PowerUps from the Top?

DrGlickert

Here's what I want to do...

I want PowerUps to drop down from the top of my game (the game is one scene and the camera doesn't move...it's a casual game).

I need to recycle the actors so that they can be used again and again throughout gameplay...

Here's what I have...
Invisible actor that generates a random number between 1 and 11 (there are 11 total power-ups).
All 11 Power-Up actors are above the scene (out of sight).

Example PowerUp Actor: PowerUpActor1
RULE: When PowerUpNumber = 1
Accelerate 270 Degrees (down) at a speed of 200.

RULE: When PowerUpActor1 collides/overlaps with Player
*DO POWER UP ACTIVITY*
Change attribute PowerUpNumber to 0,
Change attributes self.position.X and self.position.Y *to above scene*

1. How can I get the powerup to not continue falling?
2. Is this the best way to do this?
3. Can I use interpolate instead and make the actor NON-MOVABLE? Would I have to make it's alpha 0 when it collides with the player?

DrGlickert

Thanks TSB! Appreciate you're input! :-)

okimoki

tshirtbooth said:
Because of the amount of actors you have in your game i think it would be better for you to spawn and destroy the power ups.

TSB: hmmmm.. any guidelines on when to spawn and when to recycle then?? I've read so much of "UUUUUU, DONT SPAWN!!!!" around the forum that i taught that it's never a good idea to spawn actors..
sooooo.. when to spawn and when to recycle??

JohnPapiomitis

its not as black and white as that. Say your doing a shooter, you can have only a couple offscreen and make them look like your spawning hundreds while shooting, so it woulod be alot better to recycle them.

But say your trying to do a unlimited game with powerups, youd have to have like 50 powerup offscreen and thats not good. Youll take more of a performance hit having alll those actors offscreen, then spawning and destroying a power up now and then

edit: tshirt beat me

okimoki

He beat you but you bet him in explanation thanks to both of you!

gazjm

If after your change power up number to 0 rule, you have a change attribute and set self.motion.linearvelocity.y to 0, that should stop it from moving.

If you do it before you change the number to 0, it will accelerate again.