[Maximilian_]

Hey, i have special idea.

I think, need do special plugin, which will be announce for boss-player "reload" ability

I saw finger animation, which push on button, i think, normal announcement, because some "kids" can't read description on them screen :/

[93SHADoW]

Originally Posted by Maximilian_ Hey, i have special idea. I think, need do special plugin, which will be announce for boss-player "reload" ability I saw finger animation, which push on button, i think, normal announcement, because some "kids" can't read description on them screen :/

Sarysa's drain over time platform introduced the finger animation. It's just an overlay that shows if the minimum rage requirement is met.

[xXDeathreusXx]

Originally Posted by SHADoW NiNE TR3S Sarysa's drain over time platform introduced the finger animation. It's just an overlay that shows if the minimum rage requirement is met.

I believe it would have to be integrated to a plugin, I don't think it is attached to an ability or config option

[93SHADoW]

Originally Posted by xXDeathreusXx I believe it would have to be integrated to a plugin, I don't think it is attached to an ability or config option

It needs to be attached to an ability / config option.

[sarysa]

Yeah, there's no universally "good location" for a text HUD message. Actually it's not just location, but some may require special formatting as well. It's best done on a per-ability basis. I went with the finger with DOT as a kind of generic "hey, this boss has a reload ability" thing. FF2 has one built in for their slot reload (which is almost useless, since it was built for Demopan's hold-to-charge) but I haven't seen a version of FF2 where the slot reload HUD message actually displays correctly. (though there was one time I died as a duo boss and it appeared while I was dead)

[Wliu]

Originally Posted by sarysa Yeah, there's no universally "good location" for a text HUD message. Actually it's not just location, but some may require special formatting as well. It's best done on a per-ability basis. I went with the finger with DOT as a kind of generic "hey, this boss has a reload ability" thing. FF2 has one built in for their slot reload (which is almost useless, since it was built for Demopan's hold-to-charge) but I haven't seen a version of FF2 where the slot reload HUD message actually displays correctly. (though there was one time I died as a duo boss and it appeared while I was dead)

I actually noticed that too a few weeks ago (how it never displayed), and there's now a TODO comment next to it telling me to go back and fix it.

[friagram]

I usually place a third line of hud text at the bottom centered, that says the ability charge abd when it is ready.
Unfortunately there is no way to make proper huds/ui elements in sm.
Overlays are not great either, as they have to be constantly refreshed.

[sarysa]

Originally Posted by Wliu I actually noticed that too a few weeks ago (how it never displayed), and there's now a TODO comment next to it telling me to go back and fix it.

I've lately been working on a completely new game mode (unrelated to 1vAlls like VSH and FF2) and I found an interesting bug with sync HUDs that may help you solve this problem.

It's a 1v1 type of mod. Currently everyone playing gets 3 HUDs, all synchronized -- one with important status info for the player and their opponent, one that describes their currently selected ability, and one "alert" popup that's reserved for special occasions. Experiences below:

What I was doing originally was only displaying the first two HUDs during every HUD interval (0.1 seconds) and the third HUD would be set to display for X seconds immediately as the notification came in. (the way this plugin is structured, everything happens on the same game frame, though there'd only be a 1/7 chance that all HUDs posted on the same frame) In this case, the warning HUD never appeared at all.

Second thing I tried was to move the display code for the warning HUD in with the code for the other two HUDs, using the same 0.1 second interval. (I add 0.05 to the display time to minimize flicker) When the warning message was received, it'd be stored and set to display when the others updated. If there were no active warning message, the code for this HUD would not execute. With this one the HUD only appeared after shift-tabbing or alt-tabbing, then it would disappear when expected and fail in the same way next time the warning was received.

So the third thing I tried was to always send that HUD message along with the other two, even if it's blank, and even sent it to the player in each 1v1 match that doesn't have a warning message. (both sides share the same HUD synchronizers) While I'm guessing that last part is probably unnecessary, the conclusion:

All your different synchronized HUDs need to be constantly used by those who'll use them for the round, even if the message is sometimes blank.

I won't even begin to speculate why it seems to work that way, all I'm going to say is: Blame Valve. :p

AFAIK, non-synchronized HUDs do not have this problem. (as I've been using non-synchronized for a year before Chdata recommended them for Saxton v2)

[friagram]

That's not right, are you sure that you set the sync params to display longer thsn the update interval?
Also if the other channels are in use it will flash.
alternatively, you can force the channel.

[sarysa]

Originally Posted by friagram That's not right, are you sure that you set the sync params to display longer thsn the update interval? Also if the other channels are in use it will flash. alternatively, you can force the channel.

Yes, all the "obvious" problems were checked over and over. Hell the original duration was 5 seconds, then I changed it to the same as the two working HUDs. (0.15 second duration, 0.1 second interval on all) While it's not the most scientific test in the world due to its limited sample, it was undoubtedly the solution for my particular problem.

I doubt "too many channels" are a concern since I've had up to 4 synced HUDs working at once in FF2, and generally use 3 in FF2 like I'm doing for this mod. Also, this is the first time I'd ever tried to use a synced HUD that didn't operate continuously for the entire round, so it's at least consistent with previous results in that respect.