of course we are! there are uses for npcs in mp, even if they never fully work its good scenery. someone on gdconnect already asked if he can use them

update:
foyleman has set up a place on the site just for you guys now coders forum we are going to add more than that forum, it will be a whole new section of the site.

CAIRATH : Definately. Send over the code

I still want to work on it some more first.

What they can do:
---------------
- spawn any of the identities from bg_identities as NPC
- use all "bullet" based weapons correctly
- reload (they use virtual ammo though, they just reload at the proper intervals but don't ever run out of ammo)
- walk around towards enemies

What they can't do (yet)
--------------------
- use projectile weapons (RPG, gren launcher, grenades, etc)
- navigate a map properly (they bump into stuff a lot)


Mostly they lack proper navigation. All they do is close in on enemies they spot, but other than that they have no real navigation skills (and don't even know how to walk around a crate for instance that's standing between you and them).

There's also still some issues in the animation and angle system that I need to iron out. I haven't really worked on it at all in the last 2 weeks or so. I sort of got bored with it (because I have no serious mod plans in which this would be useful right now) and I've mostly just been playing Warcraft 3.

I guess I'll continue working on it sometime soon and see if I can get some of the issues worked out. And possibly add some actual navigation to them. I could use the bot navigation that's already there, or something.

But I promise nothing. I'm lazy.

even if you never get it all the way finished, we can still use it. if they can be scripted to use their animations that would be great too -- this news and those pics have made everyone excited! we're building a shrine for you both at the gdc

CAIRATH : I can probably save you a some time on the navigation code. Rigged something up to auto-generate points for the entire map and connect them up quickly / roughly (takes a second or two usually). Won't make them as good as players still, but it should let them get around crates and figure out paths from one end of the map to the other (rigged up basic A* path routine too). I just haven't got the bots using it yet, heh

As for you mappers, good news : I've added in your basic func_door_rotating and fixed up func_doors. Welll, the triggers for doors actually. Seems they were treating players as spectators and visa-versa (odd?). The blocked functions for doors still needs to be worked on and tested, but aside from that, they're coming along quite well. I'll most likely get out a version to mappers soon (*cough* bout five minutes *cough) so you can try it out and/or suggest additions, changes and what not.

Though I couldn't get around the need for an origin brush (I'm a Uncle Jack, ok!!, fdr's are still easy to make. For you basic rotating door, all you need do is create a two brushes : one as a door, the other as the origin (placed at the pivot point), select them both and call them a func_door_rotating. It'll default to a 2-way door, rotating 90 degrees on the horizontal. By two way I mean it will always rotate *away* from the player.

Support for manual doors soon will be added soon enough. I will also have a go at rigging up destructable doors and better func_breakables. Would be nice to actually be able to blow away the glass from a windowed door

Anyway, that's it.
Trying to get this version up (as it is) for mappers etc.
I'll make a post about that soon.