a pack request (jaydee's pack)

[Jaydee99]

Hello GTM,
I've been playing robot arena 2 since may and have had DSL2 since July. I came up with an idea about 3 months ago and decided to share it. I can't do programming but I can AI and will be more than happy doing that. If someone or some people decide to do this please send the pack to me so I can AI. Once packs like the Robot Wars Series 3 and HereticBlues robots and packs are released I'll get the robots in the pack with their components and AI the pack. If people are willing to send their replicas to me and/or the creators of the pack (with custom/skinned components maybe, or normal replicas using stock and DSL2) I will include them. Maybe not AI'd but definitely in the Robot Exchange and if the makers of replicas in the BotExchange I'll include them as well. So, lets get on with it!

The pack could include all tools, components and arenas eg: the unlimited mass mod, makecfl, the compiler, the tournament arena etc... That would be great.

Up to 6 robots selectable for a single bout.

 Next, a new tool could be made, a tool which imports bots as they were first built. So it doesn't change the bots to be made unplayable. The tool also makes the bots hold all components used on the robot, so the game doesn't crash when you load a bot that doesn't include components you don't have.

 New bot making shaping so you don't have to BFE outside the game. Basically, when making the shape of the chassis you make it as normal then a new feature on stage 2 which there are 6 buttons: Left side view, Right side view, Front side view, Back side view, Top side view and Bottom side view. You do the same as you do normally but this changes the shape as how you want it. EG if you're building Ripper you can synch off the sides by pulling the top up on the left side view and the right side view.

Making a component in the game. A new option could be made which includes drawing on a component which you select then draw on it (which you can go into your desktop and copy pictures into the option ready to select and put it where you want just like you can with a decal and the pictures could be in the decals for the chassis - and you can save the texture for the component and decide which texture you want for the component) and you can make a 2-D and/or 3-D shape and name it whatever you want and put in what genre you want and give it what attributes you want. All this will be in the game.

One thing I REALLY want, a search bar at the top of the team HQ which you type in a name and it searches for the robot. E.g. If I searched kronic, it would come up with kronic the wedgehog and underneath it, it would say what series or year it appeared, down to kronic in robots: extreme wars this year. It will also load it like the body is in real life, it will create its flipper (when you click on it in workshop, it will come up as kronic 2013 flipper), its wheel, the pressure of the flipper and its flipper motor. So the robots are basically self-made DSL2 robots (I mean like Tornado, Dominator 2 and Behemoth) in how long it takes to make and load (which will depend on how big the robots are). I understand if this part is impossible to make but it would be great to have. (I know clusterbots will be awesome but hard however I know SFTW was a component so that may help)

Last part, a different robot wars arena option. House robots in WhamettNuht's version of the arena which I'll get onto after this. If someone could put these changes to the arena, that would be great (also these are similar to what Sonny Ressetis said); the pit only puffs smoke when a robot has been pitted, the robots start in a square rather than a rectangle, 3.2.1. Activate is shouted at the start, a random robot wars song is played from the Robot Wars The Lost Archive pack (which I'll get the link later) is played under the crowd noise, Cease is called at the end of the bout, an arena exactly the same to choose but with the flipper and drop zone inactive and the same camera angles as the original or battlebots pack. Apart from that, the arena is perfect! As I was saying about the house robots: when you select the robot wars arena (the flipper and drop zone inactive arena included obviously) underneath the robot you select you can select a house robot which would spawn in a corner. The house robots include:
Growler (from DSL2)
Sir killalot (from DSL2)
Matilda (DSL2)
Dead Metal (series1)
Dead Metal (series5)
Mr Psycho
Shunt (series1)
Shunt (series2)
Shunt (series5)
Refbot (series4)
Refbot (series 6)
Cassius Chrome
Sgt Bash (series1-7)
Major Damage
Battle Axe
Growler 2 (I think that's the name of it, it was the house robot in 2006 to 2007)
(I know people have made some house robot replicas like NFX so if you could send them to me or the maker of this to AI you would really help)
You could only select an incarnation of Refbot because it would already be part of the arena and if it could drive around aimlessly, count a robot out when a robot doesn't move when the game would normally count the robot out (and if you could still include the blue box counting the robot out I would really appreciate it!) and when two robots are circling each other then the Refbot comes in and pushes them apart. The house robots would need their own AI folder and AI features outside the game but if someone could do that, that would be great.

