npc_helicopter
npc_helicopter is a point entity available in 
Half-Life 2, 
Half-Life 2: Episode One, 
Half-Life 2: Episode Two, and 
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch.
Entity description
A Combine helicopter, (also called a "Hunter-Chopper") armed with a machine gun and capable of dropping mines. The mines are buoyant, and their timer only activates when they collide with the environment. Upon touching an NPC they detonate instantly. They can be dropped one at a time, or when triggered the helicopter can rush a target dropping a massive amount of mines.
This NPC only uses path_track for navigation: When the helicopter finds an enemy, it moves along a chain of path_tracks to the closest one to its target.
Related Entities:
- npc_heli_avoidbox Is a brush entity that the helicopter will avoid.
- npc_heli_avoidsphere Is an entity that keeps helicopters out of a spherical area.
- npc_heli_nobomb This entity suppresses helicopter bombing
- helicopter_bomb This entity is a bomb that the helicopter can drop
Tip:Use info_target_helicopter_crash entities to suggest spectacular crashing points for defeated helicopters.
Placement Tip:Hunter-Choppers are used mainly in the Half-Life 2 series as chase vehicles, hence the name.Placement Tip:Helicopter battles require the player to be very mobile, and have some cover available to them. Just one can present a great challenge, so like striders use them sparingly.
Note:Some keyvalues, flags, inputs, or outputs might not affect an NPC, based on the functionality and coding of the NPC.Dedicated Console Variables
Dedicated Console Variables:
- sk_helicopter_health <int>
- Helicopter Spawn Health (Default: 5600).
- sk_helicopter_firingcone <float>
- The angle in degrees of the cone in which the shots will be fired.
- sk_helicopter_burstcount <int>
- How many shot bursts to fire after charging up. Bigger number = longer firing.
- sk_helicopter_roundsperburst <int>
- How many shots to fire in a single burst.
- sk_helicopter_grenadedamage <float>
- The amount of damage the helicopter grenade deals.
- sk_helicopter_grenaderadius <float>
- The damage radius of the helicopter grenade.
- sk_helicopter_grenadeforce <float>
- The physics force that the helicopter grenade exerts.
- sk_npc_dmg_helicopter_to_plr <float>
- Damage helicopter shots deal to the player.
- Used in ammotype "HelicopterGun".
- sk_npc_dmg_helicopter <float>
- Damage helicopter shots deal to everything but the player.
- Used in ammotype "HelicopterGun".
- sk_helicopter_drone_speed <float>
- How fast does the zapper drone move?
- g_helicopter_chargetime <float>
- How much time we have to wait (on average) between the time we start hearing the charging sound + the chopper fires.
- g_helicopter_bullrush_distance <float>
Todo: Add a description for this variable.
- g_helicopter_bullrush_bomb_enemy_distance <float>
- Todo: Add a description for this variable.
- g_helicopter_bullrush_bomb_time <float>
- Todo: Add a description for this variable.
- g_helicopter_idletime <float>
- Todo: Add a description for this variable.
- g_helicopter_maxfiringdist <float>
- Todo: Add a description for this variable.
- g_helicopter_bullrush_bomb_speed <float>
- Todo: Add a description for this variable.
- g_helicopter_bullrush_shoot_height <float>
- Todo: Add a description for this variable.
- g_helicopter_bullrush_mega_bomb_health <float>
- Todo: Add a description for this variable.
Keyvalues
BaseHelicopter:
- Initial Speed
<string> - The speed that the entity should try to reach as soon as it spawns.
- Target path_track
<targetname> - The name of a path_track that this NPC will fly to after spawning.
DamageFilter:
|
- InitialSpeed
(???)<float>
- GracePeriod
(???)<float> - Time in seconds the helicopter has to see the player before he starts shooting.
- PatrolSpeed
(???)<float> - Speed at which the helicopter moves if he has no enemy.
Flags
- 1 : Wait Till Seen
- 2 : Gag (No IDLE sounds until angry)
- 4 : Fall to ground (unchecked means *teleport* to ground)
- 8 : Drop Healthkit
- 16 : Efficient - Don't acquire enemies or avoid obstacles
- 32 : No Rotorwash
- 64 : Await Input
- 128 : Wait For Script
- 256 : Long Visibility/Shoot
- 512 : Fade Corpse
- 1024 : Think outside PVS
- 2048 : Template NPC (used by npc_maker, will not spawn)
- 4096 : Do Alternate collision for this NPC (player avoidance)
- 8192 : Don't drop weapons
- 65536 : Loud rotor wash sound
- 131072 : Electrical drone
- 262144 : Helicopter lights
- 524288 : Ignore avoid spheres+boxes
- 1048576 : More aggressive attacks
Inputs
BaseHelicopter:
MoveTopSpeed- The helicopter will immediately move at top speed toward its current goal, or in its current orientation if it's on top of its goal.
