Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Discussions about Coding and Scripting
JackGriffin
Godlike
Posts: 3774
Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:53 pm
Personal rank: -Retired-

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by JackGriffin »

If you needed extra anims you could always adjust drawscale X and Y via timer and make it look like it is slug-crawling across the surface. You'd not be able to change the Z axis though, it would melt into the surface then.
So long, and thanks for all the fish
User avatar
Leo(T.C.K.)
Inhuman
Posts: 868
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:26 pm

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by Leo(T.C.K.) »

Is it even possible to change drawscale X and Y only? I thought that's something Unreal patch OU 227 introduced.
User avatar
Leo(T.C.K.)
Inhuman
Posts: 868
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:26 pm

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by Leo(T.C.K.) »

Because Maci told me it's like the tentacle was dancing on the ceiling, I realized he was right, it's just like in this video(together with me flyin up and flipping):

MrLoathsome
Inhuman
Posts: 958
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 9:02 pm
Personal rank: I am quite rank.
Location: MrLoathsome fell out of the world!

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by MrLoathsome »

Update:

Finally got around to getting a mostly bone stock 436 UT server setup.

Confirmed what Leo said regarding the PHYS_Spyder being broken in the UTPG 440
patch. (Not that I doubted you, but where I am at, I had to test it out on servers I built and configured.)

Been testing the Beta4 UTents on the 440 servers for a few weeks now with no major issues.
(bCanWalk=True, bSpiderMode=False on the 440 server.)

Only had them on the 436 server for 1 day now, but they seem to be working fine with bSpiderMode=True.

Online, the tentacles stay upsidedown almost 50% of the time while moving with either Physics walking or spider set.
Offline, they will flip to normal tent orientation when they move, but flip back upsidedown when they go into waiting mode.

I know why this is happening. (Yay replication!)
I can work around this. Even if I don't figure a way to get them upsidedown 100% of the time, I think these are working well.
Just need to write a readme file that documents it all coherently.
Been sidetracked a bit lately by sharks and lasers, but have been thinking about this and testing it some more while working on other things.

Here is a screenshot of 2 tents taken off the new 436 test server earlier today:
2 UTents
2 UTents
They had just killed me and assumed the waiting state. Both have PHYS_Spider set.
Note the blue one sinks into the wall a bit. Not sure if that needs to be fixed, or is just fine as is....

Has anybody tried these out?
:???:
blarg
User avatar
SilverSound
Adept
Posts: 341
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2015 10:12 am
Personal rank: Curious
Location: St. Cloud, Florida

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by SilverSound »

I haven't tried them yet. The idea of a base being defended by monsters on your team would be cool. This adds variety to the tents though! I've been watching your progress.

I'm waiting for you to really get it all worked out before I do any testing.
"Woah what?! I wish I was recording that...."
User avatar
OjitroC
Godlike
Posts: 3605
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 8:46 pm

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by OjitroC »

I have used them with MonsterSpawn and they are a fun change to the normal tentacle - the alternative skins are really cool. They're certainly upsidedown but I haven't seen them walk despite setting the Physics to PHYS_Spider and then to PHYS_Walking - I can't find bCanWalk in the properties (under Tent).
MrLoathsome
Inhuman
Posts: 958
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 9:02 pm
Personal rank: I am quite rank.
Location: MrLoathsome fell out of the world!

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by MrLoathsome »

bCanWalk is a variable it inherits from the ScriptedPawn class.
You should be able to set that.

If bCanWalk = True and bSpidermode = False they will use PHYS_Walking.
Both must be True for them to use PHYS_Spider.

You should not need to be setting Physics for these specifically as they set that
themselves based on those 2 variables.
blarg
User avatar
OjitroC
Godlike
Posts: 3605
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 8:46 pm

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by OjitroC »

Thanks - have looked and looked in the Editor at the Properties in the .u file but can't find bCanWalk - should it be under Tent? Only four variables there (spider mode, alternative colour, colour and roll(? can't quite remember this last one))
MrLoathsome
Inhuman
Posts: 958
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 9:02 pm
Personal rank: I am quite rank.
Location: MrLoathsome fell out of the world!

