Directional Search Area

[Dannn]

Does anyone know how to apply a search area that will find units around the caster other than in a 360 degree radius and other than relative to the front of the caster?

The reason I ask is that I would like to make a directional phoenix fire ability that would automatically fire from fixed positions on a unit. so the weapon for example might be a 30 degree sweep from the back of the unit only... or a 25 degree sweep from the right side of the unit only.

i know that search area has a place where you can put in the degrees but I believe that is only from the front of the unit and cannot be offset by any degrees...

help? I have great ideas for this map!

 

[Dr Super Good]

Try creating turrets for each of the weapons. Make them start off at the offset angles that you want the weapon to fire in and then make it so they are unable to turn. The weapons each turret uses then have their own firing arc based on the angle you want the gun to fire in. Doing this you may just be able to make battleship have a front cannon, a left and right broadside cannon (different wepons and turrets) as well as a rear flank cannon. With the right weapon config you could even make them all able to fire at once and while moving.

 

[Dannn]

Try creating turrets for each of the weapons. Make them start off at the offset angles that you want the weapon to fire in and then make it so they are unable to turn. The weapons each turret uses then have their own firing arc based on the angle you want the gun to fire in. Doing this you may just be able to make battleship have a front cannon, a left and right broadside cannon (different wepons and turrets) as well as a rear flank cannon. With the right weapon config you could even make them all able to fire at once and while moving.

I am aware of this solution; however, for me it is the worst case scenario. Weapons have several undesirable limitations. one big one being that you cannot add more than one of each type and the ui only supports something like 5 at a time... I can make everything work perfectly with turrets minus some flaws that just can't be fixed. I weapons cannot be altered as easily as behaviors can be added, and it would all be fine and dandy if weapons could have behaviors. but alas they cannot. =(

I'm worried that I might have to get into some SOP's and attatch units with weapons... or figure out how to make hanger units maintain placed directions upon moving.

if anyone has ANY ideas please let me know!!!

 

[Dannn]

bump

 

[Darkness-4ever]

Its tricky but you could try to use Location Arc validators with a 360 degree Search Area and have it validate whether or not the location of the target unit falls within the Arc your looking for, I'm not 100% certain this will work, but I felt it worth throwing it out there.

 

[Dannn]

*bump*

If anyone can figure something out on this subject it would be the cornerstone to a very awesome map I'm working on.

 

[BlueStudios]

(random info that may or may not help you)

I believe the number of weapons a unit can use at once is model dependant.

Every model has attachment points. And there are special WEAPON bones, for example, the Battlecruiser has upwards of 25 of these all over its hull. Its how it gets the effect of launching so many lasers from all over its body. Yet it only uses 6 of these normally from what I can tell. (3 on left, 3 on right)

The Firebat for example only has one weapon, but it launches from both hands at their own offest. Because the firebat model actually has WEAPON RIGHT, and WEAPON LEFT attachment bones, that the weapon/effects (somehow) can call to place the correct angle, locations of the flames. Im not sure how it attached them exactly as I was unable to find the field that was setting it myself.

So you may be able to attach more than the one weapon of each type to a unit, if you can figure out how to alter a model and add more weapon bones, to attach the turret to. Or try altering ATTACH METHODS for the unit that will be holding the turrets.

 

[Darkness-4ever]

Have you tried messing around with the Brood Lord Escort ability? The Brood Lord has 2 actual units that follow it around and face whichever direction and go wherever the Brood Lord goes. If you tried setting the default facing of some of your 'turret' unit escorts in different directions, and checking their flag to make them unturnable as escorts for your main unit, you can probably give each of those their own direction Search area and have what your looking for. I haven't tried this myself, but I thought it may be worth investigating.