Converting Civilization3 unit animations

[zweihander]

Alright. I have done the Action Page file.

I replace the Attack animation and add the Charge animation, both are made by Balam-Agab from CFC. And also fix some missing pixels.

As I said before, this new animation is in a 1024p BIF, so it needs adjusting the SCALE in the UNIT_PROD files.

Please download(in the attachment) and test it in game, it should be the final version if no other problems.

Screenshots:

Standing:


Runing:


Charging:


Fighting:

[Stazi]

It looks good now. Attack animation is much better. But remember that you will be probably adding new unit (or two) to this texture in the future so that texture is technically not ready yet (color palette changes, etc.).

EDIT:

How do you add faction colors to the texture? Already in Poser or later?

[cegorach]

Very good @zweihander!

Could you post these screenshots in our topic on TWC? It would be nice to let the people know that there is some progress.

There is some space left in the file so if you will squeeze another unit in the same .BIF it will be great.

Not required because this unit deserves its own directory and thanks to @Stazi we have plenty of them.


If you want to work on another unit let me know.


BTW I'll probably ask Balam-Agab about this:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=561310

namely about fight animations for the red-hatted musketeer from the period of Abbas the Great.

Would be quite useful.


Have you seen any wagon infantry made for CiV3? This is one of animations we could use, as long as it looks historically accurate.

[zweihander]

EDIT:

How do you add faction colors to the texture? Already in Poser or later?

In Poser you can easily change the colour of any part of the model, I change some part to green/pink, and use your method to confirm faction colours in my PSD file.

Very good @zweihander!

Could you post these screenshots in our topic on TWC? It would be nice to let the people know that there is some progress.

Have you seen any wagon infantry made for CiV3? This is one of animations we could use, as long as it looks historically accurate.

ok, I will post in TWC later.

No, I haven't.

[cegorach]

Another interesting pack of this guy

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=535573

so Scotland! Eventually it has to be done, so treat the link as my way to keep it somewhere we won't lose it.


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.

[Stazi]

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.

[Stazi]

Have you seen any wagon infantry made for CiV3? This is one of animations we could use, as long as it looks historically accurate.

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.

[cegorach]

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.

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]

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.

[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...

[Stazi]

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?

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]

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]

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.

[cegorach]

@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]

@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]

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]

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.

[cegorach]

I know what you mean. I did the original work after all - including copy/pasting and adjusting animation poses into .BMPs taken from YanTraken's drawings.

I found it easier by dealing with files which have less unit entries (Winged Hussars, Wagons, Dragoons etc) - sometimes one or two - as a sort of holiday break from more complicated stuff.

[zweihander]

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

Halberd weapon anim update.
LancknechtHalbardiers.rar

[zweihander]

Update the Doppelsoldner animation:
Big-landsknecht-v.3.rar

-add Death animation
-adjust some animations




---------------------------------

@Stazi
Is it possible to add the doppelsoldner's image to the DEAD256.LBM?

[Stazi]

Is it possible to add the doppelsoldner's image to the DEAD256.LBM?

Of course, it's possible. You have have to find four images of a soldier that you want to replace (DEADPAGE COORDS.txt) and paste the last frame of your death animation there. 4 images for 4 angles like everywhere else.

[zweihander]

@Stazi @cegorach

Imperator1961 is willing to send us his Poser models. Please take a look of his works and choose which units we should request.

(I suggest to search the threads start from him, the 'units' list' in his signature is incomplete.

[cegorach]

Does it include older files such as those from ten years ago? I'll have a look. There are definetely quite many interesting entries.

Also what do you think, the both of you, about pikemen models with pikes in hand? I'd like to have at least two such animations, but I am not sure about the lenght of the pikes. Many could look like half-pikes, but even that will require work.


EDIT: Boy, it couldn't be better! I guess the majority of animations which I found interesting and useful are from this guy! I'll spend Saturday going through his files to help him locate his Poser models.

