Big Problem Fixed, Yahoo!!

I dunno how this escaped me earlier [?]
Apparently I just didn't notice it and it was like this all along.
Anyhow!

The weapons on the animated x-wing fire constantly after they've been triggered once. But! you don't see the bolts or see any hits from the players perspective! (As a target though you experience constant hits).

It works like this:
open sfoils, target a ship, press the trigger briefly to get one burst. After you've stopped firing, the target will continue to take damage at the refire_rate of the weapon you've fired.
You don't see your ship fireing, There is no indication of the firing process on the player ship whatsoever! no energy consumption, nothing. you can just watch the hit points of the target deminish constantly.
I know it is firing from the x-wing because if you move so an object is between you and the target the hit points stop dimenishing. Same happens when you move out of weapon range of the target. As soon as you move back within range (or no longer have an obstacle betwwen you) the "invisible firing" continues and the targets hit points begin to dimenish again.
The only way to stop the "invisible fire" is to close the sfoils (which locks down the weapons)
If you open the Sfoils again it doesn't resume fire at the same target or any other target again (until you pull the trigger)

I've tried different weapons, different pog and everything else I can think of. I can't find what is causing it. The only thing that will prevent the effect is not to set the avatar channel for the wing animation. (in other words start the ship without the weapons locked down and don't use the avatar switch)

I'm guessing it has something to do with the fire channel switch on the weapons and the avatar switch channel on the X-wing? (somehow they are getting mixed up? )

As soon as the space is avaliable I'll upload the whole mod so you can see this effect for yourselves.

For now, could you please scrutinize the setup scenes and avatar stuff? any Ideas??



Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site

Just a suggestion in the rare case that everything goes to hell in a handbasket... but it's far from perfect;

We create a close-up .avi animated movie of the X-wing foils opening. Then split the model into two sperate models; one with wings closed, one with wings open.

When the player activates the appropriate keybind, the animation plays and the player ship model is switched (via POG) to the correct one.

The downside is that another player (a ship viewing the change) wouldn't be able to see the animation... the models would just <poof> magically switch.

Sorry I can't be of more help. []

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Thanks Shane, that may be an alternative.

For now I'm still trying to find the reason and or a fix.

Meanwhile I have tried out the sequence with the following steps:
Add the avatar channel to the sim
set the channel to open the wing,
then remove the avatar channel from the sim.

I had hoped that by removing the avatar channel after setting it the source of the anomoly would also be removed, unfortunatly it didn't work.
This is really wierd!

More results to follow.


Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site

It looks like it has nothing to do with the avatar channel or switching the avatar at all. The culprit is the darn command to unlock the weapons.

I set up the avatar switch to animate the wings without locking down the weapons and without the call to unlock them.
The effect was gone! even if I actuated the animation multiple times and even during (manually) firing. No more invisible shots!
Then I left out the call to lock the weapons down but still used the call to unlock them as the wings were opened. That was it!

It doesn't matter if I use iShip.WeaponTargetsFromContactList (....) or iSim.WeaponTargetsFromContactList(....) the effect is the same.
Although I've scoured the pog SDK and all headers and asked several times in different forums, I cannot find another command to release the weapons once they are locked down.
i.e., we won't be able to lock them!

Now that we know what is causing it though, we can try plan B:

After the ship has joined the game take the primary weapon subsims off it and then add them to it dynamically when the wings are opened.
(It should work because iMultiplay makes provisions for adding weapons via power ups. I'll try out first thing tomorrow morning)

That will mean the missiles would still be active but I think we can get by with that or not?



Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site

Missiles are fine, only the wing guns need to be prevented from firing. Great job figuring that out MajorTom.

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I'm still struggling with this, but here's an update.

We can add the weapons dynamically and they do fire and cause damage correctly. They don't cause any negative effects like "invisible fire".

The current issue is, it seems I can't get them off the ship once they are on it. At least not fully and completly! But I'm still working on this. (there has got to be a way!)

a minor issue is; you cannot get a ship into the game with no primary weapons at all. (which btw., now explains why I couldn't get Shanes Spiff into the MP game previously).
Thats not really a problem though 'cause we can make a gun (or beam) that doesn't shoot (no damage) and call it something else like Range Finder, Emergency comm laser, or whatever.
Any suggestions on a name for it on the X-Wing?


Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site