Physics Enabled Objects Triggers

[Strepto]

Having played MTA for quite a while, and having made quite a few maps, I've thought of one feature that I think might boost creativity for map makers.

When you place a physics enabled object in the map editor, it will not move until a certain force is applied to it when you play the map.

This works just fine if you want objects to stay still at the start of the map, until someone runs into them. But let's say you just had your heart set for a "Indiana Jones" type of map, like running away from a big rolling rock that could potentially flatten you into a squishy little man-cake (read pancake).

Of course, I don't know how this would be done. I reckon that in singleplayer all physics enabled objects are "moved" when they come into draw distance (or before). Just like you may have seen vehicles do sometimes, or perhaps I'm confusing this with some other MP mod.

Just an idea, and not at all the most important one. But still, could be a handy feature in the future. What you think?

[darkdreamingdan]

This will hopefully be possible in future. Maybe they'll sync dynamic objects

[DarkDragon98756]

Well in the video you can see physics objects moving practicly the same way. Plus this:

[Strepto]

Darkdragon, you don't understand...

I suggested a feature that makes it possible for physics object to start move at the start of the map. physics enabled objects are synched, i get it. But the will not move until someone pushes them.

This is what I would like to "fix", so that when you start a map, all physics enabled objects start moving. That is, if one of those boxes were placed in the air when making the map, then at the start of the map it will fall and land on the ground. Or if placed on a slope, it will roll/slide down it until it settles at the bottom.

[DarkDragon98756]

Darkdragon, you don't understand...

I suggested a feature that makes it possible for physics object to start move at the start of the map. physics enabled objects are synched, i get it. But the will not move until someone pushes them.

This is what I would like to "fix", so that when you start a map, all physics enabled objects start moving. That is, if one of those boxes were placed in the air when making the map, then at the start of the map it will fall and land on the ground. Or if placed on a slope, it will roll/slide down it until it settles at the bottom.

Oh. Well it's probably not to big a deal. They're just frozen when the maps start. What do you want them unfrozen for anyway?

[MrJax]

Oh. Well it's probably not to big a deal. They're just frozen when the maps start. What do you want them unfrozen for anyway?

He just told you..

so that when you start a map, all physics enabled objects start moving. That is, if one of those boxes were placed in the air when making the map, then at the start of the map it will fall and land on the ground. Or if placed on a slope, it will roll/slide down it until it settles at the bottom.

[Strepto]

Preferably I would like the SDK to have a trigger function for each physics enabled object, so that you can tell for instance an explosive barrel to stop falling after X seconds.

I just think it would spawn some interesting map ideas if this was possible, especially in the form of "WTF?!? Exploding barrels are falling on us!!".

Just figuring it's a reasonaby fun feature to add, that hopefully doesn't take too much time for the devs to add. Rather that than asking for something that would be awesome, that takes weeks to make.

[bloodeye]

So basically MTA SA, but with HL2 Havok engine, lol. You can put rocks on a hill, and when you hit it it rolls down, but GTA physics suck

[Jigga]

They don't suck, they are just too basic, that's all.

[Leviathan]

well, better bad physics, than ragdoll physics (imagine what could happen on car collisions in race )

[DarkDragon98756]

Oh. Well it's probably not to big a deal. They're just frozen when the maps start. What do you want them unfrozen for anyway?

He just told you..

so that when you start a map, all physics enabled objects start moving. That is, if one of those boxes were placed in the air when making the map, then at the start of the map it will fall and land on the ground. Or if placed on a slope, it will roll/slide down it until it settles at the bottom.

I mean specifically. What's he looking to do in the map?

[MAD_BOY]

maybe he's thinking of an indiana jones style map with a huge rock rolling from behind?

[Strepto]

MAD_BOY understands I think.

But in order for the rock to fall (as it is today), you'll have to have a player push it, in order to make it roll.

I just want it to roll automatically when the map starts (or after a set time, with the SDK that is).

I think it might spawn some interesting maps...

[CoZ]

yes .. please i want it too

ps , this is a fairly good workaround

have player touching the rock at start

i used nrg500 for visibility , but i suggest a slow vehicle

.. rocks fall slower than players

especially in air - unlike in the real world where everything has the same gravity

[Strepto]

coz, thank you for that pic!

should help clear things out

btw, falling speed is determined by the vehicles max speed, the nrg 500 falls the fastest, while a vehicle like a tug will fall really slowly.

