Converting Civilization3 unit animations

**Stazi** · 02-29-2016, 12:41

Originally Posted by cegorach

Hmm, that is an odd thing

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=90014

A while ago I've worked on a Warhammer mod and odd stuff was just what I liked. This is... interesting. Could be an interesting addition if we ever want a hypothetical unit of just a single one model.

I like it too. We can make it movable like Regimental Cannon but shooting normal cannon balls. I think it'd be a rare mercenary unit only. Its death animation is great.

**cegorach** · 02-29-2016, 15:19

Originally Posted by Stazi

http://forums.civfanatics.com/downlo...=file&id=14614

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=222851

The first link is quite interesting despite it's Hussite war wagon. Cossacks war wagons are hard to find.

Looks great, but useless to us - too medieval. Well, in time we will find something. Or 'hire' someone to prepare it.

Originally Posted by Stazi

I like it too. We can make it movable like Regimental Cannon but shooting normal cannon balls. I think it'd be a rare mercenary unit only. Its death animation is great.

We will see about the projectiles it could fire - we could have two ('dismounted' as the second one), one firing cannonballs and another throwing granades or something similar.
1 model unit with high defence, decent attack, heavy armour with a pavise and causing fear so it can survive for longer. I've tested it with Dwarf Dragon Slayers with my old Warhammer mod and it works pretty well.

When it comes to availability I don't like mercanary only units and I'd like to give it to Milan with a unique building (say Da Vinci's Workshop or similar) which could give some other benefits. Something actually unique given to a small, italian faction other than Venice.

Animation seems easy enough to adopt. Not that many angles (looks similar from every side) except when firing or moving - @zweihander what do you think?

**zweihander** · 02-29-2016, 15:39

Originally Posted by cegorach

Animation seems easy enough to adopt. Not that many angles (looks similar from every side) except when firing or moving - @zweihander what do you think?

The model is very interesting. But the firing smoke may cause serious problem while converting, I had converted units involing firing smoke to FTG, smoke is hard to deal with.
And I'm afraid that I would not have enough time to convert units recently, sorry.

**Stazi** · 02-29-2016, 16:29

Originally Posted by zweihander

The model is very interesting. But the firing smoke may cause serious problem while converting, I had converted units involing firing smoke to FTG, smoke is hard to deal with.

We can get rid of the smoke eventually but it involves editing every single frame. But smoke looks fine. Why not leave it?

Originally Posted by zweihander

And I'm afraid that I would not have enough time to convert units recently, sorry.

Could you write a short guide for Poser (I've just downloaded it), for adding animations to models, preparing a stage for screenshots, etc.? Generally the way you do it. I'd like to learn those things. It doesn't have to be super detailed. I'll ask you if I have problems with something.

**zweihander** · 02-29-2016, 17:00

I would find some time tomorrow to write it. And you may like to read this first:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=118502
It is about making civ3 unit graphics, but you can learn a lot from this.

**cegorach** · 02-29-2016, 17:01

Originally Posted by zweihander

The model is very interesting. But the firing smoke may cause serious problem while converting, I had converted units involing firing smoke to FTG, smoke is hard to deal with.
And I'm afraid that I would not have enough time to convert units recently, sorry.

Ignore the smoke - gunpowder weapons have their own smoke generated by the game (by Fog file in a different place).

Don't treat it as a priority, it is more a question about your opinion about this animation.

The way I see it it requires very few angles, definetely not four images, but maybe even just two.
It is circular and almost all actions look the same from all angles so I wonder what do you think.

**zweihander** · 02-29-2016, 15:45

@cegorach

Kinboat had also provided this Poser model:

Do you think it would be useful in our mod? The Helmet/shield can be changed if you think it is too medieval.

Since I already have a sword&shield pose set, it would not be too hard for me to make it, just need some free time...

**cegorach** · 02-29-2016, 17:03

Originally Posted by zweihander

@cegorach

Kinboat had also provided this Poser model:

Do you think it would be useful in our mod? The Helmet/shield can be changed if you think it is too medieval.

Since I already have a sword&shield pose set, it would not be too hard for me to make it, just need some free time...

It looks well, except the shield. Could be useful for last remaining knightly units and dismounted heavy cavalry in the early XVIth.

**zweihander** · 03-02-2016, 07:39

@cegorach

Please use this items/Weapons codeLancknechtPikemen.rar for all units using the 'CUSTOM4'(Pikeman) unit graphic.

Please use this items/Weapons codeLancknechtHalbardiers.rar for all units using the 'CUSTOM2'(Swiss Halberd/Urban Militant) unit graphic.

Please use this items/Weapons codeLancknechtArmouredPikemen.rar for all units using the 'CUSTOM5'(armoured Pikeman) unit graphic.

These codes will greatly improve the weapon animation.

**cegorach** · 03-02-2016, 08:00

Very well, but all those graphics will be converted into 1024p files, so the weapons' positions will have to be altered.

But it still helps to have them re-made, so thank you!

**Stazi** · 03-02-2016, 09:02

Originally Posted by cegorach

But it still helps to have them re-made, so thank you!

The better they look now, the better they will look after conversion and less fine tuning will be needed. I'm currently struggling with it. There are usually a dozen of units using one folder (each one with another dozen of txt files describing the rectangles, weapon, shield animations which have to be recalculated) so packing four folders into one 1024p folder means dealing with hundreds of files. I feel like a copy/pasting robot. But it has to be done sooner or later.