SC2Mapster

So, I have this problem: It seems that when you use "Create melee starting units for player X" and the race is Zerg, the Hatchery is created with three larvae only if the action was run in the first game second or so. But I want to display some dialogs for difficulty and race selection before that so the game ends up creating a Hatchery with no larvae attached.

Does anyone know a way to bypass that? I've tried to edit the spawn larva behavior but I don't really understand how it works...

i was playing with the hatcherys and spawn larva stuff too. i believe if they are allowed to spawn on map init, they will create the max they are allowed by default. what i did was i believe i 'paused' the unit on map init, then after .01 seconds unpaused the unit. i believe thats all i had to do, but i do remember when they were created and alive during map init, they made their max larva right off the bat.

Quote from ezbeats: Go

i was playing with the hatcherys and spawn larva stuff too. i believe if they are allowed to spawn on map init, they will create the max they are allowed by default. what i did was i believe i 'paused' the unit on map init, then after .01 seconds unpaused the unit. i believe thats all i had to do, but i do remember when they were created and alive during map init, they made their max larva right off the bat.

Thanks for your help! Could you please explain a little bit more what you did? From what I understand you created the Hatch at map init, then paused it and unpaused it?

I'm looking for a way to create a Hatchery with full larvae after map init since I want the player to be able to choose his race from a dialog first.

@stettcl: Go

Maybe you could use a trigger that spawns 3 larva at the region (placed at the Hatchery) if the player chooses Zerg from the dialog as race.

@lnsidious: Go Thanks for the reply. This is a possible solution but unfortunately with this method the larva won't "belong" to the hatchery so rally points, the "Select larva" ability etc don't work. You just get three random larva sitting around. Since it is a practice map I'm working on I'd rather avoid this.

The only way I can think of right now is not using the "create melee starting units" action and creating all the stuff manually but it seems like a silly way to do it.

i really couldnt tell you, the map i made was a mess, it was my first one. i remember i was just messing with the spawn larva effect and i allowed like 15 larva, they would hatch into random things that would charge the base. and when the opening camera cinematics rolled by the hive i remember i kept seeing 15 larva, then they would all hatch and the first wave was ruthless. thats why i had to play with it to prevent that. but i dont remember the specifics.... im still tinkering and learning a lot. but it was with the spawn larva effect (duhh... right? hah...)

I was working on it more and i found a really nice way to do it. (ofcourse you spawn 6 drones and 1 overlord in the appropiate positions) take note that a unit Nearby the region of the main base will cast the larva spawn onto the hatchery.

• cinematic fade out time : 0
• hide mouse ui
• after creating hatchery:
• Environment - Create Queen - Spawn Mutant Larva (Apply Spawn Behavior) on (Last created unit) from (Closest unit to Main base region in (Any units in (Entire map) owned by player Any Player matching No Unit Filter, with at most Any Amount))
• wait 2 seconds
• pause all units
• start 5 second countdown
• 3seconds..
• cinematic fade in time: 6 seconds
• 2seconds..
• show mouse ui
• 1second..
• unpause all units
• different trigger:
  
• unit enters region
• unit = larva
• (Larva count for (Owner of (Triggering unit)), counting Complete) == 4 action:
• remove triggering unit.
• Turn current trigger off

• I didn't bother to see if i could just change the projectile speed of the larva from the effect so that i wouldn't have to pause the game, if you want to perfect this way of getting it done you should look into the data editor and creating an ability that is an exact copy of the spawn mutant larva except for projectile time and #of units spawned.
• PM if you need help to get something done in this sort of gimmicky way.

Ok.. instead of using all the fade time cinematic nonsense. you can spawn the hatchery/drones/and overlord for a player that you wont be using, ie for me: player 3. After the 5second countdown i pick all units then do an if then action and make the "if" = hatchery/drones/and overlord(unit group) = owned by player 3, then = change ownership of all picked units to player 1: me.

This is the easiest way I've found to do this:

• Open Data Editor, go into Effects section
• Duplicate the Effect "Queen - Spawn Mutant Larva (Apply Spawn Behavior)"
• Name the duplicate something like "Spawn 3 Larva"
• Open Behavior tab and set Behavior Count to 3.

Now just use the action "Environment - Execute Effect" (using the hatchery in question as the source and the target for your new effect). Works like a charm and it even produces a nice visual where the larva jump from the hatchery instead of appearing next to it. You may want to Clear All Tips after executing this as a blank tip will come onscreen when the effect is executed.

shouldn't it be possible to simply create unit 3 larvae? it should work next to an hatch

thanks jcraigk, that's far and away the most elegant solution.