Animation Conversion, Also map tile info Options

[Yacomo]

First: Hello to the WtP team!

I must admit, I was lurking around here for some time now, but I was not sure if WtP would turn into a project that would appeal to me.

Honestly, I am not too much of a fan of creating an all new world. I would rather like to see more of Faerun being fleshed out, but then that's just my preference.

But, I am a strong fan of the attitude towards sharing that was expressed within this thread. That alone is enough to convince me that I want to join in here.

That being said, please feel free to add any parts of my worldmap mod that you might want to take to your repository. I think especially the bam-file could be quite helpful, since it contains a growing number of completely coloured and properly animated icons for bg1, bg2 and some mods. Of course, my mospack utility is offered here as well.

Apart from this I am currently working on some all new area graphics using Bryce, Poser, Shade and Gimp. I'll be happy to donate those graphics as well, once they are done. Question is: Will something like this be useful for you? I ask, because I am missing the proper experience to create the wed and are files, so those would have to be created by somebody else.

[Chevar]

Apart from this I am currently working on some all new area graphics using Bryce, Poser, Shade and Gimp. I'll be happy to donate those graphics as well, once they are done. Question is: Will something like this be useful for you? I ask, because I am missing the proper experience to create the wed and are files, so those would have to be created by somebody else.

It's not simply a matter of whether it'll be usefull to us at the WTP. It's a matter of if it can benefit the community. I do not have a planned use for the majority of the nimations I'm converting, just as an example.

As for areas, in particular.. through dltcep or eitme you will need to populate and script your areas after they're complete. That's something we can't help with (for obvious reasons).. however in terms of the converting of graphics to usable maps. We may be able to offer you assistance in that regard, when the time comes - granted that would depend on our workload.

[Yacomo]

however in terms of the converting of graphics to usable maps. We may be able to offer you assistance in that regard, when the time comes - granted that would depend on our workload.

That's exactly what I was hoping for See I am probably the 'prototype community' kind of person you are looking for, I do not want you to do me a favor, I rather want to do you and the rest of the modding community a favor.

As for me, I do not intend to make a complete mod by myself. I am mainly interested in doing art and do have some experience in that area. But art in itself is pretty useless without a purpose. So what I like to do is create the art and hand it over to other people to see what they can make out of it. It would be nice if you guys could help me put together all the files needed to make a bitmap basically usable within the game. So that we can post it for others (and of course for WTP as well) to download and add their actors, scripts whatever. A growing number of ready-to-use areas would be something nice for the community, wouldn't it?

Guess, I will be able to produce the auxiliary files (height map, search map etc.) myself, but the wed-file sounds like a pain without proper experience

I'll polish up one of my files this weekend and post a screenshot here, then we can see if you guys think it is worth the effort or not - makes not much sense talking about vapor-ware, does it

[Sir-Kill]

cant wait to see it. and thank you for understanding what we are trying to do here.

[igi]

Has anyone documented a work around for this?

You could try asking Avenger, or at the SES forum at FW.

[jastey]

Now I've been saying for a while that they put us to shame, and I've never given this kind of information to back it up before.. So, here's where I drive the point home:

http://dynamic6.gamespy.com/~infinitum/

Just take a look around..

I start to understand what you mean... This is just great.

In case you didn't notice: At FW, WoRm (simpleton) offered to transfer NWN animations to BGII, maybe you want to combine forces? (If you haven't done already.)

[Sir-Kill]

hey, thanks for the heads up J!

This post has been edited by Sir-Kill: Apr 7 2005, 02:17 PM

[Sir-Kill]

I can get an IESDP update done soon

the tutorial for the IETME says to "consult IESDP for a complete list of overlay textures" is there one I looked all over and I could not find it

I've been told that when making bams that shadows (the magenta color in the color palette) that the shadows usually don't work ingame. This holds true in item BAMs, and if I remember correctly I had a problem with it during my early animation conversions that I did back around 2001.

ok this has been bugging me for a long time (when I first incountered it back in tbg days) I took some screenshots to see what I could see. the game does produce transparent (or better yet semi-transparent) shadows. so now we know for a fact that bg uses transparency, the question is now HOW?

