Major Mesh/skin release possible...with help

[daglob]

I'm really likng the work done by the artists for EE3. The game itself got bad reviews, and EE2 is a much better game, but the artwork for EE3 feels right for FF

Benton, here's a fish swarm from EE3. night make a good background or a good fx

Ever been nibbled by a school of gar? It didn't really hurt, but they were quite annoying.

[Randomdays]

Dana , for the fish, that's basically what they do in game, just swim in an area for you to send your fishing boat out to for a food source. Of course, like the rest of stuff, they'll have to be reanimated.

On the houses, are they usable for you? I've got a few from EE3 almost ready for you to check out. There aren't as many as in EE2. but I think some fit what you need really well.

On the animals, I think most will fit in general categories, but a few oddball ones will need extra anims. The bear could use a paw swipe as well as a bite, plus standing attacks. The elephants some trunk attacks. I think dolphins do a ramming attack. The seals, walruses, sea tutrtles, etc would need a land waddle as well as a swim.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I'm not sure about the houses yet, RD...I just started looking at them.  There is also the whole issue that Goggles brought up (with them having no substance in game)...He may be able to "fix" them in Blender, but I'm not really skilled enough to do that.  I'll keep looking at them though and see if I can do something with the ones I like.

thanks again for sending them.

For the animals, As I suggested, perhaps all swimming anims should be the fly animation in most of the sea-going animals (especially for turtles, walruses, frogs or what-have-you, etc...).

Dana

[Randomdays]

Dana, the problem Goggles had with the building was with Civ4, so might not be an issue. If it is, I just reread what he wrote before to fix it and it sound pretty easy. Since EE3 files have to converted anyway, I'll convert a house and let you check it out. If you do have the problem with EE2, I'll convert one of those too and send that over as well.


It should just be 1)import to blender 2) adjust scaling to get the right size 3) export back out. Done.  If there's more to it, maybe Goggles will put in some input

[cmdrkoenig67]

Dana, the problem Goggles had with the building was with Civ4, so might not be an issue. If it is, I just reread what he wrote before to fix it and it sound pretty easy. Since EE3 files have to converted anyway, I'll convert a house and let you check it out. If you do have the problem with EE2, I'll convert one of those too and send that over as well.


It should just be 1)import to blender 2) adjust scaling to get the right size 3) export back out. Done.  If there's more to it, maybe Goggles will put in some input

Oops...I misread that about the meshes being from Civ4...I apologize.

Dana

[cmdrkoenig67]

So...I just tried to get a couple of the houses into the game...But for some reason, the nifs aren't showing up when I try to make templates for them.

Dana

[Randomdays]

maybe they do have to go thru conversion then. If you don't have blender set up, I'll send you a couple converted nifs when I get home later.

[cmdrkoenig67]

maybe they do have to go thru conversion then. If you don't have blender set up, I'll send you a couple converted nifs when I get home later.

Thanks...I tried several times of trying to find the nif via the FF Editor, but it just wasn't seeing them.

Dana

[Randomdays]

No problem.

I was also wondering about something else from what Benton said. He had wanted the whale about the size of a bus. I never tried, but if you hopped on top of a moving bus in game, does it keep moving? If so, maybe the whale could be set up with a path to follow on the map, and have Aquaman or Namor riding on top, looking like he was directing it. Might be good for a cutscene. Or I think I saw a cover somewhere once where he had the reins on 2 side by side dolphins, with one foot on each

[GogglesPizanno]

RE: Buildings.
Make sure that in addition to setting them up in FFEdit, you create a text template file to put in the directory containing the nif. They wont show up without it. 

Also for them to actually interact properly with the world, you need to have a damage version. The simple way to do that is to just make a copy of the nif, name it nifname_destruction. Then in nifskope create a NiNode named "building" right under the root. Then create a child NiNode under building called "section1" (I think, double check on an existing one to be sure) and make sure the building mesh pieces are all children of that node.

[Randomdays]

Thanks Goggles. I just sent Dana an email with 4 test buildings. the only thing I wasn't sure about is whether it mattered if you resized them in nifscope or in Blender.

