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Customizable weapon variations, equipping map objects as weapons


MirceaKitsune

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TDM contains three weapons: The blackjack, the sword, and the bow. Since the main focus is stealth rather than combat, and each weapon has its well defined purpose, I believe this is a good setup which shouldn't be heavily changed. At the same time however, I find the existing weapons a bit monotonic and rigid, and you get used to them pretty soon. Another problem is that the AI can wield a few more weapons compared to players... for instance, guards use either a sword or a hammer, but there's no hammer for the player. It's occasionally disappointing to find objects around the world that look like weapons, but using them only lets you move them around, not actually equip them. So I wanted to suggest a modification, which new maps could use to make weapons more varied without changing their meaning.

 

The idea is to have not three fixed weapons (blackjack + sword + bow) but instead three categories of weapons (melee knockout + melee lethal + arrow launcher). By default, they would of course be occupied by the existing weapons, so normal behavior doesn't change. However, mappers could define objects in the world that match each category, and can be swapped with the weapon of that type the player is already carrying. Alternatively, there could simply be a limited number of weapon and arrow slots, which players can fill with whatever they wish in any order they desire... but this might require heavier changes and different inventory handling, and I'm not sure if missions could define their own weapons entirely.

 

In regard to functionality, different weapons could have slightly different traits. For example: A short sword could swing more often but deals less damage, while a long sword would "refire" slower but cause more harm. Being longer, a long sword could also block a greater amount of damage when parring attacks. To compensate, a short sword could draw less attention when held (1 less light-gem level increase). Some maps could also offer a wooden crossbow, which replaces the existing bow when picked up. It of course works with all arrow types, but can shoot further and reload faster.

 

Random practical example: The player begins a mission and starts with the existing default weapons. At some point however, they find a crowbar in an obscure area on a street. If clicking this crowbar to use it, the player drops the blackjack and replaces it with the crowbar on the same slot (key #1). The crowbar works exactly like the blackjack and knocks players out, but could have slightly different traits in comparison... such as a slightly longer range (advantage) but making a bit of noise and potentially attracting attention if other enemies are nearby (disadvantage).

 

To be clear: I'm not suggesting this because I consider the existing weapons or balance bad, quite the contrary! I just think that having the same 3 weapons all the time, in contrast to such a complex and varied world, gets a bit boring and limited. Since TDM is so much about interacting with your environment, finding and using more variations of the existing weapon types would add an extra fun element. Overall, a more flexible weapon system of some sort might be welcome. Would anyone else like this in some form, and do any of the developers agree with such an idea?

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Mappers can replace the existing weapons with custom ones if they desire to.

FM's: Builder Roads, Old Habits, Old Habits Rebuild

Mapping and Scripting: Apples and Peaches

Sculptris Models and Tutorials: Obsttortes Models

My wiki articles: Obstipedia

Texture Blending in DR: DR ASE Blend Exporter

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Mappers can replace the existing weapons with custom ones if they desire to.

 

That's great to know. I didn't see this in any existing mission yet, so I assumed it could require game code changes.

 

Still, how much of my suggestion does it allow for? To go with my crowbar example: Can a mapper place a crowbar object on the map, and make it so when this object is used, you drop your blackjack and it's replaced with the crowbar? Does it change the appearance of the weapon model held in the hand, as well as the HUD icon from blackjack to crowbar? And can it handle changing parameters such as damage, swing speed, etc?

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No... Mappers can make new combat weapons, but there is no way for mappers to replace the blackjack. I don't think (but not sure) there's a way to make a custom weapon have the same KO powers either.

 

Your proposal would make for a more sophisticated combat system but the core game mechanic isn't focused on combat, it's about avoiding getting into a fight. But you do give a good example -- the KO-ing but clangy crowbar -- that could provide more varied gameplay. Certainly worth discussing, and seeing whether other players support the idea.

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I don't think (but not sure) there's a way to make a custom weapon have the same KO powers either.

There's a knockout stim; could a custom weapon use that? Or would it then have to act like a gas arrow rather than sharing the blackjack's target zones on AI heads?

