Is it possible to create large destroyable boulders?

[aubergine]

I was wondering if it's possible to create a large destroyable boulder for arizona maps, which when destroyed has a similar "dust cloud" effect to collapsing sky scrapers on urban maps.

I imagine I could probably use the existing boulder and somehow increase its size and define what effect to use when it's destroyed, but I'm unsure as to how to go about implementing it :s

[Shadow Wolf TJC]

You want something that functions like destructible debris from StarCraft 2, right? I've been toying around with the idea in Contingency (the feature is currently present in Contingency files, but is currently unused in any maps), though I could never get it to produce any special effects upon destruction. I could probably release it as a mini-mod (for use in map-mods) if you'd like.

[aubergine]

Basically I want a big terrain obstacle, that looks more like part of the terrain than a feature, to block a path to some high ground.

There would probably be two variants:

a) destroyable version with high HP, takes a while to destroy but worth it if you want a land route to the high ground
b) undestroyable, can only be destroyed from a script (eg. if you complete some map objective)

I'm still highly confused by the myriad of stats files, but slowly learning what they all do (which is useful as I plan to document them all).

[NoQ]

On a side note: we can't really make starcraft-like destructible debris, because our firepower scales too much. What takes long time to destroy on one phase of the game can take almost zero time to destroy on another phase. In starcraft, single unit usually has more or less the same firepower/$, apart from a few upgrades.

[aubergine]

True, but getting access to high ground later in the game via destroying a boulder is less useful because you've prolly got transports by the time your firepower can destroy it easily. The feature would be a way to get access to some hidden path or high ground early in the game. As for the non-destroyable variant, fire power would have no effect on it - instead you'd have to complete some mission objective.

[Shadow Wolf TJC]

Destroying certain normally indestructible features through scripting? Sounds like something you'd find within a map-mod that altered rules.js. While I doubt that eventDestroyed() would be called whenever features are destroyed, using the bind() function on features may do the job. Unfortunately, I believe that we won't be seeing removeObject() (along with addObject() if you wanted to create something like one of those collapsable pillars from StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm) until 3.2.

[Rman Virgil]

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One problem that cropped up for the a.i. when I did this a while back for 2200 was that trucks scouting for oil resources (in early game) that were on the other side of my giant destructable boulder obstacle would get stuck ranging on the oil they couldnot reach. Not an insoluable problem, but something to be aware of in scripting. For a human player it presents another microing condition, that is both an interesting challenge and opportunity. Another interesting phenom while working in a modified Edit World was that my giant destructable boulder features were deformable by altering the terrain elevation & by clustering adjoining boulders. Interesting results, though I don't know if this phenom would happen in FlaME.
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[aubergine]

@Rman: JS API has a droidCanReach() function, and various other checks in place, to avoid those sorts of things happening.

[Iluvalar]

On a side note: we can't really make starcraft-like destructible debris, because our firepower scales too much. What takes long time to destroy on one phase of the game can take almost zero time to destroy on another phase. In starcraft, single unit usually has more or less the same firepower/$, apart from a few upgrades.

You can make a super weapon like wrecking ball 80x stronger than other weapons, but plug it to an unused weapon modifier. Than tell that weapon modifier that he can only do 1% to any propulsion or structure. The result is a specific weapon that can damage extra resistant features.

[Rman Virgil]

@Rman: JS API has a droidCanReach() function, and various other checks in place, to avoid those sorts of things happening.

That's great. Thanks.

Should help in an other prevailing situation. When oil is placed close to cliff face and is ranged on from below but PF land access is circuitous. The number of maps with this issue were significant.

Those I can recall because I tested most of them were Lav's Mars maps which I would estimate at 150 -200 (there are others, I can't recall by name).

The solution at the time was always the same - cut back the circuitous land access by creating a ramp access though the cliff-face close to the oil resource. This solution of course defeated the whole purpose of the circuitous access design which was to curtail simple early game rush tacs.

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