HL2 RPG (cont) Created 14 years ago2010-02-07 19:38:17 UTC by Notewell

I/m not sure, buttttt

I FINALLY got the code to compile and run in the game!
So the first test was changing the RPG speed to 200, so you can steer it around FOREVER!
Anyway now i can move on to bigger and better things! For example, the Experience system

Great!
I've been thinking it would be nice to have a few new weapons/weapon variants; Here's that I've gotten so far.
Stunstick- With glow if possible. More dammage, slower rate of fire than crowbar, like in HL2DM. HL2 has the v_ model, so it shouldn't be a problem outside of code, which would be mostly copy-pasta from the crowbar.
Ration package- Not a weapon per se, but weapon_citizenpackage already exists, it would just be a matter of getting a v_model. (there is one on FPSBannana somewhere, but we'd need permission from the author, possibly even to modify if we get to the point where we have more than one 'suit'.) Would heal the player, with 5 charges. (See inventory concept)
It'd be nice to have more weapons at some point, with attachements that can be used through the inventory, and some special ones (eg. 'Van Burren's Glock', recived from an elderly Black Mesa survivor or something)
Obviously you can't do this all on your own yet, because you've just started with C++. We'll need help, modelers, more coders, more mappers, the works, if we're to get this going as a full scale project.
But let's focus on getting the core stuff down, and see what happens first. I'm getting ahead of myself again.
Also, I was skimming the other page, and remembered this:

We could do the conversation LOZ style (legend of zelda.) Imagine ocarina of time. Like you start a conversation, and everything freezes outside of the conversation....

And you're right, that would be harder, because we'd need code that gives exceptions for AI disable, plus it'd have to freeze physics, pause BGS, ect. And then do the opposite of all that.
I'm rambling again, yeah?

What we truly need is a Bag Of Holding

It'd certainly be easier to implement a 'danger radiu's for conversation (if enemy is within like 256 units conversation cant start, or defaults to - "i hear something" or, "Stop talking, and kill that thing!"), and if the player or npc takes damage (if the npc CAN be damaged) Then the conversation is broken.
Bag of holding... As an inventory system? Details plz, stu

I'm having trouble finding all the code i need to modify. These tutorials are rubbish. It's not that i'm new to code, i'm new to seeing a structure of code that interacts with eachother... Plus its a HL2MP tutorial, and the names and line locations are COMPLETELY different.

All in all - Calling out for coder to help me out!

Any inventory can be maxed out (you don't have infinite room in your pocket, do you?), and a Bag Of Holding is an item that can contain more items without taking up more space.

I think the talk page (if it's the XP system on the valve wiki) has directions on SP implementation.
Also, it should be both a radius and PVS for the conversation system to work. It should disable the ability to aquire NPCs as targets and attack, though, because there could be complex/essential branches for information/items that it would be a pain to have to restart.
Stu: maybe a backpack that can be upgraded to hold more items?
EDIT: Hey tet, could you please set it up as an OB Sourcemod as opposed to an Episode 2 mod? This would mean we can't use Ep2 content, but It would also allow me to run it- I don't have Ep2 yet, and if I did, I wouldn't be able to download the GCFs with my cap.

For now, it'll have to stay Orange box. As we need models and textures to work with.
Going for source mod alone, we'd need to create EVERYTHING from scratch - that's too large and undertaking to commit to at the moment.

And as for the singleplayer implementation, i've been following that, but i cant find the .cpp files that are the equivalents to the hl2MP .cpp files.

I have the server side mods down, but for client side, I just dont know which files to modify.

I just can't see myself working on something big that I can't test, sadly.
If this is still going when I get Ep2 and find a way to download it, then I will contribute, but... If it has more than just the shared, HL2 and OB shared content, I can't do anything for you.
I'll try to add ideas when I can, though.

Tha's all i ask right now jeffmod.

