• New Horizons on Maelstrom
    Maelstrom New Horizons


    Visit our website www.piratehorizons.com to quickly find download links for the newest versions of our New Horizons mods Beyond New Horizons and Maelstrom New Horizons!

My observations regarding boarding code.

K

Kazeite

Privateer
Storm Modder
After boarding >100 ships (I think <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/whistling.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":wp" border="0" alt="whistling.gif" />), I've decided to share some of my thoughts with you. Don't everybody thank me at once <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

First of all, I use manual looting and it really annoys me when I have to reassure the script that yes, I don't want to take every single item of my recently deceased ex-enemy every-single-time. Maybe it's just me, but collecting worn sabers isn't high on the list of my priorities, thank you very much.

Next, while placing each crew on their apprioprate ships is certainly a good and realistic change, it doesn't seem to work quite as well while inside enemy ship. I mean, I think it's logical that attackers would start near some entry points, like those ladders on the gun deck, and defenders at the end of the area. However, right now it seems that attackers start surrounded by defenders...at least I think that's the case, since my char starts with his back to the main action, facing his usual corresponding oponent.

It's even worse in captain's cabin, where my char sometimes starts with his back turned to precisely just about everybody. Is the sea view so captivating or something?

Last thing, going back to the very beginning, I gratualy started to dislike the fact that my chars starting position is at the top of the staris, while rest of the crew is already on the main deck. This way before I go down, they're already on the boarding planks, engaging the defenders. The annoying thing is, my companions are usually leading such assault, which often leaves me with the necessity of realoading the game due to their untimely demise from the hands of the defenders. And I, being quite attached to my officers, get quite irritated when they get killed...
 
What modpack version are you using at the moment? In the Build 13 Beta version, by default there is manual looting on land, but automatic looting during boardings. You can choose whether you want automatic looting or manual looting in the game in BuildSettings.h.

I agree with the starting positions of the player character. I noticed that too. Sometimes the player starts, facing in the wrong direction, which is odd. I also agree on your point about the player starting at the top of the stairs, although for a different reason. I want to join in the fight, but usually, by the time I arrive at the fight, half of the enemies are dead already and the other enemies are killed by the rest of my crew, because I can't pass. Result: I don't get to kill any enemies at all. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />
 
I'm using 28 August Beta 5 update. And, yeah, I do have automatic looting during boarding during boardings and manual looting elsewhere. It's manual looting that annoys me with this unecessary IMO requests for confirmation. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
 
I abandoned manual looting and use the automatic one and corpsmode from original game where body disappares as those lying bodies have been very frustrating for me because of impeding any skirmishes. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":facepalm" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />
 
For the three upper decks, there's a special location called "captain" where your player starts. The other decks usually start you start at aloc0.

We could easily enough change the location for the upper decks to aloc0 as well, but you might find yourself in a tight situation.

One of the lower decks has the player facing a specific location where one or two enemy boarders usually spawn. Occasionally you won't have a enemy in front of you. It depends on the sizes of your crew and the enemy crew: if your crew is somewhat larger, there will only be one or two enemies on that deck and you won't get one in front of you.

The little three room cabin is the same way. Sometimes you have an enemy in front of you. If not, you'll be facing away from the door and all the action.

If it matters to enough people, I can change the start location on every deck.

Hook
 
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/type_1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":nk" border="0" alt="type_1.gif" /> Could you make it so we have a choice where to start?
I find you can get past the fighting crew by putting your saber away
and draw it when past the fighters.
I never use any of my officers when boarding(cost to much to replace them)!
The 3 room cabin, I feel, is not that good because you can fight the
enemy thru the wall! Some off them are on the toilet and some crew just walks!
Some work needed here! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":yes" border="0" alt="yes.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=164390:date=Sep 28 2006, 10:00 PM:name=Nosie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nosie @ Sep 28 2006, 10:00 PM) [snapback]164390[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
Could you make it so we have a choice where to start?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm not sure how to give the player that choice. How would you tell the game where you want to start?

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I find you can get past the fighting crew by putting your saber away
and draw it when past the fighters.
I never use any of my officers when boarding(cost to much to replace them)!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's how I've been doing it. I quit bringing officers on boardings when I started playing Adventurer level. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The 3 room cabin, I feel, is not that good because you can fight the
enemy thru the wall! Some off them are on the toilet and some crew just walk<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Neither the smallest cabin nor that 3 room cabin are good for boarding fights. In the smallest cabin, there's just not room for 4 boarders total.

I'll be looking at the placement of boarding troops for all the decks and cabins to see if they can be improved without messing up other parts of the game.

