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IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0006636The Dark ModScript/Defpublic14.07.2025 19:54
Reporterchumbucket91 Assigned To 
PrioritynormalSeveritynormalReproducibilityalways
Status newResolutionopen 
Product VersionTDM 2.13 
Summary0006636: Flashbomb Blinded animation does not loop properly for the lifetime of the Blinded state
DescriptionCopied/lightly edited from https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22738-proposal-flashbombed-ais-become-blackjackable/

The usability and efficacy of Flashbombs in TDM feels underwhelming, and could use some developer love.

When an AI guard is struck by a flashbomb, they are placed in a Blinded state for 8(+/- 4) seconds. However, their animations during the state are playing incorrectly, causing this state to seem much shorter than it is (see the video in this post https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22738-proposal-flashbombed-ais-become-blackjackable/#findComment-501638 )

The "issue" with the animation appears to be on the script side. In "tdm_ai_base.script" there are blocks to specify how animations are handled when an AI is blinded. It only plays the animation once across the torso and legs channels and then ends, whether the AI is still blind or not. The result is it that rather quickly after the animation is complete, the AI seems to snap to idle and it is very hard to tell what state the AI is actually in. It looks like they have snapped out of it, but they are actually still blind and just standing there. By copy pasting the torso channel animations a few times and adding some pauses in between for the leg channel you get what is a not-perfect but much more legible "I'm blind" response: The AI is covering their eyes the entire time, they switch between stumbling forward and standing in place, they change direction, etc. You can also much more clearly see the difference from the randomization at the end the blind timer (See the second video posted by WellingtonCrab for this quick-fix in action here: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22738-proposal-flashbombed-ais-become-blackjackable/#findComment-502037 ).

There is probably a better way to implement this quick-fix in the final script. For example, it'd probably be better to pull the blind duration spawnargs from the AI and loop the animations for that length specifically and not repeat so many lines. Maybe introduce some kind of randomization to try and break up the "synchronized swimmer" look as well.
Steps To ReproduceFlashbomb any human AI in any mission to see this effect. The videos from WellingtonCrab tell the whole story here. Current behavior is represented by the first video, and the expectation is represented by the second (although an effect better than what is demonstrated in the second would be optimal, depending on what could be accomplished in the script).
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related to 0006635 new Make Flashbombed AI's become Blackjackable 

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Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
14.07.2025 19:49 chumbucket91 New Issue
14.07.2025 19:54 Amadeus Relationship added related to 0006635