How do you calculate weapon arc?

According to the METALIFE Develoers guide part 1:

MetaLife also automatically calculates valid attack arcs, so you are free to specify sensors with 360 degrees for your weapons. The higher the specified core range of a weapon, the smaller is the opening angle chosen by the meter (that means, a spear can attack from a larger distance, but not at a 90 degree opening angle like a sword, but at a much smaller angle)

OK fine, but since the delay on my weapons is triggered by a hit detection, an overly generous arc will make my weapons less efficent. For example: If I have a spear of length 3.5 meters, and ML sets the arc to say 45 degrees, and I use a weapons arc of 180 degrees in my sensor detect, I most likely will get false hit indications resulting in my weapons having extraneous delays and giving the user incorrect weapon hit feedback (sounds, blood splatter etc.). I want my hit detection to be accurate. This not only makes my weapons more efficient but it gives the user better feedback as to how to use the weapon.

So what is the formula that ML uses for calculating weapons arch based upon reach/range?

woolyfsh wrote:
So what is the formula that ML uses for calculating weapons arch based upon reach/range?

Sorry for the late response ... the rule is an interpolation of the following values:

Core range 5.5m -> maximal arc 5 degrees
Core range 1.5m -> maximal arc 180 degrees
Core range 0.0m -> maximal arc 245 degrees

OK Tala its a non linear curve then ... Whats the formula?

woolyfsh wrote:OK Tala its a non linear curve then ... Whats the formula?

Woolyfsh, it's a linear relation in terms of the cosine of the arc ... I'm on vacation right now and don't have the source code with me, let's talk next week!

Bye, Tala

Thanx, Tala I appreciate you getting back to me on this.

Just got the arc formula from Thank you! Here it is:

( -0.76 D + 4.28 ) * 180/(2Pi)

D is the reach of the weapon and the formula returns the arc in degrees.

Just to finalize all this .. I went ahead and calculated the arcs based upon this formula in 0.1 meter increments .. This is what I get:

Range	Arc	Range	Arc	Range	Arc
0	122.6752	1.9	81.28662	3.8	39.89809
0.1	120.4968	2	79.10828	3.9	37.71975
0.2	118.3185	2.1	76.92994	4	35.5414
0.3	116.1401	2.2	74.75159	4.1	33.36306
0.4	113.9618	2.3	72.57325	4.2	31.18471
0.5	111.7834	2.4	70.3949	4.3	29.00637
0.6	109.6051	2.5	68.21656	4.4	26.82803
0.7	107.4268	2.6	66.03822	4.5	24.64968
0.8	105.2484	2.7	63.85987	4.6	22.47134
0.9	103.0701	2.8	61.68153	4.7	20.29299
1	100.8917	2.9	59.50318	4.8	18.11465
1.1	98.71338	3	57.32484	4.9	15.93631
1.2	96.53503	3.1	55.1465	5	13.75796
1.3	94.35669	3.2	52.96815	5.1	11.57962
1.4	92.17834	3.3	50.78981	5.2	9.401274
1.5	90	3.4	48.61146	5.3	7.22293
1.6	87.82166	3.5	46.43312	5.4	5.044586
1.7	85.64331	3.6	44.25478	5.5	2.866242
1.8	83.46497	3.7	42.07643

So using this formula the arc summaries should be:

Core range 5.5m -> maximal arc 2.8 degrees
Core range 1.5m -> maximal arc 90 degrees
Core range 0.0m -> maximal arc 122.7 degrees

Unless there is a multiply by 2 factor missing in the equation which would yield:

Core range 5.5m -> maximal arc 5.7 degrees
Core range 1.5m -> maximal arc 180 degrees
Core range 0.0m -> maximal arc 245.3 degrees

This matches Talas original summary better.

The formula gives the arc value e.g. for the llSensor call. The real opening angle is double that value: for example 90 degrees arc (pi/2) in llSensor gives a real opening angle of 180 degrees (pi).

My Idear for that....
I use this formula for most things I got to change by variables in Weaponscripts
For the Arc is this my way:
Arc = Arc_min + ((Arc_max-Arc_min)/(Range_max-Range_min)*(Range_max-CoreRange))
Arc = 5+((245-5)/(5.5-0.0)*(5.5-CoreRange))
Arc = 5+(240/5.5*(5.5-CoreRange))


This works like it should work....

Greetz Archon Short