Jump to content

Misaligned Duplicant effects when using machinery


VigilantHylian
  • Branch: Live Branch Version: Windows Pending

Duplicants, when engaging with entities that require operation, have their effects offset incorrectly. For example, the New Skill Point radiant glow effect that appears at their feet when running around, follows them correctly. This same effect does not seem to follow them "in" to buildings.

As an example of the effect not working correctly, the Rock Crusher is an entity that the duplicants "enter". The entry point is roughly the center of the sprite, and appears to be where the duplicant either exists in the game space with some trickery applied to their sprite so they appear to move within the sprite tile, OR it is the last known saved location of the duplicant somehow. This causes an effect where the duplicant will be hitting the button of the Rock Crusher at its side, but the "New Skill Point" effect will appear in the very center of the Rock Crusher, thoroughly misaligned with the duplicant.

Without access to the code it is hard to assume what exactly is at play here, but as I outlined, I believe that this has something to do with the "true position" of the duplicant not being updated as it moves "within" the entity they are interacting with.


Steps to Reproduce

1. Make a duplicant use a machine that causes them to move "within" the machine's sprite bounds. A good example of this is the Rock Crusher or (I believe, at least) the Materials Study Terminal.

2. Wait for them to perform their animation that moves their location within the entity's squares, away from dead center.

3. Provide them with a skill point, so that the New Skill Point effect plays.

4. Observe with wonder, as the animation plays nowhere near the Duplicant!

  • Like 1



User Feedback


It's counterintuitive behaviour and shouldn't be this way. By now there are many people that would be angry if this gets fixed, but it never made sense in the first place. It's an artifact of simplified assumptions. Dupe spends time in front of station. Then someone added a fancy animation, but nobody wrote code to actually update the dupe pos, as that might require pathfinding and/or checks. Then players noticed they only needed to provide light/sensors for the center tile. But it would be confusing indeed - which tile needs to be lighted? All of them?

I still would love to see it fixed, like all beginner traps, but I doubt they will.

  • Sanity 1

Share this comment


Link to comment
Share on other sites



Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
  • Create New...