Simple projectile path?

There are several ways to go about this sort of thing. Precalculating the path goes like this:

Let
Uo = initial velocity in X direction.
Vo = initial velocity in Y direction.
Xo = initial position in X direction.
Yo = initial position in Y direction.
t = time (where t = 0 is the time of launch)
g = acceleration due to gravity

Use equations of motion:
X(t) = Xo + (Uo * t)
Y(t) = Yo + (Vo * t) + ((g * t^2) / 2)

To find a vector position as a function of time:
R(t) = (X(t), Y(t))

I've assumed +Y to be 'up' throughout, so the value of g should be negative (i.e. 'down')
You can use basic trigonometry to calculate Uo and Vo from the angle of launch and power of the shot.
Bullet weight plays no part in the calculation once the projectile is in the air, though it could affect the maximum power of the shot or some other factor.


Since games operate on a frame-by-frame basis it may not make sense to precalculate entire paths. You could look at integrating forward by the timestep for one frame - essentially a more robust physics model that doesn't rely on this sort of fixed precalculation, so allows you to use much more sophisticated physics (potentially wind, air resistance in your case) without adding a lot of complexity.

Incidentally, in a game like Worms I think you should maybe take some liberties with the realism if it makes the game more fun. Don't be a slave to physics!

Thanks!

Could you show an example?

Xo = initial position in X direction.
Yo = initial position in Y direction.

This would be the position of the shooter example Point(200,200);

Hey!

I have now manage to apply this to my silverlight application, now I need to calculate the Uo and Yo by a given angle example 90.

Could you help me?

Those are initial velocities, so you need to break your stuff into components. Say you have a "power" of 50 at an angle of 30 degrees, then:

PowerX = 50*cos(30) = 43.3
PowerY = 50*sin(30) = 25

Then apply these however you want in the formulas. For a simple usage, these could just be the initial velocities instead of a true "power".

Keep in mind that most trig functions take radians by default. To convert degrees to radians, multiply by pi over 180.

Thanks!

I now have the following:

> xAngleModifier = Math.Cos(50);
> yAngleModifier = Math.Sin(50);

This sets the x and y modifier for the angle 50 degree.

> xModifier = ((powerControl.Power + xAngleModifier) * 0.000001) * tiks;

This is the X = ((Power + AngleModifier) * speedModification) * t). The tiks are calculated in every frame and the Power can be 0-100.

> yModifier = (((powerControl.Power + yAngleModifier) * 0.000001) * tiks) + (0.000000000001 * Math.Pow(tiks, 2) / 2);

This is the ((Power + AngleModifier) * speedModification) * t) + (gravitationModifier * g).

> x = projectile.StartPosition.Value.X + xModifier;
> y = projectile.StartPosition.Value.Y + yModifier;

Here we add the x and y modifiers to the startposition (Xo + (modifier)/(Yo + (modifier).

The projectile will shoot from left to right and down in a ca 150 degree (if up/top) is 0). The speed is fast and even if the power is set to low (30) the projectile will hit the bottom. What am I missing?