Attaching an FX to a gun
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I can make a glowing mesh but I have been unable to get any type of FX to attach to it. Still, it is a mountable light which I haven’t seen before.
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Anyone tried making a CargoPod for this?
As most can probably attest to, if you have an equip = LargeRed, Hp(non-existant hardpoint name) and that hardpoint does not exist… there is no light mounted.
Now this might be a bit of a mess to look at in code, but would it mess up a server?:
CargoPod will use a shield.3db (no mesh) but add a unique light hp - say… HpRedLight01. This would also need to have an IDS name / info reflecting that HP name so players would not buy more than 1 of the same type.
Next would be the entries in shiparch.ini -this is where it’s ugly. There would need to be entries for each color / type, and number. You can see how this could get out of hand quick, perhaps restricted to fighters and then only a couple custom lights would be available.
So, player buys /mounts the cargopod with its specific light hardpoint, which then allows the light already present in shiparch.ini to show up. Kind of a domino effect. If it does work, that opens the door for other mountable fx as well… say some uber expensive eyecandy specific for each ship.CargoPods even mountable? Could work on a shield gen as well?
Worth the hassle?
Anyhoo, was looking over solar loadout / construction and remembered this topic. Thought I’d toss out one last thought before hitting the hay.
Edit Victory!…. sort of
Well, since I was curious, I had to test it out. I used a shield generator, buyable in a store, mountable, sellable, light shows up when it’s mounted, gone after it’s sold. -
Yeah, I first noticed what Mini_Me said when I was hardpointing the Lifeboat to be a pilotable rare ship (hey, I was bored) - I fudged up and forgot to actually place the RunningLight hardpoints that I defined with the ship package, so when I launched the first time I noticed the lights on my Torpedo launcher rather than the ship itself, which I thought was really neat. The problem with making a custom light system using this, as Mini_Me pointed out, is that it would be the biggest mess of mountable things ever, as you’d have to have a specific hardpoint for each light type for each light spot and blargh that’d be messy. lol
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Do you mind posting your shield so others can see how it’s done. My method works but I am unable to attach a light FX to it.
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ST_EQUIP.INI section
[Shieldgenerator]
nickname = Plight01r
hit_pts_scale = 1.25
hit_pts = 19000
HP_child = SpConnect <-stock shield entry is HPConnect which is why mine didn’t show up at first
category = equipment
ids_name = 0 ;GENERATESTRRES(“Mountable Red Light01”)
ids_info = um, yeah, stuff here
DA_archetype = equipment\models\st\Plight01r.3db
mass = 10
volume = 0.0000
lootable = false
debris_type = debris_normal
hp_type = hp_freighter_shield_special_1ST_GOOD.INI section
[Good]
nickname = Plight01r
equipment = Plight01r
category = equipment
price = 10000
item_icon = equipment\models\commodities\nn_icons\equipicon_weaponupgrade.3db
combinable = false
ids_name = 0; (“Mountable Red Light 01”)
ids_info = 0 blah
shop_archetype = equipment\models\commodities\nn_icons\equipicon_weaponupgrade.3db
Of course, this method will require quite a few renamed shields, but I suspect you already can imagine the lovely headaches ahead I can trim down my testing mod and plop it somewhere if need be.SHIPARCH.INI
just set up a hp_freighter_shield_special_1 on say… HpLight01MARKET_MISC.INI
[BaseGood]
base = ST04_01_Base
MarketGood = Plight01r, 0, -1, 100, 100, 0, 1GOODS.INI
addon = Plight01r, HpLight01 <– your new hp, which you sadly had to make on every ship you wanted a light on ;-(
addon = SlowXLargeRed, HpPlight01r <–- this is the HP you added via UTF edit to the shield.3db “model”
If you’re wondering which shield model I’m referring to, go to \data\ships\liberty\LI_FIGHTER\ li_fighter_shield.3db
that only contains a hardpoint (which you need to set the position for to 0, 0, 0 and then add the unique light Hp as well)
rename the shield to same as hp for ease, and repeat.The downside is for every light you want to be mountable, -with this method they must be declared / equipped and “built into” the model that way. So essentially the shield you buy with the light’s name acts as a key to switch that already existing light on.
Edit: This does have some other nifty applications as well though. Player Ship upgrades , for one: special thrusters or power plants, and built-in weapons, as well as whole ship sections (modular ships weee) -like perhaps macross fighters with the booster packs as an upgrade.
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Well, it turns out that getting Effects to be buyable / mountable from a store is a royal pain in the booty. And as far as I’ve seen, you cannot specify a “loadout =” for anything mountable. So far this is the only way I’ve personally been able to get an effect / light to …kind of… be buyable.
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@Mini_Me: Well, considering how you do your things…
Have you tried replacing the light (SlowXLargeRed in your example) with an AttachedFX?
addon = this_is_an_equipped_fx, HpPlight01r [AttachedFX] nickname = this_is_an_equipped_fx particles = this_is_an_actual_fx [Effect] nickname = this_is_an_actual_fx ... -
@FF: Just tried testing it with Contrails and it works for that as well -same as standard, which should mean its good for any attached. Only other ones I’‘’'ve tried is Small_Station_E3_2001, outer_sanctum_shieldgen, and mplatform_smoke_red, which look odd, but work as well.
As with lights, the HP must already be defined / present in shiparch.ini. And the Contrail (or whatever attached effect) must already be defined / present in goods.ini (the ship package) loadouts.ini. It’‘s just a switch really -a way of adding or removing a hardpoint for equipment that’‘s already there. You’'re buying the hardpoint.
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**Dont ever remember seeing contrails that could be put in the market list. Have you found a way to do this?
Why is the forum changing single quote to a double quote?**
