FritzBot with Shotguns

[Riotlung]

No Quarter mod has a shotgun, and I'd like to have that go with FritzBot. How exactly do I run 2 mods at one go? I remember reading before somewhere that it's possible.

Better still, how could I add the shotgun to the game without running a separate mod for it? I don't need the bots to know how to use the shotgun...

[TomTom]

Like most true mods FritzBot ET is a closed mod of the game logic that runs principally on the server. That means that only one such mod may be run on the server at a time. And you cannot add a new weapon without changing the code on the server.

Now the graphics are client side so it could be possible to replace player skins, weapon models, sounds and such of one of the existing guns with something resembling a shotgun, BUT some of the logic would still be on the server only (say weapon spread, accuracy, damage, splash, damage type, recharge etc.). And of course without the server being mod-ed it would have to be impure and therefore would not force the clients to all run the shotgun graphic versions.

So rather than continue this discussion may I suggest you investigate alternate weapons options in one of the other 2 ET bots?

[Riotlung]

How could I go about changing the files then? (of course I'll back the game up) It's only for casual games with my cousin. I don't think changing the files would get us banned, right? Passworded and without PunkBuster.

I don't have any intention to use another bot. This is very good already.

[TomTom]

You don't take NO as an answer do you?

1) you can't change the FritzBot server c-code so you have to use the hooks for an existing weapon in any of the files that you replace. Some of the files are text script, others specific game format (sound, graphics, compiled...).

2) you have to either make all the files from scratch if you like mapping ...and modeling, ...and sound editing ...and scripting...

-OR-

you have to find an ET mod with the required shotgun files and then copy them over and correct any hooks, filenames and paths to try to get them to work (removing any conflicting files of the original weapon).

Now to give you an idea of how many files;

in etmain\pak0.pk3

\sounds\weapons\... 6 wav files
\sprites?
\weapons\ 1 file .weap
\models\multiplayer\... varies say 11-28 files .md3 .mdc .tga .jpg .cfg
\models\weapons2\...  varies 8-15 files of types .mdc .skin  .tga .jpg .cfg
\icons\ .tga
\animations\human\base\ 2 files .aninc .mdx

So much more than 30 files probably (and there could be ones I missed)! And how many have to be modified without errors?


And remember they won't feel like shotguns with no changes to the server code. Suppose you replaced a luger pistol, well then your shotgun would have 8 shells per reload that would kill over a fair distance but have a narrow spread. The damage would be the same as a pistol, and then there would a shotgun silencer??

But if you have ludicrous free time, incredible patience, and are committed to learn by trial and error ...

[Riotlung]

Indeed, this is far more complicated than I thought, especially for a coding-illterate person like me. Many thanks.

[TomTom]

To close the discussion, stealing from Bobot 4.06d, you need to copy 26 files not counting limbo menu ones. Two files have to be renamed and their animations reduced (say \weapons\shotgun_axis.weapon -> \weapons\kar98.weap and say \weapons\shotgun.weapon -> \weapons\m1_garand.weap and comment out the part 6 and part 7 blocks inside these files). And one file can optionally be edited to make rifle reload animations longer. Unfortunately the proper shotgun reload animations need code changes (possibly client only changes would work but then what would the other players see you doing?). The limbo menu weapon graphics are massed into a couple of files so that would take a game graphics editor to change them.

So what will you get?

A shotgun model in your HUD (one handed, cause we commented out the arm in part 7 of the model), and an icon. A proper dropped weapon model in the game, and mostly proper weapon in the hands of your engrs (when they chose to use a rifle not a rifle-grenade). And sounds near and far of shotguns.

what feels wrong?

Proper reloading, the allied shotgun only reloads when empty and then 8 shells in one go (and an invisible hand doing it). For the axis they can reload at any time but again to the 10 shell maximum in one single motion. Both guns fire a bit too fast, too accurate, too far, too narrow a spread. And the model changes instantly back to a rifle when you do a weapon switch to load a rifle grenade (note to clarify, snipers don't get the shotgun).

BTW the rifles are the best fit I could find for substitution given operation and number of parts to their model (though the silenced pistols are close too).

[Riotlung]

It won't be perfect. I really wonder how they introduced the new weapons in those mods. They wouldn't be able to get a near-perfect shotgun, I'm sure.

[hsAG3NT]

In other mods, they have full access to the source code, so it is much easier. Without the source, all you could do is change the model the client sees, it would still fire rifle/smg/pistol rounds.