Edited by VanishedOne
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Some things I'm repeatedly thinking about...

 

- louder scream when you're dying

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No... Mappers can make new combat weapons, but there is no way for mappers to replace the blackjack. I don't think (but not sure) there's a way to make a custom weapon have the same KO powers either.

 

Your proposal would make for a more sophisticated combat system but the core game mechanic isn't focused on combat, it's about avoiding getting into a fight. But you do give a good example -- the KO-ing but clangy crowbar -- that could provide more varied gameplay. Certainly worth discussing, and seeing whether other players support the idea.

 

In this case, maybe missions could have an option to disable normal weapons altogether, so custom ones can be used entirely? But it would seem better if the default weapons were part of this system themselves, and worked more closely with custom ones (to allow overriding, replacement pickups, etc). It is a decision that needs some thinking I imagine.

 

Still, is a slot limit possible for existing custom weapons? So you can either carry only X weapons at once, either just a single weapon for each type (melee knockout, melee lethal, arrow launcher). If so, my idea should be at least in part possible, and could be used in certain campaigns.

 

And yes, it's not about buffing the combat system to be more complicated than it already is, since I know combat is not the main focus in TDM. For me it's mostly an issue of detail, fitting into the world, and the player's ability to interact with objects. Like NPC's use hammers as weapons, you can even find and click hammers throughout the world, yet you can't drop your boring old sword to replace it with said hammer. Same with knives or axes found in kitchens... they give you that feeling of wanting to grab and equip one, then a disappointment that the most you can do is pick them up and place them aside.

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Can a mapper place a crowbar object on the map, and make it so when this object is used, you drop your blackjack and it's replaced with the crowbar? Does it change the appearance of the weapon model held in the hand, as well as the HUD icon from blackjack to crowbar? And can it handle changing parameters such as damage, swing speed, etc?

No... Mappers can make new combat weapons, but there is no way for mappers to replace the blackjack. I don't think (but not sure) there's a way to make a custom weapon have the same KO powers either.

 

That's actually possible, but require some scripting. Most mappers concentrate on mapping instead of changing the gameplay, though.

FM's: Builder Roads, Old Habits, Old Habits Rebuild

Mapping and Scripting: Apples and Peaches

Sculptris Models and Tutorials: Obsttortes Models

My wiki articles: Obstipedia

Texture Blending in DR: DR ASE Blend Exporter

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That's actually possible, but require some scripting. Most mappers concentrate on mapping instead of changing the gameplay, though.

Which is why I suggested a default script and / or settings in DarkRadiant for this. To become a feature used on most new maps, it probably requires some changes to normalize and facilitate the ability. So it's something even beginner mappers can find and say "cool, I can just click a checkbox and set this decorative kitchen knife to be a real weapon now". Of course there would be weapon properties too, but I'm hoping the idea is accepted and might become something like that.

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I've been looking at how TDM handles weapon in the other thread.

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/16786-adding-new-weapons-to-tdm-for-beginners/?do=findComment&comment=361546

 

Apparently doom 3 has 13 weapon slots according to iddev. Each arrow type of the bow are actually individual weapons which takes up most of the slots. I havent really counted but it seems TDM has either most or all of this filled out. I havent dug deep enough to know why theres a hard limit to weapons.

 

I agree with you. It feels like a shame to see so many different weapons but be unable to use it. I know TDM isnt focused on combat but I feel like players should have that option if they wish. Once I find out how all these things work I wanna add all the weapons that I see in the game world to become usable.

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Combat has had a rough path in here in the past. It remains a very capable part of the system, it is interesting and well structured, but not really supported by the team in terms of phillosophy (wont blame them). Any suggestion on the subject will eventually be met with "combat is offered as is, its not the an important aspect of the game". I, personally, would welcome more conversations on the matter, its a vastly underrated part of the game, but I recognize that any possible enhancing of it will only ever come about if someone undertakes it on their own account, regardless of feedback here, and then offers the working moddification for the team's appreciation.

