Thanks a lot man! It works! Thanks to everyone who helped.

Hey there.

The lightning strikes works, but it looks like its looping too much.. There's like 5 strikes per second... Maybe its a "while.." problem.

Here's where the lightning function is called. I want it to start when the player is near the cloud entity with rainthatshit action (rain also starts in this action)

Code:

---

action rainthatshit
{
	// Range to scan for rain...
	my.skill1 = 4000;
	//
	while(1)
	{
		if (vec_dist(my.x, player.x) < my.skill1)
		{
			if (ObservationConditions == ocAverage)
			{
				rainit();
				OpSound(on);
				//lightning_strike();          
			}
			if (ObservationConditions == ocGood)
			{
				rainit();
				OpSound(on);
				lightning_strike();
			}
		}
		else
		{
			OpSound(off);
		}
		wait(1);
	}
}

---

And Here is my lightning strike code.

Code:

---

 
//================================================================================
// VARIABLES & SOUNDS
//================================================================================
 
 
var lightning_on = 1;         // use this variable to turn lightning on or off
var lightning_freq = 0.985;   // frequentcy of lightning strikes, 0 = constant, 1 = never
var strike_range = 1000;      // how close cloud origin must be to target origin for a strike
var flash_range = 1000;       // lightrange for the lightning flash
var thunder_snd_range = 800;  // set range of 3d sounds here
 
var line_start[3]; // bolt xyz origin
var line_end[3]; // bolts end xyz
 
var thunder_choice;  //sound choice variable
sound thunder1 = "thunder1.wav";
sound thunder2 = "thunder2.wav";
sound thunder3 = "thunder3.wav";
 
  
//================================================================================
// LIGHTNING CLOUD ACTION
//================================================================================
 
  
Action lightning_cloud
{
  while(me)
   {
     if(lightning_on == 1)
      {
        if (random(1) > lightning_freq ) {lightning_strike();}
      }
      my.invisible = 1;
     wait(1);
   } 
	
}
  
   
//================================================================================
// LIGHTNING TARGET ACTION
//================================================================================ 
   
   
Action building  //or any lightning target!   
{
  my.skill1 = 2; // identifies entity as a strike target
  my.invisible = 1;
}
  
//================================================================================
//  LIGHTNING_EFFECT FUNCTION
//================================================================================ 
var temporary;
var line_length;
var segment_start;
var segment_end;
var segment_length;

bmap bmp = "flash3.tga";
bmap bmp2 = "l.bmp";


function fade_lightning()
{
  my.lifespan = 0;
}

function particle_lightning()
{
  temp.x = random(8) - 1;
  temp.y = random(8) - 1;
  temp.z = random(8) - 1;
  vec_set(my.vel_x, temp);
  my.bmap = bmp;
  my.size = 5;
  my.move = on;
  my.bright = on;
  my.lifespan = random(5)+1; // the particles live for a single frame
  my.function = fade_lightning;

}

function particle_lightning2()
{
  temp.x = random(8) - 1;
  temp.y = random(8) - 1;
  temp.z = random(8) - 1;
  vec_set(my.vel_x, temp);
  my.bmap = bmp2;
  my.size = 8;
  my.move = on;
  my.bright = on;
  my.lifespan = random(5)+1; // the particles live for a single frame
  my.transparent = on;
  my.alpha = 30;
  my.function = fade_lightning;
}

function particle_segment()
{
   vec_set(temporary, segment_end);
   vec_sub(segment_end, segment_start);
   segment_length = vec_length(segment_end);
   segment_end.x = (segment_end.x * 5) / segment_length; // create particles every 5 quants
   segment_end.y = (segment_end.y * 5) / segment_length;
   segment_end.z = (segment_end.z * 5) / segment_length;
   while(segment_length > 0)
    { 
      effect(particle_lightning, 5, segment_start.x, nullvector);
      effect(particle_lightning2, 1, segment_start.x, nullvector);
      vec_add(segment_start, segment_end);
      segment_length -= 5; // same value here
    }
} 

