Reconstructing the "Water Weird" Animation for BG2 Options

[Jarl]

Hello,

(i hope the following stuff is not already known...)

while making experiments with IE-modding i found out how to reconstruct the Water Weird animation, which is used in IWD1 HoW.
The BAM animation files already exist in BG2-engine, but the accessory entry in animate.ids is missing.

To solve this problem start NearInfinity and add the line

0xEF10 IC_WATER_WEIRD

at the bottom of animate.ids. That's all; now you can choose the Water Weird animation in the "animation ID" field of any CRE-File.



OPTIONAL
If you want to add a special soundset to your water weird creature, you can do it the normal way by adding new strings and putting them into the Soundplots of CRE-File.
Another possibility for this:
add the following entry

0xEF10 MWWE CGAMEANIMATIONTYPE_WATER_WEIRD

to the anisnd.ids and then copy one of the sound 2DA files like MDR1.2DA,
name it to MWWE.2DA and change the specific entries.
Now all WaterWeird-creatures use the sounds of MWWE.2DA


greetings
Jarl

PS: Sorry, my English teacher wasn't really satisfied with my interpretation of englisch language

[Baronius]

Kein problem Wilkommen!

[Jarl]

Muchas Gracias, Baronius

Is it helpful? or already known?

This post has been edited by Jarl: Aug 12 2006, 05:50 PM

[Sir-Kill]

well it was not known to me and when I get mack in to animations might prove usefull
thanks

[devSin]

The IDS updates aren't really necessary. You only need to update ANIMATE if you want to have the editor you're using display the correct symbol (or if you want to use the symbol with Polymorph() or similar in a dialogue or script).

ANISND is not read by the game. You can simply create the MWWE 2DA; updating ANISND would only be useful as a reference. Keep in mind that the water weird BAMs don't have walking animations (the slot isn't static though, so it can walk, but it just floats), and the shoot sequence is really the only functional one.

[WizWom]

erm - isn't this the animation for those "Greater Water Elemental"s spawned in AR6002 (ToB)? It's already IN the Animate.IDS as ELEMENTAL_WATER

I guess the point you are making is that the animation exists in SoA, without ToB installed.

So, the question is: is it possible to make the animation able to move freely in water, move slowly on land close to water, like a water elemental _should_? Can it hide in the water, to come up again at it's whim?

And can you make a summon spell for it?

[Jarl]

You are right, WizWom, that is the animation of the "Greater Water Elemental", but it's not in animate.ids. I can't find any Elemental_Water - entry there and the animation ID of greater water elemental shows a "unknown" value.
I didn't know that the animation is used AR6002 'cause I haven't played ToB yet

After extending animate.ids with "0xEF10 IC_WATER_WEIRD" it's much easier for modders to create water weirds i think...

This post has been edited by Jarl: Aug 15 2006, 12:22 PM

[WizWom]

OK, In my straight-forward, clean SoA/ToB 0.25498 patch level install, it was in Animate.ids, as I said.

If you don't have it, then either (1) you aren't running that setup or (2) there's something wonky in the standard distributions.

I'd suggest calling it by the same name Bioware did, frankly.

As for the speed change, it would be easy enough to do by script. as for keeping it withing 6" of water, that might be more difficult.

[Vlad]

Well, I do not know if it would be a disappointment for you or not but I have implemented this Water Elemental in TS about four years ago. And yes, I made it very movable.