[Question] Random Damage Value for PoisonDamage?

[RV-007]

I know that the Damage has its own random formula, but how come PoisonDamage doesn't have it's own random formula? If it's 5, then it's the absolute 5 value regardless for the need for damage variation.
http://zdoom.org/wiki/Actor_properties#Damage

[ChronoSeth]

Damage is inherently randomized in all of the doom-engine games. Poison damage is only featured in Hexen, where it is not randomized. The randomization on normal projectile damage can be removed/overridden by putting the number/formula in brackets.

AFAIK, you can use something like PoisonDamage (random(1,5)) to get randomized damage.

[RV-007]

I just did some lazy tests, but all I got was illegal errors from the zdoom library. Here is my code to attempt random poison damage w/ zdoom v2.5.0.

---

Code: Select all

/*
http://zdoom.org/wiki/A_PosAttack
http://www.zdoom.org/wiki/Actor_properties#PoisonDamage
http://zdoom.org/wiki/Classes:BulletPuff
*/
ACTOR Pistol_Projectile : Weapon
{
	Game Doom
	Radius 2
	Height 2
	Speed 100
	//Damage 5
	PoisonDamage 5(1,3),10,0 // PoisionDamage (damage, time [seconds], seconds to kick in damage [zero also equals kicking damage for each second passed])
	Obituary "%o did not feel better with those shots."
	Projectile 
	//+NOBLOCKMAP
	//+SEEKERMISSILE 
	+ADDITIVEPOISONDAMAGE
	+ADDITIVEPOISONDURATION
	+ALLOWPARTICLES
	+RANDOMIZE
	//+ROCKETTRAIL // Added In
	//SeeSound "demon/melee"
	//DeathSound "weapons/plasmax"
	RenderStyle Translucent //None
	Alpha 0.5
	VSpeed 1
	
	States
	{
		Spawn:
			PUFF A 4 bright A_NoBlocking
			PUFF B 4
			Goto Death
		Death:
			PUFF CD 4
			Stop
		}
}

[amv2k9]

Try enclosing the whole damage formula within parenthesis. That's what it says to do for the Damage property when making your own custom formulas.

[ChronoSeth]

5(1,3) isn't a valid operation...

Are you meaning to use 5*random(1,3)?

[NeuralStunner]

Try enclosing the whole damage formula within parenthesis. That's what it says to do for the Damage property when making your own custom formulas.

That's a special case for the Damage property.

I even checked with the guy who wrote the PoisonDamage extension:

<NeuralStunner> There's a discussion of whether special expressions work with PoisonDamage like they do with Damage.
<NeuralStunner> I'm thinking not... But I'm unsure.
<DavidPH> They do not.
<DavidPH> But it's also not randomized, so if someone exposed it as an APROP...

... You could randomize it through ACS, at least for projectiles.

[RV-007]

At least I got my answers. I guess I'll learn ACS soon.