Customizing the "kick" of Kicker model?

[madmrmax]

I'm curious about the "gobble hole" kicker type. I can successfully model a new shape for it, but I notice that there must be an invisible attribute about the size of the "kick" portion which actually triggers the "drain" function. In the image below, the purple circle is something that FP is adding for this Kicker type. I can't figure out how to either 1) re-size it, or 2) move it 'cause it only shows up/is added as part of the fpm.

I can't see anything in the FPM attributes for kicker that would help either. Has anyone tried something like this?

 

[madmrmax]

The main reason I ask this question is cause I'd like to model the drop area in the back of and around the Theatre of Magic trunk, and I was looking to use a modeled gobble hole, but the "hit" event which causes the ball to be dropped only occurs at the circle.

 

[HZR]

Can't you just do an invisible kicker hole with a no collision model on top.
the original kicker t2 deep model has the mask that is the hole I think your talking about.
set your parameters just like the kicker hole model, I cant be certain, as I cant 3d model worth a shit

 

[GeorgeH]

The largest kicker I have ever worked with is on "Attack From Mars". It is custom square shaped kicker used on a scoop for several kickers on the table. You might want to look at it. You might change the shape of it to match what you want. I have been working on an upgrade to FizX and had some difficulty one of these kickers that fires vertically into a scoop and the scoop turns a half circle and lands into a ramp. I couldn't get the kicker to perform with any degree of precision so I replaced it with a round on. I suspect a kicker as large as the one you want would probably kick with even less precision.

Well, there is a huge "kicker" used on Medieval Madness. It is called a "KickerMoat" in the script. It doesn't actually do any kicking though. It just destroys the ball when it falls into the moat.

 

[HZR]

George,\Sounds like that damn kicker and scoup in tales from the crypt

 

[GeorgeH]

George,\Sounds like that damn kicker and scoup in tales from the crypt

I never worked on it but it is the same kicker. It's not a big surprise since they were both built by Francisco666.

 

[madmrmax]

Can't you just do an invisible kicker hole with a no collision model on top.
the original kicker t2 deep model has the mask that is the hole I think your talking about.
set your parameters just like the kicker hole model, I cant be certain, as I cant 3d model worth a shit

Yeah I was looking into the route of doing a ornamental hole and a few invisible kicker holes. I haven't messed around with that yet to figure out what the "hit" event size is. What I had to do for the drain is to put two kicker holes to get the hit event large enough.


The third idea is to keep it a custom kicker and add a custom collision shape that covers it, and not rely on the hit event from the kicker.

 

[madmrmax]

The largest kicker I have ever worked with is on "Attack From Mars". It is custom square shaped kicker used on a scoop for several kickers on the table. You might want to look at it. You might change the shape of it to match what you want. I have been working on an upgrade to FizX and had some difficulty one of these kickers that fires vertically into a scoop and the scoop turns a half circle and lands into a ramp. I couldn't get the kicker to perform with any degree of precision so I replaced it with a round on. I suspect a kicker as large as the one you want would probably kick with even less precision.

Well, there is a huge "kicker" used on Medieval Madness. It is called a "KickerMoat" in the script. It doesn't actually do any kicking though. It just destroys the ball when it falls into the moat.

Thanks! I'll take a look at that definitely!

 

[madmrmax]

Can't you just do an invisible kicker hole with a no collision model on top.
the original kicker t2 deep model has the mask that is the hole I think your talking about.
set your parameters just like the kicker hole model, I cant be certain, as I cant 3d model worth a shit

Hmm. My trials so far are showing me that without the mask hole, the "model" of the hole that sits below the playfield top won't be visible. That is why there is a mask hole. I want these holes to look 3D holes, so I need the mask hole at least.

 

[HZR]

Look at kicker t2,on the left you have your collision shapes settings (I COULD BE WRONG, NEVER MESSED WITH THIS)
Set your collision area as a box around your model. Being that you give it a id number your script will reference the hit by the generated id. I'm not sure the proper way to code this.
_Hit(#) maybe

 

[Paolo]

Hi Mark...I don't know if you've solved it, but I understand that you need a "big" kicker to insert into that photo you show, right?
Now, I have made a couple of "big" kickers (a long time ago) for a couple of my tables, but some considerations:

1)regardless of how big you make it, if the kicker only has the property of destroying... example "Drain.DestroyBall" and then you generate it in another kicker, you will have no problems.
2)you have to create the kicker mask how big you make it, the mask is the part you see in green
3)if the kicker has properties of ".SolenoidPulse or .CreateBall" then the fact is different, regardless of where you kick the ball, I mean in milkshape you put the center of the kicker in a different point from the center, in the big kicker you have to put a " something" that helps the ball come out of the kicker in the direction you want, like....invisible walls, or some model (which you then make invisible) that helps the ball, or otherwise you will have and see that the ball it starts bouncing inside the big kicker.
4)build the kicker in a way that helps the ball go out, but this is hard to explain, I can show you some ideas.

In my Batman data east, I have a big kicker (inside the museum) with all the properties, and I made it to work well.

so what do you need?

 

[Popotte]

@madmrmax For me (and just for me), you don't need a kicker here.
Have just a ornemental hole and make an invisible surface (collidable and generate hit event) on it (named FakeHole).
Sub FakeHole_Hit
Dim Ball
Set Ball = xBAM.BallCloseTo(x,y) where x and y are the coordinates of the FakeHole
Ball.SetPosition X, Y, 0 where X, Y are the coordinates of a real kicker (under the apron for example)
...
Obsiously, you destroy the ball when your kicker (under apron) is hitted
It's all.

 

[TerryRed]

@madmrmax For me (and just for me), you don't need a kicker here.
Have just a ornemental hole and make an invisible surface (collidable and generate hit event) on it (named FakeHole).
Sub FakeHole_Hit
Dim Ball
Set Ball = xBAM.BallCloseTo(x,y) where x and y are the coordinates of the FakeHole
Ball.SetPosition X, Y, 0 where X, Y are the coordinates of a real kicker (under the apron for example)
...
Obsiously, you destroy the ball when your kicker (under apron) is hitted
It's all.

Yes, I've done similar for Silent Hill. I would reposition a ball to a hidden kicker under the apron to destroy it.

 

[madmrmax]

Totally understand and appreciate all the insights here! What I've liked about the gobble hole model is that FP has a custom animation of the ball "falling" into the hole. I totally will have to go the approach of an ornamental hole and use a trigger/hit event of a transparent surface around the ToM trunk and potentially the haunted basement/trap door.

My hope was that there could have been some way to take advantage of the FP animation of the ball when it goes into the hole. Or even recreate an animation of a ball falling into things like the ToM trunk. Perhaps I could attempt to replace the ball (once I destroy the ball) with a toy ball and animate aspects of the z-index to have it go through the playfield.

 

[Popotte]

... Or even recreate an animation of a ball falling into things like the ToM trunk. Perhaps I could attempt to replace the ball (once I destroy the ball) with a toy ball and animate aspects of the z-index to have it go through the playfield.

For me, more easy, but with a timer and a set of Ball.SetPosition you can do the same.
With a toy, just one instruction Toy.MoveTo x, y, z, speed

 

[madmrmax]

For me, more easy, but with a timer and a set of Ball.SetPosition you can do the same.
With a toy, just one instruction Toy.MoveTo x, y, z, speed

Good idea! Sounds like Toy.MoveTo will be how I recreate the experience of the ball attaching to the ToM trunk on the side.