Weapons! I have ideas for weapons!
1) Molotov: Sure, it's been done in L4D and L4D2, but it was originally in the HL2 beta, and there's something to be said about throwing firebombs.
Workings: Basically a cross between a grenade's timer and a SMG grenade's impact explosions, with env_fire liberally added around the blast radius. Fire!
2) Walther PPK/Glock 17: Could be any pistol that's been commonly fitted with a silencer in the past, but these two are my personal favorites. Secondary fire toggles the silencer, if it's equipped to the pistol. Silencer allows stealth killing.
3) Sniper rifle: Either a more mobile version of the Combine Sniper, or a bullet-based one. Less damage than the crossbow, but faster to get to it's target. Possible silenced as well, if it uses bullets.
4) Stunstick: HL2-DM style. Files already in HL2, just need to code it back in for player use.
5) Knife: Same as crowbar, but with slash damage instead of blunt, more damage, and slightly less range. (I think the crowbar uses blunt, anyway)
6) New weapon scripts: I have a weapon soundscript replacement that gives the pistol the close up sound, and the NPC's AR2 the Player's AR2 sound, for consistency. Comes with a slightly improved pistol sound (Both channels of the sound are now identical, so the sound doesn't sound like it's coming from the left of where it is. Let me know if ya want it.
EDIT:
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/HL2_snippets Ignitable ragdolls would be nice, and if it's possible, could you make ragdolls always spawn as if they were killed by the airboat? (They always seem to turn into expensive ragdolls when you hit them with it, with the ability to get decals on them and collision with more stuff than just the ground)

I like all those ideas. But lemme get the exp code done first. I still cant get it and i dont want to frustrate myself too much with this.

Maybe i should seek out a HL2 coding forum.

Glad you like the ideas.
They shouldn't be overly hard, but yeah, ask around for the XP conversion.

EDIT: I read Chris Livingston's blog posts about STALKER: Call of Pripyat, and I realize what was wrong with HL2's AI. It's only for combat. There are no idle activites, and the actbusy system, which could have been used to that effect, was tossed aside after the opening levels, aside from some scripted sequences on the coast.

If this mod were to get an animator, you could rectify this; Imagine soldiers salvaging parts, or refugees lying against trees near campfires. Soldiers talking when they're fully idle would be cool too. There's a lot of stuff that could be done with they actbusy system and some code for idle talking, given the right sound files and animations.

I will say I have always prefered the Deus Ex style of inventory storing. A 10x10 grid. Larger items take up more space. Like a Guided Rocket Launcher took up 2x4 grid spaces. A long shotgun took up 2x3 and a sawn-off took up 2x2. A grenade took up 1 space but you could stack 10 grenades of the same type in a single grid space.

I've seen a similar inventory system before- It could work, but it really depends what would be easier- a visual grid, or just a max number of spaces and items take up different amounts of space.
I dunno. It's up to the coders and VGUI artists in the long run.

the deus ex inventory system could be sweet. and we could implement a bag of holding that takes up like 2x3 but has another half grid inside it.

Something else I realized bugged me- The AI in most games has super hearing and 20/20 vision, even in the dark. If possible, the AI should have a higher sound minimum, so you can walk by their back without them noticing you, if you're at a good distance.
They should also have trouble seeing you at a distance, when you're partially hidden, or hidden in the shadows/low lighting, doubly so for any combinations of these. Especially if you're not moving/not moving much.

i agree completely Jeff, but AI in games don't see darkness or bushes (if you're hidden) they see ones and zeros.. It's hard to mimic actual human behavior and right now, i wouldn't know where to start with that.

Me neither. But still, it's the most annoying thing in games today- there is no excuse for developers doing it.

I've heard that in the original version of Uplink, grunts couldn't see you if you were in the shadows. No idea if it's true, but if it is, I don't know why it would be left out of any modern game.
EDIT: Some tutorials for features you/we may want in the future, once it gets off the ground (also includes a list of programming sites that you've probably already seen):
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/First_Person_Ragdolls
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Programming_Sites
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Rain_splashes
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Gibs

Developers code AI entirely around the type of gameplay they have in mind. It would be a waste of time and money for them to do a heap of unnecessary work. Your ideas about sight/darkness are present in games like Deus Ex and Thief because those games either rely on, or give you the option of stealth. Half-Life 2 doesn't.

I see a lot of random, unrelated ideas being thrown into this thread, but still no solid plan for story and setting - how can you tell if something is suited to it? Seems like a great way to set something up for failure, to be brutally honest.

Yes, an old tutorial showed how to do that. It would measure the brightness of the floor the player was standing on, if it was too dark, then it changed the player class from PLAYER to SHADOW. That way, enemies with NV goggles or whatever could still see the player. but that was as basic as it got.

My opinion too strider, which at the moment i'm trying to stay focused on coding this experience system. But i still can't figure it out.

I'm taking a few steps back and jumping into the valvewiki beginner coding tutorials.

We have two storyline ideas, both with their own setting.
We just need a bunch of people to vote for their favorite- Strider, you're an admin, we...
don't... even... HAVE a poll right now...
Well, I think you can see where I was going with that idea- Have all of TWHL vote.

all of twhl? i think that'll just turn into a mess. I'm not even sure who is on the team right now. I know it's strider and myself. But once the initial coding is finished i'm not even sure where we can go at this point. But we do need a storyline, that is for sure.

