Targetable Deathclaw Eggs

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Sun Sep 22, 2002 10:09 am

For those of you who have had a hankering to add Deathclaw Eggs to your maps beyond the simple tiles available at core\tiles\Mission Specific\General\DeathClawEggsNonTargetable, I have come up with a work-around that lets you do it!

Here's how it's done:

Open the Entity Editor and create a new Breakable entity.
Set the HP, DT/DR, etc. to you liking.
Set the image as: DeathClawEgg.spr. This sprite is found under sprites/critters.
Change the setting to "Metal Press" under "Sound". Do not check/tick "Is Metal"!
Save the entity and exit the FoT Editors.
Copy and paste these two WAV files into your mod's sound/game folder:

deathclaweggDeath1.WAV

deathclaweggDeath2.WAV
Rename these files as follows:

MetalPressDeath1.wav

MetalPressDeath2.wav
Place an example of your newly destroyable Death Claw Egg on a map, a splatter it!

You can substitute other sound names, but I used "Metal Press" because there is no default sound for it as well as the fact that I'm not using anything that uses that sound.

Edit: Another option is to simply set up an Actor w/the Race set to "Object" and set the Player Index to 0. However, this has the serious drawback of requiring a player to Force Fire on the egg. Killing it will then result in a loss of Reputation. Basically the same problem that we encountered w/the brains in Vault 0 in the core campaign where splash damage, explosives or force firing burst weapons at the floor were required to kill the targets w/o dinging your Rep.

Yet another option would be to set up an Object and set the Egg(s) to an enemy PI. However, this will result in the PCs automatically firing on the eggs, which -- especially if you're looking to set up something similar to the RPGs -- doesn't quite "cut the mustard".

Cheers,

OTB

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Sun Sep 22, 2002 12:35 pm

THIS is going to be VERY HANDY info for me :twisted:

Good work, as usual, OTB!

Viktor · Post by **Viktor** » Sun Sep 22, 2002 7:18 pm

What are you two little scamps up to??

A mission where you have to kill the baddies, but not hit the eggs because deathclaws are now our allies??

Or an Aliens style "egg bashing" to stop the nasty things hatching out inside a "friendly" town/base etc??

Either way, shooting/flaming/'nading an egg should bring Mommy a running. And she should be reaaally pissed at you!

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Sun Sep 22, 2002 9:54 pm

Max-Violence wrote:THIS is going to be VERY HANDY info for me :twisted:

I figured you'd have a use/uses for this, Max. I forgot to put my warning in the original post that you and TheReaper might become excited to the point of orgasm, or death over the possibilities. :mrgreen:

Viktor wrote:What are you two little scamps up to??

I can't speak for Max, but in my case it's "mum's the word".

Viktor wrote:A mission where you have to kill the baddies, but not hit the eggs because deathclaws are now our allies??

That possibility crossed my mind when I was working on it, but that's not what I had in mind. Hell, DC may very well make their only appearance(s) in my demo as I'm not sure they're appropriate for my campaign. (Or, in other words: mum's the word.)

Viktor wrote:Or an Aliens style "egg bashing" to stop the nasty things hatching out inside a "friendly" town/base etc??

Funny you should mention Aliens, as the DC eggs don't look like they did in the RPGs, but rather suspiciously like...well, Alien eggs.

Viktor wrote:Either way, shooting/flaming/'nading an egg should bring Mommy a running. And she should be reaaally pissed at you!

Or you could set up a DC lair that was almost instant death to the squad you provided the player with. The idea could be to sneak in and get the eggs -- and perhaps a lone DC here and there -- w/o having to clear the place out.

OTB

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 2:45 am

Okay, I've noticed some oddities about my little work-around that weren't immediately apparent due to the conditions that I'd set up my experiment under:

The Eggs will be visible even though no one in the PC squad has LoS to them, just like a Barricade entity. (I had the eggs set up in plain view when the map started.)
A light, centered on the the egg will flash when it is destroyed. This isn't apparent in broad daylight, but can be seen in twilight, and especially in dark areas...which of course the caves we're all planning on using these in qualify as...

OTB

Max-Violence · Post by **Max-Violence** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 12:14 pm

I'm not understanding #2 - you mean if you put a light entity "on" the egg, it's automatically flash?

Viktor · Post by **Viktor** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 4:29 pm

I take it that #2 is required as the DC eggs are not "destroyable" items?

Would it not be possible to play a keening DC type wail in the background when an egg is destroyed instead as a "biological alarm"? Aren't DCs linked telepathically to the clan Matriarch??? This might mean she "feels" their demise and sends sentry type DCs to investigate...

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 9:07 pm

Max-Violence wrote:I'm not understanding #2 - you mean if you put a light entity "on" the egg, it's automatically flash?

No, it looks like the egg explodes. There's no graphical overlay on the egg of an explosion, but it will give off light as though it had when it's killed.

Alles klar, Herr Komissar?

Viktor wrote:Would it not be possible to play a keening DC type wail in the background when an egg is destroyed instead as a "biological alarm"?

Yes, if you had the appropriate WAV file you could do that.

Viktor wrote:Aren't DCs linked telepathically to the clan Matriarch??? This might mean she "feels" their demise and sends sentry type DCs to investigate...

That's something that the FoT designers came up w/and conflicts w/previous FO canon. If you remember the DC pack in V-13 was actually a patriarchy more in line w/a wolf pack, right down to the fact that only "alpha" males and females were allowed to breed. There was absolutely no mention of a telepathic link in there, either.

Although, it is interesting to note that in The Boneyard there is no male for the DC pack, only one very tough Mommy DC...

OTB

Viktor · Post by **Viktor** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 10:03 pm

So, maybe a "death wail" from the egg when it's destroyed (in the manner of the Chestbursters in Aliens..) could bring Mommy or Daddy or even Uncle Bob 'a running and keep within established FO canon??

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 10:20 pm

Viktor wrote:So, maybe a "death wail" from the egg when it's destroyed (in the manner of the Chestbursters in Aliens..) could bring Mommy or Daddy or even Uncle Bob 'a running and keep within established FO canon??

I suppose you could do that. Again, all you'd need is the proper WAV file and then you could script it. However, I personally wouldn't bother since the eggs have always been set up in the same room w/Mommy and you have to get through her to get to the eggs.

Or are you thinking about the stealth egg assassination mission, Viktor?

OTB