NETNAME
See also: Coding - Mods - Programming - Monsters
Updated April 7, 2002 - 11:15 PM

Using Netname in Half-Life

Netname appears in several places in Half-Life:

• Players (in Multiplayer)
• Monsters created from MonsterMaker
• SquadMonsters
• Baby Headcrabs dropped by Monster_BigMomma
• Monsters created by Nihilanth ...?

What additional uses can we coders find for Netname?

Monsters as a special case of players -- monsters with Netname can exist as unique individuals in multiplayer games.

For example -- iterate through all Netname entities to perform tasks that include players and monsters alike:

• Allowing monsters to score points for human goals
• Allowing monsters to distinguish between teams
• Allowing monsters distinguish between individual players in multiplayer games
  • Hate one player, but not all humans
  • Loyal to one particular player - various reasons:
    • Player saved monster's life from danger
    • Player showed mercy, monster grateful
    • Player gave food/water to hungry/thirsty monster
    • Player used Pheromone soft-weapon to enforce monster's loyalty

Poly-Weapons that deploy multiple Netname sub-entities. This would be natural to implement for the HornetGun: for example:

Modify the HornetGun code, and the Hornet code, so that each individual "SuperHornet" has a Netname and it's own mission:

• SuperHornets could have long lifespans
• Netname reports SuperHornet status back to the HornetGun
  • Mission Status - seeking, targeting, destroying, dead
  • Damage
  • Death
  • Mission options: Hunt, Scout, Hold Position, etc.
• HornetGun can have AI that coordinates behavior of multiple SuperHornets, based upon input from all the Netnames.
• Similar to the Hunter-Seeker in Frank Herbert's Dune

Got ideas? New uses for Netname?
Contact the Vandal with your idea.