ZDoom

It's not any weirder than the fact that the name "DECORATE" now refers to a system which can define much more than just decorations. :P

However dumb it is, it's too late to remove it and rename it to something more correct.

That's dumb. First, we already have S\GetActorProperty(). Then, even if it misses something, a separate GetNativeVaiable() is in order instead of tackling everything into functions never intended to do that.

[url=https://github.com/rheit/zdoom/commit/b37ef48e99a5729a21356e30ab36f1f671eebd5a]It's intentional.[/url] User variables are prefixed with "user_" to prevent name collisions.

[quote="yqco"]It's already possible:
[code=php]function int GetActorArg(int tid, int arg)
{
    return GetUserArray(tid, "Args", arg);
}

function int GetActorSpecial(int tid)
{
    return GetUserVariable(tid, "Special");
} [/code][/quote]
Ugh? I mean, "user" variables were introduced exactly to make them never conflict with built-in features, so this just [b]has [/b]to be a bug.

I usually watch the feature suggestions forum and didn't spot this either. Good to know, though.

Ah snap! I had poured over the ACS list but for whatever reason it hadn't occurred to me that those functions would have changed (or will be changing) since the last time I played with them.

Man, it really has been a while. :oops:

I tried this, and it would only ever return zero.

EDIT: Just tried it again, and it works. Perhaps I was just making mistakes all that time...

function int GetActorArg(int tid, int arg)
{
    return GetUserArray(tid, "Args", arg);
}

function int GetActorSpecial(int tid)
{
    return GetUserVariable(tid, "Special");
}

It's already possible:
[code=php]function int GetActorArg(int tid, int arg)
{
    return GetUserArray(tid, "Args", arg);
}

function int GetActorSpecial(int tid)
{
    return GetUserVariable(tid, "Special");
}[/code]

In that very specific example, yes. I wasn't aware of this new script type when I wrote that. Be that as it may, that doesn't necessarily mean there isn't any value in being able to poll an actor's special/arguments.

I know workarounds are frowned upon but if the example in the OP is the only use case; would [url=http://zdoom.org/wiki/Script_types#KILL]KILL[/url] scripts help (the exact purpose why the feature was added in the first place is to prevent overwriting existing monsters' scripts)?

There's a lot of things Decorate can do that ACS can't. Which is why a gross Decorate hack is the only way to approximate certain things in ACS, such as changing actor flags.

I don't see why it wouldn't be, when [wiki=DECORATE_expressions#Variables]there's already decorate expressions for it[/wiki].

I've wanted this for years. I genuinely thought that if it was possible to do, it would've been done a long time ago by now.

Additionally, if you intend to replace an actor via script (it could happen), you'd want to make sure the special gets transferred properly.

Needless to say, seconded. :D