[DECORATE] Switchable Thing is Really Laggy

[AC9000]

I have a DECORATE for a switchable object that uses sprites already in Doom. It is a short green pillar with a dead player next to it, and when activated, the player becomes gibs and a heart is added.
Using Zandronum, this actor is incredibly laggy, and only while I'm looking at it. Does anyone know how to speed this up?

Code: Select all

Actor GutSwitchBody : DeadMarine {
Health 1
-Corpse
Monster
-SOLiD
+VULNERABLE
-SHOOTABLE
+NORADIUSDMG
	States
	  {
	  Spawn:
		PLAY N 1
		Wait
	Pain:
	Death:
		PLAY W -1
		Stop
	  }
}

Actor GutSwitchDoor : SwitchingDecoration 20211 {
	Activation THINGSPEC_Activate
	Radius 16
	Height 40
	ProjectilePassHeight -16
	+SOLID
	+USESPECIAL
	+ISMONSTER
	States{
	Spawn:
	Pain:
	Inactive:
		COL2 A 1 A_SpawnItemEx("GutSwitchBody", 48, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, SXF_SETMASTER, 0, 0)
		Wait
	Active:
		COL5 B 0 Door_Open(200, 16, 0)
		COL5 AB 14 A_KillChildren
		Goto Twitch
	
	Twitch:
		COL5 AB 14
		Loop
	}
}

Any help is appreciated!

[Gez]

I have a DECORATE for a switchable object that uses sprites already in Doom. It is a short green pillar with a dead player next to it, and when activated, the player becomes gibs and a heart is added.
Using Zandronum, this actor is incredibly laggy, and only while I'm looking at it. Does anyone know how to speed this up?

Code: Select all

	States{
	Spawn:
	Pain:
	Inactive:
		COL2 A 1 A_SpawnItemEx("GutSwitchBody", 48, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, SXF_SETMASTER, 0, 0)
		Wait

Any help is appreciated!

No surprise this is laggy.

The "Wait" instruction tells to loop the last state. So every single tic, your thing is spawning a new GutSwitchBody. That's 35 new actors per second. It might not look like that, because they're all spawned at the exact same position; but they're what is eating all your processing power.

Instead of Wait, you should use a tic duration of -1, so that the actor does not leave this state on its own (it'll still leave it to the Active state when switched). Oh, and add a COL2 A 0 state just before, that does nothing but "eats" the initialization, otherwise you'll get the opposite problem of the GutSwitchBody never getting spawned.

[AC9000]

Oh, Thank you! I assumed wait made the actor literally wait.

Out of curiosity, what's the difference between Wait and Loop?

Thanks again!

[Gez]

Wait loops the last state; Loop loops back to the lasts state label.

So if you have something like this:

Label:
TING ABCD
Loop

Then you'll have the actor constantly go ABCDABCDABCDABCD...

Whereas with

Label:
TING ABCD
Wait

The actor will go ABC once, and then remain on D forever. ABCDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD...