Alexander IB VGR & Animations Overhaul

**z3n** · October 20, 2012, 11:14 AM

Download and extract using a 7z extractor to your desktop. This 7z extractor is recommended. Open up the folder and copy all the files inside and paste them directly into rio/data. This will enable the option to play IB VGR on the alexander.exe.

Create a shortcut of the alexander exe and paste this on the end of the target line.

-mod:rio -show_err -nm -noalexander

Alexander IB VGR & Animations Download Link
http://www.gamefront.com/files/22491...Banimations.7z

New Skies & Decreased Loading Times Download Link
http://www.gamefront.com/files/22501...%26+speedup.7z

The percentage of decrease in campaign loading times will vary. For me it is a decent 38%, for some it may be up to 85%, others perhaps only a slight 15%.

Examples of animation pack I have been working on.

Battle Animations

Stand Idle Animations

Examples of the new skies

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Credits

**Riothamus** · October 20, 2012, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by Resef

Download and extract using a 7z extractor to your desktop. This 7z extractor is recommended. Open up the folder and copy all the files inside and paste them directly into rio/data. This will enable the option to play IB VGR on the alexander.exe.

Create a shortcut of the alexander exe and paste this on the end of the target line.

-mod:rio -show_err -nm -noalexander

http://www.gamefront.com/files/22491...Banimations.7z

Includes the animation pack I have been working on.

Battle Animations

Stand Idle Animations

Credits

Wonderful!!

Will sticky and make it pat of the upcoming upgrade

**z3n** · October 21, 2012, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by Riothamus

Wonderful!!

Will sticky and make it pat of the upcoming upgrade

Thank you.

I was bothered (probably because I am in love with the sky

) by the lack of a scenic view when staring upward in game (rather than the beautiful units) and the loading times for campaign were a to long for my tastes (curse my laptops old harddrive) so I adjusted the campaign descriptions (many of the lines were over 1000 characters which is a no no when it comes to loading times..).

Brand new skies from the CATW mod I'm working on in the original post and a the campaign descriptions text I use which lowers loading times by a decent 38% for me perhaps up to 85% for others.

OP updated with the link to.

**z3n** · October 21, 2012, 02:58 PM

For those who want to know how to make a modification alexander compatible yourself follow these steps...

1. Add in the immortal trait at the end of the traits line.

Code:

;------------------------------------------
Trait Immortal
Characters family
Hidden

Level Immortal
Description Immortal_desc
EffectsDescription Immortal_effects_desc
Threshold 1 


;================================================= ==============
;Section: == TRIGGER DATA STARTS HERE ==
;================================================= ==============

2. Add in the immortal_desc in the export_descr_VnVs_enums.txt

Code:

Immortal
Immortal_desc
Immortal_effects_desc

3. Add in the immortal description to the export_VnVs.txt file located in rio/data/text.

Code:

¬--------------------
{Immortal} Immortal

{Immortal_desc}
Hidden immortal trait

{Immortal_effects_desc}
No Effects

¬--------------------

4. Paste in the chat_filter.san file into your rio/data folder.

5. Paste in the alexander alternate ambush formation on the end of the descr_ai_formations.txt file.

Code:

;****************************************************************
; Alternate Ambush deployment (required with Alexander exe); Column marching formation for the army being ambushed, allows stretching;****************************************************************begin_formation alternate_ambush_defender_deployment    alternate_ambush_defender_deployment    ai_priority 0.1    ;;; general at the front    begin_block 0        min_units                1        max_units                1        unit_type                general_unit    1.0        unit_density            close        block_formation            line        block_relative_pos        0 0.0 0.0        inter_unit_spacing        2.0        priority                1.0    end_block    ;;; all other units behind    begin_block 1        unit_type                any    1.0        unit_density            close        block_formation            column        block_relative_pos        0 0.0 -2.0        inter_unit_spacing        2.0        priority                1.0    end_block end_formation

6. Create a new shortcut and add -mod:rio -show_err -nm -noalexander to the end of the target line.

Finally, thank you very much Riothamus and team for a very, very fun modification!

