monsters

[MadGypsy]

@botcode - I'm not prepared to get a doctorate in this crap. I'll work on the dragon AFTER you model, animate it and have a proper QC. But I will work within the system that is already there. This is not my hobby. I help you because I can and you are my friend. Honestly, the last few days have made me realize how much I absolutely hate QC. The fact that my monitor doesn't have a huge fist hole in it is amazing.

@tacos - my powers can only travel in short distances unless I channel them through a series of identical objects. Since there is a taco bell every 14 feet in this country, the tall signs provide the perfect catalyst to bunnyhop my signals through the ether.

Unfortunately this means that I have to focus on taco bells and the intended recipient of my message, which unfortunately creates a subliminal advertisement within my signal. Just ignore it. I'll try to use the police towers at Walmart next time.

[MadGypsy]

Turns out getting the dragon to switch to a new path upon seeing the player was really simple

in defs.qc

//added
.string newPathTarget

in dragon_check_attack

//within spotting the player part
if(self.newPathTarget != "")
{
    self.movetarget = find (world, targetname, self.newPathTarget); //store target
    self.goalentity = self.movetarget; //set it as a goal
    self.target = self.newPathTarget; //reassign target field
    self.newPathTarget = "";  //stops dragon from acting like a broken record
}

That's it. There is a problem with this though. If the dragon spots the player while the dragon is not in a position that has a clear shot at the newPathTarget along the current angle from dragonsCurrentPosition to newPathTarget, the dragon will just endless fly in one spot restricted by the obstruction. So, I need to figure out some conditions that will make the dragon a little smarter.

I'm thinking that throwing out some tracelines to see if there are walls in the way, set on a think that only ends when the path is clear should do the trick. Only problem is, I don't know how to do that yet or if it will even work. However, if it does work, I can eliminate a lot of dragon_corner and use the same system to correct pitch for navigating angled areas. The end result would be a dragon that can navigate the entire map.

I have a feeling it isn't going to be that simple though. If it was that simple, how come people are always using some other system to make their monsters navigate areas intelligently? Sock doesn't use this system. The original rogue dragon doesn't use this system. Actually, no monsters period, use this system.

That doesn't mean that there isn't an idea here that can be developed though.

[MadGypsy]

I think I figured this out. It woould seem that I need to change my code to something more like

in dragon_check_attack

//within spotting the player part
if(self.newPathTarget != "")
{
    self.movetarget = find (world, targetname, self.newPathTarget); //store target
    traceline (self.origin, self.movetarget.origin, TRUE, world);
    if(trace_fraction == 1)
    {
        self.goalentity = self.movetarget; //set it as a goal
        self.target = self.newPathTarget; //reassign target field
        self.newPathTarget = "";  //stops dragon from acting like a broken record
    }
}

this will not allow the dragon to do any map navigating (per se) but it will stop it from trying to switch to a path that it can't even reach. I wonder if tracelines are only sent straight ahead. If so, this isn't the answer either. What if the new target is behind it. If that's the case, maybe tracebox is what I need.

who knows. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I'm (as always) making this shit up as I go. I always figure it out though. I think it's time to take a look in the QC manual and see what it says about these trace{type} functions.

---

Well, tracebox isn't even in the manual, but that doesn't matter cause traceline is what I want. According to the QC manual:

traceline (vector v1, vector v2, float nomonsters, entity forent)

v1 = start position, v2 = end position. if nomonsters is true then ignore monsters as an obstacle. if forent is anything but world it will ignore that entity, it's owners and any entities it owns. So, in short - my code should absolutely work, as is.

trace_fraction is the percent of the vector line that was completed before hitting an obstacle. Therefore if trace_fraction = 1, then no obstacle was hit and the path is clear. This still doesn't mean the path is clear for the dragon though, it just means that the path was clear for the line. That's a map fix (as far as I am concerned).

[bluntz]

OK that fixed it runs now.Dragon flies around map without going through walls but does not chase player.I will Animate him when I get back home to the work station and if you can do the QC for it,then the last monster in Q1 will be completed.
Hopefully it will be good enough for Ruohis to work his magic on it and finish his Hi-poly set.

[MadGypsy]

I said I would do that and vacation or no does not change that. By the time you have a finished project for me to work on, I will be far as hell on my project and I can work on your QC with a good heart.

Actually, my project is ALSO for you (LMAO)! You owe me a fuckin pie or somethin'. I like my pie with tits attached to it.

[MadGypsy]

sorry to double post but you are on this thread right now and I don't want you to miss this

Dragon flies around map without going through walls but does not chase player

yeah,I never gave you the "smarter" code. I haven't even written it yet. The dragon you have never flew into walls, it just flies from one "dragon_corner" to the next. I also never wrote a chase player code.

My posts are in order.

1) here's a basic dragon that works
2) here are some other ideas that don't actually exist yet (well they actually partially do, but it is jacked up)

[bluntz]

I said I would do that and vacation or no does not change that. By the time you have a finished project for me to work on, I will be far as hell on my project and I can work on your QC with a good heart.

Actually, my project is ALSO for you (LMAO)! You owe me a fuckin pie or somethin'. I like my pie with tits attached to it.

lol