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rob
Senior Member
Lone Wolf Staff
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 8,232

Old February 22nd, 2006, 03:07 AM
This gives me a reasonable idea of what you have implemented and the problem you're encountering. However, what I'm still lacking is how the GAME SYSTEM works. I also need to understand the army construction mechanics that are outlined for the game system, as they pertain to this situation. In fact, this is the single most critical detail.

The most common problem with new authors is that they decide to solve things one way and get well down that path before they run into some sort of difficulty. Then they try to force AB to work the way they want it to, and it's not always possible. Think of it as having only a hammer in your toolbox. The hammer works great for many problems, but there are times you really need a screwdriver or pliers. Sometimes, the proper solution is to take a step backwards and try a different approach that will work smoothly for everything. That's where this forum can be extremely handy.

However, in order to assist in that, we need a detailed explanation of the game mechanics that you are trying to implement. We've got a good idea of how you've done things from your explanation, but you've run into a wall, and I honestly don't know enough about the game to be able to offer good advice. Outline the way platoons are composed within the rules. What can be added to them? What things preclude other things? How do basic troops work vs. special troops like the lieutenant? Etc.

Once we get that info, we'll know (a) where you're at and (b) where you need to get to. We can then try to figure out how to get you from (a) to (b).

Thanks, Rob

At 10:02 AM 2/21/2006, you wrote:

Quote:
>If the user selects the "Armor" option for the "Lieutenant" unit, you want the existing "Lieutenant" unit to be replaced with a different "Armored Lieutenant" unit. Is this correct????

Yes! Thats it exactly. The armored LT has diffrent stats, options available to it, etc.

>If I've understood correctly, that can't be done and it doesn't make any sense to try. The option on the Lieutenant unit can modify the Lieutenant. It can also modify the Platoon unit. But it cannot both delete the unit that the option is being assigned to and add a different unit to the Platoon unit.

Well, that explains why I was having trouble with it then [img]./modules/mdforum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] .

>I think the trick here is to create a single Lieutenant unit and an "Armor" option, just as you have already done. As part of the "Armor" option, you should use tags/scripts/whatever to modify the Lieutenant unit to properly reflect the changes of having the Armor. In the situations where you need to use the Lieutenant with an Armor option, assign the option to the unit via a link with as user-selectable link nature (e.g. "cost"). In the situations where you want the Armor forcibly assigned to the unit, use an automatic selection link nature (e.g. "auto"). You can create two separate links to the same option and assign each of them a different "Live" tag expression, where this tagexpr controls the conditions under which the link applies.

>I had thought of this one; the problem comes in that the armored LT has a very diffrent set of options availabe to it. I know how to use exclusion groups well enough I could switch all of that out, but it would leave a mess in the options panel. Right now, its almost filling the entire box, and there are a full stack of category tabs too, for just the LT; if I add in the Armored LT's version I think I may be hitting unuseable territory. Oh, what may help; this isn't armor as in change a stat because you have a sheild, this is a Marauder suit, sort of a Battletech kinda looking thing thats very configurable.

>It's also quite possilbe that I'm completely misunderstanding the situation. If so, please outline the problem in more detail so that I can grasp it. Please explain the army construction goal in plain English, since I need to understand the ultimate objective that you're trying to achieve. Please err on the side of too much information, since I probably am not familiar with the gam system, and extra info gives me the best change of fully understanding on the first try. Smile

*ROTFLMAO* My wife just said to tell you that long winded, boring explenations are my specialty, so here we go [img]./modules/mdforum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]. And, thanks by the way; I really do appredciate the long detailed answers for questions that are not phrased too well [img]./modules/mdforum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] .

My ultimate goal is to make selecting options as similar as possible across the file. What I have right now works, but causes you to need to pick something in a diffrent fashion.

What I have now is a unit Platoon, which has auto options of two squads and a platoon sgt. These are added in by using an option with a linked child entity. (Maybe Duh! On that, but I suspect there are other ways to achive the same result). You can also add a LT to the platoon, so I've got an option to do that. He can take one of 2 armor suits that replace all of his stats, have few of the same options, and many new options. So, in unit platoon, I set it up so that the LT is one option, the LT wearing the Suit 1 is one option, and the LT wearing Suit 2 is a diffrent option, and each of those options has a child entity of a unit that has all of the correct options, stats, etc. There is an exclusion group on those so that if you take one of those, you can't take another LT. The auto added platoon sgt gets to have the same choices, and you can add another platoon sgt who also gets these choices, so I set them up in the same manner.

That works. Its a lot in the options for that tab, but its not too bad.

Now, those auto adding squads in unit platoon can also have 0-2 of such suits in them. I couldn't find a way to remove a count from a unit (the squad starts with 4) so that if you added a suit you would get a stat line in the squad and one less in the count for the unit, so the unit squad has an option to add a suit unit via a child entity link, and you just get a suit unit that has a model count of zero, but it has all the options etc to configure the suit. Those options have a exclusion group to limit the number of suits taken.

This also works.

However, to add the suits, you wind up with two diffrent methods when you are in AB. If you want to add one to the squad, you click the squad, and add them through your options panel. But to choose them for the NCO's or the LT, you click on the Platoon, then them in a suit (or not).

What I am trying to achive, is have that similar equipment choosen in a smiliar fashion. I want the platoon to have the option to add the LT. Once he is there, if you click on him, his options would show you the two suits he can choose from. If you take one of the suits, the LT himself would come out of the platoon, and his armored unit would go into it instead.

So I think you can see the problem; in the squad, I'm just adding a unit to the squad, I get two sets of stats, one for the normal troops in the unit, and one for each suit added (since they can be configured diffrently, they needed to display on seperate lines). This works great as you can never take more suits than you have troops, so you need that extra unit; which of course has all its own options.

If I do the same thing with the LT tho, the original LT stays there, which dosen't work; as now a stat line displays that isn't correct, followed by the one that is correct. The current file works this way and its horrible; it looks like you have two units when in fact you have one; its easy to mess it up.

Make more sense now?
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