Affecting Projectiles in Loathing - Was trying to make a sachel explode..

[ShadowWraith]

In Loathing, how do you affect projectiles. I was trying to make it so that when a TUNI returned true, a sachel charge would explode. Is there any way to do this? If so how. Also, is there a way to target a projectile that doesn't yet exist like a sachel that a dwarf starts off carrying? I was able to make it so that various units died but couldn't figure out how to tell a projectile to do something.
Thanks!

[A-Red]

I am pretty certain that there is no map action for this. There is an Object Control action, but all it does is make projectiles appear. Rather than trying to script satchels to detonate, you could have some sort of invisible projectile that detonates explosives, so that when you activate it the satchels will go off. I've never done anything like that before, but i'm sure it's possible. I don't know whether you can just place the projectile or if you need an invisible monster to shoot it (like the one that kills Soulblighter in The Forge).

A-Red

[lank]

you could have various actions like a geom looking for an object and then putting its location into a blank action which is then fed to an attack for a monster (the way shiver will target satchels when she's too close to them in the level named after her). you can also test for when your target dwarf has dropped x satchels and most likely target the one he just dropped.

nothing as easy as you'd like, but there are plenty of ways to do clever things in myth.

[ShadowWraith]

er.. I don't think I completely understand, I just started with Loathing. So.. ur saying I should make an invisible monster that will target the sachel with an invisible(?) attack? So an invisible dwarf would throw a molotov at the sachel making it look like it blew up on its own?
Also, how do you activate a projectile? that means making it appear somewhere on the field right? So I could use a projectile that detonates immideately?
Thanks!

[lank]

i'll answer the last part only, right now.

check out how the deciever's staff appears on the stair of grief: there's an invisible monster that's scripted to appear and detonate immediately (i.e. die instantly). that's not really the way i would think you'd want to do this. try an invisible monster that attacks the point on the ground where the target projectile is located.

[A-Red]

I'd like to make a clarification, since you're new to Loathing. You may need it, or you may not.

By invisible monster, we don't mean you place a dwarf on the map and make him invisible and then tell him to attack (which simply won't work). It has to be a special unit with no animations (so that you can't see him but the game considers him to be visible) made specifically for the purpose of casting that projectile.

A-Red

[Samsara]

I'm no m2er or scripter, but what about an invisible satchel (or insert projectile you want exploded) that detonates immediately, and then making it visible?

This is more of a question than a solution =-)

[ShadowWraith]

I checked the Stair of Grief level and I was able to do what they did for the staff, I made an invisible "bomb" dwarf that detonates immidiately and drops a lit sachel when he dies. This made for some entertainment, every time the command was activated, sure enough, lit sachels appeared out of nowhere and exploded. However, I was only able to get that to work in a preset place and it doesn't have a way of being able to tell if there is actually a visible sachel there.
heehee thanks for the clarification, I didn't realize that. But it makes sense because I tried using a flagged invisible dwarf and it didn't work now I know better!
Also, I think I understand about making a unit attack a place on the ground but how do I use GEOM(?) to make the unit look for a projectile. Also, would that mean making an 'invisible' unit that could move fast enough to get anywhere on the map where theres a projectile to be detonated?
Thanks soo much for your help!

[A-Red]

The script would look like this (although you can obviously name the actions whatever you want):

Satchels object (this is an action with type "none". leave this blank for now)

GEOM Are there any satchels?
Object Type: dwsc
Entire Map
Results Action Identifier: Satchels object
Tested Items Inside Field Name: obje
Activates on Success: Attack Satchels

ATTA Attack Satchels
Link: invisible monster
Satchels object

The action called "satchels object" is like the actions you make for monster identifiers, except that you intentionally leave it blank. Whenever the Geometry action locates a satchel charge, it will automatically move it into the empty container and then tell the invisible monster to attack whatever is in that container.

A-Red

[ShadowWraith]

hehe, sounds awesome, I'll try that out, thanks and untill I get that to work, I can always blow my thrall up with the ever-mysterious point-on-map-that-explodes-whenever-dwarves-cheer!

edit: er.. how do you make a monster thats invisible to you but not to myth? if you dont specify a collection reference it sends you to the title screen doesn't it?

edit again: I wasn't able to get an invisible monster that could attack but I did manage to make the GEOM thing find a satchel. I used the GEOM thing that you posted to make it so that it would only do something if there was a satchel on the field somewhere. However, I couldn't get my monster to attack the location of the object. I didn't completely understand the last part of your example that used the ATTA to get a monster to attack the location. You have it down as using link. Will that do the same thing as using the 'monster' and clicking on the monster to attack? Then, the part that I was having trouble with was getting the location of the object to be transferred to the attack command. What do you have to use inside the ATTA to specify attacking the object stored in Satchel object?

[A-Red]

Like I said I've never made one before, but I think you can use any collection and collection reference for the invisible monster. The key here is to go into the "sequences" section of the monster tag in Fear and mark all of them as having No Sequence. Since the monster will have no animations it will be invisible for practical purposes, but the game will consider it to be visible. Another possibility is to have a monster that uses a scenery collection and has only one sequence (stand1), which will make it look like a piece of scenery. If you want an example of this, take a look at the monster called "10 Alric Killer" in Fear.

You will also want to go into the "Flags" section of the monster tag and check the boxes that say "cannot be autotargeted," "does not respect visibility," "invisible on overhead map," "cannot be healed," and "is inanimate object." And finally, in the top right where it says "object tag," select "invincible object."

In a typical attack action, there will be a link that contains two things: the thing that is attacking (which has to be marked as subj), and the thing that is attacked (which has to be marked obje). The first will be the action with the monster_identifier subj for the invisible monster. The second is the container you made for the satchel charges. The GEOM marks anything that it puts into that container as "obje" (that's what the Tested Items Inside Field Name is for). Therefore, if you set up the link the way I showed you, it should tell the invisible monster to attack the satchels. Does this help at all?

Edit: Yes, you could also use "monsters" in the attack action and click on the monster you want to attack. But the satchel charges will still have to be in a link, because they are not on the map to start with.

A-Red