Williams Space Shuttle

[GeorgeH]

Looks great as usual.
Can I ask you for the settings you use for the spotlights cone and falloff?

The flasher on the right side that shines on the shuttle is set to 90 mm above the playfield. The spot settings are:

Call Nano1Ext.SpotLight(3, 315, 95, 40)

There is another spot on the left site which is also set to 90 mm above the playfield.

Call Nano2Ext.SpotLight(3, 60, 95, 40)

I found that the rotationAngle (second number) is easy to determine by printing out the chart below on a piece of paper and cutting it out. You just hold the center of the chart over the top of the flasher in the FP editor and orient it so 0 is directly above center. You might want to turn on the grid in the editor to help orient it. Then you just read the degrees closest to your object. It takes a little time to cut it but it is faster than making trial and error guesses.

I forgot to change the flashers to be invisible for the screenshot.

 

[AnonTet]

Awesome. I actually used a protractor kids use at school :D

 

[GeorgeH]

JP was nice enough to offer to add the "ball pause" for the in-game menu. It works. Since Rav promised to provide the code, I sent him JP's version for review. Rav said it is good. ...So now we have a pause for the in-game menu. How cool it is to have the game automatically pause when you open the in-game menu! I figured everybody would just have to wait until the ball drains to open the menu. The game does continue rather quickly after exiting the menu and may not allow you time to react. There is a timer that controls that. I might add a bit more time to it.

I've added the latest version of JLou's Dynamic Flippers V 2 to the table. I did some other finishing stuff like making the GI flashers invisible, add the shadow map TGA file to the textures and added some code for the fail safe. I still need to write up the postings and create the rotated display (portrait ) version. ...So I should be able to post the table soon.

 

[Paolo]

JP was nice enough to offer to add the "ball pause" for the in-game menu

can I know what code it is?

Since Rav promised to provide the code

as I told you earlier, I also asked rav for a code, but he told me that it was not possible to freez the ball, so I'm curious about what JP has proposed to you, in the meantime I wait from rav if there is the possibility of remove the "high scores display" from futurespinball_paused ().

So now we have a pause for the in-game menu.

ok, but I would like to see it, because if the ball should stay still in one point, to activate the menu, like plunger-line, or inside a kicker, then I prefer to use the futurespinball_paused (), I wonder if the solution that gave you JP, it works on a ramp.

add the shadow map TGA

maybe you haven't read my model tutorial in tga.....have you considered the opportunity to also use tga for models? i think space shuttle in toy occupies some resources, if you convert it to tga, solve two factors, resources and loading.

 

[GeorgeH]

The code uses features from BAM version 329. I don't understand how it works although it does move the ball to a kicker that JP added when you open the menu so technically it does not freeze the ball. It just saves the position and velocity and moves the ball back when you close the menu. I am satisfied with it. It works.

I don't know much about working with models but I have found that this table is lighter on resources than others that I have worked on. I don't think there is a need to change it.

This is the code that JP added:

Sub SavePos()
    If BAM_VERSION < 329 then Exit Sub
    For Ind = 1 To 4: SavePosX(Ind) = 0: SavePosY(Ind) = 0: SavePosZ(Ind) = 0 : Next
    Ind = 0: XBAM.EnumBalls 4, 0, "SPos"
End Sub

Sub SPos(Ball)
    If BAM_VERSION < 329 then Exit Sub
    Ind = Ind +1
    SavePosX(Ind) = ball.Position.X: SavePosY(Ind) = ball.Position.Y: SavePosZ(Ind) = ball.Position.Z
    SaveVelX(Ind) = ball.Velocity.X: SaveVelY(Ind) = ball.Velocity.Y: SaveVelZ(Ind) = ball.Velocity.Z
adddebugtext "Pos S= " &SavePosX(Ind)&" "&SavePosY(Ind)&" "&SavePosZ(Ind)
adddebugtext "Vel S= " &SaveVelX(Ind)&" "&SaveVelY(Ind)&" "&SaveVelZ(Ind)
    ball.SetVelocity 0,0,0
    ball.SetPosition 405,1095,13.4
    EffectMusic 3, Pause
End Sub

