Editing Asteroids

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Editing Asteroids

Bman
Lieutenant Commander
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Post by Bman » Sat Sep 07, 2019 1:18 am

So far I've found a way to make the asteroid fields targetable in the player's HUD screen and destroyable. Using MXvTED4.2 editor to keep it simple, on first Statistics tab scroll down the "Craft No." list box on far right and choose "223". This selects the first of six asteroid models; AsteroidHR1.opt. In the "Target Type:" listbox, overwrite the 128 value (makes model un-targetable) to 131 (targetable). Now to make the asteroids destroyable, the best solution I've found so far is to change the "Ship Type:" list box from "10 - Normal Debris" to "8 - Accelerator ring". Then save these settings [Write] button.

However here are the current side-effect issues I can't seem to resolve:
1) The asteroid field looses it's natural random layout and instead populates as a matrix of columns or rows of asteroids.
2) Only the player's craft can destroy the asteroid models. Starships fire right through it.
3) It only takes 1 shot to easily destroy the asteroids. Setting hull rating to high number seems to have no effect, or the sensitivity to enemy fire box. I doubt it's hit zone issue.
4) There is a quick/brief explosion animation, but it would be nice to see a slow animation of smaller rocks or smaller debris (like the containers have when they are destroyed) splitting away. (Part of that is related to .dat files I think, and debris/junk .opt models.)
5) Asteroids no longer spin around slowly, but I don't recall if they actually did in the original engine. Maybe the pilotMesh hook might solve that.

I've tried experimenting with species pointer on the Unknown tab with no effect, and other byte values. Other values CTD. Anyone have ideas?
W-I-P: TFTC, MC Viscount Cr., ISD-II Avenger, NL-1 Platform, Ton-Falk Esc. Cr., & Misc.

Bman
Lieutenant Commander
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Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2004 11:01 pm

Post by Bman » Sat Sep 07, 2019 5:05 am

Agreed, I've already spent 3+ evenings experimenting on this when I have other stuff to do. Maybe someone else who knows what they are doing can pursue. Where I was going with this.... replacing one of the proximity mines (assuming they work like they are suppose to) with Jango Fett's "seismic charge" .opt. Then assuming we could edit the mine's proximity trigger via AlliED and it's blast radius to be more powerful and a wider area, it would cause collateral damage chain-reaction to the surrounding asteroids. Similar to the movie in a way. Wishful thinking. :-)
W-I-P: TFTC, MC Viscount Cr., ISD-II Avenger, NL-1 Platform, Ton-Falk Esc. Cr., & Misc.

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Mark_Farlander
Rebel Alliance
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Post by Mark_Farlander » Wed Oct 02, 2019 8:01 am

Bman wrote:
Sat Sep 07, 2019 1:18 am

However here are the current side-effect issues I can't seem to resolve:
2) Only the player's craft can destroy the asteroid models. Starships fire right through it.
3) It only takes 1 shot to easily destroy the asteroids. Setting hull rating to high number seems to have no effect, or the sensitivity to enemy fire box. I doubt it's hit zone issue.
Have you tried to set the "Ship Type" to something different from "8 - Accelerator ring"?
In case you have, did these 2 effects still occur?
I don't judge tactics. The Battle is the best and only Judge.

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Driftwood
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Post by Driftwood » Thu Oct 03, 2019 1:55 am

Unless there's a way to define asteroids as destructible, untargetable, and give them a proper hull rating on a per-opt basis (presume size = more hull points) that still function as they generate now, I don't see this being an improvement. Especially since if you wanted several asteroid(s) on a per FG and opt type basis you could simply use the opt replacer hook and overwrite several containers, TIE bomb, mines, whatever, and make them untargetable, or targetable as you choose, and it'd function as intended. Could go so far as to create a custom slot with flavor text too.

I'm not pooh-poohing this concept since if it could be made not to exhibit the bugs you describe, it'd be a pretty neat immersion feature.

Bman
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Post by Bman » Thu Oct 03, 2019 6:25 am

Mark, yes, but not thoroughly with every integer number. Other values made the game crash to desktop. Changing from 10 to 8 - Accelerator Ring (= mines actually) seems like only way to work, but it inherits the attributes of the mine fields and doesn't look proper. See my opening post. It would be nice to leave it as 10 - Normal Debris to maintain the natural field layout in space, and yet inherit the attributes of containers or whatever else when it explodes, minus the fire animation of .dat file(s). The Junk*.opt and/or Rubble*.opt's could be replaced using the assignment statement on a per mission basis with custom made small chunks of rock and cloud debris that disappear after few seconds. Depends how creative you get. In theory it could work, but I'm not holding my breath. Using BHE, you can export the AsteroidHR1.opt slot into .csv format. Edit the field in MS-Excel, save as .CSV, and re-import it back into .exe to test. I"m not using MXvTED4... anymore. Nice GUI interface but can auto change other fields when you edit something to balance things. Like the laser slots. I'm digressing.

Driftwood, yes you can use the assignment statement ContainerSphere.opt = AsteroidHR1.opt but the strings.txt will show on the CMD that you're targeting a container or whatever else.
Haven't tried that approach yet but you will only get one asteroid, not a field of them which the game auto populates in space. Based on my tests, you can make the asteroids targetable or untargetable now, but you must use the 8 - Accelerator RIngs (Mines) ship type to make them destroyable. Or something else which is the goal. You try this for yourself to see.
W-I-P: TFTC, MC Viscount Cr., ISD-II Avenger, NL-1 Platform, Ton-Falk Esc. Cr., & Misc.

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