 

I like your idea very much. It could indeed be used as a plot concept for many a mission where you begin unarmed, and must find ways to defend yourself or overcome enemies somehow with the tools avialable on the environment. Or, like you say, if the player is looking for different ways of defeating enemies. For example, the short sword is (rightly) useless against a thick metal plate, but a warhammer wouldnt be, and could be used to fight this elite, fully armored guard that is blocking my way. The issue seems to be that a great majority here do not see physical confrontation as really a part of the gameplay. The official stance from the team seems to be that the player character is to be seen as a traditional Thief/rogue class from rpg games - a guy that can fight his way out of trouble if he needs to, but whose main strengths are expressed through sneaking and hitting from the back, which is a fine formula for many kinds of missions. Still, there is quite a few players who will not confront guards in any way, to whom alerting an AI is the same as "failing", prompting an instant reload. I think those fighting-avert opinions have often halted any real momentum around melee-system tweaking in the past. Combat itself has been downgraded in the recent past when it was decided to decrease the amount of damage the player deals per blow, to close an exotic gameplay loophole. That made fighting less fun and less rewarding, more arcade-ish (where before you could kill a guard with an accurate blow or arrow to the head, now you cant, as soon as they are alerted they somehow aquire superhuman endurance).

 

There are some tools now available for more creative mappers and players - grayman has implemented hit detection of objects in a way that you can use them to hurt or even KO/kill people with them, like droppíng a brick on their heads. I also suggested adding even more damage if you throw sharp objects like knives and such, but Im not sure if this was actually done. Mappers can also play, albeit in a limited way, with the AIs' stats, so they can have different levels of difficulty. It would be very nice to be able to change things like speed of blows, fight IQ, damage dealt, etc, in individual ways, so you could come up with specially challenging enemies. Also, there could be documentation available to allow mappers to change the player's own stats.

 

I think we often forget that many maps are actually made by first time mappers, who do not possess the arcane knowledge of game code tweaking, so just because something is potentially possible with the source codes available, that doesnt mean people will actually be able to play with it, experiment with it and come up with new and interesting alternatives.

Edited by RPGista
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Haha, I'm actually one of those players too! If I ever alert a guard past alert level #2 (stopping to look around, without running or drawing weapons) I reload my quick save, because I feel like I screwed up more or less... unless this happens in an area where it's hard to avoid drawing a high alert. So yeah, it's unlikely I will use those varied weapons for combat. Yet I still want them... they mean more complete interaction with the world, more choices, and all that fun stuff.

 

I didn't know about the 13 weapons limit. If it's a problem in the engine, that really sucks. Now that TDM has its own version of the engine however, can't this limit be removed?

 

If not, one alternative could be to simply replace the visuals and properties of existing weapons, in case those can be edited in realtime. So if you grab a bat to replace your blackjack, this simply changes the visual model of the blackjack and the sounds it makes and its HUD icon, as well at the range and the damage... but for the same gun definition. This is a more limited approach however, so it hopefully won't be the case.

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Any suggestion on the subject will eventually be met with "combat is offered as is, its not the an important aspect of the game". I, personally, would welcome more conversations on the matter, its a vastly underrated part of the game, but I recognize that any possible enhancing of it will only ever come about if someone undertakes it on their own account, regardless of feedback here

That's a bit negative isn't it? Combat may not be a priority, but it's not like we dismiss suggestions out of hand.

 

Combat itself has been downgraded in the recent past when it was decided to decrease the amount of damage the player deals per blow, to close an exotic gameplay loophole.

 

It would be more accurate to say that a bug was discovered that had been cutting AI hit points in half. The bug was fixed, bringing AI hit points to the levels they were supposed to be at all along.

 

where before you could kill a guard with an accurate blow or arrow to the head, now you cant

 

Again, this is incorrect. You can still kill a guard with an arrow or sword blow to the head, on any difficulty level when they are relaxed, and on Easy you can still do it when they're alert.

 

Mappers can also play, albeit in a limited way, with the AIs' stats, so they can have different levels of difficulty. It would be very nice to be able to change things like speed of blows, fight IQ, damage dealt, etc, in individual ways

 

Mappers CAN change the speed of blows and damage dealt, along with a dozen other variables affecting combat, if they wish.

