Making a monster that blocks attacks?

[Hidden Hands]

Like the centaurs from Hexen, how would I go about editing my monsters DECORATE code so that it can block attacks?

Thanks in advance.

[ramon.dexter]

Look at the centaur class and learn how it's done.

https://zdoom.org/wiki/Classes:Centaur

Also,you should bookmark the zdoom wiki,as you can find there anything you are asking for.

[krokots]

Like Ramon said, Centaur is good source. Basicly, to block, you need to turn on flags "INVULNERABLE" and "REFLECTIVE" to add the effect of repulsing missiles. You also can specify what kind of repulsion happens by adding other flags. Be sure to unset those flags after the block is complete.

In ZScript, you could do also some more advanced stuff, like being invulnerable only from front, etc.

[Hidden Hands]

Ok thank you all so much, I have a perfectly working monster that blocks now. But I'm having trouble getting it to have a "block" sound effect. It carries two daggers and blocks with them, and I want a bullet richochet sound when it blocks... I can't get it to work. Can anyone advise me on this please?

Thank you very much in advance.

[krokots]

You got the sound already? If yes, just use "A_PlaySound("...")
"..." is the defined path to the sound in the SNDINFO lump. Check out info on this here
Example:

SNDINFO

Code: Select all

MySounds/BlockSound "sound/monsters/block.ogg"

Monster code:

Code: Select all

(...)
States
{
	Block:
		TNT1 A 0 A_PlaySound("MySounds/BlockSound", CHAN_WEAPON)
(...)

[Hidden Hands]

You got the sound already? If yes, just use "A_PlaySound("...")
"..." is the defined path to the sound in the SNDINFO lump. Check out info on this here
Example:

SNDINFO

Code: Select all

MySounds/BlockSound "sound/monsters/block.ogg"

Monster code:

Code: Select all

(...)
States
{
	Block:
		TNT1 A 0 A_PlaySound("MySounds/BlockSound", CHAN_WEAPON)
(...)

So in my monster code, where would I put that exactly? I don't have a Block section but I have it like this: Maybe you can help tell me where I should put the A_Playsound code.

Code: Select all

ACTOR KlinkBrother3 32711
{
//$Category Monsters
//$Title KlinkBrother3
//$Sprite KLKGA2A8
  Health 400
  PainChance 135
  Speed 13
  Height 64
  Mass 120
  Scale 1.2
  Monster
  +FLOORCLIP
  +TELESTOMP
  +SHIELDREFLECT
  SeeSound "KlinkSight"
  AttackSound "KlinkAttack"
  PainSound "KlinkPain"
  DeathSound "KlinkDeath"
  ActiveSound "KlinkActive"
  HowlSound "KlinkHowl"
  Obituary "You were stabbed to death by the Klink Brothers."
  DamageFactor "Electric", 3
  States
  {
  Spawn:
    KLKG AB 10 A_Look
    Loop
  See:
    KLKG ABCD 4 A_Chase
    Loop
  Pain:
    KLKG G 6 A_Pain
    KLKG H 6 A_SetReflectiveInvulnerable
    KLKG H 15 A_CentaurDefend
    KLKG A 1 A_UnsetReflectiveInvulnerable
    Goto See
  Melee:
    KLKG E 5 A_FaceTarget
    KLKG F 7 A_CustomMeleeAttack(random[CentaurAttack](3, 9))
    Goto See
  Death:
    KLKG I 4
    KLKG J 4 A_Scream
    KLKG K 4
    KLKG L 4 A_NoBlocking
    KLKG M 4
    KLKG N 4 A_QueueCorpse
    KLKG N 4
    KLKG N -1
    Stop
  XDeath:
    KLKG I 4
    KLKG J 4 A_Scream
    KLKG K 4
    KLKG L 4 A_NoBlocking
    KLKG M 4
    KLKG N 4 A_QueueCorpse
    KLKG N 4
    KLKG N -1
  }
}

[ramon.dexter]

Hidden hands, you should think a little, also, you should understand what you are doing. You have to put the blocking sound where the blocking action occurs.

EDIT: No, I was not drunk. Just used tablet to type

[krokots]

Inside the "Pain" state:

Code: Select all

  Pain:
    KLKG G 3 A_Pain
    KLKG G 3 A_PlaySound("MySounds/Block", CHAN_WEAPON)
    KLKG H 6 A_SetReflectiveInvulnerable
    KLKG H 15 A_CentaurDefend
    KLKG A 1 A_UnsetReflectiveInvulnerable
    Goto See

[Hidden Hands]

Hidden hands, you hsould think a little, also, you should undersfand what you are doing. You have to put the blocking sound where the blocking action occurs.

I was a little worried that putting the playsound code next to the reflecting code would cause conflicting errors. Sorry I just like to make sure everything is being done right. Thank you for the advice I'll try to experiment more but I like to be careful.

