Why aren't they moving anymore?
There could be a few reasons for this:
If the variable NPCid is not defined anywhere: Your code will throw a ReferenceError.
If NPCid is defined but not globally: Passing a string into setTimeout won't evaluate it in the current context, causing issues with accessing NPCid. It's generally advised not to pass strings into setTimeout.
If NPCid is global: During execution of delayed code, all instances will see the same value of NPCid, which is its final value at the end of the loop.
To resolve this, if you're working on NodeJS (assuming from your approach), you can try:
PS.Tick = function ()
{
"use strict";
// (Assuming NPCid is declared; add `var NPCid;` here if needed)
for (NPCid = 0; NPCid < NPCnumber; NPCid++)
{
var timeout = 0;
timeout = PS.Random(1000);
setTimeout(NPCAI, timeout, NPCid); // Only for NodeJS and Firefox!!
}
};
This method works because NodeJS (and Firefox) allow passing arguments to setTimeout for the called function.
If not using NodeJS or Firefox, but having ES5's Function#bind, consider:
PS.Tick = function ()
{
"use strict";
// (Assuming NPCid is declared; add `var NPCid;` here if needed)
for (NPCid = 0; NPCid < NPCnumber; NPCid++)
{
var timeout = 0;
timeout = PS.Random(1000);
setTimeout(NPCAI.bind(undefined, NPCid), timeout);
}
};
Function#bind generates a function that calls the original function with specified this value and provided arguments.
If unavailable, create a custom bind or opt for:
PS.Tick = function ()
{
"use strict";
// (Assuming NPCid is declared; add `var NPCid;` here if needed)
for (NPCid = 0; NPCid < NPCnumber; NPCid++)
{
var timeout = 0;
timeout = PS.Random(1000);
setTimeout(makeHandler(NPCid), timeout);
}
function makeHandler(id) {
return function() {
NPCAI(id);
};
}
};
This solution involves creating a function that, upon invocation, triggers the appropriate call to NPCAI with the provided argument value.