A_GiveToVictim, A_TakeFromVictim

[rollingcrow]

A_GiveToVictim (string <type>, amount)
A_TakeFromVictim (string <type>, amount)

This function would be put on the death state of a projectile or spawn(?) state of a puff so it would give or take an inventory item to whatever it hit. It could be useful for giving or taking inventory items to actors on hit without having to use A_RadiusGive or custom pain states.

[Gez]

There's no "victim" pointer.

You're better off using the tracer pointer and making your projectiles homing. Or use A_RadiusGive with a very short radius.

[TheMightyHeracross]

Or even better, use A_GiveInventory in a special death state for that puff/projectile's damage type.

[Gez]

Better? That means editing all possible victims to add a special damagetype-dependent death, which can mess with other special damagetype-dependent deaths used for other purposes such as animation. It's a lot more work for a hackier result.

[TheMightyHeracross]

I guess it would be a lot of edited actors, yeah. But there wouldn't be a lot to add to each, right?

[Ed the Bat]

I guess it would be a lot of edited actors, yeah. But there wouldn't be a lot to add to each, right?

There would be, by definition, infinitely more to add than what Gez suggested.

[NeuralStunner]

It's a lot more work for a hackier result.

My reaction to 80% of pain state hacks ever suggested.

(Admittedly, A_RadiusGive still has its problems.)

[Ed the Bat]

Does the +SEEKERMISSILE option work, though? I'd thought of trying it out for myself a while back but never got around to testing it... When the projectile hits something, does the actor it struck become its tracer, regardless of what it had originally set for that field? Using A_GiveInventory with the Tracer pointer might give the item to the wrong actor, otherwise.

[Gez]

When the projectile hits something, does the actor it struck become its tracer, regardless of what it had originally set for that field?

Nope, it won't. You're right, using the tracer field will only work accurately when managing to hit the intended victim -- which is very far from guaranteed.

[Xaser]

I've gotten around that limitation by calling A_SeekerMissile with SMF_LOOK in the death state, the idea being that the nearest monster is going to be the one that got hit. Probably not foolproof, but I haven't noticed a failure just yet.

You know, a SWITCHTRACERONHIT flag or something would be super handy if it's possible codewise for the projectile to grab a reference to what it strikes. Less hacks all around.