Custom Archvile Attack (A_VileAttack)

Hi, i'm new to the forums and currently working on my first mod. I've always wanted to make my own map series. But it's a unofficial expansion to DOOM2, so I like to extend with new monsters, items, powerups (etc) so I'm going to be coming here often to help with decorate. I'm not a coder and I had to force learn decorate just to do something!

Anyway, one of the new monsters is a Sniper that uses the Archvile's attack (A_VileAttack) to lock and autoaim a target that remains in sight. Everything seems fitting for it, but I don't understand why it doesn't load. On load it says:

Script error, "FLAMEGUY2.wad:DECORATE" line 52:
You cannot pass parameters to '('

Line 52 is "SPOS F 6 BRIGHT A_VileAttack("grunt/death",10,0,0,0.2,"None")"

Here's the full decorate for the Sniper

actor Sniper 803
{
spawnid 162

health 30
radius 20
height 56
mass 100
speed 8
painchance 170
SeeSound "grunt/sight"
AttackSound "grunt/attack"
PainSound "grunt/pain"
DeathSound "grunt/death"
ActiveSound "grunt/active"
Obituary "%o was assassinated by a Sniper."
DropItem "Clip"
MONSTER
+FLOORCLIP
states
{
Spawn:
SPOS AB 10 A_Look
loop
See:
SPOS AABBCCDD 3 A_Chase
loop
Missile:
SPOS E 10 A_FaceTarget
SPOS E 6 A_VileTarget("Snipetarget")
SPOS E 6 A_FaceTarget
SPOS F 6 BRIGHT A_VileAttack("grunt/death",10,0,0,0.2,"None")
SPOS E 15
goto See
Pain:
SPOS G 3
SPOS G 3 A_Pain
goto See
Death:
SPOS H 5
SPOS I 5 A_Scream
SPOS J 5 A_NoBlocking
SPOS K 5
SPOS L -1
stop
XDeath:
SPOS M 5
SPOS N 5 A_XScream
SPOS O 5 A_NoBlocking
SPOS PQRST 5
SPOS U -1
stop
Raise:
SPOS LKJIH 5
goto See
}
}

No need to post the missile, as it passes testing fine.
What is the problem?

Also if anyone has any advanced knowledge of decorate I like to contact you with some similar problems for other monsters, I really need decorate help.

Are you using Skulltag? A_VileAttack's parameters require ZDoom 2.4.0 or later. Skulltag is still based on ZDoom 2.3.1 from March 2009.

Oh, that's strange. How did you know that?

What should I load my game in then? I need a recommendation

You are most likely using an old ZDoom version. With my most recent build your code works fine. Remember, ZDoom 2.5.0 is almost 2 years old and misses several recent feature additions.

EDIT (or Skulltag...)

Ok but what should I use?

Skulltag's no good, what Zdoom should I play it with (what are you using?)

Get ZDoom 2.5.0 or GZDoom 1.5.6, or a development build from DRD Team.

Question. this map series is meant to be played single player or CO-OP. If I use these versions for testing, will my maps not working on zdoom versions like skulltag and zdeamon?

Will most people not be able to play it?

ZDaemon is incompatible with anything DECORATE, so don't bother thinking about it.

Skulltag should catch up eventually. They're concentrating on fixing up bugs at the moment (and are getting them fixed much faster now that it's open source). In the future it'll work.

So how do I play this with an online community? I hate to waste all the effort if no one's going to play

Oh man, once again the issue of there not being an online port synchronized with modern ZDoom :|