Builders dying when building / alternate resource gathering

[Chosker]

hello there,
I'm new here and trying to make a mod.

so I noticed that builders can make multiple buildings, but the game I'm basing my mod off doesn't. whenever you create a building the builder "goes inside" and "becomes part of it" (kinda like the building operator or something), but in practical terms it's as if the builder just dies
also if you sell your building (not sure if this feature is implemented on Spring) you get the builder back


the second thing is regarding resource gathering. seems to me in this game you only build a metal extractor and it works by itself, while most other RTS's need a gathering unit. some games do require the gathering building while in others the gatherer just goes to the regular command center.

while I can see Spring is based on TA I think it would be good if these kind of features could be implemented, as Spring would have more options to allow different kind of mods other than being mostly TA (which could increase its popularity)

so any chance of these features?
thanks

[KDR_11k]

That's stuff you can implement with Lua.

[Hoi]

http://spring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Lua_Scripting

You can ask help in #lua (type /j #lua in the lobby)

Out of curiosity, what are you making?

[Chosker]

oh good, I have experience in game development but I just got started with this engine so I'm still not sure about its possibilities and limitations

I'll take a better look at existing Lua scripts and the documentation, but it's good to know it's possible


and btw, I'm trying to re-create Dark Reign. I tried doing it before with the Dark Reign 2 engine but I stopped it because the engine got really old and had limitations I couldn't get around (plus the game kinda sucked)
good thing is I already had a few models done but it's been a while and I know I can now do better, plus Spring's art specs are probably higher which will allow me to use more polygons and bigger textures
here's a render of most of what I have:

[Hoi]

Spring has no bumpmap and skeletal animation support, that basicly it, accepted polycount (tri's) for basic infantry is like 600-800 (imo) keep it close to that and you'll be ok.
Like the soldier!

[REVENGE]

It might be worth you while to post your models in our Art and Modeling forum for a quick critique by Spring engine vets. They'll be able to point out how you can better adapt your model towards this engine and its quirks.

[Forboding Angel]

oh good, I have experience in game development but I just got started with this engine so I'm still not sure about its possibilities and limitations

I'll take a better look at existing Lua scripts and the documentation, but it's good to know it's possible


and btw, I'm trying to re-create Dark Reign. I tried doing it before with the Dark Reign 2 engine but I stopped it because the engine got really old and had limitations I couldn't get around (plus the game kinda sucked)
good thing is I already had a few models done but it's been a while and I know I can now do better, plus Spring's art specs are probably higher which will allow me to use more polygons and bigger textures
here's a render of most of what I have:

Hell yes! I loved Dark Reign!

[hoijui]

ahh i liked dark reign a lot too. the Tachyon Tank!!

good luck!

[Chosker]

thanks for the heads-up guys

as for the models I won't mess with them too much right now as they actually are in the last position of my list of priorities for this mod. now that I have my SpringSP skinned as the Dark Reign main menu, I'm trying to get a proper game-gui done first, followed by scripting the differences in the systems (resources, building upgrades, ammo-recharging air units, unit-healing/repairing units/buildings, repair/sell buildings, etc), followed by the actual units/buildings scripts. I still don't know how much of these are equal or similar to TA yet tho so I don't know how much work this will be, but so far Lua scripting isn't easy to me.

and after that, when I already have the game working as it should, I'll work on making it look as it should. the whole set of unit and building models, resource models, terrain textures, rocks, trees, etc.

so uhm, I wouldn't expect any releases anytime soon if I were you, but I can tell you that I'm dedicated and I'll keep on at it unless I find getting the needed stuff in Lua is much too complicated

later

[Hoi]

now that I have my SpringSP skinned as the Dark Reign main menu

Spring is a real multiplayer game, please, don't ignore the other mods and let it be only possible to play with your mod sp, let it work with the lobby.
Also, spring sp doesnt work and everyone plays a sp game using the lobby (if they want to sp)

[Chosker]

I know, I am mainly doing this for multiplayer but for firewall issues I can't access the lobby (though I did open the ports).
as for SP I will only have it as "supported" if any of the AIs out there work with it. if not then it'll probably only be released as a MP-only mod.
I just did that SpringSP skin to get the feeling of DR already, and because for now I only test SP because I'm just getting started on it

[KDR_11k]

Spring may be able to run higher polycounts but that doesn't mean you can just slap a smooth modifier on your models for no reason.

