I'm working on a map that has a chain lightning-esque ability. The caster ability has a chain like this:
Ability>Set>[Damage + Set Behavior]>Buff Behavior>Search>Set2>[Damage2+ Set Behavior 2]>Buff Behavior 2>Search 2>damage 3.
So, the chain continues by applying a buff behavior to a target, and then using that unit to search for new targets.
This all works fine...as long as the unit getting the buff stays alive. If the unit gets the buff but then dies to the damage it receives, the beam actor launches from the original caster, which looks ugly and wrong. Can anyone think of a way to fix this? I have tried screwing with the Damage:Launch Location+ To try and change it from source unit to source point, but screwing with this field at all seems to just cause the beam graphic to always launch from the caster unit, even if the unit with the buff lives. Any help would be appreciated!
Yes, I had already tried it with outer. Outer, Origin, and Source all have no effect when changing between them.
Setting it to target makes the beams not appear, as they are both generated and targeted at the target, making a 0 length beam.
Mutalisk Glave Wurm looks good...but its a completely different way of doing the spell. I was hoping there was just some stupid thing I forgot for a quick fix rather than remaking the whole thing. Oh well, ill use a missile based approach if nothing else turns up.
Edit: New info
If I change the chain by cutting it from 2 bounces to 1
ex to Ability>Set>[Damage + Set Behavior]>Buff Behavior>Search>Damage 2
Then the ability will always work. Even if the first beam kills the unit, secondary beams still split from the dying unit to nearby targets.
However, with the full chain in, if the first beam kills the units, secondary beams come from the caster to nearby units...
I have no idea what would cause this difference.
Is there a particular reason you use buffs instead of persistent effects?
You can also specify an effect in the location+ fields from which to grab the reference. For example you can launch your search from "Persistent Effect replacing buff - Target Unit/Point", which should get you the location of the initial target. And then "Persistent Effect replacing chain buff 2 - Target Unit/Point" to launch "Search 2"
Your beam will not show up or still launch from the caster if you use an "Actor Search - Source/Target Unit" or "[alias:]_Unit/_Selectable" host for your beam and the initial target dies.
The beam will probably launch from the ground below the unit if it dies, which will look very odd with air units. I don't know exactly how to grab the height of the unit.
I'm not quite sure what your saying, but here is what I am interpreting.
Create 2 new persistent effects (1 and 2), and set their initial effect to search 1 and 2 respectively
Change the 2 set function from [damage + apply buff] to [damage+create persistent]
Change the search 1 to launch from (Effect: Persistent1 Value:Target Unit/Point), and search2 to similarly have (Effect:Persistent2 Value:Target Unit/Point).
Then change chain to
I tried this, but this always launches all the beams from the caster, regardless of whether the target dies or not.
I think I am probably misinterpreting how to use the persistent effects... Could you go into a bit more detail about what to put in the persistent effect/search initial location+?
You will most likely want to create a new site actor for the impact. Attach the beam to the site instead of the actual target. If the target dies, it will not fallback to the caster, because the site actor will still exist. Maybe you can even use the GenericAttackImpactSite for this.
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I'm working on a map that has a chain lightning-esque ability. The caster ability has a chain like this:
Ability>Set>[Damage + Set Behavior]>Buff Behavior>Search>Set2>[Damage2+ Set Behavior 2]>Buff Behavior 2>Search 2>damage 3.
So, the chain continues by applying a buff behavior to a target, and then using that unit to search for new targets. This all works fine...as long as the unit getting the buff stays alive. If the unit gets the buff but then dies to the damage it receives, the beam actor launches from the original caster, which looks ugly and wrong. Can anyone think of a way to fix this? I have tried screwing with the Damage:Launch Location+ To try and change it from source unit to source point, but screwing with this field at all seems to just cause the beam graphic to always launch from the caster unit, even if the unit with the buff lives. Any help would be appreciated!
-Wraith
@Wraith367: Go
The caster is the source. Have you tried outer or target?
@Wraith367: Go
Try peeking at mutalisk glaive worm
Yes, I had already tried it with outer. Outer, Origin, and Source all have no effect when changing between them. Setting it to target makes the beams not appear, as they are both generated and targeted at the target, making a 0 length beam.
Mutalisk Glave Wurm looks good...but its a completely different way of doing the spell. I was hoping there was just some stupid thing I forgot for a quick fix rather than remaking the whole thing. Oh well, ill use a missile based approach if nothing else turns up.
Edit: New info If I change the chain by cutting it from 2 bounces to 1
ex to Ability>Set>[Damage + Set Behavior]>Buff Behavior>Search>Damage 2
Then the ability will always work. Even if the first beam kills the unit, secondary beams still split from the dying unit to nearby targets. However, with the full chain in, if the first beam kills the units, secondary beams come from the caster to nearby units... I have no idea what would cause this difference.
Is there a particular reason you use buffs instead of persistent effects?
You can also specify an effect in the location+ fields from which to grab the reference. For example you can launch your search from "Persistent Effect replacing buff - Target Unit/Point", which should get you the location of the initial target. And then "Persistent Effect replacing chain buff 2 - Target Unit/Point" to launch "Search 2"
Your beam will not show up or still launch from the caster if you use an "Actor Search - Source/Target Unit" or "[alias:]_Unit/_Selectable" host for your beam and the initial target dies.
The beam will probably launch from the ground below the unit if it dies, which will look very odd with air units. I don't know exactly how to grab the height of the unit.
I'm not quite sure what your saying, but here is what I am interpreting.
Create 2 new persistent effects (1 and 2), and set their initial effect to search 1 and 2 respectively Change the 2 set function from [damage + apply buff] to [damage+create persistent] Change the search 1 to launch from (Effect: Persistent1 Value:Target Unit/Point), and search2 to similarly have (Effect:Persistent2 Value:Target Unit/Point). Then change chain to
Ability>Set>[Damage + Persistent1]>Search>Set2>[Damage2+ Persistent 2]>Search 2>damage 3.
I tried this, but this always launches all the beams from the caster, regardless of whether the target dies or not. I think I am probably misinterpreting how to use the persistent effects... Could you go into a bit more detail about what to put in the persistent effect/search initial location+?
@Wraith367: Go
I will look into this type of ability over the weekend.
You will most likely want to create a new site actor for the impact. Attach the beam to the site instead of the actual target. If the target dies, it will not fallback to the caster, because the site actor will still exist. Maybe you can even use the GenericAttackImpactSite for this.