Help with lua gadgets - Detection target of a shot

Hi jseah, this example I found in ZKdota:
https://code.google.com/p/zero-k/source/browse/trunk/mods/zkdota/scripts/custom_com_recon.lua#378

you use:
function script.AimWeapon(num, heading, pitch) end

to Allow/Block weapon fire by returning "true" or "false".
and use Spring.GetUnitRulesParam(unitID, tostring(num)) to control them remotely using Gadget.

There's also:
function script.FireWeapon(num) end

and

function script.Shot(num) end

as event used to trigger shot VFX.

if this is useful, give credit to N0U

Here's something better for you, and for all of mankind today!
And you can retarget them, too!

quote: jseah> The call-in that triggers on the creation of a missile needs to be able to tell what the target of the missile is.

If it got fired in the same game frame, missile->launcher(=defender)->target should point at the target.

erm... do we have AA named wandel????

""Here's something better for you, and for all of mankind today!""

OMGs, why did I not know of this...

Aw damn, this means I need to wait for new engine right? Well, it seems the most elegant method, so I guess I'll wait.

If so, and if whichever engine dev god was responsible is reading this, how many goat sacrifices will be needed to get a new call in for the line of sight calculations? =P

Basically allow HaveFreeLineOfFire and TryTarget in Weapon.CPP to be called by LUA scripts.

I actually did that some time ago. Last year IIRC. It's off the front page of the Feature Requests section now.

Ok, I've written it, it tests out with defenders and screamers vs gnats.

v0.1 has been uploaded to repository. Note that it is ENABLED for testing. I don't have time to play games on the test server with it until friday though.

EDIT: this has also been the weirdest gadget/widget I have experienced writing. Not in my experience of making AA micro has the gadget perform worse in a clean testing environment against a noisy "real" environment sim.

Basically, when I try 6 defenders vs 6 gnats:
Parking the gnats in range, give to enemy
- Without anti-bait, 6 shoot 1 gnat x3, reload, repeat
- With anti-bait, same as above, one turret may shoot a different target in the first or third salvo

Parking the gnats out of range, give to enemy, switch to enemy team, move into range
- Without anti-bait, same as above
- With anti-bait, 4 out of 6 gnats down on the third salvo


It appears to be leaky and doesn't prevent all overkills somehow, I'm working on it.

Notes and observations
I think the problem it has with aa built in one clump is that allow target isn't called just before firing but when the target enters range (i suspect it even happens just before!). If the turrets all fire within the ~10frames it takes before allow target is called again, then it can overkill. Hence the gadget works best when preventing overkill from missiles in flight but not before they are fired.

In any case, worst case scenario is a solid row of mts against a tight clump of air units approaching perpendicular, the turrets all fire at nearly the same time virtually negating any effect the gadget has.

Best case scenario is a few scattered chainsaws against bombers approaching from all directions. Each chainsaw is firing more or less independently of the others and has multiple missiles in flight, retargeting when targets have enough missiles happens often and to useful but not overwhelming effect. Cooperative effects, like adding a screamer in the above scenario, also work well, chainsaws don't shoot bombers already "killed" by the screamer.

Guess which one happens more in practice? =D

You cannot predict which bombers will be killed by AOE due to lag. Just like you cannot guarantee that a shot from ravager kills a specific glaive: the bitches get to dodge.