Disappearing projectiles - Me wants persistant carnage

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tiax-rules-all
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Post by tiax-rules-all »

What's with the projectiles disappearing? After dispatching a bunch of oncoming thrall and witnessing the carnage I had wrought with my dorfs, I noticed that the battlefield debris started disappearing (i.e. guts, armor plating, pus packets (!), dud bottles (!)). It wasn't like I was close to some maximum limit of projectiles 'cause it didn't do this before I had installed the unofficial patches.

I don't know if this is an undocumented feature or a bug but I would like to turn it off.
mauglir
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Post by mauglir »

Were you playing a third party plug-in or a stock Myth II map? Many third party maps employ a "biodegrader" to prevent the projectile limit being hit.

Hitting the projectile limit btw can be a very bad thing because as far as I know, Myth II doesn't prioritize projectiles -- so if the limit is hit, just about any projectile could fail to be generated, including very important things like arrows.
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tiax-rules-all
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Post by tiax-rules-all »

I witnessed it on the maps Bagrada and The Great Devoid (The Fallen Levels plugin -- great job btw). In Bagrada when I returned to one of the platforms in order to prepare for the Trow, I noticed that nothing remained of the third wave of thrall and soulless I had dispatched. I didn't see the particles disappearing though. On The Great Devoid otoh, I saw the particles of the destroyed wights disapppear as I was picking them off with my fir'bolg. :(

It's even worse on the Chimera expansion but luckily I don't play that anymore (there's something about fighting giant wasps that isn't so 'Myth'-ical + poor scripting).

I don't suppose there's a way to turn this "biodegrader" off? I haven't had any problems with hitting the projectile limit on these maps before and one of the most fun parts of Myth (for me anyway) is watching the carnage created after an encounter.

By the way, is this projectile limit hardcoded or is it dependant on processor power, memory, etc. ?

Edit: spelling
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GHOST®
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Post by GHOST® »

[color=DFC99B]Greetings tiax,

like Maug mentioned, most us mapmakers incorporate a biodegrader in any plugin we do, even if just to forestall running into a possible projectile array full error somewhere down the line.

However, as far as I know/recall, no biodegrading was added to ANY default projectile tags with any of the updates Magma has issued.

Id have to crack Chimera open and look over the tags there to say whether or not Badlands used one or not, and I cant say with any certainty about vTFL tags, but playing standard Myth, or levels using default myth tags/units *should not* degrade.

Ill try to look over Chimera and some vTFL tags L8r after Ive slept some.
I don't suppose there's a way to turn this "biodegrader" off? I haven't had any problems with hitting the projectile limit on these maps before and one of the most fun parts of Myth (for me anyway) is watching the carnage created after an encounter.
Not unless you disassemble the plugin(s), open each PROJ thats set up to degrade and redo it so it remains. ;op

Though I must agree with the carnage created part, The Journey Continues . . ., my first map, was based on that very concept, "I want to see a trail of blood and body parts from start to finish !!" ;op

I think sometimes a mapmaker can get carried away though, with a Mazz style map, you definatley want almost everything to degrade as so much more will be created shortly. However, a normal adventure style map like The Great Devoid shouldnt need one, or at the very most just things like archers arrows and souless javelins should be enough.
By the way, is this projectile limit hardcoded or is it dependant on processor power, memory, etc. ?
::guessing:: Id guess its hardcoded. Iron or CIK, or Myrd would be the ones to answer this one. ;o)
Hitting the projectile limit btw can be a very bad thing because as far as I know, Myth II doesn't prioritize projectiles -- so if the limit is hit, just about any projectile could fail to be generated, including very important things like arrows.
Actually Maug, iirc, Iron added code that will cause Myth to stop creating blood and water ripples when the projectile limit array nears filling up. Though Ive yet to see it in action yet. ;op

And yes, hitting this limit sOOkz big time as it means GAME OVER MAN!! Do not pass go, do not collect $200.00 as units fight and fight and fight, but no arrows shoot, or sword blows land, dorfs toss nothing, etc etc etc.

::still recalls clearly the first time he ran into this, "WTF !! GDI!! MF!! ILL KILL JOO Piece O Chit!!!!!!!!!::[/color]



Edited By GHOST® on 1089984163
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iron
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Post by iron »

Myth allows 1024 projectiles to exist at once. But this does not apply to most projectiles lying on the ground - they are classed as dormant, and there can be 8192 of them on the map at once (including scenery and units).

So the 1024 limit is rarely breached unless a map has a lot of projectiles that never go dormant, or occasional huge explosions. Setting off the ammo dump in the middle of the WWII Recon map will cause the 1024 limit to be reached, however temporarily, and during this time important projectiles can fail to be made - its here that the blood, water ripples and smoke creation is halted & only for a second or two, hence its unlikely to be noticed by the player.

Having said all that I'm unaware of any projectile biodegrading built into vTFL or the Fallen Levels :\
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CyberBob
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Post by CyberBob »

Chimera had a biodegrader :o
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carlinho
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Post by carlinho »

the biodegrader you guys refer to, is it a scripting line you throw in loathing or a change of units tags on fear?
Do you have a copy or a tutorial of that to insert the thing in one of my maps?
thanks!
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mauglir
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Post by mauglir »

There's no scripting involved. You just have to give every projectile tag you want to degrade a specific lifespan (you do this with Fear). I don't recall the exact details of how to set it up, but it's not difficult. Take a look at the tags in some of Magma's plugins -- I'm pretty sure Mazzaran's Demise uses a biodegrader.
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carlinho
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Post by carlinho »

thanks, I'll study that map, and by the way thanks a lot for the help with modelz, that program really makes a difference!
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Post by mauglir »

No problem -- glad I could help :)
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