So that is my RA2 pack request. If Sonny could send me (259 and the alien and hyperactive), some of his DSL3 bots, Goldenfox93 could send his stock reps, HereticBlue sends his and people send theirs then I could AI them. Also, I kinda need these as well!!! Thanks all for reading and please consider making this, Jaydee99.

[Natster-104]

Well, one thing is, Im not sure if you've seen the 'why arent we making an Ra3 game' but its along those lines in the fact that it would take a long time and a lot of effort to learn and programme the new features. But if this is possible and there are willing people, it will be a very successful mod and be very good

[090901]

I'm not even sure if any of these things you are asking for are even possible.

[Jaydee99]

I'm not even sure if any of these things you are asking for are even possible.

That's what I was worried about.

[Jaydee99]

So what do you all think about this? Thyrus? Badnik? Sonny R?

[Badnik96]

Yeah most of that isnt possible without the source code. Sorry dude.

[Thyrus]

so basicly a irl ai pack including replicas?

[Badnik96]

Also the robot you're calling Growler 2 was named Gripper IIRC

[playzooki]

Also the robot you're calling Growler 2 was named Gripper IIRC

Yes, gripper was RR's klone of growler

[Trovaner]

The pack could include all tools, components and arenas eg: the unlimited mass mod, makecfl, the compiler, the tournament arena etc... That would be great.

Most of the people who play RA2 don't need the modding tools. You would be better off breaking it up into smaller compilations. Also, please remember to ask permission from the original creators before rebundling their work with the work of others (it is also a pretty good idea to have a readme that gives credit where credit is due). On a side note, there is already an Arena Compilation mod in progress but it hasn't had much activity as of late.

Up to 6 robots selectable for a single bout.

At the moment, there is no easy way of accomplishing this. Since we don't have the source code, we can only do it by creating special GMF and/or BOT files (we haven't figured out what to edit using sergepatcher yet). Neither option would work the same as a real bot but they both have their advantages. For more information, I'd recommend reading the discussion in the More Than Four Robots thread.

Next, a new tool could be made, a tool which imports bots as they were first built. So it doesn't change the bots to be made unplayable. The tool also makes the bots hold all components used on the robot, so the game doesn't crash when you load a bot that doesn't include components you don't have.

Unfortunately, there is no way of viewing a component that hasn't been installed on your computer. The bot file just doesn't support the addition of component geometry (other than the chassis which is extremely limited). The only way to really handle that sort of thing would be to have an online database of downloadable components with an app that automatically downloads the necessary components. Although at that point, you'd be better off just opening RA2 with the newly downloaded components. Serge was working on a 3D viewer for the Bot Exchange but I suspect that he has been too busy to finish it. The Bot Exchange that I've been working will be able to detect if a bot is using non-standard components and if so give you the option of downloading them.

New bot making shaping so you don't have to BFE outside the game. Basically, when making the shape of the chassis you make it as normal then a new feature on stage 2 which there are 6 buttons: Left side view, Right side view, Front side view, Back side view, Top side view and Bottom side view. You do the same as you do normally but this changes the shape as how you want it. EG if you're building Ripper you can synch off the sides by pulling the top up on the left side view and the right side view.

Unfortunately, the bot file doesn't support much more customization than you already have in the Bot Lab. By editing the file manually, you don't have a limitations on the proximity of points, the component placements, armor strength, and a few other things that make RA2 even less realistic.

Making a component in the game. A new option could be made which includes drawing on a component which you select then draw on it (which you can go into your desktop and copy pictures into the option ready to select and put it where you want just like you can with a decal and the pictures could be in the decals for the chassis - and you can save the texture for the component and decide which texture you want for the component) and you can make a 2-D and/or 3-D shape and name it whatever you want and put in what genre you want and give it what attributes you want. All this will be in the game.

Once again, there is no way of doing this in RA2 without making a separate application. We can't add more screens without the EXE being aware of them and this isn't possible without the source code. At one point in time, I was experimenting with having a button in the practice arena that cycles the skins of components but RA2 keeps the already loaded images in memory until the application is closed to reduce the loading times.

