change how pickip up works: use two raytraces per step

This allows you to make faster sweeping motions and miss less items.

init.lua

@@ -97,17 +97,41 @@ end
 
 -- TODO recheck if player leaving the server is not crashing it
 
+local function try_to_pickup(player, pointed_thing)
+    -- TODO check if we can pick up more item
+    -- TODO if can't pick up any more items, then maybe move the item entity a bit?
+    local item = pointed_thing.ref:get_luaentity()
+    if item and item.on_punch then -- TODO probaly don't need this check
+        minetest.sound_play("dvornik_pickup", {
+                                to_player = player:get_player_name()
+                                --pos = player:get_pos(),
+                                --max_hear_distance = 10
+        })
+        minetest.add_particle({
+                pos = pointed_thing.ref:get_pos(),
+                expirationtime = 1,
+                size = 1,
+                texture = "tnt_smoke.png" -- TODO
+        })
+        item:on_punch(player)
+    end
+end
+
+
 local RANGE = 3.0
 --local RADIUS = 1.0
 local function trace_and_pickup(player)
     local p_eye_pos = player_get_eye_pos(player)
+    local prev_point = active_veniks[player]
     local to = vector.add(p_eye_pos, vector.multiply(player:get_look_dir(), RANGE))
     local ray = minetest.raycast(
         p_eye_pos,
         to,
         true,  -- point to objects
         false) -- point to liquids
+    -- First trace: find what player is looking at
     local pointed_thing = ray:next()
+    local current_point = nil
     while pointed_thing do
         if DEBUG and pointed_thing.type ~= "nothing" and not (pointed_thing.type == "object" and pointed_thing.ref == player) then
             local point = pointed_thing.intersection_point
@@ -119,31 +143,51 @@ local function trace_and_pickup(player)
                 -- for _, obj in pairs(minetest.get_objects_inside_radius(point, RADIUS)) do
                 --     obj:remove()
                 -- end
-                local item = pointed_thing.ref:get_luaentity()
-                -- TODO check if we can pick up more item
-                -- TODO if can't pick up any more items, then maybe move the item entity a bit?
-                if item.on_punch then -- TODO probaly don't need this check
-                    minetest.sound_play("dvornik_pickup", {
-                        to_player = player:get_player_name()
-                        --pos = player:get_pos(),
-                        --max_hear_distance = 10
-                    })
-                    minetest.add_particle({
-                        pos = pointed_thing.ref:get_pos(),
-                        expirationtime = 1,
-                        size = 1,
-                        texture = "tnt_smoke.png" -- TODO
-
-                    })
-                    item:on_punch(player)
-                end
+                
+                -- Player is looking at an item: use the item position
+                current_point = pointed_thing.ref:get_pos()
+                break
             end
+        elseif pointed_thing.type == "node" then
+            -- move intersection point a little bit away from the block
+            local HEIGHT = 0.2
+            -- Player is looking at a block: move a little bit away from it
+            current_point = vector.multiply(
+                vector.add(pointed_thing.intersection_point,
+                           pointed_thing.intersection_normal),
+                HEIGHT)
+            break
         end
         pointed_thing = ray:next()
     end
+
+    -- Second trace: trace from old previous position to current
+    if not prev_point then
+        prev_point = p_eye_pos
+    end
+    -- TODO maybe limit the distance between prev/current points?
+    if prev_point and prev_point.x and current_point and current_point.x then
+        local ray = minetest.raycast(prev_point,
+                                     current_point,
+                                     true,
+                                     false)
+        local pointed_thing = ray:next()
+        while pointed_thing do
+            if pointed_thing.type == "object" then
+                if pointed_thing.ref ~= player then
+                    -- Just pick up everything that was between
+                    -- previous and current points
+                    try_to_pickup(player, pointed_thing)
+                end
+            end
+            pointed_thing = ray:next()
+        end
+    end
+    -- store the point for next timestep
+    active_veniks[player] = current_point
 end
 
-local timer = 0
+
 minetest.register_globalstep(function(_dtime)
     for player, _ in pairs(active_veniks) do
         trace_and_pickup(player)
@@ -151,6 +195,7 @@ minetest.register_globalstep(function(_dtime)
 end
 )
 
+
 minetest.register_on_leaveplayer(function(player, timed_out)
     deactivate_venik(player)
 end)