How to shoot directly behind you

[CaptainPoopface]

How to shoot directly behind you
Note: I'd be surprised if no one has figured this out yet, but I haven't seen it in this or other forums. So here we go:

1. Open your map in Entity 1.6UE.
2. Select the [weap] tag, and then select the gun you want to edit.
3. In the meta editor, scroll down to the Triggers section.
4. Where it says "Distribution Function," click the dropdown and select "Fan."
5. Immediately below this box, change the "projectiles per shot" to 2, or whatever number you like. This MUST be an even number, or you will shoot in front of you like normal.
6. Immediately below that, change the "Distribution Angle" to 6.28.

Here's how it works: The Fan distribution function makes the projectiles from a single shot fan out from each other, separated by the distribution angle. The distribution angle is in radians (to convert degrees to radians, multiply by pi/180). The fan function is used very seldom in the game. You could make a spread gun like in Contra. If you play around with the fan distribution angle, you'll notice the game will automatically and somewhat randomly orient your spread horizontally or vertically. This is not cool. Fortunately, 6.28 in radians is all the way around the circle, so it's the same regardless of whether the game decides you're shooting horizontally or vertically.

Because it is very difficult to aim behind you, I'd recommend setting the projectiles per shot to 10 or 12, and changing the minimum and maximum error to something like that of the shotgun. Click Tools->Plugins->Standard XML Plugin to set these angles, or tick the box marked "Show Invisibles" in the Tools dropdown for the meta editor. That way you'll get a good spread and stand a reasonable chance of hitting someone behind you.

[Thrasher Alpha]

Great tutorial but... Why would you want to do this?

[CaptainPoopface]

Great tutorial but... Why would you want to do this?

Well, if you can't think of a good use for it, don't use it. But it would be good for those times when:
a) someone is close behind you
b) he wants to kill you but must get close to do so
c) he doesn't know you know he's there
d) you want him to die
e) you want to catch him off guard
f) you don't want to bother turning around while you fulfill d and e

Add it as a second trigger on the sentinel beam, or dual wield a regular gun and a backfiring gun, then push both triggers and rotate, and you become a spinning wheel of death. Or make the second projectile a grenade (pair) with 0 velocity, so you can drop nades behind you on the run, while shooting. Or you could make it the default for a particular gun like the needler or shotgun. In a game with short range weapons, you could let someone think he's about to get the drop on you, then surprise him by pumping needles into his unsuspecting face, as described above.

Or you could make a machinima where some idiot fires the rocket launcher backwards.

Use your imagination.

[Rockymods]

You came out of nowhere with what seems like discoveries Keep up the good work!

[koekoek]

You should edit your tut and ad how to make a spread gun like in contra.
I would be very very greatfull if you did.