Twitter discussion

[DaciaJC]

Finished the eastern camps for the strat map. -Tux about 2 hours ago from web

[-Praetor-]

You should really keep a close eye on Twitter. It's the best window you have towards the work of the EB team.

[The General]

You should really keep a close eye on Twitter. It's the best window you have towards the work of the EB team.

Hint taken,

A steppe horse archer with the bowman anims and overhand spear anims on horseback is assembled. - JMRC
Nice.


2 more steppe archers (horse and foot variants) were finished, with model by Tux and skins by Gustave. - JMRC
Nice!


Admiring the new map, made by Spartan Warrior. Still needs to be polished, but damn it looks cool! -Praetor-
Nice!

[Arkhis]

Admiring the new map, made by Spartan Warrior. Still needs to be polished, but damn it looks cool! -Praetor-
Nice!

I can't wait to see it meself!

[Hybr1d]

Does anybody from the developing team have any idea when the mod will be ready? I can't friggin wait until it comes out!

[Puupertti Ruma]

Short Answer: When it's ready.

Longer answer: No, they honestly don't. As EB is a non-profit project and it is made at the free time of it's maker's. Thus the producing is even more uncertain than a normal game project, and even they are higly suspectible to a numerous things that could delay, or rarely accelerate the finishing of the project. For example a severe bug could delay a project for months.

[Gustave]

Nobody knows when it will be released. Remember that it is a total conversion : we have to redo EVERYTHING . However, things are going faster in the team these weeks. Wait a little and you will get some nice previews.

[-Praetor-]

This is an alternative charging animation for the hoplite, with an underhand thrust. This does not delete the overhand thrust of the hoplite, or any other overhand animation for the matter. It is rather an exceptional alternative for the hoplite that wants to surprise the enemy at the last minute, by changing the direction of the thrust:

The soldier thrusts with the buttspike of his spear, which could also be used as a weapon in some cases.

[war is hell]

OMG thats awesome. How many different animations are possible?

[HunGeneral]

Now thats what I call a well made animation.

Conisdering that most defenders would think the hoplite attacks with spear above shield, such an attack might even come as a suprise.

[Ludens]

An excellent level of detail, as always. I just wonder: won't the spear clip with other soldiers when carrying out such a complex manoeuvre?

[The General]

An excellent level of detail, as always. I just wonder: won't the spear clip with other soldiers when carrying out such a complex manoeuvre?

Exactly what I was thinking, having the whole front row of hoplitai knocking one another unconscious while pulling this trick would rather hinder the effectiveness of such a surprise attack.

[-Praetor-]

The hoplite does six movements:

1) Change the direction of the spear, presenting its buttspike to the enemy rather than its head.

2) Lowers the spear to hip level

The soldier does these two movements in one sitting. In this movement (which are two movements in one) there's no danger of hitting anyone in the back, for the spear moves in a vertical plane, in 90º in relation to the ground. This results in the following consequences:

a) It doesn't collide with the hoplite to the right of the charging soldier, since the spear moves in a 90º plane and passes between both soldier's shoulders.

b) Since other hoplites in the back would have been aligned with the hoplite in the front, the spear would have passed between the shoulders of the two hoplites to the back, and wouldn't have hitted anyone.

3) Prepares the strike

No problem, the hoplite moves the spear in a short and straight vector to the back, and thus doesn't collide with his brethren for the same reason as letter b) above. Besides, the hoplite tilts his chest to the side to make room for the strike without bothering his brother to his right.

4) Strikes

No problems with this.

5) Pulls out the spear

Same as movement 3).

6) Comes back to the overhand guard position, rotating the spear and elevating the shoulder.

This movement may cause some problems, because the hoplite moves the spear in a 45º angle, and it might collide with the legs of the soldier to the right. This has already been corrected in the animation, and now the hoplite moves the spear in the same plane of movement 1).

[Ludens]

Thanks for the answer!

[antisocialmunky]

Can you mix up animations so some charge over head, some charge under hand. Maybe some others puts all their weight on their shields and some sort of jump up and crash down for maximum awesomeness.

[Tenebrous]

Can you mix up animations so some charge over head, some charge under hand. Maybe some others puts all their weight on their shields and some sort of jump up and crash down for maximum awesomeness.

Like Troy much?

[Tux]

Like Troy much?

And Lord of the rings, I guess.

[The General]

Why not just render the animations for hoplites according to the ones in "300" while at it?

[antisocialmunky]

Why not just render the animations for hoplites according to the ones in "300" while at it?

What about this part then?

Can you mix up animations so some charge over head, some charge under hand?

Its not much of a surprise if everyone charges underhand.

[The General]

Its not much of a surprise if everyone charges underhand.

Is it possible to control the likelihoods of animations, or is it a simple matter of 1/X, with X being the amount of possible animations for the action?

[-Praetor-]

Its not much of a surprise if everyone charges underhand.

We initially replaced the "charge_jump_attack", (because it's ahistorical and it's not a very good idea trying to jump with 30kg panoply on you and an aspis on your hand) with this, and since there's only another charge animation ("charge_attack"), the probability of using this animation against the other should have been 50/50.

But for some reason, the engine doesn't use it and just uses the "charge_attack" animation, which consists of an overhead thrust of the spear. We are still trying to solve this.

Is it possible to control the likelihoods of animations, or is it a simple matter of 1/X, with X being the amount of possible animations for the action?

I don't know if its possible to control the percentage of likelyhood, since my knowledge of the "descr_skeleton.txt" file isn't that deep, but I hope so. I would give this animation something like a 25% chance or so, but I don't know if that's feasible.

[Christianus]

Questions: (1) which one looks best http://2tu.us/w83 ? 
(2) and can you tell which one done with standard Java 
and which one is custom code?

Is there any difference? I get chinese marks and such.

[The General]

I don't know if its possible to control the percentage of likelyhood, since my knowledge of the "descr_skeleton.txt" file isn't that deep, but I hope so. I would give this animation something like a 25% chance or so, but I don't know if that's feasible.

I'd prefer it to be a rather rare surprise attack with a low occurrence rate, for both the maximum "Wow!" factor and so that it really would be a surprise move.

[DaciaJC]

Questions: (1) which one looks best http://2tu.us/w83 ? 
(2) and can you tell which one done with standard Java 
and which one is custom code?

Is there any difference? I get chinese marks and such.

1) For me, the bottom (blue) line looks a tiny bit clearer.
2) I don't have a clue.

[Subotan]

The soldier thrusts with the buttspike of his spear, which could also be used as a weapon in some cases.

The fact that I sniggered at this comment is proof that the twelve year old within me is not dead.

[The General]

Hooray!

The first casse unit modei is finished with some spike and mohawk hairs and big moustaches. Not to mention the rest. -Tux

And some more modeling news, the new british chariot model is finished with some unique touches. -Tux

[paullus]

amazing work, y'all, you're gonna have all sorts of continence problems when you see this stuff

[Phalanx300]

Seems like the next previews will feature Barbarian factions, though weren't we supposed to have another Romani preview first a while ago? Never heard anything about it anymore.

[-Praetor-]

Seems like the next previews will feature Barbarian factions, though weren't we supposed to have another Romani preview first a while ago? Never heard anything about it anymore.

It is pending.

Relax.

[Christianus]

"Just so you know, the Romans are not alone in the West Mediterranean, work is progressing on rebuilding Carthage from the ground up. - Tanit"
And also not to forget the "Mamla'ha biMassylim" n north africa. Talking of multi cultural down there:)