Buildings Build Buildings

[BlademasterSlsh]

I know this constant stream of questions from me has got to be annoying, so I'll try to make this brief.

Title says it all. Is it possible to get a building to build a building, like a Gateway build a Cybernetics Core?

I've tried to get this by setting a button in Building 1 with the action function "Create Building-Protoss" and changed Building 2's dat requirements so that Building 1 can make it (and only Building 1). While I get a nice little building outline when I click on the button, no matter where I place it nothing happens.

(For those of you that are wondering what in the world I'm up to, I'll explain. I'm looking to mimic the SC2 Warp In mechanic. I THINK that if I can get a building to build another building, I can then make it build a unit the same way the SCV built the Vulture in this thread: http://www.warboards.org/showthread.php?t=35650

Then again, there is always the possibility I'm completely on the wrong path again, or there is a simpler solution, or something I haven't considered...)

[TheNomad]

Well. All I can say is that from what I know, only 2 people managed to this: A Blizzard employee (doh) and another dude. Oh yeah, no kidding, someone made that in 1.07. Pure exe edit. The problem with it was that it messed up the dat requirements so much that nothing else worked lol !!!! It was more a p-o-c rather than a mod, making the Command Center build only a Supply or Barracks. The problem was that they stacked too. (did I mention that all units lost their abilities ?). Still it was amazing, but I haven't managed to track down what it did since the exe was so messed up. It was able to build it while lifted off AND landed. Amazing, I know. And it wasn't one of those "lame" give the SCV the look of a CC things, but the actual building.

Still, from the result, I could see it was not worth it since the DAT req table (the one where you set all requirements about who builds what, who researches what, which upgrade needs what, what ability is used by which unit etc.) was really fubar-ed. But it was fun to watch :D

The other attempt was, as you know, by the Zerg. The only building that can do that is the Nydus Canal. All my attempts to hack it resulted in unstable results (not to mention that the units could, for example, teleport through a nydus and end up near a pylon after I don't even remember what I changed to make it display a different building lol...). Result was more or less satisfactory but whatever lol... It was attempted before too and had the same results as me iirc.

... back to you (yes I feel like a dinosaur telling stories from my youth :P). First of all, you have to understand the engine, as I said. I know it might sound annoying hearing it all the time, but I can't begin to emphasize how crucial it is. First of all, there are 5 main build functions and about 9 or so total build orders.
The 5 ones are:
1. build by SCV
2. build by Probe
3. build by Drone
4. build as Add-On
5. build by Nydus

Added to these, the other 4 are:
6. Continue the incomplete building after stopping
7. Warping (for Protoss buildings)
8. Mutating (for Zerg buildings)
9. Place Add-On (the part with the preview + lift-off t get to a new location)

Then you have the unit stuff:
- Train unit (global order for Terran and Protoss)
- Train Subunit (Interceptor/Scarab)
- Morph unit (for Zerg only iirc)

This should in fact tell you that no order is alike another. Basically just because you managed to say, make a supply depot on the other side of the map by a Hatchery, doesn't mean you can make a Gateway put a Zealot on the other side of the map. The code is different, the requirements are different and the list goes on.

... for short, not do-able without serious reverse-engineering (and even then... I am not sure it is do-able). Once I finish my exams I will give it ago and maybe depending on how many SC2 techs I replicate I'll consider working on an actual SC2 mod that I want to trigger the same "oohh aaahhs" that the Restoration with AoE did for those that figured out what I changed :P But no plans yet as I don't want to start something and decide it's a lost cause (unless Blizzard makes me a surprise by releasing something, at least more info about SC2, by the time I finish the exams and hopefully NOT 1.16 :P)

[di0nne]

tech, tech, and more tech's!

[BlademasterSlsh]

...I really don't feel like starting a new thread to get this question answered.

I'm trying to make the Thor from a building. I want to add sounds to it for all the standard unit speech. The boxes are grayed in on DatEdit, is there any way to get these sounds in or should I just store the graphic there and use a Hero as my Thor.

(Predicted answer: hard coded, learn more about the engine, look at what I can do...)

[edit] Another question. Can you add the glow from one unit to another? (Such as take the Wraith flames and give them to the Marine)

[Ling666]

[edit] Another question. Can you add the glow from one unit to another? (Such as take the Wraith flames and give them to the Marine)
I don't know enough about modding to help you with anything much, but I know this can be done. I saw a mod with the corsair engine effect on an scv and it was pretty good looking.

[TheNomad]

...I really don't feel like starting a new thread to get this question answered.

I'm trying to make the Thor from a building. I want to add sounds to it for all the standard unit speech. The boxes are grayed in on DatEdit, is there any way to get these sounds in or should I just store the graphic there and use a Hero as my Thor.

(Predicted answer: hard coded, learn more about the engine, look at what I can do...)

[edit] Another question. Can you add the glow from one unit to another? (Such as take the Wraith flames and give them to the Marine)

OK, I have to ask :P
Why would you want to convert a building into a Thor and not use a unit ?


As for the second thing, yes, it's possible. It's in iScript.

[BlademasterSlsh]

I felt like I was running out of heroes to use as units... and I was so tired I wasn't thinking strait. Right now one of my high priorities is to not use Protoss/Zerg units/buildings to make the Terran, and that may have feed into it a bit.

Another question that I'm not sure about one way or the other. I know that the iscript has in it's headers what images it uses (example: unit\terran\marine.grp), and that heroes (for the most part) have an identical iscript to their normal counterparts (Jim Raynor = Marine). I'm 80% sure that I could add the glow to Raynor without having it screw up the Marine by just tacking it into Raynors iscript, but something I've been wondering about is could the iscript be told to import an image file that isn't normally there (example: unit\terran\myunit.grp).

[edit]Nope, it doesn't look like I can just add the flame tail to Jim and not the Marine. However, I did do it right. It looks sweet :D

[TheNomad]

You need to edit the images.tbl file to add new entries, I believe.

[BlademasterSlsh]

ARGE!!!

I had the iscript going perfectly! I had the Medivac Dropship healing, I had the attacks going smoothly, I had the Banshee fully animated, I even had the Reapers jets! But now I've screwed it up and the Medivac isn't working...

*sob* I have to remember to back that up more often...

[TheNomad]

But now I've screwed it up and the Medivac isn't working...

Details... what did you change to make it work and what did you change that made it not work (as in differences from what you last saw as "working"). Just like before post a full list + include the symptoms of the bug (as in what is not working).

[BlademasterSlsh]

Working: Medivac would hover over a unit, it's engines would light up (But it wouldn't move) and the unit under it would proceed to be healed.

Current: Crashes if you look at a Medivac healing.

Changes: Attempted to switch the Marine jet glow to Kerrigan (so as to have only Reapers with jetpacks, not Marines). I made no changes to the Dropship text file, even though I seem to be unable to restore from that.

[edit] Fixed it... It wasn't the Medivac acting up, it was the Firebats it was trying to heal. Pulled the iscript from the Alpha and was able to patch it just fine.

[BlademasterSlsh]

Another unrelated question.

I'm looking to make a turret almost identical to the Missile turret, and I'm noticing the weird second set of turret images, slightly off color. What exactly are these?

[TheNomad]

Good job on your first debugging + fix :)
Which turret images do you mean exactly ?

[BlademasterSlsh]

missilet.grp images 17-33

These are darker than the normal, and I'm wondering if its suppose to be a shadow or something...

[TheNomad]

I believe it's unused.