Self-Lit damageable mushrooms: discuss

[Fidcal]

After some experiments I also thought it might be better to make new models - a swollen one ready to burst and a shrivelled burst one. This is my first concept of a ready-to-burst mush. Ignore the texture which is a placeholder. Though it does give me the idea that the texture should be very darkly specked with bright areas rather than bright all over like the current ones. A good texture will enhance the idea of it being ready to burst. Probably wants polys reducing a little. If anyone else wants to submit a patch (or even a model) mushroom they think might be worth considering then please do.

 

[Fidcal]

To add the above, is it possible to make the texture colorme using _color and the light color set using set color on ... We need at least 10 colors, pastel red, green blue, yellow, magenta and each in at least dim and moderately bright - textures that is. If the texture is too dim then if the mapper wants brighter lights the textures look odd. Similarly, if the mushrooms are too bright then the mapper cannot have faint highlights of colour. So colorme is the way to imo. If the speckled markings are dark contrast then it should still work because the color changes are less noticeable on those areas.

[OrbWeaver]

It's certainly possible to have a texture which varies with the colour of the light, provided that

 

1. The model and light are the same entity (it won't work with a separate light and model entity), and

2. There is a suitable stage in the model's material which uses the "colored" stage keyword. This would normally be an additive stage, but it doesn't have to be.

[Fidcal]

Sounds like what we need here imo. A single entity with a single model (or choice of shapes) and the mapper sets the color.

[Tels]

Sounds like what we need here imo. A single entity with a single model (or choice of shapes) and the mapper sets the color.

 

Yeah, look at our electric streetlights, they use that technique. If you even make the light pulsate slowly, then the texture will change color with the light. You can even make then have a "pop and fizzle" sound and make the light pulsate with the sound level.

[Baddcog]

 

Will that work? If so I'll make flinders and they can go BOOM!

 

What do you guys think about being able to pick to extinguish? Like T2. One difference, you gotta throw em, then they boom. and if you drop it you're in trouble.

 

Would be cool to be able to use them as a gas bomb.

[Fidcal]

Looks good to me. What size are they -similar to the existing lit mush?

[Fidcal]

Just add to that: commonly when placing these mushrooms one is putting them into little crevices and corners. Will those stalks be long enough?

 

@ Tels: This also raises the problem of the light centre. I generally move the light further out if it is a separate light but will we be able to do this? If the entity itself is a light with a model as Orb said then I guess so?

[aidakeeley]

What do you guys think about being able to pick to extinguish? Like T2. One difference, you gotta throw em, then they boom. and if you drop it you're in trouble.

 

I love it.

 

As many functions and varieties as possible:

 

Colors (indicators or use? maybe... maybe not)

 

Some you can pick up and use as weapons... some that explode on touch (arrows will work as well as a good frobbing)... some that you have to bash to extinguish or explode...

 

This is great stuff you guys are doing and, just think, it's only one entity-group!

[Baddcog]

Well, I was kindof taking cue from the T2 ones, big and bulbous, but they don't even have a stem.

 

Just trying to give it a fully recognizable shape apart from the standard mush, and they have long stems...

 

They are approximately the same height, but bigger round.

 

The light can be adjusted like all entities (once they ARE entities). I just placed a light above, and used the base of the regular green self_lit mush. The texture has a tiny bit of brown in it, but basically colorless. Skins can take care of that.

 

I even made a normal map, but since they are self lit it's a waste.

-------------------

 

in case nobody knows (as if right)

 

The T2 ones could be shot or picked. No corpse. It was mainly a turn off 'natural' light.

 

But I think it would be cool if they could also be gas bombs as someone mentioned earlier. Color coding might be cool, green gases, blue and red don't?

Or they could just be turn off shrooms.

 

Flinders and gas would be cool if they are shot or thrown, I don't know about just picked (if not thrown - no corpse? seems kindof weak lol)

[Fidcal]

Personally I would go for extra long stems and dark stretched speckles. This would both differentiate them from existing light mushrooms (so players don't waste arrows shooting the wrong types) and the long stems can be embedded to give different heights. I've placed quite a few of the existing mushrooms in corners and it can be tricky avoiding clipping.

[Baddcog]

I can make longer stems, but honestly don't see how they could be confused with the regular mush either way.

[Baddcog]

OK, I've got that model up on svn (nature) along with a tall version. Materials (tdm_models_nature) top of the mushromms list, about line 950+-

 

and a flinder (part of top cap), with a moveable def. (tdm_nature), it's at the very top. Haven't made a def for the mushrooms themselves, we might as well do both short and tall. They need to have light attach (colors), flinder props, gas cloud (?), sound, not sure what is needed and I'm tired.

 

there's a normal map and a diffuse (almost all white so it can be colored).

 

The flinder I imagin e would need an unlit skin made (or just new material without glow).

 

Also, I made a huge booboo, I cut up the mushroom and made the flinder and saved over it. So I have no more source file

And I forgot to add a collision box to the top of the mushroom (I guess it doesn't really need one, but one can be made in DR too).

I can't import ase either....

 

So that's that for now, if nobody else works on it before I feel like it I'll continue, if someone does just post here so we know.

[HappyCheeze]

How about if the player eats them they see colors?

 

So if I get this straight, the shrooms could be picked by a player, thrown as a gas bomb or an explosive bomb, and could detonate if the player (or AI) steps on one?

 

 

edit: Ohh, now maybe I'm getting a little carried away, what if there was a shroom arrow that made a patch kind of like a moss arrow, except it grows mushrooms that act as a land mine?

