Spawn Entity at multiple locations?

[iViscosity]

I'm trying to make a spawn for the Popcorn weapon from Cinema, and I need it to spawn at 3 different locations. Right now, I have this:

Code: Lua

1. AddCSLuaFile( "cl_init.lua" )
2. AddCSLuaFile( "shared.lua" )
3.  
4.  
5. include( "shared.lua" )
6.  
7.  
8. local positions = {}
9. positions[1] = Vector( 223.00898742676, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 )
10. positions[2] = Vector( 311.53573608398, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 )
11. positions[3] = Vector( 474.81579589844, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 )
12.  
13.  
14. function ENT:Initialize()
15.  
16.  
17.         for k,v in pairs( #positions ) do
18.        
19.             self:SetPos( v )
20.             self:SetModel( self.Model )
21.             self:PhysicsInit( SOLID_VPHYSICS )
22.             self:SetMoveType( MOVETYPE_NONE )
23.             self:SetSolid( SOLID_VPHYSICS )
24.             self:SetUseType( SIMPLE_USE )      
25.             self:DrawShadow( true )
26.  
27.  
28.         end
29.  
30.  
31.         local phys = self:GetPhysicsObject()
32.  
33.  
34.         if IsValid( phys ) then
35.                
36.                 phys:Wake()
37.  
38.  
39.         end
40.  
41.  
42. end
43.  
44.  
45. function ENT:Use( caller, activator )
46.  
47.  
48.         if caller:IsPlayer() then
49.  
50.  
51.                 local check = table.GetKeys( caller:GetWeapons() )
52.  
53.  
54.                 if check == "weapon_popcorn" then
55.                        
56.                         caller:PrintMessage( HUD_PRINTTALK, "You already have popcorn!" )
57.  
58.  
59.                 else
60.  
61.  
62.                         caller:Give( "weapon_popcorn" )
63.  
64.  
65.                 end    
66.  
67.  
68.         end
69.  
70.  
71. end

And then I restarted the server, and when I joined back in, I spawned with the popcorn weapon, but it wasn't at the locations I tried to make it. I'm not amazingly experienced with entities, so how could I do this? Also, on the Use() function, is that how I would use table.GetKeys?

[MrPresident]

The issue isn't with your entities here, it's with your for loop.

#positions returns a count of the table, not the table. You're trying to iterate through the table.. Use:

for k,v in pairs( positions ) do

[MrPresident]

Also, instead of

Code: [Select]

local positions = {}
positions[1] = Vector( 223.00898742676, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 )
positions[2] = Vector( 311.53573608398, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 )
positions[3] = Vector( 474.81579589844, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 )

Why not just

Code: [Select]

local positions = {
    Vector( 223.00898742676, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 ),
    Vector( 311.53573608398, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 ),
    Vector( 474.81579589844, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 ),
}

It's the same thing, but makes adding new values much easier since you're not having to manually assign an incremental key for each new entry.

[MrPresident]

Oh.. I actually looked at your code.. you're doing it all wrong too.. you're spawning new entities every time a new one is created. This would recursively create an infinite number of these on your map... Give me a moment and I'll clean it up for you..

[MrPresident]

This is your entity code:

Code: Lua

1. AddCSLuaFile( "cl_init.lua" )
2. AddCSLuaFile( "shared.lua" )
3.  
4. include( "shared.lua" )
5.  
6.  
7. function ENT:Initialize()
8.  
9.         self:SetModel( self.Model )
10.         self:PhysicsInit( SOLID_VPHYSICS )
11.         self:SetMoveType( MOVETYPE_NONE )
12.         self:SetSolid( SOLID_VPHYSICS )
13.         self:SetUseType( SIMPLE_USE )      
14.         self:DrawShadow( true )
15.  
16.         local phys = self:GetPhysicsObject()
17.        
18.         if IsValid( phys ) then
19.                 phys:Wake()
20.         end
21.        
22. end
23.  
24.  
25. function ENT:Use( caller, activator )
26.  
27.         if caller:IsPlayer() then
28.                 local check = table.GetKeys( caller:GetWeapons() )
29.                 if check == "weapon_popcorn" then
30.                         caller:PrintMessage( HUD_PRINTTALK, "You already have popcorn!" )
31.                 else
32.                         caller:Give( "weapon_popcorn" )
33.                 end
34.         end
35.        
36. end
37.  

