getting rid of animation macros

[Boss429]

so I started talking about this in the 'what are you working on' thread and decided to move over to the proper forum.

I'm trying to do away with the macros by using self.frame:

Code: Select all

void() player_reload =
{
   self.frame = $relo_onehanded_1;

   while (self.frame < $relo_onehanded_31)
   {
      self.frame = self.frame + 1;
      self.nextthink = time + .033;       //30 FPS
   }
   player_walk();    //when done go back to walk
}

(This code is called once when W_Reload(); happens, not every frame)

it worked fine as a macro but now the animation doesn't play

[frag.machine]

You're always reseting self.frame to $relo_onehanded_1 at the start of the function. Also, you're iterating thru $relo_onehanded_1 to $relo_onehanded_31 at once, not one frame per call as required to actually see any animation.

[Boss429]

But isn't the macro doing the exact same thing? it specifies an animation and then just goes into another void that specifies the next frame. Mine just does the work in one void. I guess my question is, why does a macro not play all the frames at once?

[andrewj]

I'm not sure I can explain it very well, but here goes:

In QuakeC you can set various things, like the model's frame, but it only has an effect when the QuakeC code has returned back to the engine and the engine redraws the screen.

So to make animations visible, you change the frame in QuakeC and set the 'nextthink' time and then return. The engine will draws the world and eventually call back into QuakeC (when that think time is reached) where you can set the next frame, and QuakeC returns and the engine redraws the world again, and will call back into QuakeC for the next frame, and so on........

Having a loop in QuakeC (like yours) doesn't work because the engine never gets a chance to redraw the screen with the updated information.

[frag.machine]

But isn't the macro doing the exact same thing?

No.

From the original monsters.qc:

Code: Select all

// name =[framenum,   nexttime, nextthink] {code}
// expands to:
// name ()
// {
//      self.frame=framenum;
//      self.nextthink = time + nexttime;
//      self.think = nextthink
//      <code>
// };


[Downsider]

You have to increment the animation frame every few game frames; if you use a while loop, it goes through all the animation frames in a single game frame.

[Boss429]

Thanks guys, I got it working beautifully:

Code: Select all

void() player_smallreload =
{
   if ((self.frame > $relo_onehanded_31) || (self.frame < $relo_onehanded_1))
   {
      self.frame = $relo_onehanded_1; // if your not playing reload animation, start at the beging
   }

   else if (self.frame == $relo_onehanded_31)
   {
      player_walk(); //if last frame go back to player_walk
      return;
   }
   else
   {
      self.frame = self.frame + 1;
   }

   self.nextthink = time + .033;  //30FPS
   self.think = player_reload;   
}


void() player_reload =
{
   self.reloading = 1;

   if (self.weapon == IT_PISTOL || IT_UZI)
   player_smallreload();  // for single handed weapons
   else
   player_bigreload1(); // for full size weapons
};



[frag.machine]

Great!

[OneManClan]

When self.frame == $relo_onehanded_31, where does it get reset to $relo_onehanded_1?

Shouldn't the bit:

Code: Select all

else if (self.frame == $relo_onehanded_31)
   {
      player_walk(); //if last frame go back to player_walk
      return;
   }

be:

Code: Select all

else if (self.frame == $relo_onehanded_31)
   {
      player_walk(); //if last frame go back to player_walk
      // for the next time we reload
      self.frame = $relo_onehanded_1;
      return;
   }

?