Plasma Radar Gun

I wanted to see if a radar could be done in Doom 3 using scripts alone, mostly because someone on the doom3world.org forums laughed when asked if it could be done. :D

And, though it has certainly taken a few questionable hacks, the answer is a definite "Yes". I chose the plasmagun because a) it has the largest GUI outside of the BFG, but no one walks around with the BFG out, b) the square GUI is optimal for the radar, and c) the GUI drops into the gun during firing, which rather conveniently hides the fact that the radar only updates during idle() calls.

PK4 includes: modified gui w/graphics, modified monster_base and plasma gun scripts

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Instructions

* Copy "plasmaRadar10" directory included in this ZIP to your
"Doom 3" directory. Please note that the PK4 file should NOT be
in either the Doom 3/base or the root Doom 3 directory itself.
* Run Doom 3.
* Click "mods" on the main menu
* Select "plasmaRadar10".
* Either load a map with the "map" command or play the main
game. The radar should work on any creature in any map.

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Notes

* Though the radar screen itself is only 2d, whether or not a
creature shows up on it is calculated in 3d. For example, a
creature that's 20 feet away on the same level as you might show
up on the radar, but a cacodemon 20 feet away and 20 feet up is
technically out of range, so it will not show until it gets much
closer.
* I have decided against doing an up arrow/down arrow GTA-style
radar. I like that you have no idea how far above or below you
the creature a blip represents might be, a la "Aliens".
* The radar detects any spawned monster entity on the map that is
within range. This often includes creatures placed outside the
map (that will be moved inside to attack later) or in adjoining
corridors, which can result in seemingly erroneous blips. Just
consider these phantoms to be creatures waiting for you in the air
ducts and walls - you'll often be right.
* The GUI for the weapon updates itself 60 times a second.
However, the information on creature locations fed to the GUI are
only done 6 times a second (every 10 tics), and whether a blip is
visible/invisible is only done twice a second. I could easily
increase the frequency of these updates, but I believe the current
setting is a nice balance between low CPU overhead and
functionality.
* The code is moderately well commented; feel free to take a look
at how it's been done, and please let me know if you have a
quicker or more elegant way to accomplish something I've done here.
* You can uncomment several of the sys.println commands in
weapon_plasmagun.script to get realtime info on the creatures on
the radar in the console.

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Revision History

1.0
* Discovered $player1 instance. Removed all code in ai_player;
combined with weapon_plasmagun.script code.
* Significantly reduced the amount of code in weapon_plasmagun's
initial version. Cut the number of variables in half.
* Altered the code to detect any creatures, rather than just
predefined test monsters.
* Increased the max number of blips from 4 to 10.
* Restored a modified version of the original ammo readouts to
the weapon.
* Modified ai_monster_base so that creatures report their names
during init().
* Increased the updates per second of the visible/invisible
status.
* Decreased the number of blip info updates from 60 to 6 times
per second.
* Increased the range of the radar by 50%. Still not sure if I
liked it better like this or like before.
0.9
* First release. Simple test with 4 creatures only; not an
actual radar.

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Future Plans

These ideas may or may not be implemented in a future version,
depending on whether or not there seems to be sufficient interest
from the Doom 3 community. If you have any ideas not listed here,
please don't hesitate to e-mail me.

* Different sized blips depending on creature size (zombies/imps
small dot, pinky/caco med dot, cyber BIIIIIG dot, etc)
* A flashing warning sign when a creature is very close directly
behind the player
* Fading in/out blips like sonar
* Might increase the number of possible blips. We'll see if it
becomes necessary. My thinking is: if there are more than 10
creatures within 800 units of the player, you have better things
to be doing than noticing that not every single creature has a
blip. ^_^

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Special Thanks

* My brother, Matt, for helping to test this and all my mods.
* Everyone who has written a Doom 3 mapping/scripting/etc.
tutorial so far. I've read pretty much all of them, so if you've
written one, consider yourself soundly thanked.
* Insert "obligatory id software thanks" here. :D

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License

Please ask before using the radar in your own mods. Chances are
very good I'll say yes, but I like to keep track of where my work
ends up.

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Thanks for reading; please enjoy!


In response to the recent media attention given to faulty
containment fields in non-UAC-manufactured plasma cells, we at the
Union Aerospace Corporation have decided to provide an interface
upgrade chip for the recently released Series 3 plasma gun. These
upgrades, provided to our loyal customers and various off-world
divisions free of charge, are guaranteed by UAC for the lifetime
of the weapon itself ONLY if installed by a class E certified
plasma technician. Please refer to the diagram included with the
chip itself for specific instructions.

This upgrade, the first of its kind, takes advantage of newly
refined techniques in the field of advanced weapons technology.
High-level energy sources such as those found in an improperly
housed cell will produce fluctuations in the energy field of an
active Series 3 plasma weapon. By carefully monitoring the
differences between input and output energy flow while the weapon
is idling, the Series 3b chip allows not only detection of these
potentially dangerous leaks, but can even locate the problem
within a 30 meter, 170 degree cone in front of the device.

Please advise all security personnel to pay close attention to the
modified display on the weapon itself. Should a leaking energy
source be detected within range, a small circle, or "blip", will
appear indicating the distance and direction of the problem.
Steps can then be taken to notify disposal teams and rectify the
situation.

Note that while our science staff have speculated that several
other forms of energy outside of the harmonic range of the plasma
cells used by the Series 3 can be detected by the 3b chip, the
average user is extremely unlikely to encounter these rare forms
of emission. Given the nature of these currently theoretical
sources of energy, in the event that a non-plasma source produces
a "blip" on the weapon, you almost certainly have a malfunctioning
device. Please return the full weapon (do not attempt to
uninstall the chip) to UAC. Allow 6-8 weeks for repair and return
of your product.

We would like to reiterate that the cells mentioned in MSCNN's
reports were NOT produced by a UAC facility. In the future, we
will be carefully reviewing our third-party partners in
manufacturing and fulfillment. We hope that these upgrades will
keep you healthy, happy, and safe while using the latest in plasma
weapon technology. Please feel free to contact us with any
questions or concerns. You may visit us at http://www.ua-corp.com.