function lightning_effect()
{
  vec_set(temporary, line_start);
  vec_sub(line_end, line_start);
  line_length = vec_length(line_end);
  line_end.x = (line_end.x * 50) / line_length; // create segments every 100 quants
  line_end.y = (line_end.y * 50) / line_length;
  line_end.z = (line_end.z * 50) / line_length;
  
  while(line_length > 0)
   {
     vec_add(line_start, line_end);
     vec_set(segment_start, temporary);
     vec_set(segment_end, line_start);
     segment_end.x += random(40) - 20; // displace the lightning segments (don't make the lightning look like a straight line)
     segment_end.y += random(40) - 20;
     segment_end.z += random(40) - 20;
     particle_segment();
     line_length -= 100; // keep the same value here
   }
}

//================================================================================
//  LIGHTNING_STRIKE FUNCTION
//================================================================================ 
  
   
function lightning_strike()
{ 
  var closest_target;
  closest_target = strike_range + 1;           // initally set just outside of strike range
  vec_set(line_start.x, my.x);                 // set calling ent as start vec
      
  you = ent_next(null); 
  while ( you != 0 )                           // cycle through entitys
   {
     if(you.skill1 == 2)                       // if you are a target
      {
        temp = vec_dist(my.x, you.x);          // get the distance
        if(temp < closest_target)              // if you are closer than last closest target
         {
           vec_set(line_end.x, you.x);         // set you as end vec
           closest_target = temp;              // set you as new closest target
         }
      }
     you = ent_next(YOU);                      // get next entity
   }
    
  if(closest_target <= strike_range)           // if the closest target is now within range, make lightning
   {
     lightning_effect();
     
      vec_set(my.blue, vector(255,128,128));   // set amount of blue,green and red in flash here
      my.light = on;
      my.lightrange = flash_range;
      wait(2);
     
      thunder_choice = int(random(6)); 
      if(thunder_choice == 0 || thunder_choice == 3){ent_playsound(my, thunder1, thunder_snd_range);}
      if(thunder_choice == 1 || thunder_choice == 4){ent_playsound(my, thunder2, thunder_snd_range);}
      if(thunder_choice == 2 || thunder_choice == 5){ent_playsound(my, thunder3, thunder_snd_range);}
     
      my.light = off;
      my.lightrange = 0;
   }
}

---

Thanks to help!

Marc, You are calling the "lightning_strike" function directly
in "rainthatshit". This is causing a lightning strike every frame that
"ObservationConditions == ocGood".

The way it is set up, the clouds with the "lightning_cloud" action call that
function if the variable "lightning_on" is equal to 1, and a random number
( 0 to 1), is larger than the "lightning_freq" variable.


1. Change rainthatshit so that it just changes the "lightning_on" flag instead
of using it to call the "lightning_strike" function;

Code:

---

action rainthatshit
{	
  my.skill1 = 4000;   // Range to scan for rain...	
  while(1)
   {
     if (vec_dist(my.x, player.x) < my.skill1)
      {
        if (ObservationConditions == ocAverage)			
         {
           rainit();
           OpSound(on);	
         }
        if (ObservationConditions == ocGood)
         {		
           rainit();
           OpSound(on);
           lightning_on = 1;    // turn lightning on
         }
        else{ lightning_on = 0;} // turn lightning off
      }
     else
      {
        OpSound(off);
      }
     wait(1);
   }
}

---

2. Attach the "lightning_cloud" action to several clouds or entities in the
sky, the lightning will emit from these clouds origin.

3. Change the variable "lightning_freq = 0.985" to a higher or lower number
to change how often the lightning strikes. (Higher = less)

That ought to fix it. Hope it helps anyway.

I used the code you sent, but the same thing is happening. The lightnings are starting at the beggining of the level instead of when the player is near the cloud..

No idea?