 

If I ever alert a guard past alert level #2 (stopping to look around, without running or drawing weapons) I reload my quick save, because I feel like I screwed up more or less... ... So yeah, it's unlikely I will use those varied weapons for combat

When considering suggestions for gameplay changes, we usually consider a few key questions.

 

1. How does it fit with the design philosophy we have adopted for TDM? Games cannot be all things to all people, and those that try usually fail. TDM is a particular kind of game that appeals to a particular type of audience.

2. What does it add to the game? It doesn't take more than a few seconds to come up with half a dozen features that could be added to the game. What about disguises? Alchemy? Endurance? Weapon wear and tear? The ability to go prone? A full-scale inventory system? etc, etc. All of these would provide "more options" and "more choices" for the player, but that in itself is not enough to make them worthwhile.

3. How hard it is it to implement? TDM relies on the free time of volunteers. The more difficult something is to do, the less likely it is to get done, everything else being equal. And it is very easy for enthusiastic newcomers to underestimate how difficult their idea is to accomplish.

4. How many people would benefit? It's not very motivating to work on something that only a few players are ever going to notice. This is the one that tends to sink combat-related suggestions. Anecdotal evidence suggests that only a small percentage of TDM players actually use combat (yourself included, apparently), so there's not a lot of motivation for anyone to embark on significant reworkings of the combat system, especially if those changes would be challenging to implement (see #3).

 

That said, there are still some things we'd like to see implemented involving combat, but they haven't made it to the top of anyone's To Do list yet.

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When considering suggestions for gameplay changes, we usually consider a few key questions.

 

1. How does it fit with the design philosophy we have adopted for TDM? Games cannot be all things to all people, and those that try usually fail. TDM is a particular kind of game that appeals to a particular type of audience.

2. What does it add to the game? It doesn't take more than a few seconds to come up with half a dozen features that could be added to the game. What about disguises? Alchemy? Endurance? Weapon wear and tear? The ability to go prone? A full-scale inventory system? etc, etc. All of these would provide "more options" and "more choices" for the player, but that in itself is not enough to make them worthwhile.

3. How hard it is it to implement? TDM relies on the free time of volunteers. The more difficult something is to do, the less likely it is to get done, everything else being equal. And it is very easy for enthusiastic newcomers to underestimate how difficult their idea is to accomplish.

4. How many people would benefit? It's not very motivating to work on something that only a few players are ever going to notice. This is the one that tends to sink combat-related suggestions. Anecdotal evidence suggests that only a small percentage of TDM players actually use combat (yourself included, apparently), so there's not a lot of motivation for anyone to embark on significant reworkings of the combat system, especially if those changes would be challenging to implement (see #3).

 

That said, there are still some things we'd like to see implemented involving combat, but they haven't made it to the top of anyone's To Do list yet.

True, and I agree with this. It's a good list and way to look at priorities, and I usually consider suggestions based on a similar view.

 

This one is (hopefully) not something more detailed than it's even worth considering. I'm mostly thinking of it as a solution to fix weapon monotony and rigidity, the occasional impression that interaction with some objects is limited or NPC's can have cool weapons which the player can't, as well as something that could make for some nice eye candy... although it would obviously be an extension to the combat system as well. I also imagined it might not be too hard, and could be solved by tweaking the weapon definition system somewhat, although I didn't check the code to know for sure.

 

Of course it all depends on general opinion, and this is just mine. As for other features... well I think weapon wear would affect fewer players and not be a noticeable detail, so it's not something I'd suggest myself. A full scale inventory is however and element that would be encountered by everyone and seems pretty neat... it's something I thought about actually, but refrained from posting to avoid a flood of big feature ideas :) I was thinking about disguises too... but given their difficulty to implement and the requirement for new assets, I can see why this one might be overkill (at least at this stage).