One thing I REALLY want, a search bar at the top of the team HQ which you type in a name and it searches for the robot. E.g. If I searched kronic, it would come up with kronic the wedgehog and underneath it, it would say what series or year it appeared, down to kronic in robots: extreme wars this year. It will also load it like the body is in real life, it will create its flipper (when you click on it in workshop, it will come up as kronic 2013 flipper), its wheel, the pressure of the flipper and its flipper motor. So the robots are basically self-made DSL2 robots (I mean like Tornado, Dominator 2 and Behemoth) in how long it takes to make and load (which will depend on how big the robots are). I understand if this part is impossible to make but it would be great to have. (I know clusterbots will be awesome but hard however I know SFTW was a component so that may help)

Not possible. We can't add any form of search functionality to RA2. Once again, you can make a separate program that does this but that wouldn't be accessible in the game. Also, since the information being shown is IRL data, it doesn't make much sense to have it in RA2 unless you were making a very detailed replica. Loading the bot would be even more of a challenge because there isn't a way of telling RA2 to load up the bot lab (the EXE handles that stuff and there isn't a way of tricking it into loading one that isn't shown).

Last part, a different robot wars arena option. House robots in WhamettNuht's version of the arena which I'll get onto after this. If someone could put these changes to the arena, that would be great (also these are similar to what Sonny Ressetis said); the pit only puffs smoke when a robot has been pitted, the robots start in a square rather than a rectangle, 3.2.1. Activate is shouted at the start, a random robot wars song is played from the Robot Wars The Lost Archive pack (which I'll get the link later) is played under the crowd noise, Cease is called at the end of the bout, an arena exactly the same to choose but with the flipper and drop zone inactive and the same camera angles as the original or battlebots pack. Apart from that, the arena is perfect! As I was saying about the house robots: when you select the robot wars arena (the flipper and drop zone inactive arena included obviously) underneath the robot you select you can select a house robot which would spawn in a corner. The house robots include:
Growler (from DSL2)
Sir killalot (from DSL2)
Matilda (DSL2)
Dead Metal (series1)
Dead Metal (series5)
Mr Psycho
Shunt (series1)
Shunt (series2)
Shunt (series5)
Refbot (series4)
Refbot (series 6)
Cassius Chrome
Sgt Bash (series1-7)
Major Damage
Battle Axe
Growler 2 (I think that's the name of it, it was the house robot in 2006 to 2007)
(I know people have made some house robot replicas like NFX so if you could send them to me or the maker of this to AI you would really help)
You could only select an incarnation of Refbot because it would already be part of the arena and if it could drive around aimlessly, count a robot out when a robot doesn't move when the game would normally count the robot out (and if you could still include the blue box counting the robot out I would really appreciate it!) and when two robots are circling each other then the Refbot comes in and pushes them apart. The house robots would need their own AI folder and AI features outside the game but if someone could do that, that would be great.

This actually comes up quite a bit. Most of the things that you mentioned are doable but would take too much time for just one person. IMO, the best way of doing housebots would be to make GMF housebots. I've got quite a bit of experience in doing these and I'd be willing to do it but I have very little time and interest in assembling the components inside of an Arena.gmf (I can show someone how to do it if necessary but I'm not going to do this for all the housebots). Selecting housebots would also be kind of sketchy. We would either need to make it completely random, cycle through the options, show all combinations as separate entries in the list, or try to repurpose something (like the Random Arena Selector or Action Cam mods).

[Jaydee99]

To Trovaner

1. Ok
2. I'll read it
3. I like the idea of your bot exchange work. I really wanted this for TommyProductionsInc Matilda rep and Ben Purses Beauty 3 rep
4. Ok
5. Ok
6. If you could make a separate app for this then please do
7. Ok

To Badnik96
Thanks for the name

To everyone
Instead of a robot arena 2 pack how about this for Robot Arena 3?

[cephalopod]

To everyone
Instead of a robot arena 2 pack how about this for Robot Arena 3?

I really wouldn't go there.

RA3, if there ever was one, should be a completely new game. As it stands, this will still be a heavily modded RA2, much like DSL.

[Jaydee99]

To everyone
Instead of a robot arena 2 pack how about this for Robot Arena 3?