EDIT: this is not the best pic but if you look closely you can see that there is a difference in opacity.

EDIT2: is the shadow just black and the game will render is semi-transparent?

This post has been edited by Sir-Kill: Apr 7 2005, 05:26 PM

[Rabain]

I recently ported some PST item bams and in those the item shadow is simply black.

If that helps any.

[igi]

the tutorial for the IETME says to "consult IESDP for a complete list of overlay textures" is there one I looked all over and I could not find it

Nope, not that I know of (which is a pretty definiate no).
What textures would you want listed...?

[Sir-Kill]

well the short answer would be all of them for at least bg1 and 2 then iwd 1&2

I know that there was a list somewhere, I just cannot remember

[igi]

Yes, but which *textures*? What are you defining as a texture?

[Sir-Kill]

the overlays as far as I understand them means water; rivers, lakes, and sea there is also lava

one example is "WTRIV" for a water/river

[Seifer]

Also, Chevar, he's been at it for a long time,much longer then us in fact.  Also, its not a competition is it?  So no worries. 

Thanks for the input seif. It sure isn't a competition, and if you think that was what I was indicating you missed the point entirely. Their modding community enchanges material readily, is very helpfull, and it's members work well together with a common goal. I consider them to be the model of what a modding community should be...

Case and point;

August, last year, on FW I started a conversation about the conversion of d2 anims for use in BG2.....

http://forums.spellholdstudios.net/index.p...topic=10015&hl=

If there were conversions and other info available, why did I have to spend months developing my own formula for conversions? There are indeed people within the community that have the information at their disposal, but they only seem to wish to share said information when their goal is to one-up other modders.

I ask a question like; "Does anyone know how to change the starting exp for the bg2 expansion side of the game... I get nothing. I go thought with a hex editor and find it myself, then get told by someone "We already knew how to do that!"

If that is the case, why isn't this information shared when it is initially sought?

I spent 2 days in the D2 community and managed to get all the help I needed, including alternate links to the allegro libs required by mergedcc.

This has been frustrating me since I returned to BG2 modding last year.

Now that I've finished my rant.. I'm going to attempt to ask a straight question in hopes of, for a change, getting a straight responce before spending months figguring it out myself.

I've been told that when making bams that shadows (the magenta color in the color palette) that the shadows usually don't work ingame. This holds true in item BAMs, and if I remember correctly I had a problem with it during my early animation conversions that I did back around 2001.

Has anyone documented a work around for this?

Well, to counter this point, the ratio of people crossing between the two mod communities was very low to begin with and it took me a damn long time to ge hold of Mortis. When Dan (phrozen Keep domain master) heard I'd done some preliminary stuff with animations and the like, he got in touch with me.

It wasn't that the information wasn't readily given through a profound lack of co-operation, there just wasn't much there.

Also, and I've not looked so correct me if I'm wrong by all means, have you/are you keeping a developers journal or creating any instuctional material so that people may help with this?

[Seifer]

And have you looked at any animations from Fall Out and related games?

[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.

[Seifer]

Hey, this wasn't for my reference, just for others. Useful though.
Regarding FO animations, see what you can do with these. They need some frame duplication/flipping as FO series has only a set of 6 directional vertices (i think). This is probably why Mortis left... : -


http://www.final-exodus.net/Mod/critt000.rar

This post has been edited by Seifer: Apr 8 2005, 12:12 AM

[Chevar]

Hey, this wasn't for my reference, just for others. Useful though.
Regarding FO animations, see what you can do with these. They need some frame duplication/flipping as FO series has only a set of 6 directional vertices (i think). This is probably why Mortis left... : -


http://www.final-exodus.net/Mod/critt000.rar

PM me a reminder after monday - that's when I get my DSL in. I can snag it and look at it then.

[Seifer]

I'm assuming that you're here mosty days in the week so it seems a tad pointless really.

[Chevar]

I'm assuming that you're here mosty days in the week so it seems a tad pointless really.

Actually, I have the memory retention of a Gnat 1/2 the time :>