Help with a new missile

[LittleBear]

For the final version of Assassins.oxp, I've introduced a new missile. The missile is only available at one OXP station and the player has to do a lot to obtain it. His mission is to go to an outpost and pick up a missile, then deliver it somewhere else. Sounds easy, but he's chased all the way by uber ships. Then when he docks, the Main Power is out, so he has to explore the station on foot get the main power back on line and then load up with the special missile (this missile is necessary to complete the next mission). Got the code done for this and special missile works as it should. But, if possible I'd like the missile to be shown on the HUD pylon with a different graphic to the normal missile. I've figured out that Commander Wyven did this with his Nuke, by adding in descriptions:-

Code: Select all

<!-- icons for the hud -->
	<key>EQ_NUKE_MISSILE</key>
	<array>
		<integer>0</integer>	<integer>2</integer>
		<integer>2</integer>	<integer>1</integer>
		<integer>2</integer>	<integer>-3</integer>
		<integer>0</integer>	<integer>-3</integer>
		<integer>-2</integer>	<integer>-3</integer>
		<integer>-2</integer>	<integer>1</integer>
	</array>
</dict>

OK. So I could do a <key>EQ_ASSASSINS_MISSILE</key> and then add some numbers after it, to define the HUD icon. Trouble is I've no idea what these numbers mean!

Just a simple square would do, just to mark that the special missile is on the pylon!

Anybody have any ideas how to do this?

[JensAyton]

Looks like it specifies a polygon as a series of x/y co-ordinates. I don’t know what the co-ordinate system is, though. At a guess, a square would look something like:

Code: Select all

<key>EQ_NUKE_MISSILE</key> 
<array> 
    <integer>2</integer>   <integer>2</integer>
    <integer>2</integer>   <integer>-2</integer>
    <integer>-2</integer>   <integer>-2</integer>
    <integer>-2</integer>   <integer>2</integer>
</array>

[Commander McLane]

Actually I just made a small drawing using the co-ordinates. Very simple. The first value is X the second Y. The first set is the "corner" right above the origin, and the others represent the other corners of the polygon, as seen clockwise.

Just do it yourself, LittleBear, and you will see the shape of Cmdr Wyvern's missile-logo. The y-values are set between -3 and +2, so perhaps a square (or rectangular, to be precise) should also take these as borders?

I'm not sure whether there is a specific number of co-ordinates required (always six?), because in Cmdr Wyvern's set there is one which is actually superfluous: 0 -3 is placed exactly on the line between 2 -3 and -2 -3. But then of course you can do the same with your rectangular shape.

[LittleBear]

Cheers for the help. So its a bit like the old VDU command on the BBC B! Ahruman's co-ordinates worked fine to produce a square display. As the player only has this missile for one mission (rather than being for sale in the game generally), I think a square will be fine, just to remind the player that he has got the special missile on his pylon. (And so he doesn;t accidently fire it at a pirate when he meant to fire a normal missile, wasting it and making the next mission impossible! ).