Mod Ideas/ShockTower

Mod ideas for UT 2003 – Shock tower defense aka Neato DM Feature

Description

This map component takes the form of a small pillar with a large glowing sphere (or some other suitable visual effect). The pillar takes time to charge up. When charged any enemy (in the case of a base defense) not on the same team as the pillar will get an electric shock (aka Lighting bolt) when they some within a specified radius of the pillar. If multiple shock mode is on then all players (irrespective of team) within 1/2 radius of the player hit by the intial shock will also be shocked (forming a chain like effect) although they should receive less damage. This "chain shock" effect is recursive so chain shocked players will shock other players within 1/4, or 1/8 etc of the current radius - even if the player has been chain shocked. I must confess I described that really badly but hopefully you'll get the gist.

In DM mode the pillar should be placed into trigger mode, thereby allowing players to trigger the pillar's effect giving all the other people a shock (and hopefully picking up a few frags in the process).

The pillar should have at least the following customisable properties.

Trigger
Owning team
Damage to players
Recharge time
Damage to destroy
Time to repair after destruction (set to 0 to never repair)
Chain shock mode
Damage Radius

(The idea is based on the Tessla Coil from C&C Red Alert if you hadn't already figured that out)

Interested Scripters

If you are interested in developing this mod for UT2003 then add your name to the list. Once you start development you should indicate that below (and hopefully include a link to a journal page). Before you start development you should also check this section to see if anyone else has started.

Discussion

EntropicLqd: Might need to kill the chain shock idea - I can see it using up a fair chunk of processing power if not handled correctly.

EntropicLqd: It may also be worth being able to set the component up so that it's triggered (or area of effect) lie within a specified volume on the map.

EntropicLqd: Having played Onslaught, this might make a nice point defense for a power-node. The tower would "attack" whichever team didn't own the power-node. Alternatively place inside the base. The lower the power within the power-core the less damage it does.

MythOpus: This would probably be relatively easy to do. I might consider coding something like this for my mod and then share the code with the public?

Legal: Are you sure you mean Tesla coil? The linked mode is Prism tower... anyway, I could make a mesh for this if needed, just let me know.

EntropicLqd: I based the idea on the Tesla coil as I hadn't played C&C Generals at that point in time. The "multiple shock mode" is slightly different to the prism towers in that it uses it's targets to link to and the towers don't "combine attacks". Maybe they should . Thanks for the offer of a mesh. I might just take you up on that.

Legal: So what you want is something looking like a Tesla Coil, rather than a Prism Tower? I'll pull something together...

Foxpaw: Obelisk of light! That one looks neat.

Darkwarrior: I remember something from ONP... In one of the maps there is a tesla coil that shock you if you get too close to it. Maybe you could take a look at the source code of it?

Missilemaster: I made something pretty much like that for UT99, and [here] it is...though you'll need to register (for free) at that site to download it. It has all of those features and a few others, but it doesn't respawn.