UT Style game 'Mutators' in Torque?
by Davis Ray Sickmon, Jr · in Torque Game Engine · 06/14/2002 (6:35 am) · 8 replies
I've got something I just started looking at, and wondered if anyone had much thought about the same thing.
In Unreal Tournament, one of my favorite features are the 'mutators', a system of adding various minor changes to the game before starting up the server. The greatest part about them, IMHO, is that you could mix and match mutators as you desired for the most part - add Low Gravity, Instagib, Fat Boy all at once, and you've suddenly got a bit of a different game than you did before!
Anyway - has anyone else loooked at something like this for thier Torque based game? I can visualize part of it pretty easily - have a nice UI that lists the various mutators, and when the admin selects 'em, it chances a mutatorpreferences files, and when the game starts, it execs the mutatorpreferences.
BUT - the thing that I keep wondering about load order of the mutatorpreferences. If, say, the crossbow projectile datablock is already exec'ed, but before the game has finished setup, can you load in a a new crossbow projectile datablock, overwriting the previous datablock, or is it always first come first serve? Same questions for functions - if you exec two different scripts that have the same function, does it use the first one, or does it replace the previous one?
If I do build one up, I'll be sure to contribute it back to the community :-) (I love the mutator system of doing things, so I'd love to see it in other games too ;-)
In Unreal Tournament, one of my favorite features are the 'mutators', a system of adding various minor changes to the game before starting up the server. The greatest part about them, IMHO, is that you could mix and match mutators as you desired for the most part - add Low Gravity, Instagib, Fat Boy all at once, and you've suddenly got a bit of a different game than you did before!
Anyway - has anyone else loooked at something like this for thier Torque based game? I can visualize part of it pretty easily - have a nice UI that lists the various mutators, and when the admin selects 'em, it chances a mutatorpreferences files, and when the game starts, it execs the mutatorpreferences.
BUT - the thing that I keep wondering about load order of the mutatorpreferences. If, say, the crossbow projectile datablock is already exec'ed, but before the game has finished setup, can you load in a a new crossbow projectile datablock, overwriting the previous datablock, or is it always first come first serve? Same questions for functions - if you exec two different scripts that have the same function, does it use the first one, or does it replace the previous one?
If I do build one up, I'll be sure to contribute it back to the community :-) (I love the mutator system of doing things, so I'd love to see it in other games too ;-)
About the author
#2
06/14/2002 (6:50 am)
(Quizzical look) Wouldn't that mean that you could only run one mod at a time? The point behind the mutators would be that you could run any combination of them - in fact, reguardless of the mod for the game as long as it has the proper internal support for it. Maybe I missunderstand your meaning there...
#3
06/14/2002 (6:56 am)
However, I did answer part of my own question (just tested it - duh. Took less time than askin' about it ;-) If you have two datablocks with the same name (or two functions witht the same name) it uses the last one loaded. I think I see the near-perfect way of doing this ;-) 
#4
greetings
Daniel
06/14/2002 (8:19 am)
Our idea for realizing mutators is the use of packages which are activated or deactivated.greetings
Daniel
#5
06/14/2002 (8:52 am)
If you look at Tribes 2 closely they have something 'similar' for loading and unloading their gametypes, although you can't run more than one at a time I think the system could easily be adapted to do so.
#6
06/14/2002 (8:55 am)
I'd have to have Tribes 2 before that tactic would work ;-) I actually think I've got it all tracked down how it would work best, and am coding it at the moment. If it all works, and after I've got the beta cycle completed for Trajectory I'll post all my code for it as a resource for others to use.
#7
06/14/2002 (9:13 am)
Look at packages
#8
The biggest problem to overcome is reinitializing settings for the next map, if I remember correctly. IOW, the disc would still bounce on the next map. lol.
Here's a link that may give you more insight (or confuse you more). tribes2maps.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2641&highlight=nitro
(BTW, why don't these forums have auto-URL?!?rofl)
06/14/2002 (10:01 am)
I had done some mutator-like changes with a TRON map for T2... made the spinfusor bounce; grenades leave a rainbow-like trail; sounds; etc. The biggest problem to overcome is reinitializing settings for the next map, if I remember correctly. IOW, the disc would still bounce on the next map. lol.
Here's a link that may give you more insight (or confuse you more). tribes2maps.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2641&highlight=nitro
(BTW, why don't these forums have auto-URL?!?rofl)
Torque Owner Very Interactive Person
All you have to do is make different mod folders, then let the user decide wich one to run. (command -mod modname... but could easely be made with an interface I think)