Locomotor

As a Flag

On TechnoTypes

Flag:	Locomotor
File(s):	rules(md).ini
Values:	Strings: Normal text. (Limited to: CLSID, see below)
Special Values:	None
Default:	teleport
Applicable to:	TechnoTypes: AircraftTypes, BuildingTypes, InfantryTypes and VehicleTypes

Locomotors handle the unit's movement and ensure the correct images are displayed in correct situations(walking, turning, firing, ...).

If you give the unit an invalid locomotor value or omit the Locomotor tag entirely, the unit will default to using the Chrono locomotor.

Note: Although the rules' comment about Locomotors specifically uses "objects" instead of "units", and there is a default of "statue" that probably applies to BuildingTypes, setting a Locomotor on buildings does not seem to have any effect (positive or negative) whatsoever. Furthermore, the Guide's first sentence about Locomotors is "Should not be used on BuildingTypes". This, however, suggests something does happen. Either way it is assumed that Locomotors are parsed and valid on BuildingTypes, but simply do not have any effect. For the sake of the game's sanity, one should not set them.

On Warheads

Flag:	Locomotor
File(s):	rules(md).ini
Values:	Strings: Normal text. (Limited to: CLSID, see below)
Special Values:	None
Default:	statue
Applicable to:	Warheads

Describes which Locomotor to use for IsLocomotor=yes warheads.

Available Locomotor CLSIDs

A list of all locomotors and their purposes follows:

{4A582740-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1} 

Ballistic Locomotor, unused / obsolete. Is referenced to in the Tiberian Sun locos.tlb, and the CLSID exists in the game code, but no locomotion logic is found for it.

{4A582741-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1} 

Used by ground-based VehicleTypes in VXL form.

{4A582742-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1} 

Used by hover VehicleTypes (Robot Tank).

{4A582743-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1} 

Used by subterranean VehicleTypes.

{4A582744-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1} 

Used by InfantryTypes.

{4A582745-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1} 

Used by Falling Objects & Drop Pods.

When given to a warhead, VehicleTypes affected by it will disappear at their current location, appear in the air, and drop at an angle towards the position of the unit that originated the warhead, much like a Drop Pod falls towards the ground at an angle. If the firing unit is not moved out of the way before the falling vehicle impacts, the falling vehicle will hit and usually destroy the firing unit.

Giving this to a buildable or spawned object in Red Alert 2 will cause an Internal Error upon the object being created. This may be related to this locomotor pointing to animations to attach to the object in question, but these animations are not present in that game.

{4A582746-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1} 

Used by AircraftTypes.

It is possible to give this locomotor to a vehicle, but there are several flaws with this, such as:

Vehicles will exit the gate of the War Factory, not the roof hatch, which is used by JumpJet vehicles in Red Alert 2 when leaving the War Factory.

After the vehicle has exited the War Factory, it will be "stuck" in the bib at the War Factory's gate, unable to move. The gate of the War Factory itself will not close again after the object exits, until it is in some way removed from the bib. Selling the War Factory will free the vehicle.

Also, the object's shadow will be drawn attached to it, ignoring height, instead of on the ground underneath if it is a voxel.

Vehicles using this locomotor will be unable to use Harvester functions or deploy. When given orders to attack a target outside the range of their weapon, they will often, but not always, not move towards the target in order to get into attack range, but instead remain stationary (and unable to fire) while staying in the attack mission.

On the other hand, such vehicles also have some unique functions that can potentially be turned to an advantage over AircraftTypes:

They are not forced to return to a docking structure after finishing a move or attack order and can circle an area indefinitely.

Combined with their ability to passively engage enemy units in the same manner as ground units (but contrary to aircraft, which only attack targets explicitly given to them), they can thus be used as "patrols".

Flying VehicleTypes are also able to engage other aerial targets, making them useful to simulate fighter aircraft, although this feature has lost its relative advantage through the addition of air-to-air combat by AircraftTypes in Ares.

{4A582747-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1} 

Used by teleporting VehicleTypes and InfantryTypes. Additional logic is activated if the VehicleType in question has Teleporter set. It will then drive to any location it is ordered to, but if ordered to dock with a structure with DockUnload, it will teleport back to the dock.

{55D141B8-DB94-11d1-AC98-006008055BB5} 

Used by ground-based VehicleTypes in SHP form, eg Mechs, Terror Drones.

{92612C46-F71F-11d1-AC9F-006008055BB5} 

Used by Jumpjet VehicleTypes and InfantryTypes. Useable (and used) by VehicleTypes in Red Alert 2. In Tiberian Sun, if applied to a vehicle, this makes the object in question immune to direct-hit damage when in the air (although line damage from railguns still seems to damage such vehicles).

{2BEA74E1-7CCA-11d3-BE14-00104B62A16C} 

Used by ships. This causes them to "tilt" when destroyed. Although any VehicleType can be made to sink if it weighs more than ShipSinkingWeight, no matter what Locomotor it uses.

{B7B49766-E576-11d3-9BD9-00104B972FE8} 

Used by Spawned Missiles (V3, Dreadnought, Boomer). Giving this to a buildable item from AircraftTypes will turn it into such a missile, and once targeted, it won't accept other orders, and hit the target kamikaze-style.