There's one really cool thing about the 3 room cabin. Fight in a ship in the evening. I'm not sure exactly what time, but sometimes there's a feast on the table. The food choices are amusing. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Hook
 
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/poet.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hmm" border="0" alt="poet.gif" /> Good question Hook! I wish I could answer that one.
Lieve things as they are, maybe get wrid of the toilet, take out the wall
and tell the Captain and Officers to hold their arse overboard when the need
arieses!! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/doff.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":doff" border="0" alt="doff.gif" />
 
I've been working on the code for the boarding decks. At least it's possible to get the captain facing into the deck, and get the rest of the boarders more or less where they should be.

This code isn't the cleanest in the world, but I'm working on improving it.

Hook
 
To Kazeite and Rad: Set CORPSEMODE to 1 and AUTOLOOT_ON to 1 in Build 13 Beta 2. That way, you will automatically loot all enemies and there will be corpses that do not obstruct your path. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/doff.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":doff" border="0" alt="doff.gif" />

To Hook: Thanks for working on this again! I'm sure you'll come up with something that will improve the boarding code even more! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/w00t.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":woot" border="0" alt="w00t.gif" />
 
It would help if I could get the gm viewer to display the boarding decks AND the locators at the same time. I can work without this, but it would certainly help a lot. If anyone knows how to get this particular display, I'd be grateful.

Hook
 
There are two checkboxes for that at the bottom left corner of the GM Viewer. I tried using these, but for some reason it doesn't work for me. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />
 
Same here. Some models give locations, others don't. I was hoping there was a way to combine the location file and the model file so they could be viewed at the same time.

Hook
 
I figured it out! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/w00t.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":woot" border="0" alt="w00t.gif" />

The locators are in the udeck_l.gm file, while the actual model is in the udeck.gm file. So that's why the locators don't appear. You can add the locators into the udeck.gm using <a href="http://home.arcor.de/swigard/Downloads/TOOL" target="_blank">Inez Dias' too</a>l, so that they WILL appear in the GM Viewer. How to do that:
1: Open udeck_l.gm in the tool
2: Press Locators>Write to file and save the file somewhere
3: Open udeck.gm in the tool
4: Press Locators>Read from file and open the file you had saved
5: Press File>Save GM as and save it under a different filename as the original file
6: Open the file you just made with the GM Viewer and enable the locator options
Note: You need to do this for every deck

It's a bit of work, but at least it WORKS. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheeky" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" />
 
Oh, man! You have *no* idea how much that helps! I can finally rewrite the locations code so that it's correct. Before, we were shooting in the dark, pretty much. But with the actual locators, we can set it up properly.

Thanks Pieter.

Hook
 
It works then? EXCELLENT! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/w00t.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":woot" border="0" alt="w00t.gif" />
 
Well, the problem with the boarderpositions could be that the code for that was not designed for the decks that are being used now.
My idea was that the ordinary boarders would close for a great melee, while the player could stay clear of that dogpile to do some tactical moves (attack the enemyformation from the rear, or use distance weapons, or make a stance at some easily defendable bottleneck)

That worked for me on the original upper decks, but for the holds and cabins and new models a repositioning might make sense.

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" /> Hook !

How are you tackling this? Codewise, e.g. "if this deck is loaded use loc0, for that deck aloc2" etc ?

Another solution might be to leave the code alone and change the locator files of the deckmodels instead. By means of Inez tool we could reposition the locators so that one could say exactly: "On the gundeck the boarders appear at the ladder, the player a bit in front of them, and the defenders at the opposite end". That way the code would be a bit more streamlined cause we could use ALWAYS the same locatordesignators for ALL decks.

If there is demand for that solution I can offer to do it, partly or completely, just as you want <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
 
Thanks CCC... I had no idea the locators could be changed.

If you're the attacker, most of the decks start you at loc0. Boarding_Cabin_small (capsm) really needs to start the captain at aloc0. The udecks start you at the captain locator.

I made a switch statement for every deck if you're the defender. Unfortunately the effect is a bit ugly most of the time with this code.

If we had the locators set up so that all the locN's were always on one side of the area and all the alocN's were always at the other side, it would be a heck of a lot better, I think. The lower decks and hold are pretty small, so you may have to get creative. And Boarding_Cabin_small will probably always be a problem for boarding.

Udeck can be set up so you start at "captain" if your ship is smaller, or "captain1" if your ship is bigger. I've got the udecks set up so that you start at captain or aloc0 randomly right now.

Pirate_KK has made some changes so that you can go directly from one deck to another, but I'm not using that code version yet. If you make any changes, make sure they don't mess up Pirate_KK's code.

Since the locators file (doc1) is written out by the Tool in text format, I assume you can change the numbers in the text, then load the locators back to the *_L.gm files to change all the locators. If that's the case, I may do some experimentation with it myself on udeck.

Making all the locators standard would really simplify the code. If people want this, I think it's worthwhile. Thanks again for the info.

Hook
 
Pirate_KK made a lot of changes to the locators on the decks as well, so if this is to be done, it should probably wait for Build 13.1, because it would be best to make the changes to Pirate_KK's files. Otherwise you'd need to do the same work twice, which would be a shame... <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top