Game Guides Archive
Thread: A Powerful Decorating Tool: /target Macros
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Moolyssa
Tue Aug 24, 2004 10:48 pm
#1
Now that we have the /move up command it is possible to write a macro to re-build a multi-item design automatically.
Some designers might get upset at me for macroing what should be individual works of art, but that is why I'm sharing this information for anyone who wants to use it. The demand for multi-item decor is insane and there are far too few of us to meet it. I think macros can revolutionize swg decorating and make it more accessible to everyone.
I'm hoping that seeing this work will be exciting enough to make you interested in trying to write decorating macros on your own. So I decided to provide an example of a working macro that would be easy to try in your home. This macro will build a trophy case.
To build this you will need:
8 cheap cafe tables named "Shelf"
2 of the matching square gray chests named "Chest"
1 of any kind of chair named "Chair"
Get as close to the wall where you want it as you can, and drop the cafe tables and chests all in one spot. Drop your chair to the left of this pile, and turn the chair to face to the right, facing the pile. Also, make sure the chests and tables are facing the way you see them in this picture. Turn each item by hand if you have to.
http://www.keltlore.com/setup.jpg
You need to sit in the chair before you hit the macro. I'm sure most of you are familiar with using a chair to help you move items straight in the direction you want them to go. If you aren't, you can read an explanation at http://www.keltlore.com/swgdesign/chair.htm
Here's the /target macro. You can shorten it to /tar, and abbreviate the item names too if you want.
/tar chest;
/pause 1;
/move forward 100;
/pause 1;
/tar shelf;
/pause 1;
/move forward 22;
/pause 1;
/move up 94;
/pause 1;
/tar shelf;
/pause 1;
/move forward 22;
/pause 1;
/move up 134;
/pause 1;
/tar shelf;
/pause 1;
/move forward 22;
/pause 1;
/move up 174;
/pause 1;
/tar shelf;
/pause 1;
/move forward 22;
/pause 1;
/move up 214;
/pause 1;
/tar shelf;
/pause 1;
/rotate left 180;
/pause 1;
/move forward 80;
/pause 1;
/move up 94;
/pause 1;
/tar shelf;
/pause 1;
/rotate left 180;
/pause 1;
/move forward 80;
/pause 1;
/move up 134;
/pause 1;
/tar shelf;
/pause 1;
/rotate left 180;
/pause 1;
/move forward 80;
/pause 1;
/move up 174;
/pause 1;
/tar shelf;
/pause 1;
/rotate left 180;
/pause 1;
/move forward 80;
/pause 1;
/move up 214;
After you run this macro here is how it should look:
http://www.keltlore.com/finished.jpg
To save on item space you can make a shorter 8-item version of this case just by removing the 2 items that form the top shelf. Here's a picture of the shorter version being used in a house:
http://www.keltlore.com/furnished.jpg
The reason why I said this macro was simple is it is really just 2 dimensional... you only had to move items in two directions: forward and up. Usually you will want to build something 3 dimensional.
The chair tool is what will let you extend this macro into another direction. You can write a /stand... /target chair... /rotate (insert angle)... and /sit into your macro to turn your chair, and make you sit in it again and face the new direction.
http://www.keltlore.com/fireplace.jpg
Here's a fireplace I built with a macro, I needed to turn the chair by 90 degrees in the middle of the macro, so it basically got built in 2 stages.
First to set it up I dropped all the items in one spot, kinda away from the wall since this macro needs room to work... actually it needs exactly 465 /forward units away from the wall so I measured it first, heh.
screenie of the fireplace setup:
http://www.keltlore.com/allset.jpg
The first thing this macro will do is turn the chair and sit me down in it, so i'm actually ready to hit the button now...
http://www.keltlore.com/step1.jpg
Here's the first step, the macro just moved each item forward, and /rotated them to the final angles they needed to be, next it's time to turn the chair and move all the pieces one more time...
http://www.keltlore.com/step2.jpg
The second step is moving the items forward, and moving them up.
Notice how in the second step i'm starting with the items that are closest to me? every single one of those brown toolchests has the same name... "Fire Brick". /target automatically picks the closest one to me, so it's ok to name the same kind of item the same way as long as you plan ahead. I just needed to make sure that I moved each piece far enough away so that when it says "/tar fire brick" again, it picks up the next one instead of messing with the ones i've already positioned. THAT is why this whole thing needed to be 450+ away from the wall... to give me room to put the items out of reach of the macro while it worked.
finished... about one minute after hitting the macro button.
http://www.keltlore.com/complete.jpg
Both the fireplace and the trophy case are linear macros... you start with your chair off to one side or one corner, and push the items forward in one or two directions.
When I first realized macroing designs was possible, I wrote a macro I would call radial instead of linear... which was actually a lot easier to figure out than the fireplace was. I made it to replace the candles in a chandelier back when i thought they were going to go out.
http://www.keltlore.com/chand.jpg
This one worked by dropping all the candles together with my chair all in the same spot. Then I'd turn the chair to each angle in the circle, and move the candles forward and backward--like spokes on a wheel-- for each chair rotation.
I've already written a pretty lengthy explanation of radial macros, and using a chair in general... on my site in the techniques section.
http://www.keltlore.com/swgdesign
Hehe sorry I seem to have run out of steam tonight but thanks so much for reading this far and I hope you can use this idea.
Message Edited by Moolyssa on 08-26-2004 01:53 AM
Zenmetsu
Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:15 pm
#5
sweet, post more macros of all the things you can do, this is great, now I can spice up my house.
abecedary
Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:57 pm
#7
TheBratman wrote:
I just have one thing to say....
YOU ARE AWESOME!
Hell yeah! Wonderful wonderful work! Thanks for the fireplace again Zel.
Moolyssa
Wed Aug 25, 2004 8:25 am
#8
ty for the comments. I'm hoping this will be useful to someone. I'm also hoping that people try the trophy case macro. I want to addict you to the power of watching these items scoot into place.
I'm hoping this will be useful to someone. I'm also hoping that people try the trophy case macro. I want to addict you to the power of watching these items scoot into place.I'm not willing to post my fireplace macro or chandelier macro here... however I'd tradethem for an other decorator's macro, as long as it movesaboutthe same number of itemsand makes something cool looking. (fireplace and orb-less chandelier are both 20 items)
Ireally just want to see someone else try this... that and I'm dying to have someone else to talk to about it and to swap macros with.
Wakkoin
Wed Aug 25, 2004 8:37 am
#9
That is sweet. I've just been using macros to move things flush up against the wall then move them. I would also recommend macing macros for all common commands you will be using while decorating.
A seperate macro for each of the following
/move forward 1
/move forward 10
/move forward 100
/move back 1
/move back 10
/move back 100
/rotate left 45
/rotate right 45
/move up 1
/move up 10
/move up 100
/move down 1
/move down 10
/move down 100
When I get home from work I'm gonna try and come up with some macros to automate designing now. Then I'll look you up about a trade.
p.s. your second or third link is broken (sorry I can't remember which)
Rockard
Wed Aug 25, 2004 8:47 am
#10
Totally Awesome!!!
Well done on that one, I had never thought of the chair idea.
Moolyssa
Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:18 am
#12
Wakkoin wrote:
http//www.keltlore.com/furnished.jpg
Thats the broken one
FIxed. Looks like I left out the colon after http. Thanks for pointing that out
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