Edited by MirceaKitsune
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@Mirceakitsune

 

The limited weapon slots is explained here in http://www.iddevnet.com/doom3/

 

 

 

If you look in player.def, you will see that the weapons go up to 15, but weapons 13, 14, and 15 are unused. To select a weapon 3, you use _impulse3, for weapon 9 it's _impulse9, etc... So if you add a new weapon 14, you may think you can select it with _impulse14 but that's not actually the case. Impulse 13 is reload weapon, impulse 14 is prev wepon, and impulse 15 is next weapon. You can only use impulse commands to select weapons 0-12. Weapons 13, 14, and 15 cannot be selected directly (they can only be cycled to).

Why was it done this way? To be completely honest, it just kind of happened. We didn't use the last 3 weapon slots so we didn't think about not being able to select them directly. Oops.

There is some good news, though. The PDA can be opened with _impulse19 (which is showscores in multiplayer), so you can move the PDA up higher in the list, freeing a slot for a new weapon. The really good news is all this is handled in the game code, so mod developers can change it up however they want. It is not likely to ever get changed in the main game code though, because that would require moving reload, prev, and next to different impulse commands, thereby breaking everyones config files.

 

It's probably not that big of a deal to add more weapons. But as of right now, there is a limited number of keys on the keyboard to select each weapon. Adding more weapons to the game would also mean changing how weapons are selected. It's difficult to have weapons occupy the same slot yet have different stats (so it's difficult to have the a crowbar replace the blackjack when you press "1") I saw that you can edit weapon speed, damage, and there was a functionality that alters the lightgem ( such as fire arrow) so your suggestions are totally doable.

 

TDM is an old project and most gameplay mechanics and design decisions have been laid out. The devs would probably hesitate to revisit these elements they have chosen long ago. However, TDM is open source so you can do whatever you want with it regardless if your feature will make it into the next patch, which is what I'm trying to do. But I do agree with a lot of features you are proposing and hope that I can get those things done once I pass the learning curve and have a good workflow.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been giving more thought to this, and to what I'm looking to achieve exactly. This is most relevant to my long dream of creating a lengthy FOSS single-player game based on stealth and interaction with large open worlds... series like DeusEx or No One Lives Forever are great examples of what I have in mind. Since such campaigns focus more on art and visual representation compared to simple missions, I'd want each area to offer items and weapons related to its activity or culture. I even plan to create custom items that do miscellaneous things... like foods you can take in inventory and consume to regain health, alcoholic drinks which make the view shake when you consume them (get you drunk), or cigars which cause a smoke puff when used and reduce a bit of health.

 

Some examples: If one area of a city is controlled by guards and another is controlled by a gang, the part under authority's control should contain quality swords used by soldiers, while the gang controlled zone should instead offer daggers and bats for melee. Further more, some campaigns might spread their action across different countries, with a different mission taking place in each. So for example, a town in Europe would use the existing bow + arrows and sword, but one in China would use suriken and a katana sword instead... and we'd want the player to be able to drop his European sword for the Asian one(s) if and where he sees fit. Same with eye-candy items like beverages or snacks... you should find (the steampunk variant of) chips in a British tavern, but rice inside a Japanese restaurant.

 

This would be awesome! But I realize it pushes the boundaries of what TDM is intended for. Since the scripting system is so flexible however, it's hopefully not crazy to consider either. In any case, what I'm looking for is clearly custom weapon definitions. Now that I understand some TDM mechanics better, I wanted to ask a few specific questions, if anyone knows and could kindly take the time to answer:

 

