Barebone Baddy System Event Based

[MysticalDragon]

On IOS Servers using timeouts is really bad, so its recommended to avoid them when possible.

Here is just a bare-bone version of something that can be turned into a baddy system. Instead of the traditional timeouts it uses scheduleEvents and is event based with using flags like players.

Both classes attached.

PHP Code:

Example: Level NPC
const INIT_STATE = "float";
const GLOBAL_STATE = "float";

function onCreated() {
  this.join("ai_module");
  this.join("ai_variables");
  this.savelocally = true;
  _set("maxhealth", 100);
  temp.maxHealth = this._get("maxhealth");
  this._set("health", temp.maxHealth);
  // this.globalState = GLOBAL_STATE ;
  // this.enterState(this.globalState);

  changeState(INIT_STATE);
}

function ai_enter_float() {
  this.ani = "idle";
  this.aiPeriod = 1;
}

function ai_execute_float() {
  //logic here move?
  this.ani = "move";
} 


[kittygirl765]

Oh, this is actually a good starting place for a state machine (especially for gscript2, where making ai isn't easily done natively or ends up becoming spaghetti code)

Now I need to make an ai_execute_firing_my_lasers() function

[MysticalDragon]

Originally Posted by kittygirl765

Oh, this is actually a good starting place for a state machine (especially for gscript2, where making ai isn't easily done natively or ends up becoming spaghetti code)

Now I need to make an ai_execute_firing_my_lasers() function

PHP Code:

function ai_enter_float() { 
  this.ani = "idle"; 
  this.aiPeriod = 1; 
} 

function ai_execute_float() { 
  temp.pl = this.acquireTarget(); //you can do findnearestplayers to see if there is a target
  if (temp.pl != nil) {
    this.ani = "alert";
    changeState("attack");
    return;
  }
  //logic here move? 
  this.ani = "move"; 
}

function ai_enter_attack() {
  this.aiPeriod = 0.4 * this.attack_speed;
}

function ai_execute_attack() {  
   temp.target = this.acquireTarget();
  if (temp.target == nil) {
    changeState("float");
    return;
  }
  attack(temp.target);
}

function attack(temp.target) {
  temp.pos_x = this.x + 0.5 + vecx( this.dir ) * 1.5;
  temp.pos_y = this.y - 1 + vecy( this.dir ) * 1.5;
  temp.angle = getangle( temp.target.x - temp.pos_x, temp.target.y - temp.pos_y );
  temp.speed = 1;
  setshootparams( this, temp.dmg, params);
  shoot(
     temp.pos_x, temp.pos_y, 0,
     temp.angle, 0.1, temp.speed,
     this.ani_arrow, null
   );
}

function acquireTarget() {
  // Add aggro to players near entity
  temp.targets = findnearestplayers(this.x, this.y);
  return temp.targets[0];
} 


[fowlplay4]

there's nothing wrong with using a regular timeout.

polling (timeout, scheduleevent) is what's to be avoided if there's an applicable event (onplayerenters, onplayerhit, etc.) that can eliminate the need for a constantly running script.

the code would work exactly the same with a regular timeout!!!! unless u want to make inefficient baddies that tick every <0.05 sec.

PHP Code:

function onPlayerEnters() {
  setTimer(2 * this.aiPeriod);
}

function onTimeout() {
  if (players.size() <= 0)
    return;
  ai_execute();

  setTimer(this.aiPeriod);
}

function enterState(temp.state) {
  if (this.("ai_enter_"@ temp.state) != nil)
    this.("ai_enter_"@ temp.state)();
}

function executeState(temp.state) {
  if (this.("ai_execute_"@ temp.state) != nil)
    this.("ai_execute_"@ temp.state)();
}

function exitState(temp.state) {
  if (this.("ai_exit_"@ temp.state) != nil)
    this.("ai_exit_"@ temp.state)();
}

function changeState(temp.state) {
  if (this.currentState == temp.state) return;

  this.exitState(this.currentState);

  this.previousState = this.currentState;
  this.currentState = temp.state;

  this.enterState(this.currentState);

  setTimer(this.aiPeriod);
}

function ai_execute() {
  this.executeState(this.globalState);
  this.executeState(this.currentState);
} 


[Kamaeru]

Originally Posted by fowlplay4

the code would work exactly the same with a regular timeout

That's what I was thinking but as a noob coder I wasn't going to say it

[MysticalDragon]

very nice, I just always had issues regarding latency when it comes to using timeouts with new Unity Engine with Graal. Sometimes when using timeouts NPCs would skip ticks and seems as if the NPC is hopping. I also noticed polling scheduleEvents hurt majorly as well.

[MysticalDragon]

I don't think you could say anything as you never worked on the Unity Client before. Unity client is more touche then the C++ Basic client. Last 4 months I been focusing on with Merlin on eliminating lag. And the number 1 culprit has been timeouts. And I'm not even talking about polling timeouts.

[Kamaeru]

Originally Posted by MysticalDragon

stuff

What I mean to say is, I have read a few different sources talking about timeouts and why you shouldn't use them, and a few sources seemed to imply that using scheduleevent() was more optimal. But in my limited personal experience I found that timeout and scheduleevent are the exact same thing.

[MysticalDragon]

Originally Posted by Kamaeru

What I mean to say is, I have read a few different sources talking about timeouts and why you shouldn't use them, and a few sources seemed to imply that using scheduleevent() was more optimal. But in my limited personal experience I found that timeout and scheduleevent are the exact same thing.

Well yes that is actually very true. However a timeout is continuous (always running, unless you add conditions for a return) while a scheduleEvent is being called when needed. I've seen people do things like setTimer(0) - Not even sure it works, but in my opinion it doesn't look clean at all.

[Kamaeru]

Originally Posted by MysticalDragon

Well yes that is actually very true. However a timeout is continuous (always running, unless you add conditions for a return) while a scheduleEvent is being called when needed. I've seen people do things like setTimer(0) - Not even sure it works, but in my opinion it doesn't look clean at all.

You can use onTimeout() too lmao

[MysticalDragon]

Did you misread what I said? I never said you couldn't I said why i preferred the method I chose.

[Kamaeru]

Originally Posted by MysticalDragon

Did you misread what I said? I never said you couldn't I said why i preferred the method I chose.

The irony is that if you think I misread what you said then you clearly misread what I said

[MysticalDragon]

Originally Posted by Kamaeru

The irony is that if you think I misread what you said then you clearly misread what I said

You can use onTimeout() too lmao (not sure about the lmao part, nothing was even funny?)

In my post i clearly said you could do something like setTimer(0) (that is using onTimeout)

[Crow]

It's laughable that anybody would still want to make use of GScript even though somebody had the bright idea to actually write new client software.

[Twinny]

Holy **** sauce there's actually a new client!?