GUIApp Discussion

[machf]

Don't know about visibility, but it's obvious that if an object has Tangible = false, it would also have AI = false (sort of the AI value depending on the Tangible value unless manualy specified otherwise). Most likely, something like:

Code: Select all

if Tangible = false
{
  AI = false
}
else
{
  if AI can be read from T-script
  {
    AI = read from T-cript
  }
  else
  {
    AI = true
  }
}

Something similar would also happen with Moveable (an object can't be Moveable if it isn't Tangible in the first place).

[Big Red]

Some places have objects with bool AI = false, so that dinos are not interpreting so MANY things and thus have an easier time of making choices (mainly noticed this in the Lab - I think they must have tried putting raptors in at some point and then gave up)..

Yeah that *could* be an issue (there could be some sort of hardcoded "node" limit in the AI system, in which case it would be, or it could simply be a performance consideration, in which case it wouldn't, or it could be an AI pathfinding issue with lots of small objects or something, in which case it would; I'm just guessing), but I remember playing in the lab and the AI never exploded so it's hard to tell... Anyway it was always a "blanket" hack that removed everything including even beneficial AI=true boxes, so it's not surprising.

[Rebel]

I think objects with smaller masses (movable objects) are ignored by the AI as no doubt everyone has noticed Raptors in particular attempt to either push past or through crates and barrels. I've used float AIMass before, but I'm beginning to think that I've been using it incorrectly. More likely, it belongs (where I've seen it) inside a dino's scripting to calculate whether a particular dinosaur can push its way past the object lying in its path (determined by its mass) or needs to go around it.

[Draconisaurus]

Hmmmm..

Don't know about visibility, but it's obvious that if an object has Tangible = false, it would also have AI = false (sort of the AI value depending on the Tangible value unless manualy specified otherwise).
[...]
Something similar would also happen with Moveable (an object can't be Moveable if it isn't Tangible in the first place).

Well, I dunno about that. Could be wrong, but I could swear I've hidden from dinos behind intangible things before (though, I'd need to check again). Also look at the t-script ref:
http://www.trescom.org/docs/tscript.html#CInstance
Says AI is set to true by default. Tangible also happens to be set to false by default, so...

[machf]

I think objects with smaller masses (movable objects) are ignored by the AI as no doubt everyone has noticed Raptors in particular attempt to either push past or through crates and barrels. I've used float AIMass before, but I'm beginning to think that I've been using it incorrectly. More likely, it belongs (where I've seen it) inside a dino's scripting to calculate whether a particular dinosaur can push its way past the object lying in its path (determined by its mass) or needs to go around it.

Looks like there are two related values, MoveableMass and AIMass. MoveableMass tells dinos what's the limit of "mass" they can try to push or simply ignore when pathfinding, AIMass is the "mass" they perceive for an object. Both are in the range 0.0-1.0, so maybe the default is 0.5 when not specified...?
Raptors have a MoveableMass value of 0.51 (slightly above 0.5), Brachis have 1.0 (so they don't give a damn about anything), Rexes and Albertas have 0.95, Paras 0.6, Stegs and Trikes 0.8.
Raptors have AIMass set to 0.6, 0.6 and 0.4 for body, head and tail, respectively, Anne has 0 for Hand and Finger and 0.5 for Foot and Body, Trikes and Stegs have 0.9/0.8/0.6, Paras, Albertas and Rexes have 0.9/1.0/0.7 (?!), Brachis don't have values so the default may be 1.0, after all...
These values are from the Beta, I haven't looked at the retail dinos yet.

Hmmmm..

Don't know about visibility, but it's obvious that if an object has Tangible = false, it would also have AI = false (sort of the AI value depending on the Tangible value unless manualy specified otherwise).
[...]
Something similar would also happen with Moveable (an object can't be Moveable if it isn't Tangible in the first place).

Well, I dunno about that. Could be wrong, but I could swear I've hidden from dinos behind intangible things before (though, I'd need to check again). Also look at the t-script ref:
http://www.trescom.org/docs/tscript.html#CInstance
Says AI is set to true by default. Tangible also happens to be set to false by default, so...