I really wouldn't go there.

RA3, if there ever was one, should be a completely new game. As it stands, this will still be a heavily modded RA2, much like DSL.

True
Didn't think of that

[HereticBlue]

Trov, I am willing to make robots such as Dead Metal, Sgt Bash & Shunt but to be honest, I cant skin for the life of me so I would have to make a set of components grouped by texture and then cobble then together in RA2. from then on I dont think its possible export an entire bot including the attached components as a GMF. What I can do however, if it helps silence the question that people have been asking for the past twelve years, I can make each entire robot unskinned and pass the files onto you for skinning and exporting?

JD, the closest thing I think were going to get is a static house robot that fills a corner but can be moved around, much like the fridge in the RW arena. But in my opinion, keeping within the confines of the games abilities, that is the best your going to get and we'll have to settle with it. As long as their presence improves the look of the arena I think everyone can remain reasonably happy?

Also if it quietens things down at all, I am planning to get a simplified Series 4 and 3 arena into the game so players have more 'realistic' arenas to choose from. I wouldn't hold your breath though as there has only been 9 people in the last twelve or so years who have made arenas and I'd be damn lucky if I can become the tenth.

HB

[TommyProductionsInc]

Here's the CFZ for shunt's components and stuff.

[Jaydee99]

WOOOOOO!
HereticBlue thanks
TommyProductionsInc thanks

JD, the closest thing I think were going to get is a static house robot that fills a corner but can be moved around, much like the fridge in the RW arena. But in my opinion, keeping within the confines of the games abilities, that is the best your going to get and we'll have to settle with it. As long as their presence improves the look of the arena I think everyone can remain reasonably happy?

Also if it quietens things down at all, I am planning to get a simplified Series 4 and 3 arena into the game so players have more 'realistic' arenas to choose from. I wouldn't hold your breath though as there has only been 9 people in the last twelve or so years who have made arenas and I'd be damn lucky if I can become the tenth.

HB

Congrats on becoming a veteran. And I'd like to see a series 3 and series 4 arena. TBH though, I don't think static house robots would be good.

And if you could make and send me the 2 I sent a request for in a PM I'd really appreciate that and Herbinator if you could cos Sonny's doesn't quite work!

[Trovaner]

Trov, I am willing to make robots such as Dead Metal, Sgt Bash & Shunt but to be honest, I cant skin for the life of me so I would have to make a set of components grouped by texture and then cobble then together in RA2. from then on I dont think its possible export an entire bot including the attached components as a GMF. What I can do however, if it helps silence the question that people have been asking for the past twelve years, I can make each entire robot unskinned and pass the files onto you for skinning and exporting?

GMF housebots do not require chassis skinning but it would probably be nice if the components were skinned (however, I guess skinning could wait for future updates). That said, I do not want to assemble or skin the bots inside of the Arena.gmf (even if the .BOT file was made first). Its a relatively time consuming task and I just don't have enough time to do it. I can show you how to convert the bot into a GMF and skin it but that is really as far as I'm willing to go with the conversion process. The only thing that I'm really offering to do is all of the programming for getting the housebots to behave like the originals (which in and of itself is a time consuming task).

[Natster-104]

About the static house robot thing, couldn't you have a static model in the CPZs and have it move towards a robot with it then doing damage to a bot? Just a thought

[Jaydee99]

The only thing that I'm really offering to do is all of the programming for getting the housebots to behave like the originals (which in and of itself is a time consuming task).

Please 
If you could do it on Wham's arena and make the robots spawn in a square like Sonny's arena, That Would Be Great   
If not, then;

About the static house robot thing, couldn't you have a static model in the CPZs and have it move towards a robot with it then doing damage to a bot? Just a thought

[Jaydee99]

So, if we could do an AI exclusively for house robots, I have a list of house robots ;
Sir Killalot
Matilda
Growler
Mr Psycho
Cassius Chrome
RefBot (for ambling around until counting a robot out.

Although I said earlier about the house robots being only on the RW arena (;in CPZ's hopefully);
Couldn't their be a clickbox underneath hazards saying "house robots"?
And an arena editor (outside of RA2) where you can only add smart zones saying where to spawn a house robot.