Mine Layer (RA2:YR)
Thank to Kakrain for translate it!
When RA2 was just a proyect, Westwood was promising us that the allies would have the mine layer which would cause trouble through the enemy lines
At the side of the russians, the Sea Scorpion would deploy mines that would sink ship to the bottom of the sea. When RA2 was finally released, those promises turn out unfulfilled. Since then, the modding community has searched many ways to restore the mine layer logic, without reaching until this time with a convincent result, we will explore each ways and we will realize their advantages and disavantages. I will introduce the mine layer way that i used in my mod Next Generation and i will say why i think my way is the most recomendable and efective to recreating the mine layer logic in RA2
Now the ways that the community has developed to recreate Mine Layer in RA2
Mine is a building (Deezire way)
Thisa is a classic way to recreate a mine layer in RA2, i saw it for first time in the Deezire mods, thats the origin of the name, but i dont pretend with that to say was Deezire who invented to it. The Deezire formula has a huge difusion in the community and has been used by the first generation big mods like Deezire, Eagle Red and Blitzkrieg.
The Deezire formula is very simple to implemente and consist basicly in a vehicle (mine layer) transforms into a building (the mine)
Vehicle Code
;Mine Layer
[LAYER]
DeploysInto=MINE
Ammo=3
The Ammo tag is used to determinate how many times the vehicle deploy, it tries to recreate the ,unitions of Mine Layer of the first RA, each new encarnation of the mine layer has one ammo less than the previous, this ammo logic is apparent, it doesnt work in the airplanes or vehicles that have a real logic munition, and this why this mine layer cant dock, the mods have been tried to solve in many ways the problem that appear when the mine layer have no ammo, the Deezire mod would the mine layer in a light attack vehicle once it finished to waste its ammo, other mods like Blitzkrieg didnt use any ammo.
Building Code:
;Mine
[MINE]
FreeUnit=Layer2
When it transformed into building, the mine uses the Freeunit tag that releases another mine layer witch is a diferent vehicle than the one who transformed into the mine, in this case in a vehicle LAYER2 that in accord to the apparent ammo system, it would has one ammo less than the original LAYER
Second Vehicle Code
;Mine Layer
[LAYER2]
DeploysInto=MINE2
Ammo=2
As it can be seen, the mine layer of the Deezire way needs, if it munitions many vehicles and many buildings, witch may do difficcult its implementation, the system gets a lot simplier if we disregard the apparent ammo system, so in that way the mine- buildding release a vehicle which is the same kind of the vehicle that originated it when it deployed, such as it can be seen in the Blitzkrieg mod.
;Mine Layer
[LAYER]
DeploysInto=MINE
;Mine
[MINE]
FreeUnit=LAYER
But then so, the big problem of the Deezire way would remain unsolved, problem that made that many of the most recently mods discard mine layer concept, is in the fact that even if both vehicles are of saem king (LAYER), the vehicle that was deployed in mine and releases a free unit are two different vehicles, and thats why the satatus of the vehicles doesnt keep as the same, and the statusof the original vehicle goes to the mine, for example if the vehicle mine layer took damage or he went veteran, this changes wont transfer to the FreeUnit vehicle that the mine building deploys, it transfer to the mine building and if the original mine layer has half of the hitpoints, the mine in witch it deploys will have the half of the hitpoint too, but the released vehicle will have full hitpoints because its another vehicle. Same happens with veterancy. Thats why the Deezire way is totally inconvenient for recreate the capacity mine layer in combatients unit like Sea Scorpion because the unit lose all the veterancy when deploys a mine and because to deploy a mine is a way for the Sea Scorpion to recover hitpoint when he has taken damage.
Mine is a infantry unit (Supernova way)
Even though this isnt as know as the Deezire way, the Supernova way used in Supernova (a RA2:YR mod created by Napalm) is a very interesting way to recreate the mine layer logic in RA2. Basicly is a vehicle that when transforms into a building it spawn a minefield making disappear the mine layer, the mine layer of the Supernova can be used only once.
