Trouble in Terrorist Town - a GMod gamemode

[NaRyan]

I have been getting this Lua error quite often in my server logs:

Lua Error: [gamemodes\terrortown\gamemode\player.lua:733] attempt to index local 'wep' (a nil value)(Hook: EntityTakeDamage)

At 1st I thought it was due to the custom weapons on my servers.
However I get the same error on maps that have no random weapon spawns, so the custom weapons do not spawn.

Running TTT v16 on both servers.

[Bad King Urgrain]

I'll look at the muzzleflash thing. It doesn't happen for standard non-traitor/detective weapons?

I have been getting this Lua error quite often in my server logs:

Thanks, fixed in SVN now (r504).

[NaRyan]

Thanks :)

However I just updated and when I access the traitor buy menu I get this Lua error and the buy equipment menu stays on screen.
Got no idea about Detective menu since there was just me and a bot on the server.

[terrortown\gamemode\cl_equip.lua:380] attempt to call global 'CreateTransferMenu' (a nil value)

The error is shown Clientside.

Also just noticed the Radio gives this Lua error clientside:

[lua\includes\modules\draw.lua:311] attempt to perform arithmetic on field '?' (a nil value)

You get that after you buy the radio and hold it.

[Bad King Urgrain]

The first one is because of a typo causing a file not to be sent to clients. I'll take a look at the second one right now, and commit fixes to the SVN afterwards.

edit: Both things are now fixed in SVN (r505).

[Darkest_97]

I'll look at the muzzleflash thing. It doesn't happen for standard non-traitor/detective weapons?

Ive only seen it happen for the newton and teleporter. Ill pay more attention and see if it happens all the time.
I actually shot and killed a detective that was beside me cause i saw the flash from his tele and i turned and got a lucky headshot  :S

[Fuffe]

Is it possible to let the detectives have team voice chat just like the traitors do? Since they already have team text chat I guess you don't think the general idea of chat between detectives is a bad idea.

[JossiRossi]

This has been suggested and rejected as it would encourage to Detectives to isolate themselves from the innocents who they should be working with, instead of bilaterally.

[zoobird]

I had another poltergeist stick to me as a traitor.  Happens where there are numerous targets are in the line of fire.

[Bad King Urgrain]

What do you mean with in the line of fire? The only relevant line goes where your crosshair is pointing. It can only point at one thing.

[zoobird]

On both occasions I was aiming at one prop, and trying to fire it when numerous players were in front of me. Which caused the crosshair to quickly alternate between props and players.  I'm guessing somehow since the poltergeist couldn't find the prop, and because it can't stick to players it caused it to backfire on me. 

[Darkest_97]

I dont remember if this was adressed, but nobody can pick up planted c4 anymore.

[Bad King Urgrain]

That's a bug in v15 that I fixed a while ago for v16/SVN.

I'll try to reproduce this poltergeist thing but I don't get how it could happen. There should be no way it can attach to a player, and the person firing it is most definitely a player.

edit:
I've reproduced the muzzleflash thing on the newton by the way.

edit2:
Weirdly enough it seems related to the model. The rocket launcher in sandbox also does it.

[Charles445]

I don't see how the poltergeist could stick to anybody.
Here's the PrimaryAttack stripped down and explained.

      local tr = util.TraceLine({start=ply:GetShootPos(), endpos=ply:GetShootPos() + ply:GetAimVector() * maxrange, filter=ply, mask=MASK_SOLID})

This is the trace to find what to connect to. You will notice that filter=ply. This means that the trace will NEVER return the owner of the poltergeist. It means you can't poltergeist yourself.
     

if tr.HitNonWorld and ValidTarget(tr.Entity) and tr.Entity:GetPhysicsObject():IsMoveable() then

This is another important part. This makes sure that it's only going to attach to an unfrozen prop.

local stuck = hammer:StickTo(tr.Entity)
if not stuck then hammer:Remove() end

After the poltergeist ball (the hammer) is spawned, the weapon tells it to stick to whatever it traced (only if the above conditions are met)

Let's take a look at the hammer's code.

if (not ValidEntity(ent)) or ent:IsPlayer() or ent:GetMoveType() != MOVETYPE_VPHYSICS then return false end

This alone makes sure that the hammer does not stick to any player or anything static.
I can not see a reason for the hammer to stick to anyone.

