Animation Conversion, Also map tile info Options

[Chevar]

We currently have a list of nearly fourty creature animations that are currently being converted from varied sources for use in bg2. For a sneak peak, please follow the link below.

http://www.blackwyrmlair.net/~chevar/converts/anims.html

This post has been edited by Chevar: Apr 3 2005, 04:19 PM

[Chevar]

Okay Seifer..

I don't actually own fallout, so I can't use it as a resource. The next batch planned will be a few odds and ends from the current set, as well as some from ARCANUM. I will be provided with the files I need to do the work at that point.

As for a developers journal. I don't have one onlne, hoever my procedure is paper documented at the moment, to insure consistency. I also have done some limited distributing of the shareware tool I'm using to create the animated GIFs.

Technically speaking the procedure is so incredibly simple that I haven't written down formal documentation.. It's really only 6 easy (albeit time comsuming) steps.

1) Export the animation images from the source game, using the utilities available for said game (CV3.5 for diablo 1, CV5 for diablo2, Merge DCC for multipart animations in diablo2, InsideUO for Ultima online). The export format should be BMP, GIF or AVI.

2) create folders for each of the eight directions;

0 - south
1 - southwest
2 - west
3 - northwest
4 - north
5 - northeast
6 - east
7 - southeast

3) With the exception of direction AVI's from IUO Sort the output files into the corresponding folders.

4) Using Animagic load the images and change the background color in the color palette. For Diablo animations it will be the first color (0,0,0 for CV, 170,170,170 for mergedcc) For insideUO the default background palette color is 255,255,255 and will be somewhere random within the image.

If you make sure that the animagic options are to use a global local palette it will change the colors for all frames simultaneously.

If the background color is not set to transparent set it to transparent under int image options. Save the files in the folder with the name of the direction (0 for south, and so forth)

5) Using BMW import sequences 0 - 4, and save the file as the appropriate type, then create a new file, and add blank entries for sequences 0-4, then import sequences 5 - 7. save the file with the same name as the prior wile with E at the end of the file name (eg MHISWLKe)

6) Load the BAMs into DLTCEP, click on center frames, and save.. that's all.