Hi, just a small question:
Is there a way of using a model instead of a sprite for a mouse cursor that could click on things in the 3D world? May sound pointless, but I've been playing Anachronox lately and it looks fine... Codewise it would just be a matter of sending the model further forward the higher on the screen it is.

Would it be possible say to place a 3D model at the pointer.x location?
Cheers,
Keith

It would seem that you could use a transparent mouse map and have the model follow it in an endless loop but I haven't tried it.

not sure about the 3d mouse idea, but you can already click on things in 3d world. Just make sure the entites enable click is set to on, then in a function check for the event type event_click.

Hi, thanks for your replies. Clicking on things isn't the problem - I'm just using a modified mouse cursor movement from the templates, and I'll make the mouse_map invisible when/if I get it to work, as Keebo suggests.

The problem is how to actually get the model to follow the mouse movement so that it stops at the edges of the screen etc - in other words trying to translate screen co-ordinates to 3D world co-ordinates relative to the player. eg. screen x for 3D y, screen y for 3D z - quants for pixels.

Any ideas how I would achieve this?
Thanks,
Keith

Hi,

In manual, i found a vec_for_screen() (and rel_for_screen()) instruction, maybe
they can help you.

JFauche, thank you! That is exactly what I need. I searched the index with bleary eyes and somehow completely missed these instructions.

Thanks again,
Keith

i use the vec_to_screen and the oppossite of it quite a bit and, depending on what you want, im not sure it would help you. if your going for a Black & White feel, i probably wouldnt use the two functions. what i would do is just ignore the mouse position entirely and use the mouse speed to change the position of the model. so that if you move the mouse up quickly, the model would move foward quickly. this way, you could also implement gravity for the 'hand' and have it drag along the ground without it affecting where it is relative to the mouse coordinates.

Hi DemonLust, thanks for your suggestion. I'm not quite sure what you mean (sorry ). But using vec_for_screen I've got some okay results - the cursor model moves left and right across the screen as I would like. Unfortunately, when I move the mouse up and down, the model moves forwards and backwards, whereas I would like it to moved up and down to the top and bottom of the screen. Does anybody know how to do this?
The idea I have - okay, the idea I am stealing from Anachronox, so sue me - er, actually, please don't, Ion Storm lovely people - is to have a kind of robot assistant that conveniently looks like an arrow and moves around the 3D world being controlled by the mouse. So it moves exactly the same as a normal cursor except that it is a model, and that as it moves towards the top of the screen it also moves further forwards (ie to all extents and purposes it is a normal cursor, it just looks a bit cooler).
Cheers,
Keith

Simply (hu i guess) make a test when your pointer is on min/max screen size height then tilt up/down, same for width min/max and pan left/right...

Hi Amibt,
do not know if you already made it or are any longer interested in a 3Dpointer. I'm stuck at the very same point than you seem to be.
With the vec_for_screen function I get the x coordinate mapped alright (moving the mouse my model-entity moves from right to left border of the view). Moving the mouse up and down moves the entity forwards and backwards - but not to the borders of the view (it stops before reaching the end or goes beyond it).
The z-axis (up and down movement of the entity) I do with two keys. Will do it with the mouse-wheel in a while. All that works fine except for the up down movement of the mouse.
So if someone has some ideas about that I would be thankful.

Moreover, has anybody got some clarifying drawings of how the axis are arranged (coordinate-system) in A5. Would be nice to show them somewhere because that would greatly improve the imagination of what happens with all that vector stuff...

Ok bye for now.