Tank idea...

(Flippy) #1

I just had a great idea for a map but it requires something which i dont think is possible:

Is it possible to give a tank (or truck, or any moving vehilce) two router?

EG:

Allies have to take a tank to point A, if they reach point A they win. On the direct route to point A is a barrier. If allies can blow the barrier before the tank reaches it, the tank goes to point A.
If the barrier is still intact (or rebuild) when the tank reaches it it will take another route to point B, which will also win them the map, but this route takes a while longer to drive and might be closer to the axis spawn thus giving Allies a harder time completing the map…

I dont think this is like implemented or something? I never saw it before and i doubt it’s possible… but it would be cool.

Random thoughts:

What if i made three tanks in the map, one for the first part untill it reaches the barrier, then two for the last part, either for A or for B (both invisible at the start). Then check if the barrier is constructed when the tank reaches a certain splinepoint and if yes: hide the tank and make the ‘Tank A’ visible or if no: hide the tank and make the ‘Tank B’ visible.
Or now i think about it two tanks might do the trick also, jsut leave the first tank for part A and make a second one for B.

But the problem with that is that it won’t remember the tank’s health, and will probably crush anyone that is in the MG i guess… Well ofcourse i could leave the MG out then that’s not really a problem…
but i doubt it’s possible to pull it off without players noticing that something strange happened (tank suddenly full health again)
Also if the tank gets damaged just infront of the spline where it checks for the barrier, it will drive untill that point, get damaged, then get magically ful health again…

Anyway any idea’s on this are appreciated!

(Ifurita) #2

have them drive the tank into a train turn table, which turns and directs the tank down the appropriate way - or a really dark tunnel

(Flippy) #3

hmm

a train turn table doesnt make sense really as players would wonder “why doesnt it just turn around?” :stuck_out_tongue:

and a dark tunnel… will still not solve the health issue.
(There’s no way to store the health of the previous tank right?)

I was now thinking, i tried to make a tank once (and it worked) but as i see it, you first make a spline path and the script directs the tank from spline a to b to c to d etc…
well why not make the spline like have a T-junction? naming every splinepoint after the junction “A_x” or “B_x” and then have the script direct it either to A_x or B_x? (x is a number)

Is this impossible?

(ayatollah) #4

Really good idea in my opinion, and not that difficult to implement. You don’t really need 3 tanks, just 3 tank paths.

Follow path1, when you reach the spline point at the barrier, check if barrier is up. If it is up, follow path2, else team wins. Rinse and repeat.

But I think about it and see this as too simple a method and probably won’t work in practice.

(C) #5

Is it possible to give a tank (or truck, or any moving vehilce) two router?

Take a look at UJE_00…
The tank can take a different route, depending on a barricade being build or not.

Here You can see the 2 routes:

Here a picture of the routes-split. This is where the tank(script) decides what way to go (left or right):

I seperated the 2 distinct paths in the editor, so You can clearly see how they overlap:

The overlapping of the paths was needed, otherwise the tank would not be facing the correct direction when i switch paths for the tank.

In script i just let the tank “followspline” the 2nd path (at the split) when the barricade has been build.

(ayatollah) #6

Woot, so what I said can be done! Amazing how I can actually get something right. I usually screw up!

(Ifurita) #7

There’s still time. Don’t give up yet. :wink:

(Shaderman) #8

I posted a sample map in this thread. The direct link doesn’t work anymore, you have to get the file 2_way_tank.zip from here.

(Flippy) #9

Wow so it’s already done? I asked around everyone i knew that EVER played ET and nobody knew any map lol :stuck_out_tongue:

Ok so now i think i know how to make it :slight_smile: I will try it soon.

(Loffy) #10

The concept is not entirely new and it has been discussed before, and I, for example, had it in mind when I did this uber-map:

… but I did not have the motivation to get it to work. I must admit, I just finished it without going all the way with the concept of split/divided-routes for the tank/-s.

Scriting like this and coming up with ideas is sometimes easy, but in the end it takes a skilled and dedicated mapper to get it to work. That is why I, as a mapper, appreciate maps like Baserace and the old RtCW custom map Password (there is also an ET-version of Password) because there you have great ideas that are carefully put together in finished products.

//Loffy

(C) #11

I must say, that it is nothing special to use a path for a script_mover. You can let it follow a path very easily…so why not put it on a different path (mid-game)?? A tank isn’t “glued” to a path, it just travels from 1 spline to another spline, as it is told to do so in mapscript.

If You would create a grid of info_train_spline_main entities across the map (say 10x10), one could even make a script_mover go anywhere without even following a pre-defined path.
It just takes some scripting to let a player control the script_mover…but they get the feeling that they can steer the script_mover just about anywhere.
This technique would work well for a plane high above the terrain. A tank would need a flat terrain though…

^^ It’s just an idea…
unfortunatly, i wish i could use some math in mapscript… like accum 0 set sqrt(a²+b²)

(Flippy) #12

Well tbh i thought the tank had to have a ‘linear’ splinepath, one that only consists of one possible route… but then, i have no idea why i thought this :smiley: