Proto SOCing

[Erik the Red]

well, I'm trying to mess around with soccing... but I can't really make heads, tails or knuckles of the SRB2wiki guide (not that it's much of a guide...)

I'm trying to give protoman custom abilities, but I haven't a clue how to make it work on him.

I opened the SOC editor, followed the directions in the read me, and created a blank notepad doc.

Then I clicked on "edit state"... And now I'm lost.

I haven't a clue what the sprites are, nor the frame I should be using, and all wiki has to offer is:

Sprites
This determines the set of sprites used.

Frames
Out of the selected sprite set, this chooses which sprite to use. Also contains the information for transparency.

I've been looking at other people's SOCs like Jman's Draykon's and Flames, but that doesn't really help me at all...

And how do I give Protoman a Reactiontime and Painchance? Do I have to edit things for that?

Any help and/or clarification would be appreciated... and maybe someone should add a little more info onto the SRB2 wiki thing... If I ever figure this out, I know I will...

Thanks and see ya around!^^

 

[Princess Plushima]

Each "thing" is a basic object in SRB2, anything that uses sprites is a thing.

Every thing has a set of certain properties (explained on the wiki)
A thing exists in one of thousands of "states" which determines the sprites to use, the transparency, the action to perform, and tons of other stuff.

"spritenum" or "sprite" refers to a number corresponding with the first four letters of a lump. IE: 1 : PLAY, 14 : FANS, 55 : SKIM

"spritesubnum" or "frame" refers to the fifth (and in many cases, seventh) letter. It follows the simple pattern of : 0=A, 1=B, 2=C, 3=D, 4=E, ect


Hopefully that'll help you get started. Feel free to ask more questions.

 

[BlueZero4]

Oh, and remember to make use of the character's "spinitem" function in the S_SKIN. That corresponds to the thing's entry in SOCedit.

 

[Erik the Red]

It's starting to make a bit more sense, though I'm still not exactly sure how to give protoman the powers I want, how do I set his "thing"?

Is he thing 0? or do I use a free slot? how exactly do these free slots work?

And how would I, for example, give protoman the custom power of infinite ringsling during all his frames? (custom power #16)

And if I choose the "sprite" 1 : Play, do I have to change all my lump names into PLAY_#?

 

[BlueZero4]

To give him "infinite ringsling", you'd probably want to make a new slingitem that gives him a ring when he fires it.

As for modifying states or things, stay away from from modifying the player stuff for now. Try to modify him with the "spinitem" and "slingitem" values in his S_SKIN. If you wanted to give him his own painchance or something, that's pretty much the same thing, I think.

 

[Erik the Red]

Well, protoman doesn't spin yet, but I'll probably do that to activate the shield... would it possible to simply make his spin animation him crouched a bit and make the spin Item his shield, which will dissappear as soon as it appears, but reappears for every frame of his spin (which will all look exactly the same)?

I could then make the shield a solid object right? that way, it would block enemies and blasts, though not deflect them.

I'm also trying to make it that he doesn't drown... but it seems to affect every player.

 

[BlueZero4]

Sounds good. Keep in mind, however, that the sheild won't face with your character on spawn. You may also need to tell it to capechase in the right spot as well.

And yeah, didn't you expect that?

 

[Erik the Red]

expect what? The no one drowns effect?

Well, being completely new to WAD editing, I thought that since it was part of the Protoman wad, It would only effect him, but I'm sure there's a way to make it only effect him.

There's even a custom ability secion in the SRB2 wiki, but it doesn't really tell me much. It only says that it affects players only, but doesn't tell me how to make it affect the players.

 

[Princess Plushima]

That custom ability Wiki article is just explaining an old trick I figured out awhile back. Really, you can only make stuff affect a single character if it involves the thokitem, or spinitem.

(Also, just to help you out, all characters use thing 0, though I'm not sure it'll do you much good to edit it.)

 

[on Edge]

Sorry I'm late. I'll help with anything, but you need to be a little more specific.

I'm trying to give protoman custom abilities, but I haven't a clue how to make it work on him.

1) What is his mid-air ability, for starters?
2) What abilities did you want him to have?

Is he thing 0? or do I use a free slot? how exactly do these free slots work?

1)All characters are thing 0. The only way to efficiently modify thing 0 is with C++, not SOC. >_<

2) Free-slots are just like any other item or state. The difference is that free-slots don't have any defaults and arn't used in the normal game,
so they won't screw-up things like Eggman or the THZturret.

I'm sure there's a way to make it only effect him.

Nope. Every-thing affects every-one the same, unless you make an item that is only acsessable through thok-item, spin-item, or ring-slingar.

There's even a custom ability secion in the SRB2 wiki, but it doesn't really tell me much. It only says that it affects players only, but doesn't tell me how to make it affect the players.

