Eternity docs update in progress

[Quasar]

Just to keep everyone posted, the routine pre-release update of Eternity's vast HTML documentation package is currently underway. This is going to take a bit longer though, so I'm still not committing to any particular release dates. SoM is also still working on some stuff that may get thrown in at the very last minute :)

[dmdr]

Excellent!

Out of interest, are we going to see any new EDF functions in this version? The FireCustomBullets codepointer is good, but a little limited (as in, I'd like to see the ability to have user defined accuracy, as opposed to just 'always accurate' 'never accurate' 'SSG accuracy' etc. etc.).

[Quasar]

A new set of codpointers was just added, actually, which enable the use of counters on player weapons. WeaponSetCtr, WeaponCtrOp, WeaponCtrJump, WeaponCtrSwitch, and WeaponCopyCtr, IIRC. These are basically weapon versions of the "frame scripting" pointers already available for monster logic control. Each weapon has 3 counters, and the Jump and Switch pointers can affect either of the weapon or gun flash psprites.

The problem with allowing "user defined" accuracy is that there are only 5 args to codepointers, and FireCustomBullets already uses them all. If you want user-defined accuracy, it will have to be through a new, different codepointer which restricts one of the degrees of freedom (in this case, the accuracy type).

[dmdr]

Then perhaps more accuracy types?
FYI, I was looking for a Quake shotgun type effect (this sort of accuracy would be very useful, in my opinion, for new automatic weapons too).

[Quasar]

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the first Quake game. Care to explain how it works? :)

[dmdr]

Heh. I could probably describe it better if I still had a copy of said game, but still. Anyway, all I was looking for was a bit of vertical offset to provide a more realistic effect, which is basically all the Quake shotgun does.

I was thinking about this the other day, actually, and what I thought would be good is if you provided four standard accuracy types for both horizontal and vertical offsets.

So, for example, the Doom shotgun accuracy is 'never accurate', which is described in the docs as 'moderate horizontal offset, no vertical offset'. If we take the moderate offset as one of the 'standard' accuracy types, then you could also apply it to the vertical offset. Combined with a couple of other offset types, you could have a pretty comprehensive list of accuracy varieties:

(horizontal, vertical)
None, none
None, a little
None, moderate
None, wide

A little (perhaps half the moderate offset), none
A little, a little
A little, moderate
A little, wide

Moderate, none (shotgun accuracy)
Moderate, a little
Moderate, moderate
Moderate, wide

Wide, none (monster accuracy)
Wide, a little
Wide, moderate (SSG accuracy)
Wide, wide

As well, of course, as the 'perfectly accurate first shot then never accurate subsequent shots' currently used for the pistol and chaingun.
Of course, I have no idea if this is even possible, as an individual arg in a codepointer might be limited to a single digit. I also suspect this post may have been a little confused, sorry about that.

[Mordeth]

Personally, I don't see the need for additional hitscan accuracy types.

[dmdr]

A matter of opinion.

I agree that it is certainly second priority compared with, say, getting mapping features equal with the more advanced source ports (two-way portals, hell yeah), but if Eternity seriously wants to compete (especially for the time of TC designers) in the future then I think that it is wholly necessary to have as much capacity to customise the game as possible without having to jerk about with DeHackEd.
Besides, if it would be easy and quick to implement, then why shouldn't it be there?

[Quasar]

As of last night, the massive documentation update is finished, so 3.33.33 release is AT LAST imminent. It took me hours just to get small_funcref updated, since I have added flags to several functions and added a ton of new parameterized line spec functions (1 new floor, 17 new ceilings, 4 new stairs and 5 new PolyObject specials).

[Lüt]

Yay, polyobj time! ^_^