LT's Recycler Variant

[Lordtac]

damn BZ's limits.

fine is it possible for a building or factory to have... nvm dumb question.

I'll stick with the com-link deal.

does anyone know how to set that up?

[Lordtac]

hmm where would I find that mod, so I can check out the coding.

[TheJamsh]

wait what? what mod. And bZ2's limits are fine, brilliant in TA5. if you're sensible that is...

This thread has totally lost me.

Only MorphTankFriend and MorphTankEnemy can 'morph' or 'deploy', which FYI is exaactly the same thing really, except that morph tanks can change ship completely, whereas deploy is just an animation and some height/weapon changes usually.

Why you would want a constructor to build things on its back i have no idea...i don't even understand how that would ever work.

What you COULD do however, is move the 'special' hardpoint of the constructor up ridiculously high, so its build effect will originate from there, which will look more like a 'beam from space' building it if thats what youre looking for... The constructor model wont look right for that kind of thing though. I suggest you delete the treads of the ISDF comm vehicle, and use it as a hover-constructor XSI, so it looks like some sort of communicator. Other than that i have no idea...

[Lordtac]

actually what I was planning is to have my model monkey (rocket) create a "star destroyer" Type of capital ship with cannons and the like (only 5 hard points but I can make it work) that would float about 250 to 300ft above the ground (barely in site range) and build all the aircraft units as well as some "Orbital Strike" units.

the reason I want it to use the constructors scripting is because I want it to be able to move (granted its VERY slowly) so it can attack SOME land based enemies with orbital strike (special) chain guns (anti-air support) and Missiles (both)

The main problem with that is that the constructor itself has no "build" hard point that I can find. If I had a choice I'd make it a constructor that builds the units in a special hanger on the lower half of the ship but it doesn't look like I can do that.

having a capital ship will completely change the rules of engagement in BZ2 especially with the new fighters I'm putting in.


EDIT:
Also take note that a constructor CAN act as a factory, given proper scripting it will build units instead of buildings, and constructors also use the function keys instead of #'s. so you can have up to 10 of them in 1 group even if they aren't the same.

On top of that you can have constructors build other constructors, so if you want a constructor to act as a building, simply remove its movement abilities entirely, as for clicking the ground to build, I haven't figured out a way to change that yet.

[Nielk1]

I can put a cons on a base slot. I've done it before.

A don't see it as a good solution for what you want to do as you need flat ground 9right under it if it is immobile) to build building OR units on.

[Lordtac]

There has to be some way to do this. It can't be impossible (still testing things btw)

I just gotta find that bit of code that forces the constructor to build on flat ground, then find the piece of code that forces buildings to build on a hard point.

and switch them. (granted there's a fair chance that won't work)


EDIT: hmmm there's nothing in the vehicle ODF that would point to any hard-point or construction command. so I can only assume its caused by the class label (which is probably hard coded)

[mrtwosheds]

hp_special, is where the build laser emits from.

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

Is the constructor class use able with a conventional hover class unit? As I recall one of TV's units could fire a power up instead of conventional ordinance. Could other things like buildings be deployed/built as well? Units like the Cerb Demon deploy other units like drones. Why not a buliding? BNG.

[mrtwosheds]

From pb4a (I think) Hovering constructors are possible, I have one In LOS.

[CraftClass]
PathingType = 0 // -1 = auto, 0 = Hover, 1 = Walker, 2 = Person, 3 = Tracked, 4 = Flyer

[HoverCraftClass]
with all the usual stuff...

[Lordtac]

so it "IS" possible.

does it still use scrap? and take build orders?

*points up* What I'm trying to do is build a capital class ship that floats high up in the air but the game isn't agreeing with me.

oh and 2nd I was just wondering is it possible to adjust the range of the constructors build beam

[Warfreak]

It works JUST like a normal cons, only thing is now the model doesn't need to include foot helpers if you set it to use hover pathing.

[mrtwosheds]

Just like a normal constructor... so your capital ship would struggle to fly over a hill and probably choose to fly round it, it may look very odd if you asked it to fly over your base as it carefully negotiates each building 300 feet bellow it...PathingType = 4  may well sort that out though.
The art of bz2 modding involves allot of doing what the game will let you, and giving up on idea's that just don't work, Bz2 is NOT a fight simulator.

I don't know about the build beam, simple fact is that the cons won't build until it is close to where you told it to build. I would guess that height is not involved in this calculation, but I could be wrong.
Maybe this setting will help you see it from a distance.
[Render]
maxDist = x

[Lordtac]

Alright so it "could" work and FYI I know its not a flight simulator, but you have to admit one thing. The only reason aircraft aren't working (I mean like real aerodynamics not hovercraft with high height) is because the AI like to strafe when their attacking buildings.

Well this task appears to require scripting I haven't seen or aren't aware of. So can I get a little more direct assistance? (Just like my flash programming I don't beg for code, but I would like to know where to look to learn it at least)

atm I can't even get the constructor to hover 300ft (again probably cause its a "walker") and I did experiment with the building, I can't recreate what your talking about unfortunately. Do I need to script a "gun" for this or is there some other way to do it.


EDIT: Oh look *points at forum rank* I'm a drunken constructor, how Ironic.

[Warfreak]

Its not and was never a walker. It is a hovertank which faked walker physics (hence the need for foot helpers).
Be sure that you have a dummyroot, makes things easier and is determined by the engine as the center point.

Dropping buildings which own terrain is IMPOSSIBLE or atleast will cause TONS of bugs and oddities. (Cons should be working i would think)

[TheJamsh]

Just so you know, build meshes are LOCKED to the ground by the code. If not there, then a terrain_h baseplate. Thats it, no getting around that. BTW, you should say 'ODF' rather than 'Scripting', im not sure half the time if youre talking about C++ or ODF files.

you can also set strafe time to 0 for aircraft via the new settings, and FYI there flight plans dont change whatsoever. You need to see that BZ2 takes no concept of 'height' when pathing around things, or flying either. BZ2's pathing code is 2-dimensional, and that wont ever change.

Class labels are hardcoded, and you need to correct aiName and ODF [Header's] to make a constructor work. classlabels tell BZ2 what kind of object it is, and unfortunately for you there is no 'flying constructor that flies through the air ignoring all buildings and terrain slopes and builds units and buildings or whatever'.

The constructor wont build until its close to the build location like MrTwoSheds says, and height unfortunately IS taken into consideration, because its a general distance from object calculation i believe.

Also, youre capitcal ship will HAVE to be a building to be able to build items AND have mounted turrets. The turrets will have to be tapped onto a 'factory' class, or other [PoweredBuildingClass].

Constructors will NOT fire weapons. Their AI has no knowledge of them, and you will probably AV if you tried. Put simply there is NO WAY to have a capital ship that hovers 300 feet in the air that can move, fire multiple weapons from different turrets at the enemy AND build things. its simply NOT possible.