash effect.

[Wanderer]

I downloaded the script from the wiki, with both required cfgs files and it worked without any apparent issues.

Then tried setting multipliers to 0 and tried again. Again it run without issues

[Zacam]

I am at a loss as well, as it works just fine over here too.

[Dragon]

I don't really know why, but after I redownloaded the script and rewrote .cfg files it started to work.
Great work with this script, Wanderer.

[Wanderer]

I'll modify the script to search for the .cfg files from the /data/scripts/ directory and also note that into the wiki... just to keep things a tad more organized

[Starman01]

@Wanderer :

Hey,

I've tried the script after Tolwyn has provided it to me, and I was pretty good imo  However, there is one problem that I think make the script not "useful" so far. The problem is, that the flash effect is appearing pretty late after the initial explosion. In my test on a kilrathi corvette the explosion was nearly done before the flash appeared, and that's to late (with lightspeed and all that )

Tolwyn said, that this is related to the fact that you need to do the timing along with the "marked ship death flag" in the engine.

I have two questions, in the hope that you will find a solution for this (I don't want to sound like a smart mouth here, but unfortunately I can't script for myself . But I have the hope to give you a new idea for making it even better )

a) Instead of the "death flag", can't you time it different ? Example : 3 Seconds after ship has "0% hits left". Or better, to the moment the ship breaks up and the "explosion blast" is executed. The latter, would even avoid problem with the time at b)

b) If you could use either of a) how would the script be related to the duration of "explosion propagates" ? AFAIK that time is different for some ships (depending on size, hitpoints or ship flags, isn't it ? )  The question is, how is the propagation calculated and would it be possible to take that into account for the script ?

[Wanderer]

a) This is possible to do.. That is fixed or random time counter starting from the hitpoints reaching 0. Finding the 'breakup' time is much harder as the death roll time is heavily modified from the excessive damage etc etc. Possible... but not very easy.

b) Taking all the factor into account is not possible nor would it be practical. It might be possible to add a ship/object to the code and then enable the script to be able to read that flag. But this would still require some amount of C coding in addition to minor changes to the script. But certainly doable.