[ZScript] Dynamic Attack Speed

[Virathas]

Hey everyone!

Before I complete reinventing the wheel, I would like to ask if there is a "simple" way to add dynamic speed for player attacks. Originally, i used a ton of "A_SetTics" that called an ACS script that calculated the amount of tics to adjust. The obvious problem was the rounding error, even a slight increase to the speed would either give no bonus or extreme bonus.

As such, i wanted to move away from the A_SetTics + ACS combo.

The question is, is there an "easy" way to do so in ZScript?

The best i got to (before i discontinued in favor of working on other content), is an inventory item that controls frames of the currently equipped weapon:

Code: Select all

	override void DoEffect()
	{
		Super.DoEffect();
		if (Owner)
		{
			let psp = Owner.player.FindPSprite(PSP_WEAPON);
			let pp = Owner;
			if (psp)
			{
		int CurSpeed = LastSpeed + GetSpeedMod();
		CurSpeed = CurSpeed - 100;
		while (CurSpeed <= -100 || CurSpeed >= 100)
		{
		if (CurSpeed <= -100)
		{
			psp.Tics++;
			pp.Tics++;
			CurSpeed = CurSpeed + 100;
		}
		if (CurSpeed >= 100)
		{
			psp.Tics--;
			if (pp.InStateSequence(pp.CurState, pp.ResolveState("Missile")))
			{
			if (pp.Tics > 0)
			pp.Tics--;
			}
			CurSpeed = CurSpeed - 100;
			if (!psp.Tics) psp.SetState(psp.CurState.NextState);
		}
		}
		LastSpeed = CurSpeed;
			}
		}
	}
	
	virtual int GetSpeedMod()
	{
		int BaseSpeedMod = 100;
		if (Owner.CountInv("SlowSpellEffect"))
		{
			BaseSpeedMod = BaseSpeedMod - 250;
		}
		if (Owner.CountInv("PowerHaste"))
		{
			BaseSpeedMod = BaseSpeedMod + 250;
		}
		if (BaseSpeedMod < -75)
		{
			BaseSpeedMod = -75;
		}
		
		return BaseSpeedMod;
	}

(The code was loosely based on the built-in DoubleFiringSpeed powerup)

Is this a good way? Is there a better way? Will the code conflict with A_SetTics? Would i be able to get information to "not adjust" the time of a specific frame?

[Rey65]

Hello,

It's good that you're looking to improve your dynamic speed adjustment for player attacks. ZScript is a great tool for this, and your approach of using an inventory item to control the frame rate of the player's equipped weapon seems like a good approach. Another possibility would be to use machine learning algorithms in an AI to optimize the speed adjustment based on the player's behavior or other relevant factors. This could potentially lead to more accurate and efficient speed adjustments without the need for manual adjustments. As for your specific code, I'm not familiar with how it might conflict with A_SetTics, but it's always a good idea to thoroughly test your code and look for any unexpected interactions.

Overall, it sounds like you're on the right track, and I hope this helps !

[stainedofmind]

You might want to take a look at how ToxicFrog implemented the Rapid Fire powerup for Gun Bonsai. If I'm not mistaken, it will do what you're looking for.