I think we should do as much as we can as far as combining the storylines go.
I guess I'm in too far to not contribute... I've still got that hydroelectric dam hanging around, plus the 'slums' area. (Which doesn't look to 'slummy' yet. :\)

Disco Stu has only provided ideas. And won't contribute with mapping or coding. Does that count?

Of course it counts. This is the development stage. Any and all ideas are accepted until a main storyline is concluded. Even the wacky ones may fit in.

I just need to get in touch with strider, and between the two of us (we birthed this whole idea in the first place) we shall decide on a direction.

There should be a global for alignments and stuff that can be activated through code or the maps.

For example, if the player is a rebel, the citizens will be friendly towards him/her, while if the player is a CP, the CPs will, and citizens will fear/hate him/her.

Being a rebel or neutral would allow citizens to sell the player items, and being a CP would disallow it.
CP status would allow more freedom of movement without combat in cities, and free SMG and Pistol ammo, plus more access to other CP gear.

Rebel status would allow access into resistance bases, and make it easier to get rebel weapons like the crossbow and molotovs, ect. It could also make it easier to get a Field pack (Bag of Holding in HL2 world- It's the top pack the rebels with three backpacks have) and whatnot.

So the player would have choices to make, and they affect the ability to enter areas without combat and get gear.
And with each piece of clothing, there would have to be a new submodel for the v_ models in the final product. Of course, we need a modeler for that.

Let me know if you want me to go into further detail for any of these ideas.
It'd also be cool to be able to disguise yourself as a CP, Rebel, or Soldier when you're alone, and have the globals change for that side until you take off the disguse or provoke an enemy- this would only work when you have both the suit and headgear for the unit you're disguised as.

Idk jeffmod. I think you're expanding too much. I'm thinking of more like a final fantasy sort of rpg. There's the main quest (storyline) but there's a number of beneficial side quests you can do to gain special weapons / abilities / level up faster....

We need a storyline, and we need an alpha, then we can work out the details.

I was thinking the player could arrive in the first city on a train, having a nightmare/memory about something as an intro sequence.
Something along these lines:
Dream/Memory sequence- A cutscene wherin the player is running from something, perhaps a hunter that's knocking doors off their hinges, shooting people, ect. Uninteractive, short, but heart-pounding. The sound of a train horn sounds as the cutscene ends.
Then the player gets to choose their character, gender, base model, submodels/flexes, ect.
The player is awakened by a man on the train shaking them awake- the train has stopped, and is empty except for the player and the man. The player gets up.
Details for this idea:
Location: City 15
Approx time: About 2 years before Freeman arrives in C17.
The player, after a short conversation with the man, gets assigned a section of the city- Predinct 15. (Reloaction cupon in inventory, stating where they are and predinct?) They can go through the forcefields leading to that predinct, and that sector of the city is the first area of the game.

That's all I have for intro ideas ATM. I really think we should steer the story away from Freeman either way, because we've all experienced him, and probably have a set persona for him, what he would do, what he wouldn't. We don't want to tamper with that, or force players to do so with their versions.

Ideas/Feedback/Critisisms/Alternate intros?

Yes. I vote for gman giving an unskippable 20 minute speech detailing the game

...And then you will...dessstroy... the combine APC...
Or if you have chosen to... JOIN... the combine... you will...

Hmm... JeffMOD has a point with the whole avoiding freeman thing. As this mod would rely on NPC - player interaction... and we all know how much freeman loves talking....

As for the intro, i think we should start slow. Define the players history, where he came from, why he's being relocated.. Maybe the hunters could play some role.. they invade his hometown and wrangle all the townsfolk onto trains.

I was thinking that citizens would have a complex underground railroad set up for refugees- Perhaps the player was on it at one time or another, trying to find a relative or something along those lines.
Of course, if we're going to define the player's history, we have to do so loosely, with conversation choices. After all, immersion in RPGs where the character is player-created is tied to them being able to make their own stories.
EDIT: I had a quest idea last night while playing goldeneye. What if there was an attack on a rebel base, and when reinforcements arrived, everyone was dead- they made a casualty list, reported back, but got attacked and killed before they could leave. One of the rebels thinks it was an inside job, because the reinforcements said there were 17 deaths- there were 18 rebels at the station. (numbers may vary) So he wants you to go into what is now combine territory and retrive the list, so he can find who was the mole. Another quest tied to it would be to kill the mole after they are identified.