Edit: Ops; I thought you ment custom-power. My bad. I'll leave the following info as it might be helpful anyway.

The custom-poewer only does one of a few things, like:
1) Turns players super
2) Gives players certain shields.
3) Makes them temporarely invincable.

You can make a spring that disapears arter use, and set that as his thok-item. It would be like an abstract double-jump. It would have to use spring states though.





Somthing that would use custom ability is his shield.

Make spin-item an item that uses custom power that turns him invicable for abut 5 tics. Give him spinjump = 0. Make his spinning states running with his shield. The downside: invincible from all sides.

 

[Erik the Red]

Gee thanks!^^ I'll have to sit down one day and figure all this spin item stuff out, but for now I think I should devote more time to the sprites (since at the current rate, I think I'll be done next year about march -_-; )

well, I gave him double jump.

And I kinda want to overload him with abilities. I've made him really pretty slow (since he's not a sonic character an all) and wanted to balance out his lack of speed with firepower.

I'd like to give him infinite firepower and railshot at all times, but I guess I can get those from ringslinger and/or spinitem right?

also wanted to make him invulnerable to acid and drowning, but only him.
I read in another topic that if I put the script into the OBJTCFG lump, then it'd only effect him, but nope.

Isn't there a way to have something work if the game senses that a certain skin is on? other than C++...

thanks!^^

 

[BlueZero4]

I'd talk to 1-Up. He did something with a Yoshi wad which made it change the fly time, but I can't remember if that affects Tails too. *scratches head*

Also, just so ya know, if you give him rail on his slingitem, he doesn't need to reload.

 

[Erik the Red]

Yeah, I'm having second thoughts about the railring thing. If I give him railrings, I won't be able to animate his blast, right?

I'd like to animate his protostrike (from Mega Man PU)

thanks though!^^

 

[BlueZero4]

By "animate his blast", do you mean the explosion or an animation Protoman does when he shoots?

'Cause if it's the latter, it's really not possible unless you're looking at Shuflarb2....

 

[Erik the Red]

I meant what he actually shoots out.

I could animate him firing though if I made his spin animation him firing. (though it would be a bit awkward)

 

[BlueZero4]

Avoid animating his "fire" then.

And if you wanted to change what he fires, just soc a new item to shoot. It really isn't that hard. You could always replace the sprites of an item that already exists and slightly modify it in SOCedit. Namely, SMS's fire bullet is the THZ turret bullet.

 

[on Edge]

Well, to use rail ring, all you have to do is make his thok-item spawn a custompower that gives him temporary rail.

I said "thok", because without thoking, all you have to work with is spinitem and ringsling. And if you use spining to fire a big wepon, than all you have is, 2 ring-slingars.

So here are your opions:


Shield = roll (Could go any way here....)

Shield = item (hard to soc, and would appear for every character, and only on the default maps.)

Rail = Thok (Could do the abstract double-jump mentioned on last page.)

Protostrike = Roll (Could ruin all characters rolling and jumping but protoman. Not to mention that firing progetiles as a player without ringsling is ranging from limited function to imposoble.)

Rail/Protostrike = Ringsling (Easiest option. Also, making speed higher would eliminate the need for rail. To fast, and proto will constantly misfire though.)



NoDrown.....

1) Change breath time to 9999999999999........

2) Skin name as metalsonic and alwase play in JTE, though thats cheating.

3) Copy all the level headers and turn mario mode on. (But the sound would be anoying.)

Note: Options 1 &3 affect everyone.











You have one more option though.

Finish it. Make it look realy good, but underpowered. Hand it to JTE and beg and pleat for him to include programing for protoman in the next release of JTE.

He might not do it, and maby insult you, but he isn't a mod, so he can't really hurt you.

 

[Erik the Red]

All great help. After I draw out the protospike, I'll play around with these ideas.

It'll be a while before I'm done with this though, since I'm drawing them out, scanning them, coloring in photoshop, removing original linework, and resizing them.

Speaking of which, anyone know how to get rid of the "white lines" surrounding the sprite after editing it in photoshop other than manually removing them in paint?

 

[on Edge]

I hate the lines as much as you. Been there and done that. I hate spriting.

 

[Jman]

All great help. After I draw out the protospike, I'll play around with these ideas.

It'll be a while before I'm done with this though, since I'm drawing them out, scanning them, coloring in photoshop, removing original linework, and resizing them.

Speaking of which, anyone know how to get rid of the "white lines" surrounding the sprite after editing it in photoshop other than manually removing them in paint?

You do all of that? Ahh this is easy, I did this with some of my comics I made when I had a scanner. Before you scan it, outline your drawing in black ink then scan it then open it up in paint and monohrome it which will make it only black and white which mean what ever you outline in ink will be there with out all that extra crap, then save it as png or what file you use to get the color back.