Sub RestaureTimer_Expired()
    If BAM_VERSION < 329 then Exit Sub
Dim x
    RestaureTimer.Enabled = False
    For x = 1 To Ind
        Kicker1.CreateBall
        Set ball = xBAM.BallCloseTo(405,1095)
        ball.SetPosition SavePosX(x), SavePosY(x), SavePosZ(x) +0.5
        ball.SetVelocity SaveVelX(x), SaveVelY(x), SaveVelZ(x)
adddebugtext "Pos R= " &SavePosX(x)&" "&SavePosY(x)&" "&SavePosZ(x)
adddebugtext "Vel R= " &SaveVelX(x)&" "&SaveVelY(x)&" "&SaveVelZ(x)
    Next
    Flag_Menu = 0
    EffectMusic 3, ResumePlaying
adddebugtext "MENU= " &Flag_Menu
End Sub

Sub Kicker1_Hit(): Kicker1.DestroyBall: End Sub

Sub VPos()
    If BAM_VERSION < 329 then Exit Sub
    XBAM.EnumBalls 4, 0, "VVPos"
End Sub

Sub VVPos(Ball)
    If BAM_VERSION < 329 then Exit Sub
adddebugtext "Pos ball= " &ball.Position.X &" " &ball.Position.Y&" " &ball.Position.Z
End Sub

 

[Paolo]

Ok, so JP used a kicker like I thought, does it work if I activate the menu on a ramp?

By the way, how to activate the menu and with which key? there should be a code of it in it?

 

[Popotte]

ball.SetPosition SavePosX(x), SavePosY(x), SavePosZ(x) +0.5
because for some rare cases the ball sink.
405,1095 are the coordinates of the kicker (under apron) wich destroy or create balls
For Ind = 1 To 4: obviously, if you have more or less balls to manage, you have to adjust the ball.
As I recreated balls and as balls could be recreated in a kicker, like in Space Shuttle, you have to handle this case: exit the _Hit routine when you are in the in-game menu.

When you call the in-game menu, balls position and velocities are saved, balls are dropped in a kicker in order to destroy them. When you exit the in-game menu a timer is set (in order this menu closes) then, when timer is expired, balls are recreated in the same kicker and position and velocities are restaured.

 

[Paolo]

When you call the in-game menu

ok, what do i call it? i don't see the call code via keys,in your code that George provided
or maybe I'm blind or I don't understand it

 

[Popotte]

It's not in the code provided by George. It's via the Special2Key

' Menu System Start
        If KeyCode = GetKeyCode(Special2Key) Then
            Select Case Flag_Menu
                Case 0
                    PlaySound "shrubber", Gamevolume
                    MenuOverLay.Frame (2): MenuExplain1.Frame (2): MenuExplain2.Frame (2): Flag_Menu = 1 ': MenuSeg2.FadeIn
'                    MenuSeg2.Text = " ++++ MENU ++++ "
                    MenuAsterisk1.Frame (3)
                    MenuAsterisk2.Frame (3)
                    MenuText1.Frame (2)
                    MenuText2.Frame (2)
                    InitMenu()
                    SavePos            ' JPR
                Case 1
                    PlaySound "shrubber", Gamevolume
                    MenuOverLay.Frame (1): MenuExplain1.Frame (1): MenuExplain2.Frame (1) ': MenuSeg2.FadeOut
                    SaveOptions()
                    ' Flag_Menu = 0                        JPR
                    RestaureTimer.Enabled = True        ' JPR
            End Select
        End If

 

[Popotte]

And to be complete:

Sub VPos()
    If BAM_VERSION < 329 then Exit Sub
    XBAM.EnumBalls 4, 0, "VVPos"
End Sub

Sub VVPos(Ball)
    If BAM_VERSION < 329 then Exit Sub
adddebugtext "Pos ball= " &ball.Position.X &" " &ball.Position.Y&" " &ball.Position.Z
End Sub

It's just for test purpose

 

[Paolo]

It's not in the code provided by George. It's via the Special2Key

I said George's code above......yes in fact that's what I was asking, which keys it was
so via Special2Key.....nice!

And to be complete:

ok, could you put a demo with your full code inside, please?

I can ask you a question, didn't you think that via futurespinball_paused (), inserting inside a call via Special1Key or 2, to be able to activate the menu, would be easier? I'm talking if Rav, turn off the "high scores display"

 

[Popotte]

If Rav turn off the High Score Display for FP_Paused all is more easy (I test for Space Shuttle: High Score is played and disapear and come back, ...). Without High Score, you have just to call the menu when paused and call menu unpaused when you left the menu.
Concerning demo files, what do you want?

