Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => FS2 Open Coding - The Source Code Project (SCP) => Topic started by: bfobar on February 12, 2006, 12:09:20 am
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I was thinking that if it was possible to make a glowmap for a ship automatically flicker off and on once or twice when it is damaged to the point of having the lightning animations around the hull, it would look really cool. I have no idea how hard that would be to code, but its an idea I had the other night.
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probibly could be done with scripting at some point. would also be an alternative to ineffieteint animated glowmaps.
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I imagine it would be something like adding a function call for a function that says something like whenever you have the display(ligntning animation, shipname), add flicker(ship name).
with flicker(ship name) = turn off [ship name] glowmap, wait 100ms, turn on [shipname] glowmap
yup. I need to learn to code.
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Wasn't this exactly the kind of thing that's in the long range plans with the material system? Bob showed us something similiar with the shivan glowmaps that animated.
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hey bob, how is that system coming along?
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It wouldn't look that great I think... every light/glow on the ship going off at the same instant?]
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It wouldn't look that great I think... every light/glow on the ship going off at the same instant?]
I was thinking it would look like widespread power failures occuring throughout the ship and would add to the suspense on escort missions and such. Flickering sections would look better, but I don't know how hard that stuff would be to code and wanted to make a reasonable suggestion.
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i think that will be implemented when the impact decals are fully implemented.
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I asked for something liek that a loooooong time ago.
You can do it wit hscripting tough...
some thing like:
<
If hits-left
- your capship
-20
turn off glowmap
chain this to an event that turns the glowmap on, set the delay to something very small.
when the capships hull goes below 20% the lights will turn on and off (once). You can fiddle a bit and put a repeat value so it does it several times..
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i figure you could do better with some random intensity distortion effect.
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i figure you could do better with some random intensity distortion effect.
Ooh that would look good. I think if it could be scripted to coincide with the hull lightning it would look extra neat.
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Hmm ?!? I thought that this exact beahavior was already implemented ?
I have to check again, but I swear I saw glowmaps flicker on/off prior to destruction of a capship, but that may have been well timed bug.
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it was implemented as a test of the materials system, sorta the same way shadows was done. pretty much just experimental build to test a potential feature. id like to see bob around more often he always implemented the coolest looking features (and probibly also the most bugs) :D
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No, I meant I saw that in a normal CVS build.
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i think they can be if sexped like that. randomly disable and re-enable the glowmaps when the hitpoints get low.
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This sounds like an excellent use for that pesky $Show Damage: tag.
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I second this. I think it's a great idea. It is a piece of cake to do it using SEXPs of course but if it's easy to add into the gane engine then it'd be a great addition.
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This sounds like an excellent use for that pesky $Show Damage: tag.
Show damage should control the retail feature it was designed for, IMHO. If we add a new feature we should add a new flag.
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It very intentionally does nothing in retail, though. :p
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I'm guessing they just forgot to tie that code to anything. Sort of like how "order-issued" (or whatever that sexp was) was prototyped and even used in FS1 but never actually implemented. :p
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Lovely how they would implement things like that, and use it specific table entries, yet have it do absolutely nothing...
Unless it did do something, but it did it incorrectly and rather than remake the tables, they just erased that part of the code.
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Still... you're faced with the problem of every light on the ship going out. No UPS anywhere, no stored charge, no gradual shutdown, just instant flat on/off. It'd look OK, but not great, by any stretch. A gradual fadeoff using the materials system, when it's implemented, might look a bit better, or some kind of shutdown EFF/ani file that could be applied as the glowmap in the final few seconds showing lights winking out over a period of time. But it's probably more work than it's worth.
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Little off topic, but when the ship's HP drops to zero and begins exploding, all turrets should be deactivated...currently they just keep shooting, even as the ship breaks/has broken apart...
Is this a bug, or one of those "Hard-coded" things, that are impossible to fix...
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Little off topic, but when the ship's HP drops to zero and begins exploding, all turrets should be deactivated...currently they just keep shooting, even as the ship breaks/has broken apart...
Is this a bug, or one of those "Hard-coded" things, that are impossible to fix...
It's intentional. If you want the turrets to stop firing, use turret-lock-all when the ship is destroyed.
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Could you use something like a 3-bit 'mask' when flickering particular glowmaps? So it has areas of lights that can be flickered alternately, rather than all at once? That might improve the look of things a little?
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Flickering would make perfect sense for ships having backup generators. It takes a few seconds for them to kick in after power goes. And while they may have batteries, I imagine they'd save them for important stuff like life support rather than wasting energy on lighting :) Plus personally, I think it has the potential to look pretty cool.
[Edit] Ought to apply to glowpoints too, no reason why external lights would still work if internal ones go.
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It's intentional. If you want the turrets to stop firing, use turret-lock-all when the ship is destroyed.
Then tell me why the beam-locked ship suddenly sprays beams everywhere when it dies?
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It's intentional. If you want the turrets to stop firing, use turret-lock-all when the ship is destroyed.
Then tell me why the beam-locked ship suddenly sprays beams everywhere when it dies?
:wtf: That would be a bug. Mantis? :)
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0,o
I would, but can't provide any examples to examine. :P I'm also not sure if it's still present, I haven't had occasion to check with newer builds.