How do I spawn an entity from script?

[Fidcal]

How do I spawn an entity from script? This is what I've got so far, triggered by a switch in-game. the test light toggles on and off OK but no hammer is spawned that I can see...

 

 

 

entity g_testPart; //define global entity

void spawnParts()
{
sys.trigger($light_371); //test light works OK
g_testPart = sys.spawn("atdm:moveable_weapon_hammer");
$g_testPart.setOrigin('-1973 -1336 79');
}

[Sotha]

Since the object is a variable, should it really have a dollar sign on the setorigin command?

[Obsttorte]

why don't you use hide/unhide?

[Fidcal]

Obsttorte: Hide is not a bad idea but I need to create a loop of entities. When a new one is created then the oldest in the queue needs to be deleted so that there are not too many. Maybe I can just teleport the oldest to the front of the queue. It's not obvious how to simulate a sequence without arrays. In script I might have a variable with the latest number and increment it. Then a series of conditional checks to see which entity corresponds to that value.

 

Sotha: I'm unsure myself about the dollar sign. I saw an example like mine in another script so hope it's OK. My tenuous belief is that the spawn line creates an entity and names it g_testPart. Until then, no entity exists for this so I don't think I can stick a $ at the front. After that it's a normal entity and is referenced with the dollar sign. That's the theory at any rate. But... since it doesn't work - who knows? In support of that, there is no error such as wrong variable type or whatever.

[Sotha]

If you are refering to entityname you need the dollar sign.

If you are refering to a variable you don't use the dollar sign.

 

You are creating a variable that holds in the entity data, you are not setting it's entityname.

 

That's my belief, you need to test to be sure.

 

EDIT:

here is one example I found with quick googling:

http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4999

[Fidcal]

Ah thanks - that fixed it. I'm a bit rusty. I remember now, that variable just holds the entity.

 

got a hammer - doesn't drop but probably needs activate.

 

That's the easy bit now to see if I can create a loooooooooop.....

[Obsttorte]

When a new one is created then the oldest in the queue needs to be deleted so that there are not too many.

you could hide it then

 

well, for the loop thing, I guess you could just use several variables according to the number of entities you want to have in-game at maximum and an iterating number, I'm not sure if there's a modulo operator in the d3 scripting language, that would make things easier for you

[Fidcal]

OK, this is solved now. I create the moveables I want first, use an incrementing script to teleport into position then activate a trigger relay that targets it to force it to drop (it won't drop by direct activate for some reason.)

[Tels]

Yeah, the scripting language really badly needs array support. It unfortunately a bit out of my league, but I could have used it a lot already. Right now I am playing tricks with storing stuff on spawnargs on entities (or the player, since that entity is always available). Really nasty workaround to just doing "for (i = 0; i < array.length; i ++) { ..}"