the mine layer challenge

Marshall7a · 12-08-2003, 05:20 PM

The Mine Layer Challenge

The Mine Layer in DeeZire works like a charm except for the little matter of the reconnection error in network games (caused by the presence of the Invisible= flag)

So the challenge is to find a way of creating the mine layer without that problem.
Any ideas?

Infraid · 12-09-2003, 07:43 PM

I guess you expect a better answer than "no"..... :scared:
well maybe next time, on an other topic....

Kravvitz · 12-09-2003, 07:44 PM

umm... don't use the Invisible= tag

why don't you post the code?

Marshall7a · 12-09-2003, 07:58 PM

Well yeah, but then the mines won't be invisible. Obviously we can't use the invisible flag (or invisibleingame, it has the same RE problem) so an alternative method must be sought.
CloakGenerator results in massive slowdown in game so that's out.

There appears to be no logical-invisibility available. The only alternative is visual-only invisibility which might be achievable through the art.ini AltImage flag although I haven't had opportunity to try this out. Failing that there is just having no image at all for the mines but then you can't see your own mines.

The only thing I can think of for logical-invisibility is having a cloaked infantry that gets created by the mine layer weapon and cannot move or be selected. But I wouldn't know how to achieve such a weapon.....

Kravvitz · 12-10-2003, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyr

The only thing I can think of for logical-invisibility is having a cloaked infantry that gets created by the mine layer weapon and cannot move or be selected. But I wouldn't know how to achieve such a weapon.....

Selectable=no
Speed=0

Marshall7a · 12-10-2003, 06:41 AM

Yeah for the unit, but what about the weapon?

DCoder · 12-10-2003, 07:02 AM

AnimToInfantry= in firing animation, unless you stick it to a death anim, you'll get a neutral infantry, able to attack anything. Give it a DeployToFire=yes and a range=-2 weapon. But this method gives you problems... IFVs/prism tanks/ drones/whatever (non-crushing vehicles) might start attacking it (even through cloak) if they can't find a way through (say, your mines blocked the whole width of a passage), the pathfinding will see infantry as a legal target, thus letting AI units fire at it. And if they are neutral, you'll get the explosion as well, when crushing a mine.

Marshall7a · 12-10-2003, 08:06 AM

Okay worth looking into, but using a makeinfantry anim as a death anim will also result in a neutral unit, i tried that before for a different unit.
I was hoping that a weapon caused makeinfantry would not be neutral (the infdeath ones aren't) but oh well.

It looks to me like a non-logic invisibility is the only way to go...

What's the point in there being an Invisible= flag in the game that causes an error? Some of the stupidest bugs are present in ra2, like the permanent cloak detection sensors - who thought that one up?

LordKal · 12-10-2003, 05:34 PM

Isnt there a tag called AltImage= which makes your enemy see a different image than you?

Marshall7a · 12-10-2003, 05:58 PM

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to use right now but I can't figure out how it works. It says 'frame #2' but when I set it to frame 2 (the third frame), the enemy does not see anything differently. I guess I'll try frame 1 but I think I must be using it incorrectly.