[blueblur]

Descriptions

- This plugins stops tank from death when gets stucked or loses its target for too long, and finally teleport them to somewhere near survivors. The teleportation is compeletly depending on game itself when to decide the tank's death.

- Credits to:

• Scag, for MidHook extension.
• 东, for his algorithms of choosing a spawn point to teleport a tank.
• 夜羽真白, for various methods used in teleportation.

- Github Link

Requirements

• MidHook Extention
• SourceScramble Extention (L4D1 Only, But I dont want to split this into another version so L4D2 also require it but dose nothing with it.)
• Dhook
• Left4DHooks

ConVars

Spoiler

// Teleport the tank after stoping the suicide in this seconds.
// default: 3.0
// min: 0.1
l4d2_stucked_tank_teleport_timer

// Should teleport the tank or not. Set 0 will allow the tank to suicide.
// default: 1
l4d2_stucked_tank_teleport_should_teleport

// How many damage the tank should be panished after stucked for too long.
// default: 0.0 (prevent suicide)
// min: 0.0
l4d2_stucked_tank_teleport_suicide_damage

// How many times to search for a spawn point to teleport the tank.
// default: 20
// min: 1
l4d2_stucked_tank_teleport_path_search_count

// Should check the visibility from tank to survivors of the spawn point or not.
// defualt: 0
l4d2_stucked_tank_teleport_should_check_visib ility

// Distance from the choosen survivor to make a spawn point for the tank. Recommended: 500.0 < x < 2000.0
// default: 1000.0
// min: 1.0
l4d2_stucked_tank_teleport_distance

// Play notice sound when the tank has been teleported.
// deafault: 1
l4d2_stucked_tank_teleport_notice_sound

// Highlight the tank when it has been teleported.
// default: 1
l4d2_stucked_tank_teleport_highlight_tank

// Time to highlight the tank when it has been teleported
// default: 3.0
l4d2_stucked_tank_teleport_highlight_time

API

PHP Code:

/**
 * Called when a bot tank tried to suicide for stucking or losing its target for too long.
 * 
 * @note This is a hook using MidHook to hook the middle of the function call: TankAttack::Update.
 * @note Called when passing the aruguments to CTakeDamageInfo::CTakeDamageInfo,
 * @note Specifically, when the damage value has been moved into register xmm0 and this plugin has set the damage to some value.
 * 
 * @param tank      client index of the tank.
 * 
 * @noreturn  
*/
forward void MidHook_OnTankSuicide(int tank); 


ChangeLog

Spoiler

- 10/1/24 v1.0
- Initial release.

- 10/1/24 v1.1
- Added more convars.
- Fixed translation error.

- 10/2/24 v1.2
- Fixed a bug that tank keeps 'suiciding' and teleporting after first teleportation.
- Now should support the sence where multiple tank exists.
- Now logs error message when failed to enable/disable the hook, just for the general gameplay.
- Use 'L4D2_CommandABot' to replace 'Logic_RunScript'.

- 10/2/24 v1.3
- Added 3 convars. Options for below.
- Added a notice sound when the tank is teleported.
- Added a highlight effect when the tank is teleported.

- 10/3/24 v1.3.1
- Fixed windows patching.

- 11/22/24 v1.4
- Fixed byte pathing on L4D2 windows.
- Removed some useless event code and comments.
- Added supports for L4D1.

- 11/23/24 v1.4.2
- Fixed some logic bugs.

- 11/23/24 v1.4.3
- Fixed unused memory. Thanks to Lin for notification.

- 11/26/24 v1.4.4
- Fixed a memory leak when unloading the plugin.
- Make the failure notification not that annoyingly get printed.

Some Thoughts

Spoiler

Tanks get suicided when they are stucked for too long, but this is happened inside a complex function: TankAttack::Update.
By simply detouring and patching this function is quite hacky, which needs a lot more steps.
By the way we make our own timer detection using sourcemod, which is not accurate and resource consuming.
MidHook extension resolves the both. It is a effective way to handle the little things in a giant.

On another view this thing seems to can be easily done by hooking OnTakeDamage (since the attacker and inflictor is tank itself), but we can still say using midhook is a more accurate and safer way to do this. Besides, you can think of this plugin as a practical instance of using midhook.

[replay_84]

sounds good, thank you for sharing.

[blueblur]

Updated v1.3.1.

Spoiler

- 10/3/24 v1.3.1
- Fixed windows patching.

[replay_84]

someone tried this on l4d1?

[blueblur]

Originally Posted by replay_84 someone tried this on l4d1?

For plugin itself all signature and address is prepared.
Only one thing: L4D2_CommandABot from left4dhooks is l4d2 only. I have not yet found any sub solution for this.
If we cant figure this out, Tank will stand still after teleporting.

If you have any interest you can see the work so far I have done here:

[replay_84]

thanks, maybe someone knows a fix and is willing to share.

[blueblur]

Originally Posted by blueblur For plugin itself all signature and address is prepared. Only one thing: L4D2_CommandABot from left4dhooks is l4d2 only. I have not yet found any sub solution for this. If we cant figure this out, Tank will stand still after teleporting. If you have any interest you can see the work so far I have done here:

May call the TankAttack::OnCommandAttack function, an assumption.

[ZBzibing]

I also look forward to using it on L4D1

[blueblur]

Updated for L4D1, Not tested. Any detailed report is welcome.

[blueblur]

Updated v1.4.3

Spoiler

- 11/23/24 v1.4.3
- Fixed unused memory. Thanks to Lin for notification.