The Giant Mutator: A community project

[SuperApe]

I had an idea for a Mutator that doesn't seem overly complex. Challenging, sure, but not impossible. I listed it on the UP MOD/MUT ideas thread. I invite members of the BeyondUnreal Forums to contribute as well. It's similar to the BigHead and BigWheel Mutators and insipred by the ChangeSize cheat.

Here's the general description of
The Giant Mutator:

The more Frags you get (vs Deaths) the larger your player character gets. Not just the head or wheels, but the whole body, your weapons, etc. The larger you get, the slower you move (as a matter of moving all that mass, to give the feeling of size, etc.). The sounds you make become louder, slower and lower in pitch. Vehicles become too small for you, but you can begin to crush them under your feet. While powerups have less effect on you, so do weapons fire. Your weapons, on the other hand, become more effective, larger, etc., although they are also slower. While you are big, you can do a lot of damage and weapons fire hurts you less, but you are a large, slow-moving target to everyone else and powerups don't get you much help.​

Obviously, many 1-on-1 or indoor maps would be useless with this Mutator, but there are plently of outdoor maps that could support massively sized players.

Now comes the part where I ask for help. Note: I am not asking for someone to come and build the Mutator for me. I am capable of coding plenty. However, I do think there are serious advantages to opening this small project up to the community.

Here are the things that should help entice fellow UScripters to help with this project:

- There are two stock Mutators and a cheat that work off the same principle. This gives us a solid foundation to borrow from. This idea is essentially melding the two established methodologies together. (and then expanding on it for asthetics)
- The project will be split up into byte-sized chunks of ToDo tasks. These tasks by themselves do not seem particularly difficult. It will be a matter of time multiplied by the number of people that can help. So, if you don't want to do more than one task, that's fine. Even a casual, off-and-on contribution is much appreciated!
- There is an incredible resource of brainpower right here: the forums. While the project is underway, helpful people who might not otherwise have the time to engage in some of the ToDo tasks will be able to stop by and help with ideas for random questions or problems that arise.
- With many people involved (from casual curiosity to active task-mastering), bugs can be caught, new features tested, and ideas thought through more easily than a single programmer could ever do.
- There is already a number (right now: 1) of experienced programmers involved with the project, working to make this Mutator happen; one task at a time.
- Through the process, we will all learn more about the Unreal Engine, programming, Mutators, and networking with other people.
- The glory and satisfaction of a job well done. And most likely a very postitive contribution to the Unreal Community.

Project Contributors:
- SuperApe

Links:
- The Current Version of The Giant Mutator
- The Current ToDo Task List
- The MutGiant object code
- The GiantRules object code
- The Giant Mutator FAQ

(comments welcome, any help appreciated, big or small)​

 

[Turret 49]

Up to how many times bigger?

 

[SuperApe]

I believe right now, it works off a FClamp of scale between x0.5 and x10.
The original idea (visually) was something along the lines of that game Shadow of the Colossus. (without the climbing) So, I was thinking like x10 to x15. (maybe even x20 with the proper map)

 

[SuperApe]

One problem that strikes me, in relation to the max size, is the bot's ability to navigate the path network. Even with a relatively normal velocity (because even though Players would take large steps, their anim rate (speed) is slower), NavPoints that are close together will most likely cause bots to turn erratically as they travel along paths.
A possible solution may be to favor the longer RoadPathNode paths while big.

 

[Turret 49]

I believe right now, it works off a FClamp of scale between x0.5 and x10.
The original idea (visually) was something along the lines of that game Shadow of the Colossus. (without the climbing) So, I was thinking like x10 to x15. (maybe even x20 with the proper map)

Woah, x10 to x15?? I think that's over doing it in my opinion.

Even x5 is big enough, but it depends on your preference of "giant".

 

[SuperApe]

Perhaps you're right. But, it's worth a shot. We can adjust as needed.

While working on another mutator I ran across the next thing I needed to fix: bone scale for KarmaRagdolls. As in, SetBoneScale(). (Just making a note to the project)

In a couple weeks, I'll be available to work on this again. Anyone is welcome to take up the code, post tests, suggestions, comments or progress. That's the idea behind this community project.