Animation interplay

[ekimmai]

Hi folks

I have an object with 2 animations allowing it to rotate 180 degrees and then rotate back again. i initially had this as a single animation which would run forwards and then backwards but changed it because I wanted the object rotation to be controllable by 2 different triggers. The problem I have now is as follows:

If we call my 2 animations A and B, then using trigger 1 will cause A, but then when using trigger 2 afterwards it does not recognise that the object has now changed state/position and hence it will try and repeat A rather than rotating the object back again using B.
Is there a way of making these 2 triggers mutually dependant in simple alcscript so that each will always have the same effect given the current object state?

Thanks in advance

Ekimmai

[D'Lanor]

A single animation would work fine for this if you set it backwards following this example.

[Nadnerb]

I don't believe that answers the question. The problem seems to be that the responders record their state separately, so if there are two responders responsible for running the same animation both backwards and forwards, they don't stay in sync. There are various solutions to this, including using a single responder linked to by multiple logic mods (clickables) or using a python script to track the state of the animation.

[D'Lanor]

Hmm, that is not how I read that question at all. Otherwise I would have promoted the stateanimation quickscript, which was made for that purpose. That quickscript requires a clickable activator though and ekimmai did not say what the trigger was. I guess we need more information to answer this.

[ekimmai]

Thanks for the replies guys. You are correct Nadnerb in your explanation of my problem - how to get the responders in sync. My 2 triggers are just clickable objects.
I have a lot of animation in this age and have used alcscript throughout - not quickscript - so I am a little unsure as to how your code relates to this D'L.

Fundamentally my age is ready for "release" (for testing at least) except for one big hurdle - I have not yet incorporated any code to save the state of animations. This of course creates all manner of weird situations if the user links out and back in again. My plan was to eventually put out a general appeal for assistance in "converting" my alcscript/code for that purpose as I have read some of the guides on Python, quickscript etc but have no idea even where to begin. Perhaps my responder-sync issue is too closely connected to this wider problem to allow solution at this stage.

Any more thoughts on this?

[D'Lanor]

Here is the basic frame for a clickable toggling a responder using saved SDL states.

Code: Select all

<clickable>:
    logic:
        modifiers:
          - tag: ActToggle
            cursor: poised
            flags:
              - localelement
            activators:
              - type: objectinvolume
                remote: <click region>
                triggers:
                  - any
            conditions:
              - type: activator
                activators:
                  - type: picking
              - type: objectinbox
                satisfied: true
            actions:
              - type: pythonfile
                ref: $BoolToggle
        actions:
          - type: pythonfile
            tag: BoolToggle
            pythonfile:
                file: xAgeSDLBoolToggle
                parameters:
                  - type: activator
                    ref: logicmod:$ActToggle
                  - type: string
                    value: <sdl variable>
                  - type: skip
                  - type: skip
                  - type: string
                    value: <sdl variable>


<animated object>:
    animations:
      - name: <animation name>
        autostart: 0
        loop: 0
    logic:
        actions:
          - type: pythonfile
            pythonfile:
                file: xAgeSDLBoolRespond
                parameters:
                  - type: string
                    value: <sdl variable>
                  - type: responder
                    ref: $State1
                  - type: responder
                    ref: $State2
                  - type: bool
                    value: false
                  - type: bool
                    value: true
          - type: responder
            tag: State1
            responder:
                states:
                  - cmds:
                      - <animation and other messages for State1>
                    nextstate: 0
                    waittocmd: 0
                curstate: 0
                flags:
                  - detecttrigger
          - type: responder
            tag: State2
            responder:
                states:
                  - cmds:
                      - <animation and other messages for State2>
                    nextstate: 0
                    waittocmd: 0
                curstate: 0
                flags:
                  - detecttrigger

This has a more logical setup than the quickscript which has to put everything under the clickable. This AlcScript shows the process more clearly. The clickable calls a global Python script which toggles the SDL state. The animated object responds to changes in that SDL variable through another global Python script.

[ekimmai]

Thanks for the advice.
Unfortunately I have no idea about how to go about using Python and the quickscript only appears to cover clickables - which in many cases would be fine but I have an awful lot of alcscript code and some of the animations are triggered by regions and not clickables. Where does this leave me?

[D'Lanor]

These are global Python scripts I mentioned. You can tell by the first letter x in their names. They already exist. You should NEVER remake these yourself because that will result in breaking that global script in all ages.

The same action with a region would look like this:

Code: Select all

<region>: 
    logic: 
        modifiers: 
          - tag: ActToggle
            flags: 
              - multitrigger
            activators: 
              - type: objectinvolume
                triggers: 
                  - enter
            conditions: 
              - type: volumesensor
                satisfied: true
                direction: enter
            actions: 
              - type: pythonfile
                ref: $BoolToggle
        actions:
          - type: pythonfile
            tag: BoolToggle
            pythonfile:
                file: xAgeSDLBoolToggle
                parameters:
                  - type: activator
                    ref: logicmod:$ActToggle
                  - type: string
                    value: <sdl variable>
                  - type: skip
                  - type: skip
                  - type: string
                    value: <sdl variable>

This toggles the state of the animation each time you enter the region. Probably not quite what you want but it shows the general idea. Cyan has made several global Python scripts so there should be one for your purpose, but you will have to be more specific.

If you just want to run an animation upon entering a region you probably do not need SDL states or Python at all. Unless it is part of a puzzle. And then you will have to do your own scripting anyway.

[ekimmai]

Okay so do I just replace the <sdl variable> part with a variable name of my own choosing and then that's it - the global script will do the rest? And do I just add these actions and modifiers to my own alcscript as it currently stands in order to just add on the state toggling function?

[D'Lanor]

Yes. The key is to direct the actions for the modifier to the pythonfile instead of the responder like you did previously.