**Dark_horse_spirit** · October 21, 2012, 10:43 PM

I watched the animaton and they are very good, the twitchng can be stopped by shortnng or lengthening the frame that is glitchng. I would be interested in colaboratng on a project with you. I use 3ds max 7, I will send you what have, the differnt versons ec..Rome /BI/alex, the animations are all the same, so they are all interchangable. A while back I had started an undertaking of changing all the animations, but the size of it is immense for one person.

**z3n** · October 22, 2012, 12:05 AM

Thanks for the advice but yeah I realized that eventually lol,that was an older version of the pack and I haven't had the time to upload a new video in awhile so I made do with that one, the twitching was fixed in this version of the pack.

I use 3ds max 2010.

About your offer, I was already working on a base animation pack from rome medieval and I had permission to use some animations from alin I was basically able to overhaul the entire animation system some effort. So if you try it out you will see that the entire animations are all changed to new and more realistic animations.

It has been in the works for 6months and even now I am still polishing it from time to time but for the most part I believe I am near done working on it. There are a few of those animations I am slightly frustrated with when it comes to the spear cavalry animations but it will get fixed all in good time..

You may go ahead and do what you will with it I'm very happy to see another animator taking interest in this

**Dark_horse_spirit** · October 22, 2012, 01:46 PM

Hi,

In my animations, the start frame are all new, the animations all new, I even have blowing capes. my horse animations are new, I think the only animations that I did not touch on are elephants,because I have no working knowledge how an elephant walks or runs.

just as well anyhow, I have not animated Rome in about 6 months to a year so there would be a readjusting period again.

I did have a question for you, Is there anyway for you to export an animation frame to a different animation, it would make animating so much easier if the start stances are all uniform. My animations are a little glitchy as I have not figured out how to do this, so when the animations go to the next start stance..or stand ready is always a little different, not much, but enough that the eye can see. I have been animating Rome for a few years now, maybe 5, and this problem has always plagued me. My animations would be perfect if I could get past this.

**z3n** · October 22, 2012, 02:15 PM

That sounds like great stuff. I'd love to have a look at that

I keep rereading to try and understand what you are getting at about the animations for start/ready are you saying the animation appears in a different way for each time even though its the same animation cas file? And for exporting an animation frame to a different one Ive never ever tried that sorry. The solution I would do is cut off the frame at where you want the start stance as a base then work off that reworking each stance but its really time consuming.

**Dark_horse_spirit** · October 22, 2012, 05:18 PM

Hi,

let me try and re-communicate that. As you know each skeleton consists of a series of animations, eg..slow swordsman consist of aproximatly 80 animations all ranging from 11 to 30 frames, some more and some less. For the game to run smoothly the animations all need to start, end and restart a new animation. The Rome engine uses the stand ready animation as a basis for the rest of the animations, so usually the first few frames of any animation are the stand ready frame, before they go into the new animation....be it upward slash, high block ec..remeber all animations end in a stand ready, this makes the game run smoothly.

Here is the problem, to change the stand ready animation is to change all animations in the skeleton, If you adjust the stand ready to something that you find more suitable you need to change the beginning of every animation to match the stand ready. If you could some how copy a single frame of a stand ready animation and copy it to a high block animation then you would not have a glitch as the animations would all be aligned, as the start frame would match the stand ready, then all you would need to do is adjust the frames to lets say 100, move the second frame down 10-20 or so, make sure that you have auto adjust on and the frames will work together creating your own cota.
*after reading this I realized that I foregot to tell you that the last frame needs to be relatively close to the stand ready frame as well.

other wise each and every frame on a animation would need to be adjusted by hand. way to time consuming.

**Dark_horse_spirit** · October 22, 2012, 07:15 PM

http://www.mediafire.com/?r69m8x0dw90r38s

I uploaded an animation for a 2 handed mounted spearman, I use the sassinads for this one because they have a cape, go ahead and use it if you can,

**z3n** · October 22, 2012, 09:16 PM

As far as I have done, I always have reworked anything starting from base up but I am not a perfectionist when it comes to animations since that is simply to much work. some things in animations are just abrupt and thats that. Alin and his animation pack had a few animations like that and he put a few years into it. I'd just leave the perfect animations up to CA and their new games lol. Though one can dream.

And thank you for the animation,I will check it out.