New Idea: Unit Wreckages in C&C games

IVI · Commander **Joined**: 25 Jun 2006 **Location**: Feilubin

I've come up with a really good idea for C&C TS (and maybe even RA2):

In Cavedog's Total Annhiliation, units leave remnant wreckages when they are destroyed. I totally appreciated that detail in TA. It made the game so much more realistic and it added more to the battlefield ambiance. #Sniper

Just Imagine: The scene of fresh green troops marching/driving past the smoldering wreckage and remains of their comrades who previously tried to take over a strategic postion or resource patch sends a forbidding impending glimpse of what awaits for them ahead.... #Robot

Now THAT's something I'd like to see in TS!

I think I've formulated a theory on how to do this. Each unit (except infantry) has the tag Explosion=S_BANG32,S_CLNS12 (..whatever; I'm not sure on the numbers). Each of the corresponding names are animations (I apologize to veteran coders I know this is boring for you but I'm getting at somewhere I promise #Tongue

)
Now I think that each unit should have it's own explosion tag like:

(Rules.ini)

[WEEV]
Name=IVI MRP-T2 'Weevil' Light Tank
Prerequisite=NAWEAP,NAHAND
....
....
Explosion=WEEVBOOM1,WEEVBOOM2,WEEVBOOM3,WEEVBOOM4

The WEEVBOOM series are actually the same for simplicity (or may vary depending on the explosions SHP maker) but they lead to different 'Next='
animations. That is:

(Art.ini)

[WEEVBOOM1]
Normalized=yes
Translucent=yes
Report=EXPNEW09
...
...
Next=WEEVCORPSE1

[WEEVBOOM2]
Normalized=yes
Translucent=yes
Report=EXPNEW09
...
...
Next=WEEVCORPSE2

and so on.
Now, the WEEVCORPSE series are the looping animations that actually display the wreckage of the vehicle. In SHP editor, It may actually contain 2 frames only with the same thing displayed on them.

(Art.ini)

[WEEVCORPSE1]
Rate=100
Normalized=yes
Transluscent=yes
LoopStart=1
LoopEnd=2
LoopCount=-1 (this is crucial so that the 'corpse' will not disappear)

[WEEVCORPSE2]
Rate=100
Normalized=yes
Transluscent=yes
LoopStart=1
LoopEnd=2
LoopCount=-1

and so on....

Theoretical Resultant Effect: In theory, when an IVI MRP-T2 Weevil gets destroyed one of the four WEEVBOOM explosion animations will be played. Each WEEVBOOM explosion will trigger another animation called WEEVCORPSE. i.e. when the WEEVBOOM animation expires, a corpse (which is actually an infinitely looping animation) will play and so in game, lots of wreckages can be found. #Robot

Theoretical Resultant Downsides: I don't know if too many 2 frame animations that play ever so slowly (rate=100) will eventually slow down even the high end PCs we have today. Moreover, each unit should have its own 4 wreckages at different orientations (to add realism) and so creating all these will be tedious.
#Crazy

Well guys? do you think this idea is feasible? can it be done? will it cause TS to hang? will it crash our PCs? will it fry my brain in doing these? will it.... will it... wi.... #Scrambles

daTS · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:39 am Post subject:

The only problem with that is the lag caused after multiple unit deaths... AND units can walk through it.

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HZMPLAYS · Medic **Joined**: 03 Jul 2006

Oh IS OLD IDEA!

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Titan · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 6:35 am Post subject:

Uhh... Yeah, I have already designed something like this and it works great, the only difference is that my debris does disappear and the rate is much lower to cause even less lag. You're NOT the first one to come up with it.

IVI · Commander **Joined**: 25 Jun 2006 **Location**: Feilubin

Oh I see, I'm pretty new here just couple of months and I never see any screenshots of wreckages so I thought it wasn't thought up yet. So pardon me if I sounded like a know it all Confused

Well, now that I know it works, I'll work on it right away! Very Happy

However, just HOW BAD is the lag caused by multiple corpses? Question

Titan · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:02 am Post subject:

Well, actually the screenies haven't been posted because they're for a mod, meaning they won't be shown yet... Anyhow, I didn't want to give you the impression I was angry, I was just feeling annoyed that somebody could possibly 'claim' my work as soon as it was made public. ( OMGz000rrzxx tuhhts M1111ne!!!)

I guess the lower you set the rate, the slower it'll play, meaning less lag because less fps will be 'consumed'. I'd prefer to give the animation about 4 frames and a very, very low rate and possibly a loopcount. That works much better than a load of frames that play with normal speed. Do not make them permanent, TS has the habit to screw up with animations and things that stay on the battlefield permanently, mostly because the lag itself isn't much of a problem, It's just that it's a potential lynching-bug in your mod, meaning your mod will eventually slow down to a halt after a long game with loads of rubble.

Mr. Pokey · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:21 am Post subject:

And the thing in TA was that you could reclaim the metal left over too, which is half the reason why they were there #Tongue

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IVI · Commander **Joined**: 25 Jun 2006 **Location**: Feilubin

TitanMarkII wrote:

Do not make them permanent, TS has the habit to screw up with animations and things that stay on the battlefield permanently, mostly because the lag itself isn't much of a problem, It's just that it's a potential lynching-bug in your mod, meaning your mod will eventually slow down to a halt after a long game with loads of rubble.

That's just too bad Sad

because you see, I sometimes play for long periods of time just leveling up units and watching the AI beat the living crap out of each other using my voxels Twisted Evil

. But I guess you're right, no sense in making the wreckage permanent. still, I might try making the wreckage permanent just to see wether TS will hang or not Very Happy

And yeah, it'll be really cool if the wreckage could be harvested as tiberium but I can't think of any ways to code that #Tongue

Titan · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:48 am Post subject:

You can... If you're willing to replace tiberium itself altogether #Tongue

Oshog · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 12:31 pm Post subject:

Well, there are a few types of tuberium, right? He might use just one of them...

Renegade · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 12:36 pm Post subject:

Link.

And no, they're not anims. 'cause what you suggest would bring the game to a grinding halt. (Those screenshots are from back in 2003/2004, btw.)

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Titan · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 12:56 pm Post subject:

The game can perfectly handle them... Confused

The only problem is the amount of them at once. Rubble and debris shouldn't be permanent at all, they should have a rate like 100 or 50, (I used >10) and few frames. They'll stay on the map for less than a minute on medium/slow speed.

Team SomeGuy · General **Joined**: 18 Aug 2006

But what if the idea was for slightly more than 1 minute? Like upwards of 2 minutes on lower speeds?

Also for tank/vehicle stuff to make a random turret direction wreckage would each index on the Explosion= tag be each separate frame of the SHP/VXL?

Or is that particular pursuit out of reach?

IVI · Commander **Joined**: 25 Jun 2006 **Location**: Feilubin

that's the idea actually: hte different Explosions lead to different orientations of the destroyed chassis thus adding diversity and realism

Team SomeGuy · General **Joined**: 18 Aug 2006

THAT would be kickass in either TS or RA2.

Like seeing smashed Titans with their weapons bent and broken in different directions.

Or a burning tank with the frame's detailed damage.