Somewhere else, you need to have a function that spawns them on the map to your locations. Maybe in a PostGamemodeLoaded Hook? http://wiki.garrysmod.com/page/GM/PostGamemodeLoaded
Put this code in some autoloaded server file. You will need to change the "popcornentityname" in the code below to your actual entity name. I don't know what you called it. Whatever the folder is called since you appear to be using the old 3 file in a folder system over the newer 1 file system. Assuming everything else in your entity is coded properly, this will work.

Code: Lua

1. local popcorn_positions = {
2.     Vector( 223.00898742676, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 ),
3.     Vector( 311.53573608398, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 ),
4.     Vector( 474.81579589844, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 ),
5. }
6.  
7. hook.add( "PostGamemodeLoaded", "Spawn_Popcorn", function()
8.         for k, v in pairs( popcorn_positions ) do
9.                 local popcorn = ents.Create("popcornentityname")
10.                 popcorn:SetPos( v )
11.                 popcorn:Spawn()
12.         end
13. end )
14.  

[iViscosity]

I didn't know there was a "new" system lol... I'll try that out tonight, and maybe next time I make something it will be with whatever the one file is...

Also, would the entity always be there after it spawns, even if someone were to use it? Or will I have to make something that will re-spawn it?

Edit: Was how I used table.GetKeys correct? Never used that function before.

[MrPresident]

You do not have it set up to remove the entity when someone presses Use on it. You would need to add self:Remove() to your :Use() activator, and then yes, you'd need to write a timer function to respawn it.

No, it's not correct. You'd have to iterate through that as well as it's a table.

Also, the GetWeapons table has the weapon name as the value, not the key.

you could do:

Code: Lua

1. for k, v in pairs( caller:GetWeapons() ) do
2.         if v == "weapon_popcorn" then
3.                 caller:PrintMessage( HUD_PRINTTALK, "You already have popcorn!" )
4.         else
5.                 caller:Give( "weapon_popcorn" )
6.         end
7. end
8.  

[iViscosity]

Oh, that's much simpler. I'm home now so I'll test it and get back to you.

[iViscosity]

There is another entity I want to spawn in, how can I do it in one file like you mentioned? Just make a shared and specify if SERVER and if CLIENT?


EDIT:

Code: Lua

1. local popcorn_positions = {
2.     Vector( 223.00898742676, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 ),
3.     Vector( 311.53573608398, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 ),
4.     Vector( 474.81579589844, 999.78521728516, 41.03125 ),
5. }
6.  
7. hook.Add( "PostGamemodeLoaded", "Spawn_Popcorn", function()
8.  
9.  
10.         for k, v in pairs( popcorn_positions ) do
11.  
12.  
13.                 local popcorn = ents.Create( "models/Teh_Maestro/popcorn.mdl" )
14.                 popcorn:SetPos( v )
15.                 popcorn:Spawn()
16.  
17.  
18.         end
19.  
20.  
21. end )
22.  

used that you posted, but I get this:

Code: [Select]

[ERROR] addons/popcorn/lua/autorun/popcorn_spawn.lua:11: attempt to call field 'Create' (a nil value)
  1. fn - addons/popcorn/lua/autorun/popcorn_spawn.lua:11
   2. unknown - addons/ulib/lua/ulib/shared/hook.lua:109
That's where the entity is located, though, so what does this mean?

[roastchicken]

Could you show us your full code? You don't call 'Create' anywhere in the code snippet you posted.

[iViscosity]

In the loop, there is an ents.Create.

[MrPresident]

Entities need to be in the Entity folder.

lua/entities

[iViscosity]

/garrysmod/addons/popcorn/lua/entities/popcorn_spawn/popcorn_spawn.lua like something like that? Or lua/entities/popcorn_spawn.lua?

[MrPresident]

If you're going to do the 1 file system. ( The new way ) then do:

/garrysmod/addons/popcorn/lua/entities/entity_name.lua

entity_name would be your entity name that you are going to call with ents.Create

Inside that file you would need an AddCSLuaFile() at the top, and then section your code into server and client with if SERVER then and if CLIENT then.

Take a look at /garrysmod/lua/entities/sent_ball.lua as an example.


Your spawn function, would need to go into a separate file that is autoran.. so like..

/garrysmod/addons/popcorn/lua/autorun/server/popcorn_spawn.lua

Let me know if you need further assistance.

[iViscosity]

Ohhh so the ents.Create calls a lua file, not the model? Now that I think about it... that makes complete sense. I'm stupid.