I would like to explore the potiential of dropping things onto an explosive barrel, rather than having rocks fall after the players

[DarkDragon98756]

Did my last post get deleted? :\

[Leviathan]

I've allso made such constructions, but becouse of bad sync with the objects (good the team makes work of it) not all the players will get smashed away by rocks then.

Instead of sacrificing one player to start the chain (the unlucky one will start with a disadvantage), create a thin floor and some objects that can move (like a dumpster, suits perfectly with it's shape) and make it, that most part of it hangs under the platform and only a little part of it on the topside (test with the perfect set up), let it fall down some distance and place some explosives at a save distance so it wouldn't hurt any drivers, then let the explosion climb up the mountain out of sight (like a domino effect) and let the explosion hit the rocks so they started to fall I've allready tried this myself and it worked actually good, the only problem is the sync, so not all players will get the rocks triggered.

When the race starts the first player will drive over the dumpster and triggers the whole progress (you can make multiple dumpsters on a row to increase the chance of a falling dumpster, you know how strange the start of a race could be )

So I hope the object sync will be way improved next release

[paul527]

I like these ideas you got man....

Anyways why does it seem so hard for people to grasp what he is suggesting? Hes trying to say that objects should have their physics activated at the map start (or maybe when someone comes in a certain proximity)... not through player interaction of any kind...

(ie; Gravity makes things fall without touching them)

and i noticed that people dont talk much about San Andreas' physic engine... (maybe they're like me and dont care) but in games like UnrealTournament its seem like they make a big deal about it...why?

[Strepto]

Hmm, I just had an idea, thanks to Leviathan

Let's say that triggering physics on objects isn't the problem, let's say that the sync is the problem. If so, maybe the team decided to freeze every physics enabled object at the start of a map, in order to remove any risk that the lack of sync might mess up a map.

If objects can be synched well enough, I should hope it will be possible to trigger physics objects (and other objects), thus allowing for further creative mapping. Game modes like: "Get out of "somewhere" before the gate closes!" where after X seconds some object falls into place, blocking the way out.

But controlling physics triggers is probably where to start.

paul527:

The physics in GTA:SA aren't the most realistic, since if they were it would take up much more CPU time. And cause problems for lower-end PC's. So if it isn't extraordinary, why boast about it?

[Leviathan]

well isn't the GTA world built up by line of sight? like the VEARY annoying popup if you are driving on the road with a car you dont want to damage, you look back, and when you look forward again there pops up some stupid slow driving car in front of you.

I've been doing a lot of tests on a lan with a buddy with the ingame sync

if you are both looking at the same time to the object all will go fairly well (there are some exceptions), but if you loose vision on something, it stops syncing, thats allso why the explosive barrels will get recycled on other people's pc who pass by later. They haven't seen the other guy explode and their pc doenst know the explosive is gone.

Wich is the main reason of the bad gameplay in "break" (one of my favorite maps, but not loved by the main public) people with bad pc's or players that look away dont recieve the information some pieces of the map are broken down. wich will give the glitchy effect when you see people driving over the air, falling down (your pc calculates the falling of the players) but warp back again to their original position when the internet information comes true.

So I it the team is testing the object sync now (I think, after seeing the screens) but have you guys allready tried it while some players were on the other side of the map and did they allso see the objects on their original positions?

[Strepto]

I have seen the sync problems, and it is certainly due to drawdistance (keeping in mind which way you've pointed your camera).

Object destruction can be synched fairly easy I think, you only need 1-2 bytes of information to announce the destruction of an object.

However, should a player move an object (continously, and in different directions) then the sync will be as costly as that of a player.

So maybe it's safe to say that, if physics objects cannot be synced well enough to offer the same experiene to all players, then I don't think the team will consider making these "triggers" I want. However, scripted movement of other objects (like a door slamming shut) is something that would allow for a similar freedom in map making. Like: After X seconds, object 1 will move to X=... Y=... Z=... or by some other trigger. It may not be physics, but it will allow for greater creativity and new cool gamemodes.

[paul527]

thanks strepto

[Leviathan]

the syncing will be a lot of work, but still I hope it will get done.

I've made some maps with veary special use of objects with I don't spoil yet to prevent clones but got to the sad conclusion the object sync was too poor to let these maps work, so I'll save them for later, hoping one day will be the day I can successfully test them with my friends and throw them online.