That really doesn't mean anything. If you look at Andres' original t-script reference,it doesn't indicate a default value:

Code: Select all

bool 	AI 	 	If true and a dino has ActGetOut=true, the dino won't go into this bounding volume. I think the default value of AI is true if object is Visible, and false if it has Visible=false.

When I was trying to find out, I was using ATX and GUIapp to look at dino parameters, it may be that I looked at objects which had Tangible = true. But anyway, it's speculation, now it's a matter of looking again more carefully this time, to see how the Tangible and Moveable values have an effect on AI and other parameters.

[tatu]

The tips of the day;
Fixing objects hights without enter the game. (Since the terrian is buggy in TresEd, and do not show the right hight)

Just select the object in GUIApp and press F8 to enter playmode. The object will fall to the ground. Then press F8 again to exit playmode. Dubbleclick on the object and copy the position over to TresEd.

NOTE: Will only work if the object has moveable and not on door. The only "bad" thing with GUIApp is that it dosen't show the rotation numbers, so you might have to rotate your object in TresEd to get the perfect position.

[Draconisaurus]

Crap, it doesn't show rotations? Damn.

And fyi, Tatu is referring only to TresEd-generated (heightmap) terrain. Retail terrain should be perfectly usable without needing this technique

[Slugger]

Why even bother copying the object's position over to TresED? Just enter gameplay mode, drop all the objects to the ground, then save the level as a SCN.

[Draconisaurus]

Slugger, please That's the old make-shift method. It does not properly preserve some scene data, in various ways. Case in point - I tried to do this for NorthPoleChaos, but various triggers with starting functions (including delays) would not work properly. Sometimes the ambient sounds wouldn't play correctly. It's just not something I suggest, as trigger states can't be trusted.

The method of turning savegames into SCN files turned 100% obsolete the minute we had GUIApp. Just open a level in 'App and immediately save it as an SCN file.

And if what you're suggesting is to go around your entire level, hit objects to make them fall, go back to the start, and save, this is even worse of an idea since you'll be activating your triggers all over the place, changing their states.. I've also noted that when loading a savegame, volume of music is not turned down during voiceovers as it should be - dunno if this is a fault of the load method or the savegames.

[Nick3069]

GUIApp is still very inconvenient, you have to change to 16-bit mode and is not very stable compared to TresEd.

[tatu]

GUIApp is still very inconvenient, you have to change to 16-bit mode and is not very stable compared to TresEd.

GUIApp is quite stable infact. I used it alot. It depend on witch exe you useing.

[RexHunter99]

GUIApp is still very inconvenient, you have to change to 16-bit mode and is not very stable compared to TresEd.

GUIApp is quite stable infact. I used it alot. It depend on witch exe you useing.

No tatu,that's just dumb luck you've gotten so far. All the .exe versions crash at some point or other, there's virtually no error catching >.>

[tatu]

Does anyone know how to rotate objects in GUIApp?

[Draconisaurus]

I hear a wide range of stability reports on GUIApp. Some claim that all the EXEs are quite stable on their computer. The same applies to the Beta - I can't run it for more than 5-10 mins, and sometimes I can't run it at all, without it crashing. And yet some people, like Sam, rarely if ever had it crash on them. Older systems seem to handle it better, I've noticed, but Sam is running Vista so idk Don't be too eager to make assumptions about the stability of an app on another computer.

Does anyone know how to rotate objects in GUIApp?

Damn. Someone did figure out how to rotate on the Z axis. Maybe something to do with holding shift, or something? In fact I knew it at some point, but have forgotten..

[Vesiapina]

I hear a wide range of stability reports on GUIApp. Some claim that all the EXEs are quite stable on their computer. The same applies to the Beta - I can't run it for more than 5-10 mins, and sometimes I can't run it at all, without it crashing. And yet some people, like Sam, rarely if ever had it crash on them. Older systems seem to handle it better, I've noticed, but Sam is running Vista so idk Don't be too eager to make assumptions about the stability of an app on another computer.

I also have vista and I think the beta crashed maybe only once for me. Dunno about GUIApp yet, cause I don't know how to use it! Tutorials please..