  • Is it possible to simply not load the default weapons inside a mission (blackjack, sword, bow + arrows) so they can be replaced with custom weapon definitions, by allowing missions to blacklist or exclude the default weapon scripts? Simply not placing them on your map might suffice... but custom weapons could also need the weapon slots freed, so a custom sword can still use the "2" key (even if they're limited to 13).
  • Is there any way to limit the number of weapons the player can carry at a time? I assume that at worst, a script can be called on each weapon pickup... which checks how many weapons you are carrying, and if you have more than the limit it simply erases one from your inventory and drops it in front of you, then gives you the new one. Is there another way too?
  • Is there any way to make weapon keybinds more flexible, or is every weapon definition assigned to a specific key and nothing can be done? A configurable hotbar where you drag items on any slot is likely out of the question... but maybe multiple weapons could be forced to use the same key (so "2" cycles through all swords if you have many), or the number keys could represent weapons in the order in which you pick them up. The 1 to 9 keys could use custom commands rather than the engine's impulses, if a mission can override them however.
  • What are the exact features custom weapon definitions currently support? First of all, can they have all existing behaviors of the default weapons... such as swords being able to also parry attacks, or the blackjack only knocking people out when hitting the head? Second, I was wondering if bullet weapons are possible to define, and if reloading could be scripted.
  • Can the weapons an AI uses and drops on death act as pickups? I noticed that if you kill a guard, his sword drops to the ground... but if you pick it up, it's just a dynamic object which you can move around. In this case I'd want the item to still be a physical object, but act as a pickup instead when highlighted and used.
  • How do the player's hands seen in 1st person perspective work, in regard to object definition and animation? Are the hands themselves their own entity, with the sword / blackjack / etc attached separately? I'd like to know if for each weapon, you'd have to export a whole new set of 1st person hands, or if the model of a new weapon can simply be attached to the existing ones. A crowbar model can then just replace the blackjack's model, since the appearance and animation of the hand would stay the same.
  • Lastly, I'd love to see any example scripts or missions that do this, and play a map with custom weapons. If you know of any, please mention them here!
Edited by MirceaKitsune
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  • Is it possible to simply not load the default weapons inside a mission (blackjack, sword, bow + arrows) so they can be replaced with custom weapon definitions, by allowing missions to blacklist or exclude the default weapon scripts? Simply not placing them on your map might suffice... but custom weapons could also need the weapon slots freed, so a custom sword can still use the "2" key (even if they're limited to 13).
  • Is there any way to limit the number of weapons the player can carry at a time? I assume that at worst, a script can be called on each weapon pickup... which checks how many weapons you are carrying, and if you have more than the limit it simply erases one from your inventory and drops it in front of you, then gives you the new one. Is there another way too?
  • Is there any way to make weapon keybinds more flexible, or is every weapon definition assigned to a specific key and nothing can be done? A configurable hotbar where you drag items on any slot is likely out of the question... but maybe multiple weapons could be forced to use the same key (so "2" cycles through all swords if you have many), or the number keys could represent weapons in the order in which you pick them up. The 1 to 9 keys could use custom commands rather than the engine's impulses, if a mission can override them however.
  • What are the exact features custom weapon definitions currently support? First of all, can they have all existing behaviors of the default weapons... such as swords being able to also parry attacks, or the blackjack only knocking people out when hitting the head? Second, I was wondering if bullet weapons are possible to define, and if reloading could be scripted.
  • Can the weapons an AI uses and drops on death act as pickups? I noticed that if you kill a guard, his sword drops to the ground... but if you pick it up, it's just a dynamic object which you can move around. In this case I'd want the item to still be a physical object, but act as a pickup instead when highlighted and used.
  • How do the player's hands seen in 1st person perspective work, in regard to object definition and animation? Are the hands themselves their own entity, with the sword / blackjack / etc attached separately? I'd like to know if for each weapon, you'd have to export a whole new set of 1st person hands, or if the model of a new weapon can simply be attached to the existing ones. A crowbar model can then just replace the blackjack's model, since the appearance and animation of the hand would stay the same.
  • Lastly, I'd love to see any example scripts or missions that do this, and play a map with custom weapons. If you know of any, please mention them here!

 

  • The limitation just means that you can only use a limited set of different weapons. What weapons these are is completely up to the mapper. So if you want to you can remove all stock weapons and replace them with custom ones if desired.
  • This should be handable via the script objects belonging to the weapons. And using a script isn't the worst case as you call it. Scripts are an easy and reliable way of accomplishing what one desires, hence they get used ;)
  • Cycling can be scripted, and with the fix for the mouse movement direction check I've done one can implement a weapon menue as in the latest thief (limited to a maximum of 8 choices, though). Giving the player the possibility to alter the inventory positions of weapons (and therefore the hotkeys toggling them) is possible, but complicated, and as the keybinds can be changed in the menue I don't see a need for such a feature.
  • Yes to all :)
  • Yes, too
  • The hands and the weapon shown belong to one animated model, but they are non-solid. For colission detection a different model is used. This is due to the fact that the model used for the player weapon is more detailed then the one you see in game, as it is closer to the players view. Hoewever, it is possible to replace the sword with other weapons, as I've already doen and posted in my mapping thread.
  • You may read through my mapping thread ("Apples and Peaches"). Donno how much about this I've posted there, but may be an interesting read anyways. If you have specific questions pm me and I'd be happy to help you. The thread is linked in my signature below.