[Stazi]

@Stazi @cegorach

Imperator1961 is willing to send us his Poser models. Please take a look of his works and choose which units we should request.

(I suggest to search the threads start from him, the 'units' list' in his signature is incomplete.

WOW! Tons of good stuff there. I hope all models will have their animations included (or at least ones that fit many models).

[cegorach]

Quite many muslim musketeer animations, Scots, even a warwagon, but sadly only for the Ottomans.

I'll look for more tomorrow.


The only issue I have found is that there are no dedicated charge animations so certain choices will have to be made.
Also only musket armed units with two modes of attack can be taken - but fortunatelly there is a plenty of those.


Second thing - how many of his Poser models can be used in a single MTW animation directory? I'd suggest to test that with one musketeer animation. Musketeers tend to take more space so if we can use for example three in a single .BIF it will be a lot.

[zweihander]

Does it include older files such as those from ten years ago? I'll have a look. There are definetely quite many interesting entries.

I don't know how many files he still have today.

Also what do you think, the both of you, about pikemen models with pikes in hand? I'd like to have at least two such animations, but I am not sure about the lenght of the pikes. Many could look like half-pikes, but even that will require work.

I also want to ask you this question: if we make some units using very long weapon such as pike, halberd, etc. Should we (1)render the weapon together with the unit's body, or (2) render the weapon as a separate 'item'.

(1)
Advantage: the graphical performance would be better, don't need the deal with the weapon position code.
Disadvantage: cost too many space of a bif

(2)
Advantage: save the space of the BIFs
Disadvantage: worse graphical performance, need to deal with the weapon position code, a nightmare to me...

BTW, the length, width etc. of a weapon is very easy to edit in Poser, so don't worry about this.

EDIT: Boy, it couldn't be better! I guess the majority of animations which I found interesting and useful are from this guy! I'll spend Saturday going through his files to help him locate his Poser models.

Yes, Imperator also said that he has followed PMTW mod for some years as for the ideas and the uniforms informations PMTW give.

[zweihander]

Quite many muslim musketeer animations, Scots, even a warwagon, but sadly only for the Ottomans.

I'll look for more tomorrow.


The only issue I have found is that there are no dedicated charge animations so certain choices will have to be made.
Also only musket armed units with two modes of attack can be taken - but fortunatelly there is a plenty of those.

Ok, another issue we need to discuss is which animations we should include:

In MTW, a complete melee infantry should include: idle, walk, run, charge, fight, die
But a Civ unit only inculde: idle, run, fight, die. No walk and charge.
In the doppelsoldner unit, I use another run animation from Balam as the charge anim, and still no walk anim for the Doppelsoldner. But for Pike units, I think walking is pretty important?

Don't worry about the melee fighting animation of the musket armed units, it is easy to import the melee fighting animation.

[Stazi]

(1)
Advantage: the graphical performance would be better, don't need the deal with the weapon position code.
Disadvantage: cost too many space of a bif

A perfect example of this:

We can try both ways and see if we can get reasonable results with pike as separate weapon.

[zweihander]

A perfect example of this:



We can try both ways and see if we can get reasonable results with pike as separate weapon.

Make a quick camparsion: that one is smaller than a original MTW unit, not much smaller though.

[cegorach]

Ok, another issue we need to discuss is which animations we should include:

In MTW, a complete melee infantry should include: idle, walk, run, charge, fight, die
But a Civ unit only inculde: idle, run, fight, die. No walk and charge.
In the doppelsoldner unit, I use another run animation from Balam as the charge anim, and still no walk anim for the Doppelsoldner. But for Pike units, I think walking is pretty important?

Perhaps we could ask the obvious question - if he could make certain animations for us? AFTER we select what is actually needed so that we have a list of animations we really need (so a priority) and of those which could be nice to have.

Only a couple, such as walking pikeman or one more complicated one - a warwagon in Polish/Hungarian fashion (Cossacks would use it too, but differences in uniform are marginal so no ned for bald heads with a topknot).