Thunder Grenades

Created By:	Dr DooMer
eMail:	drdoomer@cross-bones.co.uk
Difficulty Scale:	Easy

The grenade launcher may not be your favorite weapon right now, and after completing this tutorial it still might not be. But anyway, I'll show you how to make a nice effect that utilises the power of the temporary entities! So, open up weapons.qc and proceed to:

STEP 1:

Scroll down about half way until you find W_FireGrenade. Search for it's "missile.nextthink" line and change it to:


	missile.nextthink = time + 0.1;

And change it's "missile.think" line into:


	missile.think = GrenadeZap;

Now, all we have done here is to tell the grenade that it should next think in 0.1 seconds time, and when it does think, to call the function GrenadeZap.

STEP 2:

Now scroll up a bit and add this function just above W_FireGrenade:


void() GrenadeZap =
{
	local vector	org;

	self.count = self.count + 1;	// This bit is here to count
	if (self.count > 40)		// how long the grenade
	{				// has been lingering.
		GrenadeExplode();	// After forty 1/10 second
		return;			// counts, the grenade
	}				// just goes boom normally

	sound (self.owner, CHAN_VOICE, "weapons/lhit.wav", 1, ATTN_NORM);
	self.nextthink = time + 0.1;
	self.think = GrenadeZap;		// Repeat the function

	org = self.origin + '0 0 3';
	traceline (org, self.owner.origin + '0 0 10', TRUE, self);

	WriteByte (MSG_BROADCAST, SVC_TEMPENTITY);
	WriteByte (MSG_BROADCAST, TE_LIGHTNING2);
	WriteEntity (MSG_BROADCAST, self);
	WriteCoord (MSG_BROADCAST, org_x);
	WriteCoord (MSG_BROADCAST, org_y);
	WriteCoord (MSG_BROADCAST, org_z);
	WriteCoord (MSG_BROADCAST, trace_endpos_x);
	WriteCoord (MSG_BROADCAST, trace_endpos_y);
	WriteCoord (MSG_BROADCAST, trace_endpos_z);
// Now, all this complicated bit of code does is draw
// a beam of lightning from one place to another

	LightningDamage (org, trace_endpos + v_forward*5, self.owner, 15);
// This is standard lightning gun code, and 15 the the amount of damage done.
};

Well, that's it! If you've done all that right, compile, run, and have fun! Try shooting grenades over a monster, and if you feel especially nasty, up the damage!