Inside the "Pain" state:

Code: Select all

  Pain:
    KLKG G 3 A_Pain
    KLKG G 3 A_PlaySound("MySounds/Block", CHAN_WEAPON)
    KLKG H 6 A_SetReflectiveInvulnerable
    KLKG H 15 A_CentaurDefend
    KLKG A 1 A_UnsetReflectiveInvulnerable
    Goto See

Thank you I'll do this as soon as I get home. Will this make the sound play everytime they are hit or only when blocking? How does it know? Thank you again.

[ramon.dexter]

Hidden hands, you hsould think a little, also, you should undersfand what you are doing. You have to put the blocking sound where the blocking action occurs.

I was a little worried that putting the playsound code next to the reflecting code would cause conflicting errors. Sorry I just like to make sure everything is being done right. Thank you for the advice I'll try to experiment more but I like to be careful.

The point is to be not afraid to experiment. The worst thing that could happen is that you could crash you OS. But the more frequent crashes I encounter while experimenting are either during compilantion (its not compiled because of some mistake I made), or a crash of gzdoom because of some hard error I did. Nothing major, just minor crashes. Also, this kind of errors tells me what NOT to do.

Just dont be afraid

[krokots]

Hidden hands, you hsould think a little, also, you should undersfand what you are doing. You have to put the blocking sound where the blocking action occurs.

I was a little worried that putting the playsound code next to the reflecting code would cause conflicting errors. Sorry I just like to make sure everything is being done right. Thank you for the advice I'll try to experiment more but I like to be careful.

Inside the "Pain" state:

Code: Select all

  Pain:
    KLKG G 3 A_Pain
    KLKG G 3 A_PlaySound("MySounds/Block", CHAN_WEAPON)
    KLKG H 6 A_SetReflectiveInvulnerable
    KLKG H 15 A_CentaurDefend
    KLKG A 1 A_UnsetReflectiveInvulnerable
    Goto See

Thank you I'll do this as soon as I get home. Will this make the sound play everytime they are hit or only when blocking? How does it know? Thank you again.

This will be played everytime this monster enters "Pain" state. You need to understand DECORADE code a little bit more, basicly, If an actor enters a state (say, Pain state), it will run through all the functions from top to bottom. Well, they are called "frames". So, it starts with KLKG G 3 A_Pain, then, after 3 tics, it goes to KLKG G A_PlaySound, and so on. Of course, this can be stopped if something happenend in between, eg. actor died. Check this page which describes states, these are very important information for anyone wishing to make own monsters.

[Hidden Hands]

Hidden hands, you hsould think a little, also, you should undersfand what you are doing. You have to put the blocking sound where the blocking action occurs.

I was a little worried that putting the playsound code next to the reflecting code would cause conflicting errors. Sorry I just like to make sure everything is being done right. Thank you for the advice I'll try to experiment more but I like to be careful.

Inside the "Pain" state:

Code: Select all

  Pain:
    KLKG G 3 A_Pain
    KLKG G 3 A_PlaySound("MySounds/Block", CHAN_WEAPON)
    KLKG H 6 A_SetReflectiveInvulnerable
    KLKG H 15 A_CentaurDefend
    KLKG A 1 A_UnsetReflectiveInvulnerable
    Goto See

Thank you I'll do this as soon as I get home. Will this make the sound play everytime they are hit or only when blocking? How does it know? Thank you again.

This will be played everytime this monster enters "Pain" state. You need to understand DECORADE code a little bit more, basicly, If an actor enters a state (say, Pain state), it will run through all the functions from top to bottom. Well, they are called "frames". So, it starts with KLKG G 3 A_Pain, then, after 3 tics, it goes to KLKG G A_PlaySound, and so on. Of course, this can be stopped if something happenend in between, eg. actor died. Check this page which describes states, these are very important information for anyone wishing to make own monsters.

So what's my solution then? Surely there's a way to make that sound play only when they are blocking the bullets?

[ramon.dexter]

What are you asking for? The solution for your request is already there, alongside the explanation, how decorate works. What is your question now.?
I understand that you better ask five times for something. But now, you have everything you asked for...

[Hidden Hands]

What are you asking for? The solution for your request is already there, alongside the explanation, how decorate works. What is your question now.?
I understand that you better ask five times for something. But now, you have everything you asked for...

The ricochet sound doesn't only play when the monster blocks, it plays whenever the monster enters a pain state. This makes no sense. It should only play when the bullet hits the blades it is blocking with.

[krokots]

You did put the block inside Pain state, so that's where the sound plays. So what type of block you want to make? When is the block is supposed to happen?
1) Block always when enters pain state (like Centaurs) - the code is already here
2) Block sometimes when enters pain state - you need to put a random chance inside pain state, that will change the state to, eg. "block" state. That will be a separate state you need to define.
But I say I'm a bit confused by your answers.