Dummy Unit Recycling - what is the best/most efficient way?

04-11-2009, 02:08 PM

So I'm making a map heavily based on dummy units. I want to keep the amount of dummies constant so the game won't get sudden shocks of shitloads of dummies being created.

Now, I know xe has a dummy recycler, and I know moyack made one, but I'd like to make my own.

So therefore I'm asking you: what would be the most efficient and overall the best way to recycle dummy units? My idea was to create maybe like 500 dummy units at map init and then create a function to return the unit... bla bla, let me illustrate it:

JASS:

library DummyUtils initializer Init

    globals
        private constant integer DUMMY_CODE          = 'hdum'
        //* Raw code of the dummy unit
        private constant integer HEIGHT_ENABLER      = 'Amrf'
        //* Raw code of Medivh's Raven Form ability
        private constant integer INITIALIZED_DUMMIES = 500
        //* Number of initialized dummy units
        private constant location CREATION_LOC       = Location(3250, -3300)
        //* Location on the map to create the dummies
        private constant player OWNING_PLAYER        = Player(15)
        //* Owner of the dummies
        private constant integer OFFSET              = 0x100000
        //* H2I - OFFSET
    
        private unit array Dummy
        private boolean array InUse
        private integer DummyCount = 0
    endglobals

    private function H2I takes handle h returns integer
        return h
        return 0
    endfunction
    
    function CreateDummy takes player p, real x, real y, real f returns unit
        local integer i = H2I(Dummy[DummyCount]) - OFFSET
        
        set DummyCount = DummyCount + 1
        
        if not InUse[i] then
            call SetUnitOwner(Dummy[i], p, true)
            call SetUnitX(Dummy[i], x)
            call SetUnitY(Dummy[i], y)
            call SetUnitFacing(Dummy[i], f)
            call ShowUnit(Dummy[i], true)
            
            set InUse[i] = true
            return Dummy[i]
        else
            set DummyCount = DummyCount - 1
            debug call BJDebugMsg("Warning: something has certainly fucked up")
            return null
        endif
        
        if i > INITIALIZED_DUMMIES then
            debug call BJDebugMsg("Warning: number of used dummies exceeded the number of initialized dummy units - creating new dummy unit")
            set Dummy[i] = CreateUnit(p, DUMMY_CODE, x, y, f)
            
            call UnitAddAbility(Dummy[i], HEIGHT_ENABLER)
            call UnitRemoveAbility(Dummy[i], HEIGHT_ENABLER)
            
            set InUse[i] = true
            return Dummy[i]
        endif
        
        return null
    endfunction
    
    function RemoveDummy takes unit u returns nothing
        local integer i = H2I(u) - OFFSET
        
        if InUse[i] then
            set DummyCount = i
            call SetUnitOwner(u, OWNING_PLAYER, false)
            call SetUnitPositionLoc(u, CREATION_LOC)
            call ShowUnit(u, false)
            
            set InUse[i] = false
        else
            debug call BJDebugMsg("Warning: the dummy is either already removed, has never been created or hasn't been created through the use of CreateDummy")
        endif
    endfunction
    
    private function Init takes nothing returns nothing
        local integer i = 0
        
        loop
            exitwhen i == INITIALIZED_DUMMIES + 1
            set Dummy[i] = CreateUnitAtLoc(OWNING_PLAYER, DUMMY_CODE, CREATION_LOC, 0)
            
            call UnitAddAbility(Dummy[i], HEIGHT_ENABLER)
            call UnitRemoveAbility(Dummy[i], HEIGHT_ENABLER)
            
            call ShowUnit(Dummy[i], false)
            set InUse[i] = false
            set i = i + 1
        endloop
    endfunction
    
endlibrary

Will that work? If not, any help?

04-11-2009, 02:26 PM	#2
akolyt0r	take a look at xe's xecast or xefx...

04-11-2009, 02:31 PM

Vestras

Quote:

Originally Posted by akolyt0r

take a look at xe's xecast or xefx...

I did, didn't really help me.

04-11-2009, 02:33 PM	#4
Captain Griffen	What are you going to do with the dummies? Missile system - stack, create if stack empty, linked list Cast without DoT - single caster Cast with DoT - caster for each player

04-11-2009, 02:47 PM

Vestras

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Griffen

What are you going to do with the dummies?

Missile system - stack, create if stack empty, linked list
Cast without DoT - single caster
Cast with DoT - caster for each player

Most of them are just used as projectiles, but some of them (very few) are used as dummies for 'attaching' lightning to and some for facing (SetUnitLookAt)

04-12-2009, 08:39 PM

Seshiro

So called a dummy recycling system...I made one, thats very easy weesy to use ;)

JASS:

library Dummy
    globals
        private group F = CreateGroup()
        private group All = CreateGroup()
        unit TEMP_DUMMY
    endglobals
    
    
    
    function ReleaseDummy takes unit u returns nothing
        if IsUnitInGroup(u,All) and GetUnitAbilityLevel(u,'Aloc') < 0 then
            call SetUnitScale(u,1,1,1)
            call SetUnitVertexColor(u,255,255,255,0)
            call GroupAddUnit(F,u)
            call ShowUnit(u,false)
            return
        endif
        call ShowUnit(u,false)
        call SetUnitExploded(u,true)
        call KillUnit(u)
    endfunction
    
    function CreateDummy takes real x, real y, player p returns unit
        local unit u = FirstOfGroup(F)
        if u == null then
            set u = CreateUnit(p,DummyId,x,y,0)
            call GroupAddUnit(All,u)
        else
            call GroupRemoveUnit(F,u)
            call ShowUnit(u,true)
            call SetUnitX(u,x)
            call SetUnitY(u,y)
            call SetUnitOwner(u,p,true)
        endif
        return u
    endfunction
    
    
endlibrary

It uses a similar algorithm to all other recycling systems like TimerUtils, but with the postivie thing called group ;) mybe, i have to add something like a group refresher or so^^ and mybe some day, I'll gotta add a function which checks if the released dummy is still a usable dummy ;) to cusomize it a bit^^

Greez