and the other feature that would be really nice is random entity placement; a trigger is assigned to a series of hint_paths and at level start selects its targets and randomly places them on the hint_paths - semi-randomised monsters (or keys? or custom_items?) for replay! 

Footsteps: I wrote a footstep code for use with Obscurus, but never for Nehahra. I don't know that anyone would want that as Nehahra attempts to remain Quakey, even despite the new stuff and the AI changes justified by the plot.

There is no means of identifying what texture is on a surface except in select custom engines (I'm assuming someone has done it)

Custom_monster: the downside is it requires a knowledge of the monster MDL in use, the frame numbers for each sequence, the frames certain things happen (like a jump happens or the launch of a missile).

Random Entity Placement: very doable. 

randomised monsters - bullshit 

I hate footsteps! They never sound realistic but ridiculous most of the time. 

I don't see any harm in adding the functionality for it. Though if the randomization is radical and widespread in terms of monsters and ammo, it might be difficult to ensure game balance in every instance. You would certainly have to be careful using it. 

teh randomisation thing (when I used it b4) was completely down to the mapper how far you went with it, the more _path�s you had the more random it would be. I would set a single randomisation entity for each grouping of monsters in a single room (with its own specific set of hint_paths) so everytime you replay you know what to expect in each room but not which direction it will come from.

An example would be going into a room one time and a shambler leaping out from behind a pillar on the left but the next time it�s over in the far corner on the right (or wherever else the hint_paths are set).

Course, it�s expecting alot for mappers to do this but it was a cool feature exspecially for playtesting because (what with sometimes 30 different semi-random groupings) it would always be the same level with the same ambushes etc. but just slightly different.

fair enough on the footsteps - just remembering the pretty decent ones in DarkPlaces. 

how about the ability for a killed monster to drop other items as well as the backpack? eg. keys, weapons or custom_items? I know this could have problems with the item falling into lava etc. but this (again) would be the mapper�s problem.

Just remembering an unfinished map I started for Q2 where there was a chapel to the war god, if you collected the head of your fallen enemies (key_commander_head�s) and laid them on the altar then you were rewarded with a quad . . . heheh 

Quite simple actually. Crucial items being dropped in an irretrieval place is certainly a concern though. Again, this is another thing the mapper will have to use carefully indeed (especially if acquiring the item is necessary to advance in the map).


Anyway, yes, I could add it painlessly (for the most part). The capability is already there for other things (i.e. func_explodables yielding items). 

I have updated the Nehahra website. Adding Louis Manning's new map pak to the Addons page, a new entry on the news and revamp pages.. and also something special to the Other page (for the curious Seal-of-Nehahra/nehahra-cutscene lovers).

Cheers 

hey mindcrime does glassman and skynet reply to u??? :) 

No . . . 

fuck! at least the could sent the .map files :( 

Try emailing to
glassman <bat> mistral dotty co dotty uk
and
glassman <butt> mistral d'oh net
too. I'm sure some of these is valid since he is hosted on his ISP. 

Okay, ijed. I enabled thrown/yielded items to monsters..

"items" flags
(DOUBLE BARREL SHOTGUN = 2
(NAILGUN = 4
(SUPER NAILGUN = 8
(GRENADE LAUNCHER = 16
(ROCKET LAUNCHER = 32
(LIGHTNING = 64
(SPROCKET = 128
(AUTO SHOTGUN = 256
(HEALTH = 65536
(SILVER KEY = 131072
(GOLD KEY = 262144
(BIO SUIT = 2097152
(QUAD DAMAGE = 4194304
(FLYING ARTIFACT = 8388608

You can also use the "armorvalue" field to have the monster drop armor... and the ammunition fields (ammo_shells, ammo_cells, etc) to drop boxes of ammo...

Not that you can do anything with this info at the moment.. but at least you know it'll be in there when Nehahra is re-released ;)

---

I'm not exactly sure how I'll go about the 'random placement' request without making the monster spawn functions a mess...

Might chew on that one for a while... 

>:)

I know it�s standard quake to have the vital gold keycard that unlocks half the base sat on a neon-lit metal plate - but - every time?

We can know have the monster_leaderguy drop the desired_item when killed. cheers!

With the random placement - don�t fret too much as I know you�d have to change or 90% of or completely redo spawning - I know quake1�s limitations in that department (Maelstrom�s main room with big locked gate - on getting the silver key the crucified zombies were killtargeted and eight normal zombies supposed to be spawned to replace them - dint work despite a 1001 attempts to work around it).

anyhow - I�ll try to think of some more mindwringers for you to puzzle over . . . 

crucified zombies are turned into static entities, and thus cannot be removed after map start. 

Although... that will work in the future... as I always thought crucified zombies should be gibbable... 

ahem - it worked as far as removing went. I did a bit of reading beforehand about static entities and yes, crucified�s count as such under all er, counts; but I still managed to remove them from the map with a killtarget - it was the spawning of 4 / 8 new normal that was the problem (even when I staggered the spawns as much as 2 seconds apart and under different trigger_relays)

Mindcrime - why not add an extra functionality (flag) for the crucified zombie? Basicly exactly the same as normal but also crucified - with the same vomit gibs ability as the vomitus. Kill em (non-gib) and they just hang there for a bit before reviving and starting to gob bile at you again.

BTW I liked the way temporarily dead zombies (and corpses for that matter) weren�t invincible in operation urth magik, but that�d probably be changing the fundamental game too much.

ah well, I�m workin on something at the moment so maybe I�ll post to the betas forum once I�ve got somethin concrete (ie. at least 1 map finishable) 

I didn't know OUM did that...

But that was the other thing I'm going to be doing with zombies too...

(in fact.. i think that part is mostly done already) 

If you are into QuakeC it only takes 4 lines of code to the zombie's qc(and I'm no coder of significance so the real coders would probably say "I'll do it in one!")

Let me know if you want the details. 

Funny really, I've just realised that you do only need one line of code. But four lines is more structured. Ho hum. 

You can do it from the Editor but the monster count is wrong. 

I�m about to start messing with quakeC for some other stuff so maybe I�ll ask later for the zombie code (or how to do it etc.)

Also got an idea for a "construct" creature made out of multiple zombies . . .

I�m not 100% sure on gibbable corpse in OUM - I haven�t played it in quite a while but I seem to remember the evil deadisms with the chainsaw 

ah go on then, can you send me your code for the zombies please - I�m doing a few different things at once but sod it, may as well learn now. My mail is louismanningatgmaildotcom

cheers. 

I'm getting your emails, but my replies are getting kicked back. Delivery failures...