Vehicle Code:
; Mine Layer
[MLVK]
DeploysInto=GAMLYR
Building Code:
; Deployed Mine Layer
[GAMLYR]
Primary=GoneWeap
Selectable=no
UndeploysInto=MLVK
Enslaves=PMINE
SlavesNumber=6
SlaveRegenRate=0
SlaveReloadRate=0
Weapon Code (Mine Layer):
[GoneWeap]
Damage=10
ROF=100
Range=500 ;10000 ;-2
Projectile=Invisible3
Speed=100
Warhead=MLGONE
Report=
Suicide=yes
OmniFire=yes
FireOnce=yes
Warhead Code (Mine Layer)
[MLGONE]
CellSpread=0
PercentAtMax=.01
Wall=yes
Wood=yes
Verses=100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%
Conventional=yes
InfDeath=3
AnimList=;S_CLSN58 ;S_CLSN30
ProneDamage=100%
Infantry Code (Mine)
; Proximity Mine
[PMINE]
UIName=Name:PMINE
Image=PMINE
Name=Proximity Mine
Category=Soldier
Primary=PMineWeap
DeathWeapon=PMineDeath
;Omnifire=yes
Scatter=no
Fearless=yes
;Prerequisite=
CanRetaliate=no; Won't fire back when hit
CrushSound=GenVehicleDie
Crushable=yes
Strength=2 ;100
Armor=special_1
TechLevel=-1
Sight=0 ;3
Speed=4
PhysicalSize=2
Pip=white
NotHuman=yes
Owner=British,French,Germans,Americans,Alliance
Cost=500
Soylent=500
Points=10
Selectable=no
IsSelectableCombatant=yes
VoiceSelect=
VoiceMove=
VoiceAttack=
VoiceFeedback=
DieSound=GenVehicleDie
;Explodes=yes
Explosion=S_CLSN58 ;S_CLSN30
Locomotor={4A582744-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1}
MovementZone=Normal
ThreatPosed=20 ; This value MUST be 0 for all building addons
ImmuneToVeins=yes
ImmuneToRadiation=yes
AllowedToStartInMultiplayer=no
Trainable=no
DontScore=yes
;Slaved=yes
;;SlavesFreeSound= RobotTankOnline
Cloakable=yes
CloakingSpeed=10
OpportunityFire=yes
NavalTargeting=6
As it can be seen and alike the formula Deezire, the building isnt a mine but is the mine layer that using the slave miner logic creates the infantry units that in this case are the mines. Even if n the code of the building it includes the tag UndeploysInto=, the mine layer never return to his original status, the tag selectable=no unables the user to reverse the deploying of the mine layer, the building must be destroyed. The weapon Gone Weap is a suicide weapon of large range that destroys the building and since it is building with the slave miner logic, the destruction of the building, free the mine-slaves that become neutral, and thats why the mine-slaves attack to any other objetive within regarless of the side it is, even if it s the the side who originally deployed the mines. By the fact of being invisible and neutral, the mine-slaves disappear from the radar of all sides that take part im the game. The tag NotHuman=yes is very important because this tag desactivates the infantry deaths or death anims of the conventional infantry that would not look good in a real mine.
In summary the Supernmova way is very interesting, has a big disadvantage the fct that it can be only used once.
For its correct implementation this way needs graphics for the slave-mines and shp version of mine layer vehicle voxel.
Mine is vehicle unit (Next Generation way)
The Next Generation way, is my own way to recreate the mine layer logic in RA2 needs a shp version of the mine layer vehicle voxel and solving the end-ways of the deezire way, its a issue that has not been spreaded until this time and the comunity and that only appears in the Next Generation mod its a easy to implement way that turns the Deezire formula, instead that the mine layer vehicle transforms into a mine-building that gives a new free mine layer, the mine layer vehicle transforms, (as in the Supernova way), into a mine layer building but it wont spawns mine-slaves as the supernova formula, it just spawns a (freeunit) mine-vehicle, and this building-mine layer lets the mine layer undeploy (undeploysInto) into the original vehicle, overcoming the problem of the Deezire way that the original vehicle status dont maintain as it was In the Next Generation way, when the vehicle deploys into a building that undeploys into the original vehicle, the status,veterancy and damage, stays at it was because it is the same vehicle that can deploys when it wants, that makes this formula very useful in combat units like the sea scorpion
Vehicle code:
; Mine Layer
[MLVK] DeploysInto=GAMLYR
Building Code:
; Deployed Mine Layer
[GAMLYR]
UndeploysInto=MLVK
FreeUnit=MINE2
ResourceDestination=yes
The tag ResourceDestination=yes is really important because it eliminates something that in the case of the mine layer is really annoying, when some building or vehicle that is not an mcv or a slave miner deploys, the EVA gives that sound: “New Rally point selected”, writing the ResourceDestination=yes finish that problema and at least as far as i know it wont generate secondary problems, it not only serves for the mine layer but also any other vehicle that deploys and undeploys in buildings as the tick tank of tiberian sun. The tags TickTank and Artillery dont seem to work in RA2
Mine vehicle code
; Mine
[MINE2]
Primary=MineWeapon
Strength=100
Speed=0
Selectable=no
OpportunityFire=yes
DeathWeapon=ATMineExplosion
Cloakable=yes
DontSayUnitLost=yes (Npatch)
Spawned=yes (without Npatch)
DontScore=yes
Parasiteable=no
There are many important points in the mine vehicle code, the first is that the mine vehicle must not be selectable, second the mine cant move, for many, the fact that the mine is a vehicle has that disavantage, the vehicles can move which makes them unable to be mines, even the mine-slaves of the Supernova where showed as drones that moved and attacked to close objectives. Nevertheless if we write a zero value in the speed tag, the mine vehicles wont be able to move, even if they are being attacked. The mine-vehicle has two weapons, the first is the primary weapon that kills the mine vehicle while the second weapon is the DeathWeapon that is the one that finally damages the objective, the OmniFire=yes tag unables the voxel of the mine-vehicle to move when he aims to the objective
Mine vehicle weapon code
[MineWeapon]
Projectile=Invisible
Damage=1
Warhead=MINEWH
Range=1.5
OmniFire=yes
ROF=100
Speed=100
Suicide=yes
DecloakToFire=no
[ATMineExplosion]
Projectile=Invisible
Damage=300
Warhead=MINEWH
Range=1 ROF=100
DecloakToFire=no
[MINEWH]
CellSpread=2
Wall=no
Verses=200%,200%,200%,80%,80%,80%,0%,0%,0%,100%,100% AnimList=XGRYSML1,XGRYSML2,EXPLOSML,XGRYMED1,XGRYMED2,EXPLOMED,EXPLOLRG,TWLT070
AffectsAllies=no
