100 replies to this topic

[Fusionwerks]

Here's an interesting question... can the ball be resized "on the fly" from other table events or does it have to be destroyed and recreated with different size?

[jpsalas]

Here's an interesting question... can the ball be resized "on the fly" from other table events or does it have to be destroyed and recreated with different size?

 

You can change the color and images in real time, but the size you need to destroy the ball and create it again.

[wiesshund]

Also, color and image changes look different when applied on the fly as opposed to applied on create.

[Fusionwerks]

Here's an interesting question... can the ball be resized "on the fly" from other table events or does it have to be destroyed and recreated with different size?

 
You can change the color and images in real time, but the size you need to destroy the ball and create it again.

Well that either kills an idea or makes it more challenging to pull off. I might need your help on that sometime

Edited by Fusionwerks, 22 September 2023 - 03:49 PM.

[wiesshund]

 

 

Here's an interesting question... can the ball be resized "on the fly" from other table events or does it have to be destroyed and recreated with different size?

 
You can change the color and images in real time, but the size you need to destroy the ball and create it again.

Well that either kills an idea or makes it more challenging to pull off. I might need your help on that sometime

 

 

Describe the events leading to the change of ball size?

[Fusionwerks]

Well I think I have it figured out, I have planned to make the upper play field lock kicker very small. In order to get the ball in the lock you need to shrink the ball down by hitting certain targets, hitting other targets will increase the ball size.
Unfortunately, I'm back to the same struggle again with triggering switches using the lastswitchhit variable. I think I have discovered that is not functioning correctly. I am having to figure that out first then I think I can get the rest going

 

update: im an idiot... the lastswitchhit is case sensitive

Edited by Fusionwerks, 22 September 2023 - 05:45 PM.

[wiesshund]

And the chhit hits the fan

[Fusionwerks]

ok, so i got it working, now i just have to put it in the table. there is a kicker with a trigger on either side. if you go in one way it shrinks the ball, if you go in the other it makes it larger (up to normal size) Here is the code:

 

'************************

'Ball Shrinkage

'************************

 

Dim SizeHits

SizeHits = 0

 

Sub MakeMeSmall_hit 'Trigger on the Right

LastSwitchHit = "MakeMeSmall"

If SizeHits < 3 Then

SizeHits = SizeHits + 1

End If

End Sub

 

Sub MakeMeBig_hit 'Trigger on the Left

LastSwitchHit = "MakeMeBig"

If SizeHits > 0  Then

SizeHits = SizeHits - 1

End If

End Sub

 

Sub Kicker003_hit

Kicker003.Destroyball

Select Case SizeHits

Case 0: Kicker003.CreateSizedBallWithMass BallSize / 2, BallMass

Case 1: Kicker003.CreateSizedBallWithMass BallSize / 2.667, BallMass

Case 2: Kicker003.CreateSizedBallWithMass BallSize / 3.334, BallMass

Case 3: Kicker003.CreateSizedBallWithMass BallSize / 4, BallMass

End Select

vpmtimer.addtimer 2200, "ReturnBall '"

End Sub

 

Sub ReturnBall

Kicker003.kick 0, 10

End Sub

 

here is the ball sizes:

[wiesshund]

 

ok, so i got it working, now i just have to put it in the table. there is a kicker with a trigger on either side. if you go in one way it shrinks the ball, if you go in the other it makes it larger (up to normal size) Here is the code:

 

'************************

'Ball Shrinkage

'************************

 

Dim SizeHits

SizeHits = 0

 

Sub MakeMeSmall_hit 'Trigger on the Right

LastSwitchHit = "MakeMeSmall"

If SizeHits < 3 Then

SizeHits = SizeHits + 1

End If

End Sub

 

Sub MakeMeBig_hit 'Trigger on the Left

LastSwitchHit = "MakeMeBig"

If SizeHits > 0  Then

SizeHits = SizeHits - 1

End If

End Sub

 

Sub Kicker003_hit

Kicker003.Destroyball

Select Case SizeHits

Case 0: Kicker003.CreateSizedBallWithMass BallSize / 2, BallMass

Case 1: Kicker003.CreateSizedBallWithMass BallSize / 2.667, BallMass

Case 2: Kicker003.CreateSizedBallWithMass BallSize / 3.334, BallMass

Case 3: Kicker003.CreateSizedBallWithMass BallSize / 4, BallMass

End Select

vpmtimer.addtimer 2200, "ReturnBall '"

End Sub

 

Sub ReturnBall

Kicker003.kick 0, 10

End Sub

 

here is the ball sizes:

 

 

wont work

the subs need to be named

 

Sub eat_me

 

Sub drink_me

[Fusionwerks]

Lol I thought about doing that too

[Sir Random]

 

ok, so i got it working, now i just have to put it in the table. there is a kicker with a trigger on either side. if you go in one way it shrinks the ball, if you go in the other it makes it larger (up to normal size) 

 

here is the ball sizes:

 

How do the bigger/smaller balls behave (physics) with the rubbers, rollovers, flippers, etc? 