[cmdrkoenig67]

RE: Buildings.
Make sure that in addition to setting them up in FFEdit, you create a text template file to put in the directory containing the nif. They wont show up without it. 

Uh...Duh, Goggles...How long have I been making maps?  I kid, thank you...I simply forgot to change the .nifcache to .nif...RandomDays set me on the right course (thanks again, RD).  I'm able to see the nifs now.

Also for them to actually interact properly with the world, you need to have a damage version. The simple way to do that is to just make a copy of the nif, name it nifname_destruction. Then in nifskope create a NiNode named "building" right under the root. Then create a child NiNode under building called "section1" (I think, double check on an existing one to be sure) and make sure the building mesh pieces are all children of that node.

I was able to get Alchemiss to stand on the building I put on a map...It's still a bit wonky, so it might need a bounding box or something.

Dana

[Randomdays]

Dana, did you have to convert the nif for it to work in FF? The wonkyness may mean it needs to be converted. Try one of the converted nifs I sent and see if it acts the same way.

[Randomdays]

Update - where we're at. It seems longer, but its been 1 week today. So far, I've loaded and began to learn nifscope and blender, thanks to Dana, Goggles and Bearded.

Of the 4 games being looked at, all look like they'll be usable, but all will need some work.All 4 will probably need kfs built from scratch.



Snow Leopard from ZT2, Druid and House from EE2 and Camel Rider from EE3

EE2 and 3 have tons of characters, vehicles, scenery and buildings.

ZT2 - some animals not available. Buildings, vehicles and scenery hasn't been looked at yet.

WP2 - all animals avaiable. Buildings, vehicles and scenery haven't been looked at yet.

Dana is working on the buildings, Bearded is working on the animals and Benton is waiting.

Still looking for people who can do conversions and kfs, if anyone is willing.

[cmdrkoenig67]

Dana, did you have to convert the nif for it to work in FF? The wonkyness may mean it needs to be converted. Try one of the converted nifs I sent and see if it acts the same way.

Do you mean the first group you sent (Marienburg Castle,  market, etc...)?  I tried the castle, but I had to change it's size up (from 1 to 3), which made it the perfect size (HUGE!) and I had to convert it from .nifcache to .nif.  Unfortunately, it has no substance, characters can't stand on it and they can walk right through it.

Dana

[Randomdays]

Any of the groups really - first group, house group or the house 5 group, but that's interesting about the castle. Both the castle and the houses are from EE2. I'll run the nif through blender and send it to you, see if that fixe's the walkthru issue.

[Cyber Burn]

What you guys are doing here is awesomely impressive. The possibilities brought about by this project should be astounding for our community's modders. I'm definitely watching how this plays out. Great work guys! 

[Randomdays]

Thanks Cyber. I'd like to again thank Bearded, Goggles, Dana and Benton for their help and enthusiam. It's turning out harder than I thought, but progress is being made. I can't skope, hex or make kf's, so I'll concentrate on trying to get the word out and working on non animated things like vehicles,scenery and helping Dana with buildings.

One BIG update happened, for me at least. I'm not really into making mods or setting up battles, but I do enjoy taking old stories, be it comics or books, and making machinima from them. One of the best tools for this, along with FF, is Lionhead's " The Movies" game that came out awhile back. It's got a sim/tycoon part to it that I ran through once to unlock everything, but the meat of the program is making your own cutscene type movies with it, done totally in game without scripting like FF and most games.

The game uses .msh files for its meshes, but I found a pdf this weekend online on how to import nifs into it, using blender. The writer actually used Tommyboy's Black Panther as an example. With the blender scripts, not only can you import in, you can export out. For me it means I can do full movie like conversations, as an alterative to FF's talking heads. Plus, the option of adding in the other stuff as props or scenery.

For everyone else, its another good source of pretextured meshes.

I hope that anyone reading through this topic will take a look at the games mentioned, as almost all are great games by themselves. Since most are more than a few years old, they're pretty cheap as well. I think GOG has all the EE games.

