Help with new vehicle

[mccann]

Latest changes -- updated files

Here are my latest changes. I conformed to the new package structure, changed the mutator startup class, tweaked the flying/gun rotation/weapon, cleaned up some of the other code. Also, changed the AltFire to the tank's big gun -- but you can change it to the one on the Levi. That might make it a little too powerful. Right now, this becomes the tank killer with surface to air missles (and shock guns) being the biggest danger.

 

[Eyegore]

WOAH - the tank gun - that makes the chopper like the baddest vehicle in the game!!! Takin' out tanks in 3 shots, laying waste to ground troops - totally killer! But probably a little too killer - I'll try the levi guided missiles and see how that goes...then maybe back to the AVRIL type missile.

Perhaps a beta test with the 3 different possibilities - or a mutator to allow the user to decide what the alt-fire should be...

The only thing - and I can probably fix it if you're busy with other projects, is there is still a limited range when looking up. This causes a problem with manueverablilty. If you want, I can make that adjustment, if you tell me which adjustment needs to be made.

Oh, yeah, and one other thing - the 50cal gun, when the chopper is spawned, points perpendicular to the ground. Is this something that needs to be addressed in the code, or should that be changed in the model? If changed in the model, will it affect the orientation of the gun during use?

McCann, Wulff - I want to thank you for your help with this. I was really starting to pull my hair out (well, what hair I have) trying to figure this out. I figure as a modeller, it's useful to be able to at least know enough about UScript to get a model in the game, but the fine tuning is very challenging.

If you guys decide you ever need a model of a weapon or vehicle or something, let me know and I can help you out...

Thanks again

 

[mccann]

My pleasure. If you need anything, drop me an email at "gamedev at charlesmccann.com" (replacing at with @). If you include a readme in your deployment, feel free to include me in it. And I'd be up for other team efforts on modding. It was fun.

In my play tests of the Apache, I've limited the ability to look based on the gun ability to resemble your front gun attachment. If it can't shoot straight up, then you can't look straight up (and that includes behind you as well). If you want to tweak these, look for: PitchUpLimit and PitchDownLimit. But, I think you'll find that these settings are more realistic. It feels like other apache-type heli's sims I've flown.

The machine gun is so cool and powerful, that I didn't find myself using the alt-fire that much until I switched it to the tank gun. However, it is probably a little too powerful. We could extend the tank gun and tone it down. However, I think we should try the Levi first... might be more realistic. The negative with that is this vehicle would then be good with air-to-air and air-to-ground.

A mutator config switch to pick which gun... that sounds good. And I guess we still need to determine if we should enable another player to sit in the Apache and do something. But, most importantly, let's get this into some real games and test it out.

 

[Eyegore]

Yep - when I release, there will be a readme to contain credits and other information about the release.

I made the windshield reflective like the Raptor, in fact I used the Raptor shader, but I don't think I like the specularity texture, so I'm going to make another before the release. But then, after all, I'm not entirely convinced that it should be reflective anyway.

I'm also still toying with the notion of a 1st person model - but right now I'm making an ONS map, so I may put that off for a while. It'll also freshen it up to come back to it later and revise the model.

That's fine with the upward pitch limitation, in fact, after playing it a bit more, it accentuates the altitude advantage during air battle. I also want some kind of exhaust, so I think I'll use a very transucent smoke - the flames are a little to cheesy for this type of vehicle, so I'll probably mess with the exhaust emitters a little bit...but that's slightly independent of game-play tweaks...

I have some things to do this weekend, but I think that I'll post the Apache-based helo for beta-testing tomorrow - Maybe I can squeeze a little time tomorrow and Saturday for some playtesting. My bro is getting married this weekend and I have to go to a bachelor party tonite, a barbeque tomorrow and the wedding on Saturday. Definately Sunday and Monday I'll have time. I'll drop you an email.

Anybody else who reads this thread and would be interested in testing this weekend is more than welcome to join in... drop me an email or PM me.

 

[mccann]

I'm available for some play testing on Sunday and Monday. Should be fun. I can add in some of my mods as well. We'll need to try it in dedicated server mode to truly verify the code all works fine. Do you have an extra machine to run as host? If not, I do.