[Bad King Urgrain]

Regarding the newton muzzle flashing, it seems to affect specific models, mostly HL2 ones. The HL2 shotgun will have it for example, regardless of the actual weapon I use it for. Same for the RPG launcher. The problem also exists in sandbox, where the weapons are mostly C++ rather than Lua, so it really looks like a model thing.

I've switched the Newton Launcher to the blue physgun model. For the teleporter I've hidden the world model while a player holds it (like the DNA scanner and such). None of the other weapon models TTT uses exhibit the issue, so that should be enough.

[Bad King Urgrain]

New stuff now in SVN (r506):

[li]C4 disarming now has you cut one of six wires (WITH GRAPHICS!!!). If it's a safe wire you disarm the bomb, else it blows up. The longer the C4's initial timer, the more wires are unsafe. At 45 sec it's only 1 unsafe wire, while at 3 minutes 3 of 6 wires will blow it up (resulting in a 50% chance of failure), etc. Defuser still disarms instantly of course. The C4 planter's corpse will tell you about one safe wire (all you need).[/li]
[li]Teleporter now prevents you from teleporting if the destination is blocked. If ttt_teleporter_telefrags is 1 (default is 0), then it telefrags players on the destination as it used to. It will never kill the user because there's a prop in the way though, regardless of that setting.[/li]
[li]Model changes for Newton and Teleporter to fix muzzleflash glitches.[/li]

[Citizen_001]

Um so, can traitors cut a non-safe wire on purpose right after setting it and kill everyone?

[Bad King Urgrain]

No, I do think of some things. Any wire they cut will disarm the C4.

[Fuffe]

Can we get a picture? It sounds really nice!

[Ajunk]

Um so, can traitors cut a non-safe wire on purpose right after setting it and kill everyone?

No, I do think of some things. Any wire they cut will disarm the C4.

How about if a traitor gets an innocent friend to do it for them and, for instance, kill 10 people huddled around a traitor checker because they never heard the beeping?

If you're going to do graphics, why not implement that Mastermind idea instead? That can't be exploited and actually requires some panic-fueled problem solving.

[Bad King Urgrain]

How about if a traitor gets an innocent friend to do it for them and, for instance, kill 10 people huddled around a traitor checker because they never heard the beeping?

How about the traitor tells an innocent friend who all the other traitors are, and ruins every round that way? Normal traitors won't have an innocent friend who will happily kill himself like you suggest, and normal traitors are the only traitors worth dealing with. After all, cheating traitors could just download a scriptenforcer bypass and aimhack everyone to death if they're intent on ruining the game.

If you're going to do graphics, why not implement that Mastermind idea instead? That can't be exploited and actually requires some panic-fueled problem solving.

Mastermind has nothing to do with graphics (other than a single circle sprite I suppose), but:
1) Too much of a minigame. Skill at mastermind would become a deciding factor when C4 is involved, affecting balance.

2) Still requires time penalties or guess limits to avoid endless spamming, which will require different behaviour for traitors to prevent intentional exploding, which in turn will allow innocents to traitor check by observing that differing behaviour. This is what happens in the old C4 disarm and exactly what I want to avoid.

3) I don't like the whole guessing game thing. I could have mangled the old system to be unexploitable (locking players out instead of reducing the time), but it would still have been a lame number spamming deal.

It's now a simple and straightforward decision. You see C4 and either you take the risk and cut a wire, or you don't. No minigames, no bullshit.