random idea

[Clavin12]

How come hover ships can't?

[AHadley]

They are incapable of passing below water. However, by reversing the setting for the E button so that it makes them travel downwards (something I have only seen Jamsh do before), they can be made to sink beneath it.

[Nielk1]

Hover units can now ignore water.

Code Select Expand

- Fix for mantis #1351. Exposed a few more constants, and added some
new items:

[HoverCraftClass]
OverLandVelocFrontMult = 1.0f;
OverLandVelocSideMult = 1.0f;
OverLandThrottleMult = 1.0f;
OverWaterVelocFrontMult = 0.75f;
OverWaterVelocSideMult = 0.75f;
OverWaterThrottleMult = 0.8f;
AirborneVelocFrontMult = 1.0f;
AirborneVelocSideMult = 1.0f;
AirborneThrottleMult = 1.0f;
AirborneMinHeightRatio = 2.0f;
AirborneMaxHeightRatio = 5.0f;

DeployedOverLandVelocFrontMult = 1.0f;
DeployedOverLandVelocSideMult = 1.0f;
DeployedOverLandThrottleMult = 1.0f;
DeployedOverWaterVelocFrontMult = 0.75f;
DeployedOverWaterVelocSideMult = 0.75f;
DeployedOverWaterThrottleMult = 0.8f;
DeployedAirborneVelocFrontMult = 1.0f;
DeployedAirborneVelocSideMult = 1.0f;
DeployedAirborneThrottleMult = 1.0f;
DeployedAirborneMinHeightRatio = 2.0f;
DeployedAirborneMaxHeightRatio = 5.0f;

UseWaterHeight = true
DeployedUseWaterHeight = true

   Lots of options. This allows users to specify how hovercraft handle
over water, and airborne. The 'FrontMult' values are a multiplier on
velocForward/velocReverse, and SideMult is a multiplier on
velocStrafe.  The Airborne min/max heightratio is used to blend
between land/water and the airborne values. A craft's heightratio is
the current altitude (above land/water) divided by
[HoverCraftClass]::setAltitude, so that if it's at setAltitude,
heightRatio is 1.0. If it's twice setAltitude, heightRatio is 2.0.
Heightratio values less than the MinHeightRatio will use the
land/water setting. Values over MaxHeightRatio will use the airborne
setting. If it's between min & max, it linearly interpolates between
the settings. UseWaterHeight is a way to use the water when
calculating heights to be at. [NM]

Also, see these:

Code Select Expand

- Fix for mantis #1348, 1332, and some things I thought might be
useful to modders. Added in some DLL callbacks:

DLLEXPORT bool DLLAPI TerrainIsWater(const Vector &pos);
DLLEXPORT bool DLLAPI TerrainIsWater(float x, float z);
DLLEXPORT bool DLLAPI TerrainGetHeightAndNormal(const Vector& pos, float& outHeight, Vector& outNormal, bool useWater);
DLLEXPORT bool DLLAPI GetOutputPath(size_t& bufSize, wchar_t* pData);
DLLEXPORT bool DLLAPI GetPathPoints(Name path, size_t& bufSize, float* pData);
DLLEXPORT Handle DLLAPI GetOwner(Handle h);
DLLEXPORT void DLLAPI SetTarget(Handle obj, Handle target);
DLLEXPORT void DLLAPI SetOwner(Handle obj, Handle target);

   See comments above them in scriptutils.h. Bug me if I forgot to
upload a latest DLL source distribution w/ scriptutils.h. Note: can't
guarantee that mines/torpedos/etc have the owner set as expected. [NM]


In combination with a hovercraft that ignores water from above, DLL can now detect the water height and make a perfect submarine. A unit that is an aircraft below water, and an immobile water ignoring hovercraft above (with all velocity and angle passed into it).

[iron maiden]

How on Earth did my original idea come to this?

What was the topic again?

random ideas i suppose

No, SBT, this thread was made to post an idea i had, read the first post:

I was reading Avatar's prehistory, the part about the cthonians and became caught on a small sentence fragment: "dropping Biometal 'seeds' from orbit. "

I immediately thought of War of the Worlds and how, like in the prehistory, the seeds landed near towns and unleashed the terrible war machines which were near unstopable. It occurred to me that one could actually make a mod and perhaps change the history of battlezone with this idea? WHAT IF, the martian tripods really were bio-metal war machines that landed on Earth? Perhaps the British could have been the first to look at bio-metal and could have a secret lab somewhere.    Just throwing it out there.

[sabrebattletank]

Yeah, but the thread title is more important than the first post.

[TheJamsh]

the DLL stuff looks very interesting.

My method was similar to timevirus', use an APC so that it ignores the grounds angle, and travels straight at all time. The only issue with this, is that they will travel through and underneath the terrain (well, only because ive set them up to work on everymap). DLL could intercept this though.

Im using artillery now, as that way you travel to locations on the surface, then submerge to fire weapons. Would probably be better the other way around though. Submarines are still hard to get working properly but it is easier now. At least my subs stop dead when they do hit land (thanks to flags pointed out there by N1).

[Clavin12]

Maybe we could use them in a couple single missions, specialized to include them.