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Pre-purchase questions

by Scottie Sirius · in Arcane FX (Public) · 11/07/2009 (12:55 pm) · 3 replies

I planned on buying AFX at some point anyway but I may need it sooner than later if it will help me accomplish one of my first goals. I'm not a programmer and don't really want to be. I'm trying to recreate a game I made on another platform with T3D as quickly as possible without spending a lot of time mastering TorqueScript. I don't have the time nor do I enjoy tinkering with code like a lot of people do. I have a programmer working on the underlying game mechanics and I'm working on things like basic level design, AI etc...so...'nuff said...lol...on to the questions...

1. In my first level I have an orc type AI that has a grenade or bomb type projectile to throw at the player. He also has a custom throwing animation. I have him working pretty well so far. He holds the bomb, chases the player and throws the bomb but I have no idea how to tie the throwing animation in for realism. Later I want to modify the effects etc too. I don't really want it to be a bomb but rather something more like a mudball that splats the screen on a direct hit. It looked to me like AFX might already have some type of "onFire>play this animation" abilties already scripted in. Is that the case? It just seems like it should be a simple matter of typing in the animation I want to play upon firing the weapon somewhere but apparently not. If it is, please clue me in!

2. It looks like the engine has to be compiled as part of adding AFX 2, is that correct? If so, does that mean I need the full version of MS Visual Studio? The Express version doesn't seem to work with T3D.


Thanks for the help Jeff.

Scot
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Associate Jeff Faust
Faust Logic, Inc.
#1
11/07/2009 (2:17 pm)
Question 2 first...

AFX2-for-TGE and AFX2-for-TGEA both compile just fine with MS Visual C++ 2008 Express edition. I was using the Express edition myself for a while, but for the last couple of months I've been using the Standard Edition of Visual Studio 2008. If Express doesn't compile T3D, then that's a recent development since T3D 1.0.1. I'll check on it, but I was building T3D with Express all Summer.

All versions of AFX2 are delivered with sources pre-merged with the engine and executables are already built just like in the engine. In theory you don't have to recompile, but it's best if you can.

Question 1:

First off, you should know that AFX is generally a scripted system. You can do an awful lot without writing any C++ code, but it's fairly limited what you can achieve without writing any TorqueScript. The good news is that AFX comes with lots of effect examples and you can often find something close enough to what you need so that you don't have to script an effect from scratch. Still, you have to wade into TorqueScript at least a little bit.

The most difficult part of your bomb throwing effect is the actual movement of the bomb once it leaves the thrower's hand, so if you already have that working I'd be curious how you are doing the throw.

One approach to the effect in AFX would be to implement it as an afxMagicSpell effect. You're obviously not doing a spell, but an afxMagicSpell has multiple stages that map well onto a throwing effect. In the casting stage, the bomb is represented as a client-only model effect constrained to the player's throwing hand during the wind-up part of the throwing animation. The casting stage is timed to end at the release point of the throwing animation, the bomb model it turned off, and the throwing animation continues with its follow-through motion. Simultaneously, afxMagicSpell enters the delivery stage in which the in-air motion of the bomb is handled by an invisible MagicMissile projectile configured to fly like a thrown object. A copy of the bomb model is constrained to the missile and appears to fly through the air as the invisible missile does. Upon impact, MagicSpell triggers some impact effects.

Too make more sense of this effect description and to further evaluate if AFX is right for you, I recommend that you take a look at the AFX2 User Manual, most of which is online at our wiki:
arcane-fx.com/wiki

Torque Owner Michael Branin
Default Studio Name
#2
11/07/2009 (2:20 pm)
I am compiling T3d 1.01 just fine using VS 2008 express.

Torque 3D Owner Scottie Sirius
#3
11/07/2009 (8:01 pm)
The problem is compiling for the web...I forgot that that was the issue. I'm making my game specifically to be played in a web browser and apparently the express versions won't work because "You need the ATL headers and libraries in order to compile ActiveX controls. ATL isn't part of the Express package."

However, it looks like for now, for the purpose of buying AFX, I can compile the game with the Express version, if needed, until I'm ready to put it on the web. I just was wondering if I had to fork over the cash for both right now in order to get the benefit of AFX.

Well, the throw is less than perfect as I haven't tweaked it at all yet. I'm just using the HandBomb script from Beta 5. I made the bomb.dts act as both the weapon and the ammo. Though I haven't really made a bombammo.cs projectile file yet and probably need to to get better control.

I don't have a problem with tweaking some code that already works. I just don't want to spend hours searching the forums for bits and pieces of code that may or may not work. It's too far beyond my ability and time. So...without looking over the info on the wiki, it looks to me like AFX will do the job I'm looking for at the moment and also a whole ton more as I move ahead.

Thanks for the info!

Scot