A brief summary about this mod Options

[Galactygon]

This mod is aimed for turning the dreams of a good many modders into a released mod. This mod ports all of the creature animations from all IE games (BG1: TotSC, PS:T, IWD: HoW, and IWD2) into one big download for BG2: ToB.

Rather than the well-known way of adding a few "addable" entries to the ANIMATE.IDS, this mod uses a different (and impractical) way; it uses the weapon animations of existing creature entries.

Although the idea was first brought by Max (or Potencius), it wasn't really tried (in fact, it wasn't tried at all) until I decided to give it a shot. Then I found myself working for an actual goal ~ a released mod.

There are (of course, as in every method) a few flaws in this "new way"; the largest one is the part dealing with death animations. The weapons animations the creatures use don't have them. When they (the creatures) die, the creatures disappear, leaving no corpse behind.

Thus, I am dividing the mod into 3 parts:

Part 1 will deal with creature animations ported from IWD1: HoW, IWD2, and BG1
Part 2 will deal with creature animations ported from PS:T
Part 3 will deal with the death animation, and some various corrections to the creatures (ie making the Pit Fiend look more PnP-like, etc.)

Questions are more than welcome; in fact, they are encouraged, so ask away.

-Galactygon

[egm]

Great! It's awesome, Galac'!

[igi]

Question: Any word on a release date, for section 1? Or even a time-frame? Are we talkinng weeks, or months?

And a note - I tired the weapon animation method, and the VVC animation method too.

[Galactygon]

Counting the amount of work I have done so far, the amount of time I spent slacking, and the amount of work left, it should be a matter of weeks.

Don't get too optimistic, though.

-Galactygon

[Andyr]

How will these animations work with other mods such as BP?

[Galactygon]

The initial versions will not, but I am safely assuming there will be people who will work it out.

Same applies for other mods using new creature animations.

*puts up a F.A.Q.*

-Galactygon

[T.G.Maestro]

2 questions regarding the mod:

1.: exactly WHAT kind of animation will you use for Pit Fiends? You said they will look more proper, but I just can't think of any proper Pit Fiend avatar from any of the games you listed (IWD series, BG).

2.: How do you plan to deal with the missing death animations? Since this is an essential part of this mod (without it cannot work, really), I'd be interested in your ideas on this part.


PS.: this is an awesome idea and mod Galactygon, I wish you well and good luck with this project!

[Galactygon]

1.: exactly WHAT kind of animation will you use for Pit Fiends? You said they will look more proper, but I just can't think of any proper Pit Fiend avatar from any of the games you listed (IWD series, BG).

Have you thought of Belhifet?

2.: How do you plan to deal with the missing death animations? Since this is an essential part of this mod (without it cannot work, really), I'd be interested in your ideas on this part.

The mod CAN work without the death animation (right now, the creature disappears in a flash if you kill it), and as I mentioned in an earlier post somewhere in the forum, I am hatching some plans to overcome that issue.

-Galactygon

[T.G.Maestro]

Have you thought of Belhifet?

Nope. I wonder why you think that unique devil animation would be fitting at the first place.
To be honest, that wouldn't be any more fitting than the current one. Anyway, there ARE perfect animations for Pit Fiends, but not in these IE games - Diablo2 and Lionheart would be my choice.

The mod CAN work without the death animation (right now, the creature disappears in a flash if you kill it), and as I mentioned in an earlier post somewhere in the forum, I am hatching some plans to overcome that issue.

I know it can work without it, but it just isn't right. I mean, a slain enemy disappears in a flash of light? Eh.
As I said in my earlier post, I'm very interested in those plans you keep hatching to overcome this issue.
I'm counting on your success though!

[Nerik]

IIRC someone (I don't remember who) was working on porting Diablo/Diablo II animations to BG II - and there are a few places where such animations could be used:
The aformentioned Pit Fiends (ATM not all of them use the raver/ravager animation - some of them in Watcher's Keep use the Slayer animation!)
(not BG II but IWD II, at least, ATM) Glabrezu (also uses the Ravager animation)
Balors
Succubi
The Demon Lord in the Lolth temple (the aformentioned Belhifet could be suitable for this,. maybe?)

and probably a few more as well.

The 'disappear in a flash of light' would be less of a problem for creatures that were conjured/summoned or just plain illusionary (especially the latter - less so the former).

Charles

[Vasculio]

If you could package every monster and boss character! You'd be my hero lol!

Anyway, keep up the good work and please don't give up, i'm really looking forward to this awsome package.