Making heroes that dont move...

[lugaru]

Hey, I was wondering if there is a way to make heroes that dont move. I created a few interesting bombs for summoners (slowly fills with energy, blasts sacrificing itself if a foe is near when full) and they worked fine but after running the AI generator they started to crawl again.

What I did originally is to make them have 1 speed and be armored which would bring it down to 0 I would guess. They stood in place, but bombs I cloned (copied the hero file, changed some parameters to make them do other stuff) actually crawled around.

Can I mess with this in the AI file? Do I HAVE to make them through FFEdit or can I continue with the style I'm doing of just making them through the ingame editor? Any advice would be appreciated and here is why:

Claymore mines for the Punisher (tested and worked for a while)
Weather altering devices (tested and worked but crawled around)
Healing stations (blasts heroes with healing powers every time the energy fills up)
Power Cancelers (area, enemy only power null attacks every time the energy fills)
etc.

I've got a dozen ideas for cool summon objects for people like Hank Pym, Reed Richards, Dr. Doom and other scientists. Next are "evil plot" items for people like The Joker (gas bombs that need to be destroyed before they go off) and for mystic foes (runes, summoning stations, wards, etc).

[electro]

Man you just blew my Mind with these ideas - Probably the best ideas i've heard in year - last good one was ussing the living laser & static meshes to give leaping chars a new move - Have you also given them the slow moving attribute - I see that you already got armored - Good work again Lugaru

[TrajkLogik]

I'm not sure, but maybe if you remove the TMove tactic line from the AI file, that might work. If not, then I believe that spawning them as objects, not as characters would be the way to do it. But that requires some scripting. The more I hear about this idea, the more I think that Utility Belt would be a good place to start in getting this to work. If you want, I can start playing around with it to see what I can come up with.

[lugaru]

Thanks elektro! I've got some evil plans listed elsewhere for "mad scientist - good" and "mad scientist - evil" attributes. One off random object summon.

TrajkLogik: I need to try that out when I get home. As for bringing 'em in as objects it works well for exploding items but in order for something to have attributes it is necesary for them to be characters, otherwise it would rock to see all buildings have a little bit of invulnerability so they are not knocked down by bullets. As for using Utility Belt it was my first thought but the AI does not seem set up to use it. I'm thinking that maybe a modified version of Angelic Ally that comes in with gadget henchmen (one) from a list of 4 to 6.

Example: Hank Pym activates "mad scientist - good" expending a hero point. He summons an invisible character (let's call it Pym Particles). The invisible character chooses one random henchman from the list, and produces "Gravity Trap". This is a non moving object that constantly spams "gravity pull" until it runs out of health, as it has the "borrowed time" attribute. My thoughts is to make a "gadget" dummy attribute with a high cost to make sure all gadgets cost the full 10k and are always the only minion.

[TrajkLogik]

As for using Utility Belt it was my first thought but the AI does not seem set up to use it.

I've been able to get the AI to use it.

I see what you mean about having atrtibutes for the objects, though. Invulnerable for buildings is a good idea. I'd have to put some more thought into it and see what can be done.

[GogglesPizanno]

Maybe Im making this too complicated (if it would even work), but couldn't you go into the hero file with a hex editor and set the value to "0"?

Interesting ideas nontheless.

[lugaru]

I might have to try what googles suggested... I edited my AI created by the ingame AI tool and got 50-50 results... most not moving but some did (using the same hero file). I'm looking forward to getting a day to just spend fooling around with Freedom Force stuff because this is going to be fun once working.

[electro]

What hex editer do I need to hex hero files? - The EZHero tool  doesn't allow for speed to be set at 0

[Kenn]

Speed can't be set to zero.   The default is 1.   The hero file adds a value between 0 and 9 to give a value of 1 - 10.  If you add the armoured attribute at speed 1 (i.e. default start value) it may subtract 1 and give you 0.

[GogglesPizanno]

I just had a thought what if you made the character a built in and gave it an AI of NONE. When using a hero file, its always going to assign it an AI of some kind (even if its just a generic hero one), so its always going to attempt to do something -- even if its slow.

It might be a good way to test the theory that AI has some effect on it.

[Epimethee]

Have you tried giving it the turret AI?

Brilliant bomb idea BTW.

[TrajkLogik]

If none of the ideas provided by others work, I could make a new AI tactic called TStop or TLock that would lock the character in place with a time limit (1-1000000000000000 seconds good enough?) similar to how the grappling swaps work. This would work on built-ins OR Hero Files.

[yell0w_lantern]

I just had a thought what if you made the character a built in and gave it an AI of NONE. When using a hero file, its always going to assign it an AI of some kind (even if its just a generic hero one), so its always going to attempt to do something -- even if its slow.

It might be a good way to test the theory that AI has some effect on it.

Yes, that does work for built-in characters. If you test out Baba Yaga in Son of Customforce-X she has a summon attack that calls forth a stationary egg which eventually "hatches" into a raptor (accidental change with the egg as the involuntary form).

[herodad1]

this is the same question/problem i asked awhile back and had the same trouble.ive got the ffx mappack and in it are dajavu's clone gun turrents but green.anyway in the rumble room you can load 10 of them and when the game starts they will be randomly scattered around and will fire when your within range.they fire the energy shot.my idea was have diff. turrents that fired diff. things but also stayed in one spot.they would shoot ice,fire,electricity,ect but when i tried to make diff. versions they would move around.never got the stationary thing to work.

[lugaru]

I will try the built in route since I intend to hopefully release all that as a mod anyway. I've got a lot of turret ideas and having them already pre-made will make life easy for crazy rumble room junkies.

[herodad1]

i always looked at the diff. turrent idea as being used in an x-men danger room session or doc dooms built-in defenses.even could be the avengers/ff defenses for their headquarters.

[electro]

If none of the ideas provided by others work, I could make a new AI tactic called TStop or TLock that would lock the character in place with a time limit (1-1000000000000000 seconds good enough?) similar to how the grappling swaps work. This would work on built-ins OR Hero Files.

If you make i will use it

[BentonGrey]

Wow, there are some really neat ideas here, Lu!

[yell0w_lantern]

The No AI solution should only work if you want a passive thing. A turret needs to be able to pick targets and fire so that would not quite fit the bill. I would think that your best bet would be to hope that turret AI and Object class handle that for you.

[Mystik]

i might be wrong but i think if you set the move radius to 0 the character will behave like a turret

[yell0w_lantern]

never tried that; couldn't hurt.