[Chosker]

I won't :)
once I get to actually creating models I'll revamp all of what I have, not just use them as they are. I'll check out the polycount limits and add detail accordingly.
and for the record, I never use meshsmooth on models for real-time use (games), if you ask me it's just a lazy way to make models look high-poly-ish-ly "roundy" but really lacking detail

[Jasper1984]

whenever you create a building the builder "goes inside" and "becomes part of it

In the CA mod, fleas can morph into buildings. (dragon eyes) In the Chicken faction (which you can activate in map/mod options.) all the buildings are build by morphing. (Only four buildings though.) Not sure if the animation of morphing can be changed.

As for poly count, LOD is supported. It is more work though, but if you want performance and detail, it is probably a good idea. I have only started modeling recently, so i am not sure how much work LOD is. (Blends decimate didn't work look very well on a model i made.)

I remember Dark Reign vagely, made some maps for it. do not remember that building worked that way though. I was not much of a rts fan back then, so don't know if i liked it .
You should note there are a lot of mods of spring already, and only BA is played very often. It is a bit of a shame, so maybe the community should try find some common ground in a large subset of the community and make a new mod to replace the old content and go be popular like BA, but hopefully slightly less so some other mods can play too. (CA might be best choice imo, with my limited view.)
Ok, i am not telling you what to do! If you can bring people in from Dark Reign, that would be great, of course . I am thinking of starting a thread of trying to find common ground to replace BA, because BA does not even try replace old content. It could also be a 'flagship' game of spring, where people can be introduced. I have not done so yet, because there has been a lot of discussion already, and i do not know whether it has already come up. Much of the current discussion seems to be bickering, and whining how much work people put into a mod to not have it played.

[Chosker]

mmm ok not really much on topic anymore but the mod is still the reason
I'd be grateful if someone could help me with the LUA scripting, it's much too complicated for me.
I can do all the unit FBI's and stuff I just can't get the core changes done, I believe mostly done through LuaRules.

what I need:
- change default starting units
- "morph" builder units into buildings
- changes in the resource system (a third resource: credits, make buildings use energy always -not only when producing units, etc-
- make resources not auto-sent to the base when a unit gathers them
- make resource gatherers have to go to base to delived resources
- make resource gatherers have a gathering limit
- make the water (metal) resource not get credits until its full
- spawn certain units when certain buildings are created (a freighter for every water launch pad and taelon reactor)
- building upgrades, unit tech level pre-req's
- building power up/down (if it's any different from building on/off), building selling (and getting back a builder from it), and building repairing (self repairing without the need of a repairing unit)
- a few more stuff

anyone up for it? I'd be grateful, I'd get the headstart I need and the motivation to know I can get this mod done
and of course the one who makes it would get proper credit, satisfaction and experience :)

[Argh]

Here's some info. I don't have any interest in working on this, as it's using IP that you didn't create, but this might help you get started, once you've learned the basics of Lua.

- change default starting units

What does that mean, exactly?

- "morph" builder units into buildings

See P.U.R.E.

- changes in the resource system (a third resource: credits, make buildings use energy always -not only when producing units, etc-

Lots of different ways to go about that, but see THIS by KDR_11k.

- make resources not auto-sent to the base when a unit gathers them
- make resource gatherers have to go to base to delived resources
- make resource gatherers have a gathering limit

Nobody's done that exactly that way yet, but it would not be hard. If unit near another unit (resource object) then "fill" unit, do "fill" animation until full, if near delivery object and has resources, do delivery animation until empty, "deliver" resource. The "delivery" is absolutely straightforward game mechanics, and practically of of this would be COB-->Lua callouts. Not difficult. Setting up smart auto-patrol / auto-harvest behavior... would be a little harder.

- make the water (metal) resource not get credits until its full

Easy enough, if you already have a third resource, just run a GameFrame() loop checking to see if you've hit your storage limit, if yes, then give however many credits... unless you mean, "don't give players ANY, until it's full", in which case, you need a custom resource.

- spawn certain units when certain buildings are created (a freighter for every water launch pad and taelon reactor)

See P.U.R.E., the transformer code pretty much does that, and there are several examples.

- building upgrades, unit tech level pre-req's

See CA, they've been doing this for a year now.

- building power up/down (if it's any different from building on/off)

Wouldn't need to be more than that, unless there's another state involved- On/Off would probably be fine.

building selling (and getting back a builder from it)

Simple Lua, just add a command that makes it do an animation, go poof at the end and give you a builder. See P.U.R.E., the Advance Base transformation command is close to what you want.

building repairing (self repairing without the need of a repairing unit)

Built into Spring already- see tags "AutoHeal", "IdleAutoHeal", and "IdleTime" in the Wiki.

[Hoi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XieuTnq2gtw

Zpock did this, he might give you the scripts if you ask him nicely:)