Whip's Skid Steering Script

Whip's Skid Steering Script

[img=https://i.imgur.com/iHy45ds.png]

  Description

Howdy!

This script emulates tank skid steering using wheel suspensions, and it is able to skid steer without gyros! This is possible because the script uses adaptive steering friction to ensure that wheels closest to the centerline of the vehicle provide the most torque. You can still use gyros to aid in steering, but they should not be required!

Additionally, when you transition between driving straight and turning, the friction change is not instantaneous; instead, there is a configurable ramp-up time that will allow for smooth transitions between different friction settings for driving and steering. This should prevent many cases of flipping due to fast friction increases.

[img=https://i.imgur.com/bfEH2Kf.gif]

[img=https://i.imgur.com/iHy45ds.png]

  Features

• Wheel based skid steering
• Adaptive steering friction means no gyros are needed!
• Gyros can still be used to assist with turning
• Gradual friction ramp-up to prevent flipping
• Lots of Custom Data configuration options
• Animated running screens!
• Works across subgrids

[img=https://i.imgur.com/iHy45ds.png]

  Adaptive Steering Friction

Adaptive steering friction permits vehicles to skid steer without the need of gyros. This is because wheels closest to the vehicle's centerline get the most friction, and the wheels furthest from the centerline get little-to-no friction. This prevents the suspension wheel system from locking up during turns.

[img=https://i.imgur.com/imPXH9R.png]

[img=https://i.imgur.com/iHy45ds.png]

  Setup Instructions

[olist] [*] Place this script in a programmable block. [*] Place the wheels that you want to use for skid steering and the cockpit you will control the wheels from in a group named Skid Steering.

• (Optional) You can also add gyros to the group to aid in turning, but they are not required.

[/olist]

Now you can configure the Custom Data to your heart's content!

[img=https://i.imgur.com/iHy45ds.png]

  Custom Data Config

You can configure several settings in the Custom Data of the Programmable Block to fine tune how your vehicle behaves. [table] [tr] [th]Key[/th] [th]Valid Values[/th] [th]Description[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Group name tag[/td] [td]string[/td] [td]Name of the skid steering block group.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Draw title screen[/td] [td]true/false[/td] [td]If the animated title screen should be drawn on the programmable block's main screen.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Wheel friction - Driving (%)[/td] [td]number (0 to 100)[/td] [td]Wheel friction when driving straight.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Wheel friction - Turning (%)[/td] [td]number (0 to 100)[/td] [td]Max wheel friction when turning.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Friction ramp-up time - Turning to Driving (s)[/td] [td]number[/td] [td]Time it takes (in seconds) for wheel friction to linearly scale from turn friction to drive friction.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Friction ramp-up time - Driving to Turning (s)[/td] [td]number[/td] [td]Time it takes (in seconds) for wheel friction to linearly scale from drive friction to turn friction.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Gyro power - Driving (%)[/td] [td]number (0 to 100)[/td] [td]Gyro power when driving straight.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Gyro power - Turning (%)[/td] [td]number (0 to 100)[/td] [td]Gyro power when turning.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Gyro rotation speed (RPM) [/td] [td]number[/td] [td]Gyro max rotation speed when turning.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Invert steer while reversing [/td] [td]true/false[/td] [td]If steering direction should be inverted when reversing.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Enable adaptive steering friction [/td] [td]true/false[/td] [td]If adaptive steering friction should be enabled.

Recommended setting: true[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Adaptive steering friction max angle (deg)[/td] [td]number (0 to 90)[/td] [td]Maximum angle (in degrees) between the wheel and the centerline for it to have adaptive friction. If the wheel is further off the centerline than this angle, it will have no friction.[/td] [/tr] [/table]

[img=https://i.imgur.com/iHy45ds.png]

  Author's Notes

I decided to completely rewrite my archaic skid steer script that I never "officially" released. I didn't want to release a skid steering script dependent on gyros, so I held off until I figured out how to make adaptive steering friction work.

Hopefully you tank nerds will find this useful!

The tank showcased in the first GIF is the Halvar MBT by Beans and can be found here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2626456159

If you want to be able to drive while a different player controls a MART turret, you need to use Digi's mod that fixes that: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2304767743 This has finally been fixed!

Also, I made the sprites for the cute little running screen using the SESpriteBuilder tool that I developed: https://gitlab.com/whiplash141/spritebuilder/-/wikis/home. It may be of use to scripters trying to visualize and design sprites :)

- Whiplash141