FM's: Builder Roads, Old Habits, Old Habits Rebuild

Mapping and Scripting: Apples and Peaches

Sculptris Models and Tutorials: Obsttortes Models

My wiki articles: Obstipedia

Texture Blending in DR: DR ASE Blend Exporter

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  • The limitation just means that you can only use a limited set of different weapons. What weapons these are is completely up to the mapper. So if you want to you can remove all stock weapons and replace them with custom ones if desired.
  • This should be handable via the script objects belonging to the weapons. And using a script isn't the worst case as you call it. Scripts are an easy and reliable way of accomplishing what one desires, hence they get used ;)
  • Cycling can be scripted, and with the fix for the mouse movement direction check I've done one can implement a weapon menue as in the latest thief (limited to a maximum of 8 choices, though). Giving the player the possibility to alter the inventory positions of weapons (and therefore the hotkeys toggling them) is possible, but complicated, and as the keybinds can be changed in the menue I don't see a need for such a feature.
  • Yes to all :)
  • Yes, too
  • The hands and the weapon shown belong to one animated model, but they are non-solid. For colission detection a different model is used. This is due to the fact that the model used for the player weapon is more detailed then the one you see in game, as it is closer to the players view. Hoewever, it is possible to replace the sword with other weapons, as I've already doen and posted in my mapping thread.
  • You may read through my mapping thread ("Apples and Peaches"). Donno how much about this I've posted there, but may be an interesting read anyways. If you have specific questions pm me and I'd be happy to help you. The thread is linked in my signature below.

Thank you! I should read up on how to get all of those features working... like how a mission can blacklist the stock weapons, how to best script weapon amount limitation, how to handle the keybind problem, etc. The hardest part is having to edit and re-export the 1st person view hands, if the sword / blackjack can't be replaced via scripting only... but that's a good occasion to use more specific animations as well, so I guess it's not so bad. I only use Blender 3D however, and don't even know how to import / export the formats used by idTech4.

 

But if all goes well, I might sometime create an unique weapon set and post it as a pk4! I shall check out the threads you mentioned as well. I'm especially interested in the possibility of the weapon menu you're describing, and how much it can do in regard to sorting weapons.

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  • Recent Status Updates

    • Ansome

      Finally got my PC back from the shop after my SSD got corrupted a week ago and damaged my motherboard. Scary stuff, but thank goodness it happened right after two months of FM development instead of wiping all my work before I could release it. New SSD, repaired Motherboard and BIOS, and we're ready to start working on my second FM with some added version control in the cloud just to be safe!
      · 0 replies
    • Petike the Taffer  »  DeTeEff

      I've updated the articles for your FMs and your author category at the wiki. Your newer nickname (DeTeEff) now comes first, and the one in parentheses is your older nickname (Fieldmedic). Just to avoid confusing people who played your FMs years ago and remember your older nickname. I've added a wiki article for your latest FM, Who Watches the Watcher?, as part of my current updating efforts. Unless I overlooked something, you have five different FMs so far.
      · 0 replies
    • Petike the Taffer

      I've finally managed to log in to The Dark Mod Wiki. I'm back in the saddle and before the holidays start in full, I'll be adding a few new FM articles and doing other updates. Written in Stone is already done.
      · 4 replies
    • nbohr1more

      TDM 15th Anniversary Contest is now active! Please declare your participation: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22413-the-dark-mod-15th-anniversary-contest-entry-thread/
       
      · 0 replies
    • JackFarmer

      @TheUnbeholden
      You cannot receive PMs. Could you please be so kind and check your mailbox if it is full (or maybe you switched off the function)?
      · 1 reply
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