Spawning monsters in dark sectors

[Grey-Wolf]

Hi! I'm trying to make an alternative imp monster that replaces the vanilla one only if the latter was in a place with scarce lighting conditions. Is there some way to do this? I don't know, like A_Jumpif(lightlevel == x, "spawnspookyimp") or something like that.

[Matt]

"CurSector.LightLevel <=" instead of "lightlevel ==" should do the trick.

[Grey-Wolf]

Thanks, I'll do some tests when I get home

EDIT: that didn't work causing a syntax error while trying to run GzDoom. I don't even think that command is decorate language. Is it possible to achieve a similar result without ZScript?

[Matt]

Subject: Spawning monsters in dark sectors

"CurSector.LightLevel <=" instead of "lightlevel ==" should do the trick.

Wait, is this ZScript? Because I needed to do it in decorate... or ACS if there's no other solution. But ZScript, not my thing.

Why? Just convert it.

[Grey-Wolf]

Could you give me some further directions? Because I have zero experience about anything related to ZScript. How should I convert it? And from what?

[Matt]

https://zdoom.org/wiki/Converting_DECOR ... to_ZScript

The base lump would be "zscript", and #include works the same way.

This tutorial may also be relevant.

Here's a sample actor:

Code: Select all

class spectrimp:doomimp{
    states{
    spawn:
        TNT1 A 0 nodelay A_JumpIf(cursector.lightlevel<128,"spawnspookyimp");
        goto super::spawn;
    spawnspookyimp:
        TNT1 A 0 A_SpawnItemEx("Spectre");
        stop;
    }
}

[Grey-Wolf]

I did some tests and read both the documents you gave to me, but I'm still having some issues:
What I need to do is to make the zscript class inherit from another custom actor, called Imp, and make it replace the normal vanilla DoomImp
So this is what I tried:

Code: Select all

class spectrimp:Imp replaces doomimp{
    states
	{
    spawn:
        TNT1 A 0 nodelay A_JumpIf(cursector.lightlevel<113,"spawnspookyimp");
        goto super::spawn;
    spawnspookyimp:
		TNT1 A 0 A_Jump(80, "DarkImp");
        TNT1 A 0 A_SpawnItemEx("Shadow");
        stop;
	DarkImp:	
		TNT1 A 0 A_SpawnItemEx("DarkImpSpawner");
		stop;
    }
}

However, this what I'm getting while starting GzDoom:
BrutalSurvivalDoom.pk3:zscript, line 1: Class spectrimp has unknown base class imp
BrutalSurvivalDoom.pk3:zscript, line 1: spectrimp: States can only be defined for actors.

How can I make it so it recognizes my custom actor to inherit from without re-defining it in ZScript? And why the class doesn't like anymore having states defined?

[Blue Shadow]

I assume the Imp class is defined in DECORATE, yes? If so, that won't work; ZScript is parsed before DECORATE. You need convert the Imp class to ZScript, as well.

[Grey-Wolf]

That won't do... I have to do this with other custom monsters so it would be too much of a hassle. Maybe I'll just look for a way to make it work with ACS...

EDIT: For anyone wondering, this did the trick:

Code: Select all

#library "MOBSPAWN"
#include "zcommon.acs"

script "IMPSHADOW" (void)
 {
	 if (GetActorLightLevel(0) < 113)
		 {
		 SetActorstate(0, "SpookyImp");
		 delay(1);
		 Terminate;
		 }
}
		 

Then I just made the imp call the script in its spawn state and created the "spookyimp" state under the decorate definition of the imp itself, to make it spawn as another monster. Maybe not the most elegant way to do it, but seems to work fine so far.

[comet1337]

Class spectrimp has unknown base class imp

the actor name for imps is 'doomimp' not 'imp'

[Grey-Wolf]

That's the vanilla imp. I was trying to make the class inherit from another new edited imp that didn't inherit from other actors.