 

[GeorgeH]

I will be posting the table soon. You might want to wait and have a look although it is tied to the menu so it runs the "ball pause" at the same time the menu opens which could be confusing to you.

I'm not sure the "futurespinball_paused ()" would work even if the high score screen was gone. The menu requires use of the flipper and plunger keys and I think those are disabled on the pause screen.

I just tried both ramps and opened the menu. When I closed the menu, the ball was released on the ramp correctly.

 

[Paolo]

If Rav turn off the High Score Display for FP_Paused all is more easy (I test for Space Shuttle: High Score is played and disapear and come back, ...). Without High Score, you have just to call the menu when paused and call menu unpaused when you left the menu.

exactly i hope rav replies to me!

Concerning demo files, what do you want?

I'll explain, as George says that you have come up with a way to activate the menu by pausing the ball, I asked him if he could show it to me, and I think it's the one above on page 80....
but I noticed it was missing the Special Key call,and you answered right, by entering another code on page 85, right, then I ask you for a demo with all your code that you provided to George to activate the menu

 

[Popotte]

I'm not sure the "futurespinball_paused ()" would work even if the high score screen was gone. The menu requires use of the flipper and plunger keys and I think those are disabled on the pause screen.

No, it's work (I try it).

 

[Popotte]

I'll explain, as George says that you have come up with a way to activate the menu by pausing the ball, I asked him if he could show it to me, and I think it's the one above on page 80....
but I noticed it was missing the Special Key call,and you answered right, by entering another code on page 85, right, then I ask you for a demo with all your code that you provided to George to activate the menu

OK, but you have to wait 2-3 days as I'm a little busy (but maybe soon).
So, a simple table with a simple menu with Special2Key. Just one ball, a very simple table. Just for the code. OK?

 

[Paolo]

OK, but you have to wait 2-3 days as I'm a little busy (but maybe soon).
So, a simple table with a simple menu with Special2Key. Just one ball, a very simple table. Just for the code. OK?

JP, maybe there is no need, but thanks the same, George suggested a private alternative, you should have seen it too, no?

 

[Popotte]

No.

 

[GeorgeH]

I have posted version 1.3. I had planned on releasing it using JLou's Dynamic Flippers V 2 but it was not finished at the time of the posting. ...So I ended up using Gimli's and my version of dynamic flippers. I developed a flipper speed rotation chart for it which I think improves the performance of the flippers.

 

[shiva]

Nice, I was gonna use Space Shuttle as the first example for multiball in fpx. Interested in your speed chart as well, see if it's a bit better than what I am using as the one I have is more wpc than the system 6 - 9 I want to have.

 

[GeorgeH]

Nice, I was gonna use Space Shuttle as the first example for multiball in fpx. Interested in your speed chart as well, see if it's a bit better than what I am using as the one I have is more wpc than the system 6 - 9 I want to have.

Sure go ahead and use it. I think the speed chart should work on a variety of different XMLs as long as you don't multiply the ball mass that I use by a couple of thousand.

 

[shiva]

Actually, did find a couple things with the first game.

The flippers seem to hit the slings far too much when the ball is at contact point 9 to 1.0 at speed. The shot to the 2 kickers was more a natural shot in the actual game (pretty easy, it was designed that way) so changing the angle to 117-118 and moving the flippers every so slightly like 1 or 2 pixels towards the drains will improved the shots. The T1 williams style flippers always seemed to hit the lower slings at that contact point.
I also found the shot strength to be a little weak, personal preference maybe but the actual game played a bit faster.
I'm also getting a lot of solid black showing up randomly instead of shadows in places, especially on the flipper lane plastics. I think it's the ball shadows when the ball is by a plastic model but not sure.

 

[GeorgeH]

I have never played the real table so I did not alter the placement of objects from what Sepeteus had posted.

The solid black ball shadows may be the result of ray tracing. I told Rav about it but he said he could not repeat the problem.

 

[GeorgeH]

@shiva

I forgot to mention that Sepeteus will want you to get permission if you plan to publish the table. He is still available on VPForums.

George

 

[AnonTet]

It could just well be the issue of starting the table again without exiting FP after playing the table.