RTW skeletons CRACKED!!

[Pat89]

Yea, the org is being fickle for me as well. Someone asked a question for me there about being unable to run KE's converter but I am unable to reply. The reply, if he's reading this, is: "The converter requires Python 3.0 which is apparently not backward compatible with earlier versions". I had the same problem when KE first sent me the first version of the converter.

Ah ok thanks! That was me who asked that

[Killerbee]

Left side would seem the most logical to mee, since most people are right-handed

[florin80]

In the majority of illustrations(modern drawings) I have the quiver is on the left side, especially for the mounted steppe nomads.

[Killerbee]

Here's another link for people that can't get acces to the .org (meaning everyone :O)

http://www.lotr-tw.net/viewtopic.php?t=3964

[Zanjia98]

What application did you use to extract the dat. and idx. files?

[Gen.jamesWolfe]

OK, so one more question--a bit of a dumb one, as it's a reflection of the fact that I don't get a certain part. but here goes:

where exactly is the impact frame number itself ? I know it's among a series of numbers in the area marked "J" in the file, but which one? more than one of the numbers vary between a non attacking animation and attacking one.

EDIT: also, is it conceivable to affect the exact location of the impact? for example, to "explain" to the game that the tip of a weapon (a melee weapon) associated with a certain skeleton is a set a few meters ahead?

[Beorn]

Amazing stuff, wles!

[C-Rob]

... and I jizzed in my pants.

nah, that is impressive and would make the game so much cooler.

[Conqistador]

wow the archer are vey impressive +rep!

[wlesmana]

Awesome! Seems like I can log into TWC now without problems or the need for proxy.
I'm planning to make several versions of the bowstring and arrow animation: longbow with arrows in the back, shortbow with arrows in the back, shortbow with arrows on the side. They will also store the bow on the back when having their sword/dagger out, this is done by creating a new left arm bone to hold the shaft.

Now my question to those with better knowledge: when archers carry their arrows on their side, do they put it on the left side or right side of their body?

[ray243]

Awesome! Seems like I can log into TWC now without problems or the need for proxy.
I'm planning to make several versions of the bowstring and arrow animation: longbow with arrows in the back, shortbow with arrows in the back, shortbow with arrows on the side. They will also store the bow on the back when having their sword/dagger out, this is done by creating a new left arm bone to hold the shaft.

Now my question to those with better knowledge: when archers carry their arrows on their side, do they put it on the left side or right side of their body?

Would it be possible for us to get unit animation as seen in M2TW? Also, how would the new unit animation affect gameplay? Would game balance be affected?

Would we be able to make changes to the path finding due to the new animation?

[wlesmana]

It is possible to get animations from M2TW BUT it is not possible to get their triggers, such as death blows. New unit animations could affect gameplay. Faster attack animations will result in a slightly deadlier unit, as seen in vanilla where fs_2handed units kill faster than the others. Faster movement could also affect gameplay as units may move faster in battle.

It will not affect pathfinding at all.

[Gen.jamesWolfe]

Sorry for cross-posting and linking to another forum, but it's very hard for me to post here, with my IP range being blocked and I keep getting error messages often when I try to post.

Please go here for the tutorial and discussion: http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=124700

Here's a preview of what cracking the skeleton can do:

could this be applied to say, napoleonic 2: total war?

if what I understand is true, would these movements be possible?:

http://freespace.virgin.net/gerald.hughes/indexa.htm

(shoulder arms, recover your firelock, the bayonet animations?). is it possible perhaps that we can order the ranks with this? so as to give slightly different animations depending on the rank?

I do know that this clearly means I can place a ramrod in the hands of the soldiers, in much the same way an arrow is drawn and knocked. only difference is that the ramrod doesn't get shot.

I've been making a mod for the seevn years war, and have already cracked many secrests (shoulder to shoulder animation, extra-detail models, different canon colors, etc).

[wlesmana]

could this be applied to say, napoleonic 2: total war?

if what I understand is true, would these movements be possible?:

http://freespace.virgin.net/gerald.hughes/indexa.htm

(shoulder arms, recover your firelock, the bayonet animations?). is it possible perhaps that we can order the ranks with this? so as to give slightly different animations depending on the rank?

I do know that this clearly means I can place a ramrod in the hands of the soldiers, in much the same way an arrow is drawn and knocked. only difference is that the ramrod doesn't get shot.

I've been making a mod for the seevn years war, and have already cracked many secrests (shoulder to shoulder animation, extra-detail models, different canon colors, etc).

That cannot be done with RTW engine unfortunately. The tool can do a lot to alter animations, skeleton and sound triggers but it cannot add entirely triggers such as adding different animations for different ranks. There is no such trigger in RTW engine so it cannot be added.

As for making animations showing different tools used on muskets, some things are possible but we are unfortunately constrained by the limited number of bones. If only the bones are not so limited, a lot of things can be done.

[Gen.jamesWolfe]

That cannot be done with RTW engine unfortunately. The tool can do a lot to alter animations, skeleton and sound triggers but it cannot add entirely triggers such as adding different animations for different ranks. There is no such trigger in RTW engine so it cannot be added.

As for making animations showing different tools used on muskets, some things are possible but we are unfortunately constrained by the limited number of bones. If only the bones are not so limited, a lot of things can be done.

well, having practiced at the idea, I think only one, possibly two extra bones (hinging on the arm of the musket) is needed for the latter (the only difference from the previous N2TW would be the shoulder arms). too bad the former cannot be done.

[Pat89]

I think that most of what you ask doesn't involve changing skeletons. For example the aiming thing can be done by changing an existing group of archer animations...

[Gen.jamesWolfe]

I think that most of what you ask doesn't involve changing skeletons. For example the aiming thing can be done by changing an existing group of archer animations...

I see. that is very good news.

the main issue though, actually happens to be the Shoulder arms; the N2TW team tried to use it, but for some reason, the animations didn't work.

could any animator reading this give it a crack? I'd like to see the posibility of this manuever (I can't animate properly)

[AqD]

very interesting!

How do you make the arrow to work that way? Is it still counted as a primary weapon??

[wlesmana]

very interesting!

How do you make the arrow to work that way? Is it still counted as a primary weapon??

I added a third invisible arm holding the arrow. For most of the animations, this third arm is keeping the arrow stuck in the quiver. During the arrow pulling and setting up sequences, this third arm would animate corresponding the actual right arm and thus making the arrow appear to be pulled and held by the right hand.

It's actually an inefficient way of doing this because I spent 3 bones just to animate the arrow. It's really regrettable RTW engine cannot handle bones positioning and only rotation. If it could, then I would only needed 1 bone to animate the arrow and things would've been much easier.

[wlesmana]

very interesting!

How do you make the arrow to work that way? Is it still counted as a primary weapon??

I added a third invisible arm holding the arrow. For most of the animations, this third arm is keeping the arrow stuck in the quiver. During the arrow pulling and setting up sequences, this third arm would animate corresponding the actual right arm and thus making the arrow appear to be pulled and held by the right hand.

It's actually an inefficient way of doing this because I spent 3 bones just to animate the arrow. It's really regrettable RTW engine cannot handle bones positioning and only rotation. If it could, then I would only needed 1 bone to animate the arrow and things would've been much easier.

It's not counted as primary weapon. It could, but it's already hidden nicely in the quiver there's no need to remove the arrow when secondary weapon is triggered.