Zoo Tycoon 2 and Wildlife Park 2 are good if you enjoy the simcity/ tycoon types of games. While The Movies has a good sim part to it, modders and story tellers will like the movie part the best.

While Empire Earth 3 didn't do too well, EE1 and 2 are great games. If you enjoy RTS's like Age of Empires or Warcraft 1-3, you'll enjoy these, plus they use full 3D instead of sprites.

I hope to do a first release of a bunch of vehicles this weekend. Each will have a nif for FF and FFVTTR ,plus both dds and tga textures, and a readme giving credit to the original game source. I'll probably set up a Yahoo group unless someone would like to host them.

Once again, thanks for everyone's help and anyone who wants to join in ,your help is appreciated and needed.

[bearded]

i need help. i took the rat nif from inside the ff engine and animated it with raptor, it looks really good ingame. set it up with cop ai, and private army 3 on a character, and you get a swarm of them! really neat looking to see them running around. the polycount is super low, but it looks pretty good ingame.
the problem is, none of his bites work, they are all dodged or blocked for some reason. any thoughts or suggestions? i do have a bounding box included in it.
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Beardedinlairmeshes3/files/
named rat.ace
i've decided to try and animate the croc using the ant as a base.

[Randomdays]

Maybe its the small size to begin with?  WP2 has a rat if you'd like to try it




Update; I was able to import 8 cars rather quickly (about an hour) into nif format, now that I've got the hang of that part of it. I haven't set up the crumpled forms yet, not sure if I'm up to that yet. The main question is what to do with them sinceyou can see inside. Someone with more skills can try to opaque the windows out, or try to skope a driver behind the wheel. The convertable would look great if someone could tweek it into a classic batmobile and put the dynamic duo behind the wheel.

TMG has about 20 or so cars in game, mainly by Chrysler, from 1900 to the present. I could probably knock out the rest by the weekend, as is.



5 cars from 1900 to 1960

[bearded]

i would be happy to take the rat, and a car. i can make the rat, for sure, and the car, i can import male civilian behind the wheel.

[Randomdays]

one car and one rat....coming right up. The one thing about the driver though, is what happens to him if the car get crumpled, thrown down the street or destroyed? I'm guessing the best bet would be just to not show him in those meshes, or somehow show him jumping out. Superman thowing a car with someone in it  - no way!

[bearded]

i think the damaged version can be made without the person in, but it would take a spawn code to make him move out. register when vehicle is damaged, spawn civilian. but i don't think it is damaged when picked up?

[BentonGrey]

This is some very interesting stuff guys!  Bearded, I'm not why the rat wouldn't be able to hit.  Send me a .zip or .rar version and I'll test it a bit for you.  The size shouldn't have anything to do with it, as tiny figures like the Atom and the Wasp can hit alright.  I'm definitely interested in us getting a working rat model.  That will have a lot of uses, including serving as the Rat King's minions!

[cmdrkoenig67]

Bearded, have I told you how awesome you are, lately?  Well, you are...Bravo, buddy!

Does the rat need a selection box?

Dana

i need help. i took the rat nif from inside the ff engine and animated it with raptor, it looks really good ingame. set it up with cop ai, and private army 3 on a character, and you get a swarm of them! really neat looking to see them running around. the polycount is super low, but it looks pretty good ingame.
the problem is, none of his bites work, they are all dodged or blocked for some reason. any thoughts or suggestions? i do have a bounding box included in it.
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Beardedinlairmeshes3/files/
named rat.ace
i've decided to try and animate the croc using the ant as a base.

[Randomdays]

Benton, there's a link to the rat in Bearded's first post about it

[BentonGrey]

Yep, I can't open .ace files.

[Randomdays]

Opens with winrar for me. try it out

[yell0w_lantern]

Always have selection and bounding boxes. Always. 

[cmdrkoenig67]

Oops...I opened the rat up in NifSkope and he does have a selection box...Sorry, Beard.  I just thought I'd ask.

Dana