SS2 Unstable Grenades mod

[679b11b6706c3ZylonBane]

The Many's corrosive influence has spread beyond just degrading the guns. Now it's degrading the grenades as well! Grenade ammo has become dangerously unstable, and will explode if damaged or dropped too far. Use this to your advantage to set explosive traps for your enemies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAlrtwdy7_E

This is a first draft of a mod that makes all grenade ammo explode if shot, struck, or dropped further than at your feet. If you set off a stack of grenade ammo, they'll ALL explode. Seems to work okay, but I figured I'd post it here first in case anyone finds any problems or has any suggested enhancements.

The type of explosion spawned by each ammo type hasn't been hard-coded. Instead it actually follows the links back from the ammo object and grabs the corpse links from its projectile (for firing mode 1), so it should be compatible with all weapon mods, no matter how extreme.

I figure this change will give players who don't put points into Heavy Weapons something more fun to do with all that grenade ammo than recycling it. And being able to blow up grenade rounds just feels more immersive-simmy.

Also I really hope nobody's already done this.

EDIT: Thread closed. Mod released here: https://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=12217.0

[679b11b670970sarge945]

You should call it "SS1 style Throwable Grenades for SS2" if you want to inflate your download count with a clickbait title.

[679b11b670ad2voodoo47]

would probably change the world object from a grenade pile to a single grenade. would be less weird, I think.

[679b11b670c09ZylonBane]

AFAIK there are no models of single grenades for each grenade type. The game displaying a pile of three even when there's actually more or less than three in the stack is an issue that's always existed.

[679b11b670d2dvoodoo47]

very sure Olfred could carve one out.

[679b11b670e66JDoran]

This is a great idea! Thanks, ZB.

[679b11b6710b1ZylonBane]

very sure Olfred could carve one out.

Also, including alternate grenade ammo models could produce visual weirdness when used with any mods that alter the vanilla models. Though I don't know of any that actually do that.

[679b11b6711ccvoodoo47]

I don't believe there are any. and I mean yes, we would be just trading one weirdness for another (any number of grenades looking like a pile of three for any number of grenades looking like just one), but in this kind of scenario, it would be better, I think.

[679b11b6712d4ZylonBane]

I'll look into it then. Deleting bits from the vanilla models is something that probably even I could do.

[679b11b671421sarge945]

I thought dynamic grenade models based on stack size was a good idea for SCP rather than this mod including it's own grenade model, and was going to suggest it, but voodoo makes a good point. If it stops changing after 3 it's just as janky as if it never changes.

Honestly I think a "box of grenades" makes the most sense for a world model if you don't want to run into stack size weirdness.

[679b11b671507voodoo47]

it's still weird even if it's a box, because it still can be dozens of grenades.

[679b11b67163aZylonBane]

Okay, first post updated with test version 2. Now switches models of all grenades to a single-grenade model for grenade objects with a stack count of 1.

This was even more of a pain in the ass than I was anticipating, because Dark apparently has an issue where if you set a model on a concrete object, then later remove the model property from the concrete, it won't revert to using the model set on the archetype. I had to copy the concrete object's model property onto it from its own archetype to get it to use the default model again, which is just... so stupid.

[679b11b67172eZylonBane]

Voodoo, you didn't link to an unfinished mod on the Night Dive discord, did you?

[679b11b67183avoodoo47]

I did - Engineering is public, so even if the mod is beta, it shouldn't be a problem. no harm in a few more people taking a look and finding potential issues?

can kill the post if you think this is too beta.

[679b11b671949ZylonBane]

I like to think of Engineering as a place where people who are slightly more technical can look at something before it's released to the masses. The sort of people who generally understand not to grab everything posted here and throw it in their mod pack.

It may not be true, but I like to think of it that way.

[679b11b671a26voodoo47]

ok, will not do that next time. //beta warning added.

[679b11b671afaZylonBane]

Posted as v1.0. Seems stable enough.

[679b11b671c4evoodoo47]

I would do two more things - edit the single grenade model to not be thrown in a vertical position (looks even weirder when just dropped onto the ground without exploding), and once that is done, change the thrown grenade (projectile) model of the grenade hybrid into that. another discrepancy gone.

//actually, in addition to laying the single grenade object on its side, I think a completely new world model for the grenade bundle would be appropriate, see the mockup below. the vanilla model is very ok when sitting on the ground, but doesn't look too great once being flung through the air.

also, a little bit of rotation when being thrown wouldn't be too bad.
[grenade_bundle.jpg expired]

[679b11b671d74ZylonBane]

Nope, nope, and nope.

If the model was rotated on its side, it would be floating above the ground. To make it not float above the ground, its physics model would have to be made tiny, which would make it very difficult to shoot

Hybrids don't throw grenade launcher ammo. They throw grenades. No, I don't know where they get them.

Nothing in SS2 rotates when dropped by the player.

[679b11b671e62ZylonBane]

That being said, a mod or upgrade that allowed looting the grenades off grenade hybrids could be interesting. Maybe use them directly, or convert them into frag grenade ammo.

[679b11b6720f2sarge945]

Nothing in SS2 rotates when dropped by the player.

The gamepig rotates as it hits the ground

[679b11b6721eevoodoo47]

that's the rest axis, that is something different.

[679b11b67238dZylonBane]

So this is interesting. Basically, with the mod active, single grenades split off from a stack add TWO to the stack count when loaded into the grenade launcher instead of one. And it combines, so if you put two single split-off grenades back into a stack of two, they'll add four when loaded.

Here's the really crazy thing: The mod DML adds a script to the Grenades object, which by default doesn't have any scripts. If I modify the gamesys so it has an empty Scripts object, the duplication bug stops happening.

??????????

[679b11b6724f6voodoo47]

try some random (dml) things, like ticking the not inherit flag, and/or add the scripts prop via dml first and then the actual script.

if it's stupid but it works..


//or I can just try it myself - change the Script number from 3 to 0, fixed. assign custom script via metaprop also works ok;

Code: [Select]

CreateArch "Misc Metaprops" "UnstableGrenMeta"
{
}
+MetaProp "Grenades" "UnstableGrenMeta"
+ObjProp "UnstableGrenMeta" "Scripts" {
"Script 3" "zbUnstableGrenades"
}and that's probably the way the script should be assigned anyway. would still use Script 0 slot on the meta, as there is no reason not to.