The "How do I..." Thread

[Xane123]

I have 8 enemies, marked 8 to 16 with TIDs.

Now, there are 6 water demons. Kill em, activate script 8, script argument 1 is 1.
2 flamethrower demons, script 8, script argument 1 is 2.
A lightningimp, script 8, script argument 1 is 3.
...
Now, it doesn't do anything after the "EXECUTE" or "CASE TIME" print. None. When I kill all 9 enemies, it doesn't congratulate me, and when I kill 1 enemy, it doesn't print anything else other than CASE TIME. Anyone know why?

Are the monsters executing the script? It's an annoying part of how ZDoom works, but the game might be trying to show the Print message to the monster if they're the "activator"; Try PrintBold and see if the messages then appear.

[Cansteam]

I've already solved that issue.

Can you make it so the bouncefactor INCREASES speed?
Can you make it so a monster has 3 obituaries, one for melee, and 2 for projectiles?

[Ravick]

How can I make a polyobject to just "open" and not close after a while? Just like the Door_Open command?

Thanks in advance

[edward850]

Can you make it so the bouncefactor INCREASES speed?

It's a factor isn't it? Just give it a factor greater than 1.0.

Can you make it so a monster has 3 obituaries, one for melee, and 2 for projectiles?

Melee and projectile are already two different obituaries. You can only have one of each type per monster.

[Cansteam]

For some reason, whenever my bouncing tracer hits a ceiling, it just locks in place. Any reason why this happens?

[edward850]

There sure is. However it's not much good asking if you don't show us anything.

[Cansteam]

I increased the speed of the projectile and I can't seem to recreate it. Maybe that was the problem.

[Jekyll Grim Payne]

Is it possible to define user variables in an actor's properties, not using functions like A_SetUserVar?
Can the vars values be anything other than numbers? E.g. can they be actor's names?

let's say I have many actors that look the same but they spawn different child actors via A_SpawnItemEx. Is it possible to replace the name of the child actor in A_SpawnItemEx with a name of a variable defined in the spawning actor's properties, and then just inherit all other actors from the spawning actor, replacing this variable with the name of the other child actor I need?

[Xane123]

In MAPINFO, I can change the color of the options menus' text, but the main menu's text color is stuck red; I modified my main menu to not use images for its text, so it uses DBIGFONT, but it's red!

[Jekyll Grim Payne]

How does the damn A_KillChildren work?
I mean, what are the requirements, besides both actors having +ISMONSTER and having master-minior relationship set up via SXF_SETMASTEr in A_SpawnItemEx?
Because I've done both and the child actor doesn't die when the parent calls A_KillChildren.

What's especially weird is that I know for sure that the game does consider these two actors to be a master and a minion, because the minion calls A_Warp with AAPTR_Master and it's properly recognized. Yet when master calls A_KillChildren, nothing happens.

[phantombeta]

Is it possible to define user variables in an actor's properties, not using functions like A_SetUserVar?

Code: Select all

actor bleh { var int user_bleh; }

Like this? Or do you mean initializing it? ("var int user_bleh = 4;")
If you mean initializing it, I don't think so.

Can the vars values be anything other than numbers?

They can be int and float (Or was it fixed? I can't remember...) arrays.

E.g. can they be actor's names?

No. That would need a string which there's no user var type for. (Last time I checked there wasn't)

[Blue Shadow]

the child actor doesn't die when the parent calls A_KillChildren.

What A_Kill* functions do is inflict damage that amounts to the target actor's health, thus "killing" it. So make sure the child actor has at least either the SHOOTALBE or VULNERABLE flag, and that its health is above zero.

[Jekyll Grim Payne]

What A_Kill* functions do is inflict damage that amounts to the target actor's health, thus "killing" it. So make sure the child actor has at least either the SHOOTALBE or VULNERABLE flag, and that its health is above zero.

Aha... I thought it should be something like this but I didn't think it should actually be +VULNERABLE.
Well, +VULNERABLE +INVULNERABLE works for decorative actors that you only want to be killed by the decorative master (A_KillChildren(none,KILS_FOILINVUL) works in this case).
Thanks!

[Jekyll Grim Payne]

Whenever I use 'goto statename' in an inherited actor's state, it goes to the parent's state instead of the inherited actor. For example:

Code: Select all

Actor RedFlare_TallTorch : Flare_General
{
scale 0.4
states
	{
	Spawn:
		TNT1 A 0
		TNT1 A 0 A_JumpIfInventory("NoAdvFlames",1,"Disappear",AAPTR_PLAYER1)
		LENR AAA 1 bright A_Warp(AAPTR_MASTER,0,0,58,0,WARPF_NOCHECKPOSITION)
		goto scale
	Scale:
		TNT1 A 0
		TNT1 A 0 A_Jump(256,1,2,3,4,5)
		TNT1 A 0 A_SetScale(0.4,0.4)
		goto Spawn
		TNT1 A 0 A_SetScale(0.38,0.38)
		goto Spawn
		TNT1 A 0 A_SetScale(0.36,0.36)
		goto Spawn
		TNT1 A 0 A_SetScale(0.34,0.34)
		goto Spawn
		TNT1 A 0 A_SetScale(0.32,0.32)
		goto Spawn
	}
}

Actor BlueFlare_TallTorch : RedFlare_TallTorch
{
states
	{
	Spawn:
		TNT1 A 0
		TNT1 A 0 A_JumpIfInventory("NoAdvFlames",1,"Disappear",AAPTR_PLAYER1)
		LENB AAA 1 bright A_Warp(AAPTR_MASTER,0,0,58,0,WARPF_NOCHECKPOSITION)
		goto Scale
	}
}

The blue flare apparently enters the red flare's scale state and then red flare's Spawn state because after that it stars showing LENR sprites instead of LENB sprites. Why the hell does it interpret 'goto Scale' like 'goto super::scale'?

[Nash]

^ I ran into this problem too and there were some really good technical answers but I kind of forget what they were and was just advised to use A_Jump with 255 chance instead.

Also for the Scale state you can use the #### # sprite names, it will use whatever sprite that came before it.