[Tels]

Baddcog, I won't muck with the model (you are better than me but if you need help with the def, I can have a look.

[Springheel]

thrown as a gas bomb or an explosive bomb, and could detonate if the player (or AI) steps on one?

 

Definitely not an explosive bomb. Even a gas bomb is pretty silly.

[Baddcog]

I don't think it's silly. Most things in nature that glow are caused by a gas, so if the mushroom is glowing because it is full of gas it makes sense. And most likely breating it would make you nausceous.

 

But still, I think the main thing is just have an extinguishable nature light.

[Springheel]

I don't think it's silly. Most things in nature that glow are caused by a gas, so if the mushroom is glowing because it is full of gas it makes sense. And most likely breating it would make you nausceous.

 

I thought we were talking about a gas arrow effect, not just something that makes AI nauseous.

[Baddcog]

Well, I was thinking it would be cool to gas them (like the arrows). That even gives a natural explanation for gas arrows, much like water crystals and fire crystals.

 

It could be knocking them out, or maybe just make them dizzy - alert but unable to attack - forced throw up anims? or stumbling?, but that would probably require new scripted behaviour. Knocking them out is just using the existing system.

 

Maybe the gas makes them dizzy, but in a concentrated (gas crystal) form it knocks them out.

 

I don't know, just tossing around ideas I think would be cool that could be added to an exploding mush. (apart from the light change)

Someone also mentioned different colors... So maybe green ones gas, blue/red ones don't.

[Springheel]

Just my opinion, but as default behaviour it seems like feature creep to me. It's not really adding much to gameplay, just creating a free, less useful gas arrow.

 

Gas arrows are the most expensive weapon a player can buy, which seems kind of silly if anyone could just harvest poison gas bombs for free.

[HappyCheeze]

Just my opinion, but as default behaviour it seems like feature creep to me. It's not really adding much to gameplay, just creating a free, less useful gas arrow.

 

Gas arrows are the most expensive weapon a player can buy, which seems kind of silly if anyone could just harvest poison gas bombs for free.

 

Perhaps what makes the gas arrow different from a gassy shroom is the arrow contents are more concentrated or refined?

[Baddcog]

I agree it's starting to 'creep'. But I don't feel it's a long-shot really. Having a 'gaseous' glowing mushroom that expels a gas (that could be the source of the gas for arrows) when it blows up isn't far reaching imo. There are mushrooms that do blow up to release spores... Alot of mush are poisoness...

 

It's something that the author would set-up. Of course nothing can be controlled, anyone can give the player 50 gas arrows to start a mission.

 

This would be the same thing. Generally authors would use the regular light mushrooms most and place the exploding ones infrequently (even if just for light, not gas) anyway. If every mushroom can be extinguished then the player wouldn't have to sneak at all.

I can see the gas being a very cool feature used infrequently. You're a ways off, you see a guard patrolling, he's coming towards a gas mushroom, you wait... fire a broadhead, clank, damn I missed, guard is pissed. Or you hit and , score, guard down...

Could be a cool way to take out a critical guard in a tight tunnel...

 

Maybe to limit feature creep it would be best to not also have it pickable, not throwable, ... Just a well timed arrow at most.

 

Either way is fine, light only, light and gas...

[LEGION]

What do you guys think about being able to pick to extinguish? Like T2. One difference, you gotta throw em, then they boom. and if you drop it you're in trouble.

 

Would be cool to be able to use them as a gas bomb.

 

I would love that too. Would it be possible to make the gas-effect not that strong? Meaning the guards wake up after two minutes or sth like that? Because the gas in the shrooms is not that concentrated as the one used in gas-arrows, as HappyCheeze already said...

Edited August 15, 2010 by LEGION

[rinscewind]

Puffballs.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffball

 

They used to grow around in the woods that were across the creek/ditch behind my house when I was a kid. The woods are now all gone (/long sigh), and the puffballs don't show up any more. When the puffballs reach a certain age, they would dry up and turn into a leathery bag of spores that ends up with a single small hole in the middle of the top. We used to pick them carefully and throw them at each other as we roamed thru the trees (we didn't really understand that breathing the spores in could be hazardous to our heath, but we wouldn't've cared ).

 

When the dry puffball spore sacs hit something, like a tree or a friend, a nice-sized (depending on how big the puffball had grown) puff - go figure - of brown powder would explode out of the top. The spores were incredibly light and would tend to float upward even in windless conditions, and the small cloud of them would easily engulf one's head, even with the mid-sized mushrooms. Good for one solid hit or several light tosses before the spores ran out.

 

We eventually stopped throwing them at each other's heads, as the spores weren't pleasant to taste or inhale.

 

If you care to see them, a few pretty nice pictures can be found by searching for 'puffball mushroom' using Google image. These are what I'm used to:

 

http://www.edupic.ne...ushrooms014.jpg

 

The one in front is prolly about as big as a thumb joint on an, er, average person's hand. They can grow up to about three feet in diameter.

 

Just FYI.

Edited August 24, 2010 by rinscewind

[Mortem Desino]

OooooOOooooh. Brain just hatched an idea!

 

Take rinscewind's puffball mushrooms, make them inherit flashbomb behavior, tweak the effect radius, use a dustcloud instead of a light flash...

 

Mushroom black egg? I can imagine tossing one at a Builder Guard, and running past him while he hollers "Ow! Mine eyes!"

 

Maybe if I've got time, I'll mock up an entity definition for proof-of-concept...