[Fusionwerks]

ok, so i got it working, now i just have to put it in the table. there is a kicker with a trigger on either side. if you go in one way it shrinks the ball, if you go in the other it makes it larger (up to normal size) 
 
here is the ball sizes:

How do the bigger/smaller balls behave (physics) with the rubbers, rollovers, flippers, etc?

I'm not really sure yet, as I have only gotten to the point of creating them. I do know that the smallest ball goes right under the rubber bands in the inlanes. BUT these balls will be played on an upper playfield that will accommodate them. I think they might feel weird as they get smaller because they have the same mass as the normal ball, but to be honest I am not very good at detecting small nuances in physics like some folks. I think I will leave it as is and let the testers decide if it needs to be adjusted.

On a side note it is fun to play a table with a smaller ball. Whacking the crap out of a tiny ball with a huge flipper. I would have cracked the glass if it were really there

Edited by Fusionwerks, 23 September 2023 - 04:41 PM.

[wiesshund]

Physics should be same, aside from the obvious.

Ball mass is not changing

[Fusionwerks]

so I've decided to basically rework the entire ramp system to accommodate the upper playfield. I couldn't figure out an elegant looking way of diverting the ball from the ramp to the upper playfield when active, and still function the way I liked and continue down to the inlanes if it wasn't active. Anyway, I've decided to use the trap door method that I used in my Clue table. When the playfield is active the ramp moves up and there is a kicker underneath that will destroyball, and kick out onto the upper playfield. I have copied the ramps, and the code from the other table (exactly). So in testing all this I have hit a problem and I cant figure out what is happening:

Using 10.8

IF I am in normal play view (either full screen or "test desktop"), and activate the ramp by hitting the required switches, the animation does not occur, but I know the sub is running, because the ramps switch collide-ability. The ramp just doesn't move.

 

IF I start the donor table in the same normal play view and activate the switches the same way, the animation works correctly.

 

IF I start the table and activate the switches, THEN switch to live editor, the door is open!

 

IF I start the table and switch to live editor, THEN activate switches, the animation plays just fine. Also works fine by giving the command to open via the de-bugger.

 

Have i just lost my mind? Or is there something going on that I am overlooking?

 

UPDATE: I'm going to leave this stupidity up here in case it could help somebody else. It was the material I had set to the ramp. I forgot it needs to be "dynamic". I guess the live editor doesn't care what material it is, it animates it regardless. Good to know...

Edited by Fusionwerks, 27 September 2023 - 09:46 PM.

[Fusionwerks]

Just a quick update:

I have done a TON of Blender work in the past week. It was mostly learning. I swear I made each ramp 4-5 times, and each rail a couple too. But I am happy with the results. I'm not even sure if I even needed to convert the rails to 3d prims. The VPX rails looked good, but Blender gave me the ability to really smooth them out in the curves. It doesn't even look close to the same table I started out with in the first post, but now I have room for the upper playfield... which is the next project. I don't know what all will be on the mini playfield, but my definite plan is to have a loop that will shrink the ball if you go through one way, and enlarge the ball if you go the other. (up to original size) Once you are the "correct" size (smallest), the mouth of the doorknob will be the target to hit for the lock... 3 locks for multiball.. anything else that will be up there is secondary to the goal of locking the ball. again, I welcome any suggestions or ideas.

 

 

Edited by Fusionwerks, 02 October 2023 - 06:15 PM.

[Fusionwerks]

So I'm using JP's scripting from his Serious Sam 2 table. It has the typical ball rolling sound routines. It looks like it just changes the pitch of the ball rolling sound fx when the ball is above 30 to replicate the ramp and rail sound, but it continues the whole time the ball is on my upper playfield. Anyone know how to tell it to stop when the ball is up there? And how to start again when the ball "drains" and goes back onto the rail?

[wiesshund]

use invisible some ramp switches

 

dim a value
lets say dim onramp

 

when switch it hit

if onramp = 0 then

onramp = 1

else

onramp = 0

 

what it will do, when game starts onramp is of course 0

 

ball rolls into ramp, now its 1

ball finishes ramp, because it is 1 it gets set to 0

ball does not finish and rolls back down, because it got set to 1, it now gets set to 0

 

then in JP's routine make it so it checks the value of onramp as well

 

If you do multiball, then you would need to set the value per ball

like ballID(onramp) = 1 kind of

 

that is one idea anyways

 

ask JP, he may have a better suggestion

give him a few days to answer, he is traveling

[Fusionwerks]

That sounds close to what I was thinking, and I will do some looking to see how he has handled it in other instances. Multiball shouldn't be a problem since the upper pf is locked out during a multiball, so the ball would travel the normal route of the ramp

[STAT]

an interesting original ...

[dan_shane]

As much as I would love to see an Alice table using the original John Tenniel art, I'm still keen on seeing your Disney-based version completed. When that comes about, what would you think about allowing me to mod the game with Tenniel art replacing yours?  I'm not much of a coder, but I can find my way around graphics pretty well.

 

If this is toe-treading, I apologize. So far, I have only produced a graphics mod of LOST IN SPACE (Retro), but this game sounds like a second chance to contribute something -- naturally I would only do so with your blessing.