Need ideas / help with a "chase" scene

[CronoDyne]

Please move this if it's in the wrong area. I'm not sure if this can be done the same way in both the PSP and PS3 versions, so I decided to post this here in case.

Anyways, I'm trying to set up a "chase" in my level. Sackboy comes up to a bridge, walks a bit across, then this creature comes from the left side and chases after you shooting projectiles at you while you have to run across the bridge dodging the projectiles and obstacles along the way. Simple enough to design, I figured. It is similar to the story level Dragon on a Bite (where the dragon chases after you while you're on the rickshaw.)

So here is how I have it set up right now. Please tell me how to do it a different way if I'm doing it wrong, btw. I have a piece of material below the bridge, a second piece of material at the end, and the first piece connected to both the creature (above) and the second material (to the right) with pistons. So the creature now bobs up and down while going right. Works well enough. So I want it to reset in case the player dies during the chase, so I capture everything (creature, material, and pistons), set up an emitter with the object (frequency set to 0.1, lifetime to infinite, max emitted to infinite, and max emitted at once to 1) and connect it to a sensor that makes the emitter go off when the player walks by again. But it never starts when it's supposed to. I set off the emitter, the object shows up, but the pistons take time to actually turn on. It can take 2 seconds for it to move right. It could take 4 seconds to move right. It can move right instantly. But nothing is consistent. I tried changing the speed, the sync.. I also tried unpausing, waiting until the right piston begins to move right, paused then captured the object. I'm pretty sure I have to do something with the sync of both the piston and the emitter, but I don't know what. Any help will be greatly appreciated =(

[Taffey]

I'd say that it is definitely a sync issue. Just like in the PS3 version, anytime you adjust the length or timing of a piston it takes a moment to figure out where it's supposed to be in the sync cycle. I am positive that's what is happening here.

I have never made a chase sequence exactly like that (although CCubbage has in his Roll Out the Barrel level), but I would think that you would be better off controlling the left/right motion of your creature by means of a cart with wheels instead of a piston. Just make the cart enormous and out of something heavy (stone or metal) and you should be good to go. That way it will start moving to the right immediately when spawned. It may still take a moment to begin the up/down motion because of piston sync, but that will be hardly even noticeable.

[CronoDyne]

Thanks a lot, Taffey! I haven't tested it out yet, but I'm confident that will work. Never even thought of that.

[Taffey]

No problem - let me know how it turns out. :)

[merkaba48]

If you want your monster to move as soon as it is emitted (always), then put a magnetic key switch on it set to directional (or any surface-switch, eg sticker switch or sensor switch), and make its default state such that it will move the way you want it without being triggered.

Now, capture the object before it has started moving. This way, when you emit it, it will immediately start moving 'closed' at a constant rate, and sync problems won't enter the equation.


Alternate solutions to what you want to do:

i) Use a rail above the map from which your monster hangs down (or a rail under your map which it stands up on). The creature moves along this rail on wheels.

ii) Just use wheels along the ground, the same way the skulldozer on the PS3 was done.

iii) Use rockets somehow.

Also, rather than resetting your monster, have you thought about having a moving checkpoint like in the skulldozer level? It is preferential over having a respawning chasing monster, as it doesn't break the 'flow' of the level, and means you only have 1 chance to get all the bubbles on the way.

[CronoDyne]

Thanks for the suggestions and help, merkaba48. Unfortunately I can't check the skulldozer level since I don't have a PS3 =(

What I did was set up a little "car" with wheels, attached a rocket to the side of it, attached a piston to the creature and the car (to make it bob up and down), tweaked the numbers of both the piston and rocket a bit, and now I have it working pretty perfectly. Using the rocket makes the creature start out slow and then speed up, which was not my intention, but it actually gives a nice flare to it. Like you think you're safe while your running, and it gets closer and closer. Took about 4 hours to finally get everything working. Apparently you can't capture anything with more than four wheels. Also I had an incredibly hard time trying to get it to emit. I suppose it was too close to something, and since the object is rather large it was quite hard to see where the edges were touching. Alas, I have it working. Thanks guys! Now, time to sleep..