StarDestroyer.Net BBS

In honor of the latest movie, someone decided to build a Transformers mod for Battlefield 1942, available here.

It's basically the core game, but with some twists. As expected, everyone is a generic Transformer (though Optimus and Megatron are recognizable on a few maps), and all weapons are lasers. The biggest change, obviously, is the transforming.

They had to work within the limits of the game, of course. Rather than turning into a vehicle (which is your standard BF1942 set, but with new weapons), you cause it to spawn on your position. Holding E at the same time causes you to automatically enter. Exiting the vehicle causes it to disappear.

The Transformers are still somewhat dependent of vehicles for crossing water, so they have carriers, destroyers, and landing craft with new laser weapons. The vehicles are also faster and more maneuverable. So give it a look if you're a Transformers fan with a copy of Battlefield.

UT2k4 had a transforming vehicle mod ages ago. Is BF1942 scripting not very good?

It would probably be easier and smoother to make the mod in Battlefront (aka Star Wars: 1942), and base the Transformers off the Droideka (where crouch switches between movement/combat modes instead).

Stark wrote:UT2k4 had a transforming vehicle mod ages ago. Is BF1942 scripting not very good?

As far as I know, nope. The engine allows easy modding, but mainly only to textures, maps, and vehicle and weapon stats. They still have the transforming sound when you spawn the vehicle, and they use the cartoon intro video for the standard menu video. They've also got music playing during battles that's taken from the series.

Almost forgot. When a player takes enough damage, he begins smoking like a vehicle. When killed, he explodes.

Quake 2 had a pretty sweet Transformers mod. You could transform and ram people. Or if you were Brawl you could fire rockets in tank mode. Also all of the weapons were changed to match weapons from the Transformers toys and show like the grenade launcher became Wheeljack's double grenade launcher and it even had two modes of fire. The BFG became Megatron's fusion cannon and even had the sound effects changed up. The funniest thing was being Soundwave and transforming into a tiny tape player that could drive around and ram people.

Sigh. Good times.

chitoryu12 wrote:As far as I know, nope. The engine allows easy modding, but mainly only to textures, maps, and vehicle and weapon stats. They still have the transforming sound when you spawn the vehicle, and they use the cartoon intro video for the standard menu video. They've also got music playing during battles that's taken from the series.

Almost forgot. When a player takes enough damage, he begins smoking like a vehicle. When killed, he explodes.

That just sounds like such a kludge. The UT2k4 mod I'm thinking of was able to use uscript to have one-button transformation, context-sensitive animations, and cool 'based on UT2k4 vehicles' robot modes. This was like three years ago. It was a pretty good mod, but hopelessly unbalanced - being able to turn into a robot really helps some vehicles (ie, ute, fighter) and does nothing for others (ie tank).

And of COURSE they smoke and explode when they're in 'vehicle mode' - it's a real vehicle the player is just 'inside'!

Here most weapons are the same, but changed to fit the theme. The assault gets a rapid-fire laser rifle, the scout gets a hyperblaster, the anti-tank gets a pulse launcher (a freakin' huge laser cannon), the medic gets a small rapid-fire laser carbine, and the engineer gets a laser shotgun. Everyone has a laser pistol and a beam sword. The transformed tanks get pulse launchers, the jeep gets a laser machine gun, and the planes get dual plasma guns and reskinned bombs. It's cool if only to see a Sherman firing lasers at robots. All the original maps are preserved for the game too.

And of COURSE they smoke and explode when they're in 'vehicle mode' - it's a real vehicle the player is just 'inside'!

Not in vehicle mode. They do that when in normal mode as well.

That just sounds like such a kludge. The UT2k4 mod I'm thinking of was able to use uscript to have one-button transformation, context-sensitive animations, and cool 'based on UT2k4 vehicles' robot modes. This was like three years ago. It was a pretty good mod, but hopelessly unbalanced - being able to turn into a robot really helps some vehicles (ie, ute, fighter) and does nothing for others (ie tank).

Quite. It's a pretty outdated engine though, and it wasn't designed to allow transforming. The most we got was with the Galactic Conquest mod, where the Lambda shuttles and Sentinel landing craft's wings automatically lowered in flight, but they were coded as landing gear.

chitoryu12 wrote: Not in vehicle mode. They do that when in normal mode as well.

Sorry, I read 'like a vehicle' as 'in a vehicle' or something. :S

chitoryu12 wrote:Quite. It's a pretty outdated engine though, and it wasn't designed to allow transforming. The most we got was with the Galactic Conquest mod, where the Lambda shuttles and Sentinel landing craft's wings automatically lowered in flight, but they were coded as landing gear.

But... UT2k4 is old too, just designed for modding. I'm surprised the key-combo for transform can't be a single button linked to a short script, though. And are you saying BF1942 vehicles turn into Transformers? Doesn't that look silly? Did they at least use TF vs GI Joe designs where tank guys have shoulder cannons etc?

And are you saying BF1942 vehicles turn into Transformers? Doesn't that look silly? Did they at least use TF vs GI Joe designs where tank guys have shoulder cannons etc?

No. Let's go through the process:

Every class can transform into a different vehicle. Scouts become jeeps, assaults become fighters, anti-tanks become, ironically, tanks, medics become half-tracks, and engineers become artillery.

Each player has an inventory slot that is your transform button. It acts like a vehicle spawner: You click the mouse, and a vehicle spawns on your position. You hold E, and you automatically enter the vehicle. A small script causes damage done to the vehicle to affect you. When you press E to exit the vehicle, the vehicle disappears and you're left standing there. You can "reload" your transformation tool, but it takes time (likely to keep infantry combat available).

The player models resemble generic Transformers, but they carry something on their backs to show what they transform into (assaults have wings, anti-tanks have a tank turret, etc." Though it would be damn cool if they could actually build a player model from a vehicle. Sadly, they can't use their vehicle weapons in robot mode.