ChangePathCorner<targetname>- Tell the helicopter to move to a path corner on a new path.
SelfDestruct- Self Destruct.
Warning:Using this input on a npc_helicopter that's waiting for Activate input causes game to crash!Activate- Activate. Use to wake up a helicopter that spawned with the 'Await Input' spawnflag on.
SetTrack<targetname>- Set a track for the helicopter to adhere to. The helicopter will do nothing if it's on the same path, and will move to the closest point on the specified track if it's on a different path.
FlyToSpecificTrackViaPath<targetname>- The helicopter will first fly to the closest point on the path if it's on a different path. Then it'll fly along the path to the specified track point.
FlyToPathTrack<targetname>- The helicopter will fly to the given
path_track.
StartPatrol- Start patrolling back and forth along the current track.
StopPatrol- Stop patrolling back and forth along the track. This will cause the helicopter to come to rest at the track which he's currently flying toward.
ChooseFarthestPathPoint- When tracking an enemy, choose the point on the path furthest from the enemy, but still in firing range.
ChooseNearestPathPoint- When tracking an enemy, choose the point on the path nearest from the enemy.
StartBreakableMovement- The helicopter is now allowed to disobey direct commands to go to particular points if it senses an enemy. It will move to the closest point (or farthest point, if ChooseFarthestPathPoint is used), on the path if it senses an enemy.
StopBreakableMovement- The helicopter can no longer disobey direct commands. It will continue to fly along it's patrol path or to it's specified target even if it senses an enemy.
DamageFilter: |
GunOn- Allows the chopper to use its gun (normal behaviour)
GunOff- Prevents the chopper from using its gun
MissileOn- Starts the chopper firing rockets
Bug:Non-functional.
MissileOff- Stops the chopper firing rockets Bug:Non-functional.
EnableRotorWash- Makes the chopper exert a force on physics objects underneath its rotor, and produce a wind pattern on any water (normal behaviour)
DisableRotorWash- Turns off the forces and wind pattern
EnableRotorSound- Starts the chopper's rotors making noise (normal behaviour)
DisableRotorSound- Stops the noise made by the rotors
StartBombingVehicle- Starts the chopper leading enemy vehicles and dropping bombs on them.
StartTrailingVehicle- Starts the chopper trailing enemy vehicles and shooting at them.
StartDefaultBehavior- Starts the chopper in the mode where he always stops at nav points instead of stopping anywhere in between nav points.
StartAlwaysLeadingVehicle- Starts the chopper *always* leading enemy vehicles (regardless of how they are moving w/respect to the path) and dropping bombs on them. This mode is different from StartBombingVehicle in that it never uses the machine gun.
StartSprinkleBehavior- Starts the chopper dropping bombs randomly + shooting at the player.
StartBullrushBehavior- Starts the chopper bullrushing the player.
SetHealthFraction<float>- Sets the chopper health as a percentage of max health.
EnableDeadlyShooting- Starts the chopper being deadly to on-foot players.
DisableDeadlyShooting- Stops the chopper being deadly to on-foot players.
StartNormalShooting- The chopper will fire in short bursts. Good for on-foot experiences.
StartLongCycleShooting- The chopper fires in long bursts.
StartContinuousShooting- The chopper fires continuously.
ResetIdleTime- Allows the helicopter to fire immediately if he's not in the middle of charging or firing.
SetAngles<angles>- Instantly snaps the orientation of the helicopter.
DropBomb- Immediately drops a bomb based on normal bomb dropping rules.
DropBombStraightDown- Immediately drops a bomb directly downwards.
DropBombAtTarget<targetname>- Immediately drops a bomb directly at the target destination, but only if the player isn't right there.
DropBombAtTargetAlways<targetname>- Immediately drops a bomb directly at the target destination, no matter whether it's fair or not.
DropBombDelay<float>- Add a delay before the next bomb is dropped.
BecomeIndestructible- Makes the helicopter take no more damage.
DisablePathVisibilityTests- When the helicopter moves, he will not check for visibility from the path_track to the enemy to cull out path_tracks.
EnablePathVisibilityTests- When the helicopter moves, he will only move to path_tracks that have line-of-sight to the enemy.
Outputs
|
OnHealthChanged<integer>- Fires when the helicopter health changes. The integer is the percentage of health the chopper has from 0-100.
OnShotDown- Fires when the helicopter is killed. When an info_target_helicopter_crash entity is present, this output should be used instead of
OnDeath.
Categories:
- Half-Life 2
- TODO rewrite lang to LanguageBar
- Half-Life 2 entities
- Half-Life 2 point entities
- Half-Life 2: Episode One entities
- Half-Life 2: Episode One point entities
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two entities
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two point entities
- Half-Life 2: Deathmatch entities
- Half-Life 2: Deathmatch point entities
- Template:IO Since template used
- Pages with uncategorized bugs
- Half-Life 2 NPCs
