Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Stormkeeper on July 29, 2008, 08:16:40 am

Title: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Stormkeeper on July 29, 2008, 08:16:40 am
Okay. So. I want to know if I can use the charge up sequence for a non-beam weapon, and also if its possible to make a beam weapon fire multiple beams at one time, each time on a different vector. Like a shotgun, only each time the vector of the beams is pre-defined.

Then, I want to know if its possible to modify slash beam behaivour such that instead of a straight slash, the beam can be modified to 'scribe' a target instead, running rampant over a small contained area, like this:
_____
|x       |
|  x   x|
|  x x  |
| xxx  |
--------
Where x is the the beam path.
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Wanderer on July 29, 2008, 10:23:09 am
You could set a turret with multiple firingpoints using "use multiple guns" flag. Then give the turret as many beamz as it has firingpoints.

Or to make then simultanous... Make a turret with multiple firingpoints, use my builds and add a single beam and 'salvo mode' turret/subsystem flag for it.


As for alternate slash mode... it would need adding more beamtypes. So it can't be done without editing the code.
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Droid803 on July 29, 2008, 11:24:14 am
Is the "use multiple guns" flag really needed? What exactly does it do. I feel it's redundant.

I gave an Orion 3 terslashes on one of its big turrets. It shot all three (with a half a second delay between each or so). I guess you could just stick multiple weapons on a single-gun turret. It'll fire similarly. (Alternatively, do it like Hamano did on his Orion mk2 with the beam cluster, and just usefire-beam SEXP.
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Wanderer on July 29, 2008, 12:58:46 pm
It allows the game to process overlapping firings. Without it you often (well in test settings) encounter problems where turret fires only portion of its weapons. Otherwise you should get that 1/2 s delay..
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Mav on July 29, 2008, 02:39:01 pm
HI :) .
You could also use a type 3  (hope that's the right number, have been off FS-modding for quite a while)  , (eventually set multiple shots,) and set the refire delay lower then the beam lifetime. I'm pretty sure I got a multiple firing effect that way once, though it wasn't what I had intended at that moment.
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Stormkeeper on July 29, 2008, 08:45:13 pm
The scribing beam and the shotgun beam are meant to be different weapons.

I was looking at the code, and wondering about modifying the type 3 beam's movment function, in order to make its movements random across a small area.

As to the shotgun beam, I dl'd Wanderer's build but I'm waiting for weekends when I got lots of free time to create it.
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: LordArgyll on July 30, 2008, 10:00:24 am
I gave an Orion 3 terslashes on one of its big turrets. It shot all three (with a half a second delay between each or so). I guess you could just stick multiple weapons on a single-gun turret. It'll fire similarly. (Alternatively, do it like Hamano did on his Orion mk2 with the beam cluster, and just usefire-beam SEXP.

Hi, sorry to sidetrack... but I've read conflicting opinions on the compatability between beam weapons and multipart, multi-barreled turrets. You have had success with this? It would be quite useful for a mod I'm toying with.
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Droid803 on July 30, 2008, 12:20:29 pm
Well, they work. The barrel point to target, fires one terslash, then a second, then the third (with about a 1/2 second delay bewteen each start, so there is a point where they are all firing).

Anyhow,

:welcomesilver:
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Wanderer on July 31, 2008, 07:49:18 am
Problem with the beam turrets and multiple firepoints has since been fixed
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Excalibur on July 31, 2008, 10:47:48 pm
HI :) .
You could also use a type 3  (hope that's the right number, have been off FS-modding for quite a while)  , (eventually set multiple shots,) and set the refire delay lower then the beam lifetime. I'm pretty sure I got a multiple firing effect that way once, though it wasn't what I had intended at that moment.

The max that come out are three - though this may be due to the beam life.

btw, to you want multiple beams to come out, then wait a while to recharge, or them just to keep coming out so you basically have an infinity time beam?

Also, make a beam with a fire rate of 25 times per second (if posssible, or use a laser to do it) and a beam life of 1/26 seconds, and use a beam on beam off sexp so you may effectivley have the alternate slash beam. (I haven't actually tried this, it's only a suggestion) ;)
Title: Re: A few questions relating to beams and shotguns.
Post by: Stormkeeper on August 01, 2008, 06:21:44 am
What I was trying to do is have the beam charge up, then release ~10 blasts, in a predefined pattern, in order to bracket its target. Kinda like throwing a net around the target so that no matter how it turns, it'll take hits.