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by MrLoathsome »

I think I see what is happening there. (I never looked at the thing with the editor....)

Assumed that people could adjust those scriptedpawn variables with the editor, but it seems not.

You can adjust that bCanWalk variable just fine with my Swarmspawner mutator, and I think with
a Set command. (Haven't tested with Set...)

In the next release of these, I will take steps to make sure bCanWalk and anything else that needs
to be adjustable with UEd, will be.

EDIT: Here is a dumb question.

Are you saying you can't adjust the Health, GroundSpeed and various other default ScriptedPawn variables
with the editor at all with these? (I hate UEd.)
One of use must be doing something wrong. (Probably me.....)

Soon as I get my Laser and Shark things finalized, I will be getting back to these UTents.
blarg
User avatar
OjitroC
Godlike
Posts: 3605
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 8:46 pm

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by OjitroC »

Yes, I can adjust the Health, GroundSpeed and other default ScriptedPawn variables for the Tent (and other Pawns) - I can also adjust AltTexture, bSpiderMode, StartRoll and TentColor - it's just that bCanWalk doesn't show up anyway in the Default Properties as a variable to be adjusted.

I'm using the Standalone extended version of the UEditor as my UT version of UEd is broken (get an error message when trying to open it). Interestingly if I open the UTent_Beta4.u in the UnrealGold editor there are additional properties that don't show up in the Standalone UEd, but perhaps that is because UnrealGold has a different version of UnrealShare?
MrLoathsome
Inhuman
Posts: 958
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 9:02 pm
Personal rank: I am quite rank.
Location: MrLoathsome fell out of the world!

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by MrLoathsome »

Excellent feedback. Just what I needed to know.

Will be adding a way to adjust that bCanWalk to the next UTent release.

*Edit.

UEd99 is the devil.

I am lucky I can get it to export the source for me.

Use the UnrealEd from my UnrealGold install for checking sounds or exporting textures, as both
features are defective in the UT99 version of the editor.
blarg
User avatar
OjitroC
Godlike
Posts: 3605
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 8:46 pm

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by OjitroC »

MrLoathsome wrote:
Will be adding a way to adjust that bCanWalk to the next UTent release.
That's good.

Not long ago I saw one flip onto its tentacles when attacked by a zombie - when it had killed ithe zombie, it resumed its upsidedown waiting position.
User avatar
SilverSound
Adept
Posts: 341
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2015 10:12 am
Personal rank: Curious
Location: St. Cloud, Florida

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by SilverSound »

That's one thing about the editor I don't like. There are some things you can edit and can't. As well as things you can see and can't. Some of the things you can see you can't edit with out it changeing in game.

Your best bet there is to hardcode that. Like manually changing the fire rate of a weapon. (instead of changing it in the Ued thing) as an example.

Or

Just fix that editing problem. (probably less possible right now)

I actually like to problem solve the editor and scripts from time to time. Can be a fun puzzle. Just like figuring out how to edit the team cannon to shoot faster or the minigun cannon to shoot other projectiles. That took a long time......
"Woah what?! I wish I was recording that...."
MrLoathsome
Inhuman
Posts: 958
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 9:02 pm
Personal rank: I am quite rank.
Location: MrLoathsome fell out of the world!

Re: Upsidedown Tentacle Challenge

Post by MrLoathsome »

That's a good example of how horrible Ued is.

Changing fire rates or projectiles is just 1 or 2 lines to change and a recompile with script.
2 minutes with default projectiles. (Other than the plasma beam....)

These tents are working much better than I expected with Physics_Spider online with the 436 server.
Much better than offline.... (No clue what they do with a 451 server. :ironic2: )

ATM I guess the only way to enable this is via the SwarmSpawn mutator, but it is working on the test server.
I saw one earlier tonight, start upsidedown on the floor, climb up a wall, and end up on the underside of a ramp while
remaining upside down the whole time. Crawling along just like I wanted em to. Online. :shock:

Is an upsidedown tentacle still upsidedown if it crawls up to the ceiling? At that point is is in normal tent orientation...
This makes my brain hurt sometimes. :confused2:

I think they tend to flip rotation more when Physics = PHYS_Walking than they do when it is PHYS_Spider.
blarg
Post Reply