 

[mccann]

networking issues with the code

looks like the vehicle doesn't show up in networked games with the current code. going to look at it some more. I thought I'd try your code for the mutator DNApacheMutApache.uc to replace the vehicle; however, i get this error on compile -- "Can't find Class 'GUI2k4.UT2k4SP_Main' ... any ideas?

 

[Ice-Child]

So what all files am I going to need to down load to play with this baby. Nice work by the way, was thinking of putting a Blackhawk in game myself, with a pilot only being able to fly, and two door gunners. The code from this will help me figure out a few of the things I wanted to do with it. I will just have to up the code so the blackhawk does what I want it to.

So if someone can point me to the right files, I wanna fly this puppy.

Thanks
Rob

 

[Eyegore]

Ice-Child - I'll set up a post when everything is ready to go - probably in the WoD beta-testing forums for folks to DL. But I'll post here with a link to that post so anyone can find it easily.

McCann - don't know what that could be - I'll try to compile it with my Mut and your code to see if I get the same error. My Mutator is real simple, so we can start there.

Also - here at my house, I have a LAN set up with a server and I haven't been able to figure out how to get dedicated servers to show up on the internet with my network and all - so if in the meantime you could set up the server, that'd be real cool...

 

[Eyegore]

Mccann - I had no problem compiling - didn't get that error at all and I tried with my mut class and your mut class, both with success.

As far as net replication goes, that is out of my programming league - I'll toy with it for a while, but I doubt I'll be able to figure it out.

BTW - there's a weapon replacement mutator call Worm2k3 or smething by Kangus I think, and that also didn't work with net games - or maybe more accurately, my net games -

I really have no ideas as to how to work that out - maybe it's not the mutator class, but something within on of the Apache classes - and because that one thing isn't quite right, it's seen as an error and not loaded?

Also - I put my own chain-gun model in the anim package - so, I changed the skeletal mesh for the tank machinegun to reflect that. I have to leave now, but once I finish scaling it and lining it up, I'll post the new anim package.

 

[Eyegore]

Well, net play works if you change delete the Raptor factories and replace them with the Apache factories, but it doesn't work with the mutator. I have no idea why.

I increased the lift power for better air control - I got tired of flying into the ground. I also set the secondary fire back to anti-aircraft missiles. One other thing - I moved the code from the Fire2Missiles function back into the ProjectileFireMode state because if not in the state, the homing function doesn't seem to work. I also increased the PitchUpLimit to 7500 to give a little bit more on the upward attack range.

Also go the my chaingun model attached, scaled and rotated. Looks pretty good. I guess that outside of the net play problem, the Apache is pretty well done and ready to be released. I know that there may not be that much enthusiam if people can't play it online without first modifying maps to get it to play, but I have no idea how to get it to work with the mutator - I think it has something to do with the Apache code, though, and not the mutator code.

At any rate - tomorrow I'll upload the Apache as is for the public at large.

 

[mccann]

Sounds like some good tweaks. Good catch on the homing function... that will make the missles a little more worth using. I'm going to continue to try to figure out the mutator issue we are having... we must be overlooking something.

 

[Wulff]

Sounds like some good tweaks. Good catch on the homing function... that will make the missles a little more worth using. I'm going to continue to try to figure out the mutator issue we are having... we must be overlooking something.

//=============================================================================
//Replacement Mutator
//=============================================================================

class MutReplaceVehicle extends Mutator
    config;

var string ArenaVehicleClassName;		// Your vehicle class
var config string FactoryVehicleClassName;	// The default vehicle to replace

var class<SVehicle> ArenaVehicleClass;
var class<SVehicle> FactoryVehicleClass;
var localized string ArenaDisplayText;		// The line that shows up in the config menu 
var localized string ArenaDescText;		// The description of the option.

function PostBeginPlay()
{
	local ONSVehicleFactory Factory;

	FactoryVehicleClass = class<SVehicle>( DynamicLoadObject(FactoryVehicleClassName,class'Class') );
	ArenaVehicleClass = class<SVehicle>( DynamicLoadObject(ArenaVehicleClassName,class'Class') );

	if(ArenaVehicleClass != None)
	{
		foreach AllActors( class 'ONSVehicleFactory', Factory )
		{
			if (Factory.VehicleClass == FactoryVehicleClass)
				Factory.VehicleClass = ArenaVehicleClass;
		}
	}

	Super.PostBeginPlay();
}

static function FillPlayInfo(PlayInfo PlayInfo)
{
	local array<CacheManager.VehicleRecord> Recs;
	local string VehicleOptions;
	local int i;
	local class<SVehicle> v;

	Super.FillPlayInfo(PlayInfo);

	class'CacheManager'.static.GetVehicleList(Recs);

	VehicleOptions = ";";

	for (i = 0; i < Recs.Length; i++)
	{
		v = class<SVehicle>(DynamicLoadObject(Recs[i].ClassName, class'class', false));
		if (v != None)
			VehicleOptions $= ";" $ Recs[i].ClassName $ ";" $ Recs[i].FriendlyName;
	}

	PlayInfo.AddSetting(default.RulesGroup, "FactoryVehicleClassName", default.ArenaDisplayText, 0, 1, "Select", VehicleOptions);

	return;
}


static event string GetDescriptionText(string PropName)
{
	if (PropName == "FactoryVehicleClassName")
		return default.ArenaDescText;

	return Super.GetDescriptionText(PropName);
}

defaultproperties
{
     FactoryVehicleClassName="Onslaught.ONSHoverTank"
     ArenaVehicleClassName="Veh.ONSHoverTank"
     ArenaDisplayText="Replace this with the Oblivion MMS:"
     ArenaDescText="Replace any vehicle with the Oblivion MMS."
     GroupName="VehicleArena"
     FriendlyName="Oblivion MMS"
     Description="Replace any vehicle with the Oblivon MMS."
}

Here's a standard vehiclereplacement script I use.

 

[Eyegore]

Here is a link to the latest stuff:

http://www.icosometricdesign.com/ApacheFTP/NApache.zip

Aside from the net play, I think it's pretty well done. It has the new shader, the 50chain gun model and the adjusted code for the homing missile, and Pitch limit in addition to the new lift and strafe force.

Wulff - That is the same code I have, but I think the problem lies with the apache code, not the mutator code, because if I change the apache class to a standard vehicle, it works for net play - any ideas?

BTW - is it kosher to keep posting like this or should we move to PMs or emails? What do you think?

 

[Wulff]

Here is a link to the latest stuff:

http://www.icosometricdesign.com/ApacheFTP/NApache.zip

Aside from the net play, I think it's pretty well done. It has the new shader, the 50chain gun model and the adjusted code for the homing missile, and Pitch limit in addition to the new lift and strafe force.

Wulff - That is the same code I have, but I think the problem lies with the apache code, not the mutator code, because if I change the apache class to a standard vehicle, it works for net play - any ideas?

BTW - is it kosher to keep posting like this or should we move to PMs or emails? What do you think?

It is kosher, as this is a help forum for coding, and we be doing that.

Hmm, you sure you added it in the serverpackages "ServerPackages=NApache.u" ?

 

[Eyegore]

Actually, no.

Let me try...

 

[Eyegore]

YES!!!

That was the ticket!!

But if you have to manually add that to the .ini, would it be necessary to tell the user in the readme that they need to do that, or is there some way to add it in when programmatically?

Thanks for that tip, by the way...

 

[Wulff]

YES!!!

That was the ticket!!

But if you have to manually add that to the .ini, would it be necessary to tell the user in the readme that they need to do that, or is there some way to add it in when programmatically?

Thanks for that tip, by the way...

If you distribute it via a regular zip, yes you have to tell it in the readme file, if you distribute it via a UT4Mod, no you don't as it does that automaticly.

 

[Eyegore]

Well, given that, then I am going to make a .umod to install and post it tonite for beta-testing.

Thanks mccann and wulff for all your help. I'll post it tonite in the WOD betatesting forums for folks to DL. Perhaps we can set up sometime to try it online before the final release.

Thanks again.

 

[Eyegore]

Anyone who's interested in beta testing and providing some crit or ideas, go to this link to download the zip (couldn't get the umod to work...)

http://forums.beyondunreal.com/showthread.php?p=1484178#post1484178

If anyone's interested in an online game to test out, send me an email to devlyn@icosometricdesign.com or PM me.

THanks for all the help!!

 

[Ice-Child]

I am downloading it now. Soon as its done, I will give it a go, and post back on here in a few hours.

Rob